Grants, Residencies, and Foundation Awards
Rasmuson Foundation Fellowship Award, 2017, 2013
McColl Center for Art + Innovation, Rasmuson Foundation Artist-in-Residence, 2014
Alaska State Council on the Arts NEA Career Opportunity Grant, 2012, 2015, 2021
Sustainable Arts Foundation 2011 Winter Award
Rasmuson Foundation Individual Artist Project Award, 2009
Public Collections
MEMPHIS Community Quilt, Crosstown Arts, Memphis, Tennessee
Alaska Capitol Christmas Tree Ornament Artist
HOME, Moore Place, Charlotte, North Carolina
Berry Picking, Alaska State Council on the Arts, Contemporary Art Bank
McCarthy Solstice, McCarthy-Kennicott Historical Museum
Generations Quilt, Thread 25th Anniversary Quilt, Anchorage, Alaska
McCarthy Day, Wrangell Mountain Center, McCarthy, Alaska
Invitational Group and Solo Shows
Off the Grid, Solo Exhibition, The Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, Vermont May 1 – October 31, 2020
Rising Star Solo Exhibition, The International Quilt Association, Houston, Texas October, 2019
The Pieced Canvas—Solo Show, Visions Art Museum—Contemporary Quilts + Textiles, San Diego, California (January – March 2019)
Stitched—Work by Maria Shell, Valdez Museum & Historical Archive Valdez, Alaska (January-March 2018)
Line + Shape—Improv Patchwork by Maria Shell, Hello Stitch, Berkeley, California (November-December 2017)
Right Lines and Circles, Ormond Memorial Art Museum & Gardens (December 2016) (Four Person Show)
Hot Crossed Squares, Gary L. Freeburg Art Gallery, Kenai Peninsula College, Soldotna, Alaska (September 2015)
fiber, Fitton Center for Creative Arts, Hamilton, Ohio (Fall 2014) (Four Person Show)
The Art of the Grid, Wiseman Gallery, Rogue Community College, Grants Pass, Oregon (February 2014)
Cut-Stich-Press, Bunnell Street Arts Center, Homer, Alaska (March 2014)
Color Grids, Featured Artist, Gallery Nord, San Antonio, Texas (Summer 2013)
BAM Biennial 2012: High Fiber Diet, Bellevue Arts Museum, Bellevue, Washington (Winter 2012-13)
Selected Juried Exhibitions and Awards
2022
QuiltCon 2022, Phoenix, Arizona
2021
QuiltCon Together 2021, Virtual Show
Light the World, SAQA Traveling Global Exhibition
Connections, SAQA Traveling Global Exhibition
Quilt National ‘21, Dairy Barn Arts Center, Athens, Ohio
Cloth in Common, Dunedin Fine Arts Center, Dunedin, Florida
By Hand, Attleboro Arts Center, Attleboro, Massachusetts
Quilts=Art=Quilts, Schweinfurth Art Center, Auburn, New York
2020
QuiltCon Prize Winners 2013-2018, Texas Quilt Museum, La Grange, Texas
QuiltCon 2020, Austin, Texas
Musica! SAQA Global Traveling Exhibition Traveling Show
Opposites Attract SAQA Global Exhibition Traveling Show
2019
Excellence in Fibers V, Muskegon Museum of Art, Muskegon, Michigan
Layered and Stitched: 50 Years of Innovative Art, SAQA Traveling Show
Quilts=Art=Quilts, Schweinfurth Art Center, Auburn, New York
Art Cloth North IV, SAQA Regional Juried Exhibition, Blue Hollomon Gallery, Anchorage, Alaska
Fiberart International 2019, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Shifting Tides, SAQA Regional Traveling Exhibition
Focus: Fiber, Kent State Museum, Kent, Ohio
QuiltCon 2019, Nashville, Tennesse
2018
Metamorphosis, SAQA Traveling Global Exhibition
Excellence in Fibers, San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, San Jose, California
Quilts=Art=Quilts, The Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, Auburn, New York
In the American Tradition, Traveling IQA Exhibition
New Legacies: Contemporary Art Quilts, The Lincoln Center, Fort Collins, Colorado
See My Voice, Ross Art Museum, Delaware, Ohio
Artist as Quiltmaker, Oberlin, Ohio
Modern Inspirations—Art Quilts from the 1970s Through to Today—SAQA Traveling Global Exhibition
2017
Art Cloth North III, Blue-Hollomon Gallery, Anchorage, Alaska
Hands All Around, Traveling IQA Exhibition
With These Hands, Rose Art Museum, Delaware, Ohio
2016
Quilts=Art=Quilts, Schweinfurth Art Center, Auburn, New York, Award of Excellence
My Corner of the World, SAQA Traveling Global Exhibition, Stratford Perth Museum, Stratford, Ontario, Canada
Form, Not Function: Quilt Art at the Carnegie, Carnegie Center for Art & History, New Albany, Indiana
Fiberart International 2016, Society for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Use Your Words—How to Walk, Talk, and Write like an Artist, Keynote Speech at the Studio Art Quilt Associates Annual Conference, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Textiles: Contemporary American Quilt Making, Watermark Gallery, East Providence, Rhode Island
