BIOGRAPHY

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             Shelsea was born in 1991 in Binghamton, NY. She received her BFA in Ceramics from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, MD, in 2013, and completed her post baccalaureate studies at the University of Alaska Anchorage in Anchorage, AK, in 2018.

            Shelsea’s work primarily investigates feminist and LGBTQ/queer issues, human/animal relationships, and the parallels she perceives between the two. Her work has been shown nationally and she has taught and completed residencies both across the US and abroad.

            In 2025 she opened Goldhorn Studios, a collective studio space and gallery in downtown Helena, MT, with her wife, potter Sam Momeyer. They live in Helena in a log cabin in the woods with their two dogs and two cats.

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ARTIST STATEMENT

The animals have always lent themselves to me: a character, a vehicle, a symbol.  Like so many before me, I have harnessed them for use as I see fit.  I am primarily interested in livestock and other domesticated animals, as they are the most accessible to us, yet exist in an abstract state to many people.  The ubiquitous carton of milk has become its own entity, completely disassociated with the cow it came from.

            Our treatment of livestock is too often mirrored in the treatment of our fellow human beings.  These animals are viewed as unfeeling and inanimate, and human minority groups deemed inferior are reduced to something subhuman, something beastly.  My experiences as a queer woman in today’s political climate have sensitized me to these nuanced archetypes.

            I want to create awareness for these issues inherent in our culture, while extending a message of optimism through appreciation and empowerment.  By creating narratives that depict strong female characters, either fictitious or historical, I aim to celebrate feminist issues and represent women and queer people.

            The world my work lives in is an idealized one: built upon historical references and personal symbolism.  I urge the viewer to investigate further and question what lies beneath this romantic veneer.  Through facilitating the confrontation of a degree of disquiet, my hope is to inspire introspection and a reassessment of one’s reality.