Shelley Niro

Shelley Niro studied at University of Western Ontario and OCAD University. The field of work recorded is performance art and visual arts. Works named in the authority record are The Incredible 25th Year of Mitzi Bearclaw dir. By Shelley Niro (review). Work by Shelley Niro is recorded in the collections of National Gallery of Canada, Vtape, National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution and Musée de Rimouski.

• Name — Shelley Niro • Born — 1954 • Birthplace — Niagara Falls, New York • Awards — Scotiabank Photography Award, 2017 • Field — Performance artist, installation artist, filmmaker • Education — Ontario College of Art (BFA) University of Western Ontario (MFA) • Website — http: shelleyniro.ca/

Shelley Niro was born in Niagara Falls, New York and grew up on the Six Nations of the Grand River Reserve, near Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Niro's home life made it easy for creativity to flourish while entertaining her siblings through songs, storytelling, and picture drawing. Niro's family had a big impact on her work, and would later make appearances in various compositions. Niro's artistic ambitions began with her earning a diploma in performing arts from Cambrian College in Sudbury, Ontario, in 1972. In 1990, she received an honors fine arts degree in painting and sculpture from Ontario College of Art. Niro went on to earn a master of fine arts from the University of Western Ontario in 1997. In 2000, Niro attended the Banff Centre for the Arts to study film.

Niro explored the oral history of the Haudenosaunee people in general and the diaspora of Mohawk people in particular. She is known for her photography, which often combines portraits of living Native women with customary Mohawk imagery. She uses herself, friends, and family members as models. Her 1992 photographic series, This Land Is Mime Land and 500 Year Itch employ humorous pop culture references, such as Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe. Niro often works in diptychs and triptychs, using photographic processes such as photo montage, hand tints, and sepia tones. Shelly Niro is often compared to the artist Cindy Sherman because they both cast themselves in different roles in an attempt to break down various stereotypes. Niro, however, never fully disguises herself. "She wants the viewer to recognize her within her manifestations." As her skills advanced, Niro would feature family members in her art pieces. Her piece Time Travels Through Us shows her mother and two of her sisters as a way to represent the social, cultural, and personal values passed from generation to generation. The colors purple and silver reference Iroquois aesthetics and culture. A turtle represents Niro's spirit animal, as well as being a reference to the Turtle Clan of which she is a member. Most of Niro's work is conceptual, touching on themes of gender imbalance, cultural appropriation, and the importance of cultural influences. She uses the immersion of different mediums to engage her audience with her perspective. In spite of the serious themes such as cultural loss and oppression, some of Niro's pieces have used humor and satire as a form of resistance to convey social misconceptions about her culture while poking fun at outdated stereotypes and ideas. In 2023, the Art Gallery of Hamilton, Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian, New York City, and National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa venue presented a retrospective exhibition of Niro's work, Shelley Niro:500 Year Itch. The retrospective included the premiere of her newest film, Café Daughter.

Group exhibitions include: • 1999: Across Borders: Beadwork in Iroquois Life, McCord Museum, Montreal, Quebec • 2019: Hearts of Our People: Native Women Artists, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN • Radical Stitch, MacKenzie Art Gallery (2022). Solo exhibitions: • Shelley Niro: 500 Year Itch was organized and circulated by the Art Gallery of Hamilton with the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), with curatorial support from the National Gallery of Canada (NGC).

"Some people think that to be Indian, you have to do certain things, but I'm saying that you're Indian no matter what you do, but you have to decide what you want to do and you have to ask questions, like, am I doing something because it's expected of me to do, or am I doing it because I really believe this and it's really a part of me. So I'm always questioning that, saying, "Am I being truthful to myself? How much a part of what I do is part of my psychology?" —Shelley Niro

Niro currently resides in Brantford, Ontario, with her husband.

The canonical record carries the following identifying particulars.