Focus: Fiber, Kent State University Museum, Kent, Ohio
ART CLOTH NORTH II, SAQA Regional Juried Exhibition, Blue Hollomon Gallery, Anchorage, Alaska
Modern Quilt Guild at the Texas Quilt Museum, Texas Quilt Museum, La Grange, Texas
2015
Spun, Etui Fiber Arts Gallery, Larchmont, New York
Materialities Contemporary Textile Art, Surface Design Association Members Catalog and Exhibition, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Quilt National ’15, Dairy Barn Arts Center, Athens, Ohio
The Art of the Word, Keynote Speech at the Studio Art Quilt Associates Annual Conference Portland, Oregon
National Fiber Directions Exhibition, The Wichita Center for the Arts, Wichita, Kansas
2014
All Alaska Juried Art Exhibition XXXV, Anchorage Museum at the Rasmuson, Anchorage, Alaska
Art Cloth North, Blue-Holloman Gallery, Anchorage, Alaska
Quilts=Art=Quilts, Schweinfurth Art Center, Auburn, New York
Celebrate Silver, Studio Art Quilt Associates Traveling Exhibition
2013
Quilts=Art=Quilts, Schweinfurth Art Center, Auburn, New York
Innovations in Fiber Art VI International Juried Fiber Art Exhibition, Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Sebastopol, California
Earth, Fire, and Fibre Biennial Juried Exhibition, Anchorage Museum at the Rasmuson, Anchorage, Alaska
Wichita National All Media Craft Exhibition 2013, Wichita Center for the Arts, Wichita, Kansas
Northern National Art Competition, Nicolet Art Gallery, Rhinelander, Wisconsin, Donor Award
Art Quilts at the Whistler 2013: What’s My Line?, Whistler House Museum of Art, Lowell, Massachusetts
Color Wheel of Emotions: Studio Art Quilt Associates Traveling Exhibition
31st Annual New Legacies:Contemporary Art Quilts, The Lincoln Center Art Galleries, Fort Collins, Colorado
Lines & Edges, Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts, Fredericksburg, Virginia
2013 Juried Multimedia Art Exhibition, Park Gables Gallery, Harrisonburg, Virginia, Award for Excellence
Surface Design Association, Runway Show, San Antonio, Texas
Mayhem National Juried Exhibition, Arc Gallery, San Francisco, California
National Fiber Directions Exhibition 2013, The Wichita Center for the Arts, Wichita, Kansas
Deux, Studio Art Quilt Associates Traveling Exhibition
2012
2012 Juried Exhibition, The Center for Contemporary Art, Bedminster, New Jersey
Art Quilts XVII: Integrating the Paradox, Chandler Center for the Arts, Chandler, Arizona
All Alaska Juried Exhibition XXXIV, Anchorage Museum at the Rasmuson Center, Anchorage, Alaska
64 Arts National Juried Exhibition, Buchanan Center for the Arts, Monmouth, Illinois
Whistler Inspired Art Quilts 2012, Whistler House Museum of Art, Lowell, Massachusetts
Strands 2012, North Bank Artists Gallery, Vancouver, Washington
Politics as Usual, Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, Golden, Colorado
Evolutions 2012, Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, Golden, Colorado
Northern National Art Competition, Nicolet College Art Gallery, Rhinelander, Wisconsin
Fiber Options: Material Explorations, The Maryland Federation of Art, Annapolis, Maryland
Majestic National 2012, Majestic Galleries, Nelsonville, Ohio
2012 Juried Multimedia Art Exhibition, Park Gables Gallery, Harrisonburg, Virginia
Vanity Fair, GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, Reading, Pennsylvania
Transformations, National Exhibit, Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts, Fredericksburg, Virginia, Third Place
2012 Juried Multimedia Art Exhibition, Park Gables Gallery, Harrisonburg, Virginia
See the Light, Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts, Fredericksburg, Virginia, Honorable Mention
Art Quilt Elements 2012, The Wayne Art Center, Wayne, Pennsylvania
Fantastic Fibers, Yeiser Art Center, Paducah, Kentucky
Small Works, Harper College, Palatine, Illinois
Oklahoma Friendly, IAO Gallery, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
All That Jazz: Improvisational Quilts, curated by Ricki Tims and exhibited at the 2012 Road to California Quilt Show
2011
Art Quilts XVI: Something To Say, Chandler Center for the Arts, Chandler, Arizona
Texture & Pattern, Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts, Fredericksburg, Virginia, First Place
