Western Illinois University, in collaboration with the University Art Gallery, will host Wyoming artist Shelby Shadwell for his solo exhibition, "EMERGENCY BLANKETS," on display Thursday, Jan. 18- Thursday, Feb. 16. Admission is open free to the public.
A reception for the artist will be held from 4:30 p.m.-6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18. The artist will speak about his work at 5 p.m. Shadwell will also conduct a drawing demonstration in the gallery from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Shadwell is currently an associate professor in the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Wyoming. Born and raised in Springfield, MO, he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2003 from Washington University and a Master of Fine Arts degree in 2006 from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
A two-time recipient of the Visual Arts Fellowship from the Wyoming Arts Council, Shadwell actively exhibits across the nation. His recent exhibitions include “LIKE AND SHARE IF YOU AGREE!!!,” a solo show at the South Bend Museum of Art, “DRAWN” at Manifest Creative Research Gallery in Cincinnati, OH and “Drawing Discourse” at the University of North Carolina Asheville.
Shadwell was awarded a solo exhibition at the APEX Space at the Portland Art Museum in 2016 and his work is included in their permanent collection. For his research sabbatical from 2021-2022, he accepted the Manifest Artist Residency Award and spent a year making new work at their gallery, collaborating on educational opportunities at their Drawing Center in Cincinnati, OH.
Shadwell received the Stone & Deguire Contemporary Art Award in the amount of $25,000 from his alma mater, Washington University. Current and upcoming 2023 solo exhibition venues include Artworks Contemporary Art Center in Loveland, CO, STRATA Gallery in Santa Fe, NM, the Firehouse Art Center in Longmont, CO and the Kentler International Drawing Space in Brooklyn, NY.
For more information on WIU’s Art Gallery, visit wiu.edu/artgallery.