Meet Shanna Shelby | Curator, Fashion Producer, Certified Fine Art Appraiser

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shanna Shelby and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shanna, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I established Shelby Fine Art about 15 years ago with the goal of providing legitimacy for the curatorial work I was doing with private collectors. When I became a Certified Art Appraiser, I was able to add appraisal work to the business services I could offer my clients. Recently, I have been producing fashion runway shows inspired by the exhibitions I curate at McNichols Civic Center Building. These shows are under the banner of Denver Arts & Venues Cultural Runway Series, and each show has a different theme connected to the exhibitions on display at the building. It will be exciting to see the direction this type of work will take with my fine art business.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve done pretty much every type of job in the arts you can think of! I taught art history, and worked in museums, galleries and frame shops. I was a conservation apprentice, a studio assistant, you name it! But, where my heart sings is as a curator. Curatorial work is based on trust. Whether you are an artist, collector or organization, you trust the curator will tell the story well. As a curator, I have worked nationally and internationally with private collectors, artists, corporations, nonprofits and museums. The last ten years, I have been curating for the City and County of Denver with Denver Arts & Venues. Working with all the municipal processes has been very challenging! I think what sets me apart from others is my vision. I had a vision of adding fashion to the exhibitions as a way of connecting people more closely to the cultures they represent. Each fashion runway show in the exhibition space has a real immersive quality to it. Adding the performance aspects, like music and dance, has a really powerful effect. I want people to follow that example, so I share my vision and connect them to the amazing artists, designers, musicians, performers and creatives in my world.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There are some really fun gems in Denver! The McNichols Civic Center Building is right in the heart of downtown and is where I curate the exhibitions that inspire the runway shows. The building is a very active community event space where you might attend a poetry slam, a writer’s conference or a dance performance. In the RiNo district, I love IRL Art. Besides representing some important community artists and organizations, they are developing some really interesting exhibits (and fashion) in the Metaverse. Not far from IRL is RedLine Contemporary Art Center. Their artists in residence program has really launched Denver’s best known artistic careers like Thomas “Detour” Evans. In the Art District on Santa Fe, I always visit Michael Warren Contemporary. The artists they represent, like Floyd Tunson and Pamela Joseph, are Colorado artists who have been creating work for more than 50 years and are nationally recognized. In the Golden Triangle Creative District, don’t miss William Havu Gallery, Kirkland Museum, Clyfford Still Museum and of course the newly renovated Denver Art Museum. If you are ever in Denver in June, the PrideFest with emcee DeMarcio Slaughter is a fabulous fashion performance experience with his designer DCR Studios. For an evening you will never forget, head to Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the world’s leading outdoor concert venue. Food?? I love Ninja Ramen, Tocabe, Las Delicias and Sauvage Food Truck.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I know it may sound cliché, but without the unwavering support of my family, I would not be able to dream, think, create and then see it all come to life!

Website: www.mcnicholsbuilding.com

Instagram: @shannashelby_

Linkedin: Shanna Shelby

Image Credits
Jonathan Phillips Photography and Riley Russill