Sheila Cuellar-Shaffer has been a creator, primarily a painter, and designer for over 20 years. A native of Palmira, Colombia, Sheila graduated with a degree in Architectural Design from the Fundación Academia de Dibujo Profesional and studied Fine Arts at the Instituto Departamental de Bellas Artes in Cali, Colombia.

Sheila’s practice represents her interest in identity, diversity, human rights, and social justice. Her work has been shown at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Susquehanna Museum of Art, Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, The State Museum of Pennsylvania. Sheila has been invited to show her work at the Pennsylvania State Capitol and the United States Department of Energy. Her design Democracy is Power was chosen by the Amplifier Foundation curatorial team, which includes Shepard Fairey, to travel around the country with #powertothepolls.

Sheila is currently the Lead Artist on The Billboard Art Project and serves on the Board of Directors of the Westmoreland Diversity Coalition and the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh.

For many years my work was the result of introspection and the passage of time. I created narratives of the under layers of existence, depicting memories of my own reality as an immigrant exploring identity, diversity. As society shifted, so did my work, from individual to collective experience.
I use Latin American historical elements, zoo-anthropomorphic figures and pop culture references to convey ideas of human behavior, the nature of political power and societal structures. The imagery in my work is based in actual places and experiences although my paintings fluctuate between imaginary landscapes and beings.

Instagram: @sheila.cuellar.shaffer
@makeourdifferencesourstrengths

Facebook: @sheilacuellars