With “Creation out of Chaos,” artist Sheila Cuellar-Shaffer hopes to cultivate conversations around immigration, particularly as it affects women, both individually and collectively.
Works in her exhibition, showing through July 18 at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg, include memories of Cuellar-Shaffer’s personal immigration journey to the United States from her home country of Colombia.
“I’m one of millions of people who leave their countries because of violence,” said Cuellar-Shaffer, who moved to Miami in 1999 and then to Westmoreland County in 2004.
The theme of her show ties in with the museum’s current main exhibition, “Border Cantos | Sonic Border,” which explores life and humanitarian issues along the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.
“I’m glad to have space here at The Westmoreland to talk about immigration and to talk about immigration stories with my community,” the Hempfield resident said. “Our county has only less than 5% minorities, so people are not very aware of who we are, how we are, and our stories.
Shirley McMarlin | Tribune-Review
"Creation out of Chaos," by artist Sheila Cuellar-Shaffer of Hempfield, runs through July 18 at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art.
“One of the things I really love about Westmoreland County is that, from the beginning, people are really proud of their heritage. You see the descendants of Italians — they still talk about their heritage from Italy. People from Eastern Europe too, like the Polish people — you go to a church and they’ll serve the pierogies from that area.
“So, I want that to happen for everyone,” she said. “That’s why it’s so important to tell those stories, so they don’t get lost, and it helps you understand other people that perhaps are different from you, but not so much.
History and pop culture
“Latin American people have helped shape the United States through many, many years in many areas of the country, so I think its important to bring those stories here to Westmoreland County,” she said.
“I use Latin American historical elements, zoo-anthropomorphic figures and pop culture references to convey ideas of human behavior, the nature of political power and societal structures, particularly relating to the experiences of female-identifying individuals,” Cuellar-Shaffer said. “The imagery in my work is rooted in actual places and experiences, but those places and experiences grow and evolve into fantastical landscapes and beings that populate a world where immigrant sensibilities and variations of the theme ‘home’ can be explored.”
Pieces in her series of brightly colored acrylic paintings include women dressed in clothing reminiscent of robes worn by Catholic priests. Their hair is covered and their faces have a hollow-eyed, haunted aspect.
Shirley McMarlin | Tribune-Review
"The journey of a mother," from artist Sheila Cuellar-Shaffer’s exhibition, "Creation out of Chaos," at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art.
”Growing up Catholic, the beauty of religious art was a constant influence on my artistic and cultural production,” she said. “The colorful, decorated outfits function to lift up these women that risk their lives to give themselves and their loved ones a better life.”
In 2020, Cuellar-Shaffer had a solo exhibition, “Candyland: The Land of Hope,” at Westmoreland County Community College. The candy motif finds its way back into this new series.
“The candy can be the enticing promise their new homeland offers, or dangers disguised as something sweet — it is up to the viewer to decide,” she said.
Collective experience
The immigrant experience is a juxtaposition of assimilating to a new country and culture, while retaining vestiges of home, Cuellar-Shaffer said.
“I think we all want to have a sense of community. In order to do that, how much of what you were, what you are, can you keep with you in order to be part of new community?” she said. “In many instances, people have to change a lot in order to be accepted. In fact, people even try to forget what they were before, because they just want to belong.
“There’s some nostalgia and, at the same time, there’s that happiness that you have dreams and want to start a new life. It’s all part of a process,” she said.
Shirley McMarlin | Tribune-Review
Detail from "Unexpected encounter" by artist Sheila Cuellar-Shaffer of Hempfield, from her exhibition, "Creation out of Chaos," at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art.
“For many years my work was the result of introspection and the passage of time. I created narratives of the under layers of existence, depicting memories of my own reality as an immigrant exploring diverse identities,” she said. “As society shifted, so did my work, from individual to collective experience.”
Cuellar-Shaffer studied architectural design and fine arts in Colombia and has been a creator, primarily a painter, and designer for more than 20 years. Her practice represents her interest in identity, diversity and human rights.
Her work has been shown at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Susquehanna Museum of Art, Kniznick Gallery at Brandeis University and The State Museum of Pennsylvania.
Details: cuellarshaffer.com and thewestmoreland.org
Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley at 724-836-5750, smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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