2-D art, including murals, mosaic, photography, etc.
Community engagement and social justice
Pittsburgh Creative Corps Artist Directory
Sheila Cuellar-Shaffer
Primary Discipline
Artistic Practice
Painting/works on paper/printmaking
Democracy is Power, 2016, digital composition, 24″ x 36.” Included in the Women’s March and Amplifier Foundation’s campaign “Power to the Polls.”
The Guardian, 2020, acrylic on canvas, 48″ x 48.”
I got you baby, 2024, acrylic on canvas, 60″ x 48.”
Composition No. 24, 2022, digital composition, 12″ x 12.” Part of the series Pre Columbian Images of a Postmodern World.
Disconnected, 2025, acrylic on canvas, 30″ x 48.”
About the Artist
Sheila Cuellar-Shaffer is a Colombian-American artist whose work conveys ideas of human behavior, the nature of political power and societal structures, particularly relating to the experiences of female-identifying individuals and migrant communities.
In 2018, her design Democracy is Power was chosen by the Amplifier Foundation curatorial team, which includes Shepard Fairey and America Ferrera, to travel around the country with #powertothepolls. In 2020, Sheila was awarded funds by the Heinz Endowments Just Arts program as Lead Artist for The Billboard Art Project in partnership with The Westmoreland Museum.
Her work has been shown at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Susquehanna Museum of Art, Kniznick Gallery at Brandeis University, The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, and The State Museum of Pennsylvania.
She served on the Board of Directors of the Westmoreland Diversity Coalition and is currently the Vice President of the Board for the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh. Her work has been mentioned in publications including Forbes.com, Bloomberg CityLab and The Boston Globe.
Photo courtesy of the artist
Web
Accreditations, Certifications, and/or Awards
- Commission, Gift to America, Maxo Vanko, 2025;
- Awardee, Heinz Endowments, Just Arts Program, 2020;
- Poster for Amplifier Foundation + Women’s March, Power to the Polls campaign, 2018;
- Vice President of the Board, Associated Artists of Pittsburgh;
- Former Board of Trustees, Westmoreland Diversity Coalition;
Provides Fabrication Services to Other Artists
No
Teaching Artist
No
Joined the Directory
May 2025
Related
PROJECT
Pittsburgh Creative Corps
Designed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pittsburgh Creative Corps initiative engages artists and creative workers to activate the public realm while providing economic opportunity.
“I’m interested in working at the intersection of art, design, and architecture as a way to engage communities while amplifying ideas of justice, migration, and the nature of political power.”
Sheila Cuellar-Shaffer
Contact the Artist
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Related
PROJECT
Pittsburgh Creative Corps
Designed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pittsburgh Creative Corps initiative engages artists and creative workers to activate the public realm while providing economic opportunity.
