Bio/Statement
Shelly White is a Fiber/Mixed media artist and museum-arts educator. Using hand-dyed and printed textiles, found papers and maps, she creates contemporary artworks that honor the spirit of traditional quilting. Within the concept of navigation, her work addresses ways in which we move through and across real and imagined geographies and the emotional passage of time. Current works express efforts to make sense of unsettling events, overcome personal obstacles and call out environmental concerns. Transparency, the stitched line, and color are key elements.
Ms. White studied surface design techniques in the School of Art at Arizona State University focusing on Shibori (Japanese dye methods), screen and relief printing on fabric. Three residencies at Playa, (Oregon) and classes with other fiber artists have provided opportunities for new directions in artmaking.
As a Museum Educator, White taught and developed arts-based educational programs and special events in museum settings for more than 25 years. Making art with children and families led her to embrace creative problem solving in her own work.
Based in Arizona, White works from her home studio, exhibits in local and national venues and is active in the fiber arts community. She is currently Education Specialist for Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum in Mesa, Az.
Selected Exhibitions
2022 Surface Design Association, Tubac Center for the Arts. Tubac, AZ.
2022 Art Quits XXVII: Re-Vitalized, Vision Gallery. Chandler, AZ.
2022 Wind, Tohono Chul Art Gallery. Tucson, AZ.
2021 43rd Annual Contemporary Craft, Mesa Contemporary Arts. Mesa, AZ.
2021 Earth, Tohono Chul Art Gallery. Tucson, AZ.
2021 Art Quits XXVI: Stitching Stories, Vision Gallery. Chandler, AZ.
2021 Creative Knots, Shemer Art Center. Phoenix, AZ.
2020 Art Quilts XXV: Fleeting Moments, Vision Gallery. Chandler, AZ
2020 Beyond Boundaries: Maps in Art, Sky Harbor Airport Museum. Phoenix, AZ.
2019 Greatest Hits, ABBA (A Bunch of Book Artists), ASU. Tempe, AZ.
2018 Blown Cover, ABBA (A Bunch of Book Artists), ASU. Tempe, AZ.
2017 Terra Firma, Antelope Valley Community College. Antelope Valley, CA.
2017 Natures Materials, Sky Harbor Airport Museum. Phoenix, AZ.
2012 Fibers Juried Exhibition, Shemer Art Center. Phoenix, AZ.
2002 Arizona Room, Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum. Mesa, AZ.
2000 Millennium Reflections, traveling, Arizona Commission on the Arts. AZ.
1999 Uncommon Threads, Invitational, Sky Harbor Airport Museum. Phoenix, AZ.
1998 Facultease II, Invitational, Galleria Mesa. Mesa, Arizona.
1996 Juried group exhibition, Pima Community College Art Gallery. Tucson, AZ.
1996 4 Consenting Adults, Shemer Art Center. Phoenix, AZ.
1996 Drama on a Daily Basis, Memorial Union Gallery, Arizona State University. Tempe, AZ.
1995 Four Stories, Invitational, Phoenix Visual Arts Center. Phoenix, AZ.
1994 Weather or Not, Invitational, Arizona Museum for Youth. Mesa, AZ.
1993 Materials Hard and Soft, Greater Denton Arts Council. Denton, TX.
1992 Black and White and Read All Over, Collaborative work with Dan Mayer, Invitational, Arizona Museum for Youth. Mesa, AZ.
1991 Wish You Were Here, Invitational, Arizona Museum for Youth. Mesa, AZ.
1990 Fibers/Metals, Invitational, Tohono Chul Park. Tucson, AZ.
1989 Paper, University of Nevada. Reno, NV.
1988 Breaking Camp, solo exhibition, Phoenix Visual Arts Center. Phoenix, AZ.
1987 Wood, Fiber, Clay, Coconino Center for the Arts. Flagstaff, AZ.
1987 Tangled, Torn, Tied, Tempe Arts Center. Tempe, AZ.
1986 A Rich Legacy: Contemporary Textiles by Women Artists, Lawrence Arts Center. Lawrence, KA.