Focus on Color, Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts, Fredericksburg, Virginia
Earth, Fire, and Fibre XXVIII, Anchorage Museum at the Rasmuson Center, Anchorage, Alaska
29th Annual Fabric of Legacies Art Quilt Exhibition, Lincoln Center Galleries, Fort Collins, Colorado
64 Arts National Juried Exhibition, Buchanan Center for the Arts, Monmouth, Illinois
Art Quilts at the Whistler House Museum of Art 2011, Lowell, Massachusetts
Lancaster County Art Association National Juried Exhibition, Strasburg, Pennsylvania
54th Chautauqua Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Art, Chautauqua, New York
2011 Juried Multimedia Art Exhibition, Park Gables Gallery, Harrisonburg, Virginia, Award of Excellence
ARTQUILTSmovement, Durham Arts Council, Durham, North Carolina
National Fiber Directions Exhibition 2011, The Wichita Center for the Arts, Wichita, Kansas
2010
Forms in Motion, National Juried Art Exhibition, Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts, Fredericksburg, Virginia
Out of the Loop, West Hartford Art League, West Hartford, Connecticut, Best of Show
Images 2010, Lowell Quilt Festival, Lowell, Massachusetts
Fiber Celebration 2010, Tointon Gallery for the Visual Arts, Greeley, Colorado
All Alaska Juried Art Exhibition XXXIII, Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, Anchorage, Alaska, Best of Show
Art Source Gallery’s Ninth Annual Juried Show, Boise, Idaho, Juror’s Choice
Nature by Design: New Directions in Fiber and Jewelry, Larson Gallery, Yakima, Washington
Mark This, Alaska Surface Design Members’ Show, Anchorage, Alaska
2009
Form, not Function Quilt Art at the Carnegie, Carnegie Center for Art & History, New Albany, Indiana, Viewer’s Choice
The Journey of Hope in America: Quilts Inspired by Barrack Obama, National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center, Wilberforce, Ohio
Explorations in Quilting, Invitational traveling exhibit showcasing fresh looks in contemporary quilt art
Fiber Force 2009, Traveling show highlighting art quilters who are doing cutting edge work
SAQA@20-Art & Excellence, Studio Art Quilt Associates traveling show celebrating 20 years of representing the world’s quilt artists
Focus on Fiber II-Fiber Open, Studio Channel Islands Art Center, Camarillo, California
National Fiber Directions Exhibition 2009, The Wichita Center for the Arts, Wichita, Kansas
President Obama: A Celebration in Art Quilts, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Arts Center, Montgomery College, Takoma Park, Maryland
Fiber Arts Fiesta, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Publications
Improv Quilts—Dynamic Quilts Made with Line & Shape by Maria Shell, C&T Publishing, October 2017
Arte Morbida <https://www.artemorbida.com/2019/05/29/interview-with-maria-shell>
Art Quilts International: Abstract & Geometric, edited by Martha Sielman, Schiffer Publishing, 2016
Creative Alaska: A Ten Year Retrospective of Support for Alaska Artists, Project of the Rasmuson Foundation, 2016
International Quilt Festival: Quilt Scene (Special Annual Issue), F + W Media, Fall 2016
Patchwork Professional (German Quilting Magazine), Summer 2016
F Alaska’s Arts & Culture Magazine, Spring 2013
The Quilt Life, “Whole-cloth Mircofill Quilts” December, 2010
Alaska Airlines Magazine, August 2010
Quilt Art 2011 Engagement Calendar, edited by Klaudeen Hansen, American Quilter’s Society, 2010
500 Art Quilts: An Inspiring Collection of Contemporary Work, edited by Ray Hemachandra, Lark Books 2010
The Journey of Hope in America: Quilts Inspired by President Barrack Obama, edited by Carolyn L. Mazloomi, Voyageur Press, 2010
International Quilt Fest: Quilt Scene (Special Commemorative Issue Celebrating 35 years of Festival) Published by Quilting Arts Magazine and Quilts, Inc. Fall 2009
American Quilter, July 2009
Special Show Issue, The Quilting Quarterly: Journal of the National Quilting Association, Inc. Summer 2009
President Obama: A Celebration in Art Quilts, edited by Audrey Walen, 2009
Quilting Quarterly: Journal of the National Quilting Association, Inc. Spring 2009
Quilt Mania: The Quilt Magazine, Number 66
Education
University of Alaska, Anchorage, Alaska, Masters of Fine Arts, Creative Non-Fiction, 2000
University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, Bachelor of Journalism Science, Broadcast Journalism, 1990
Videos
The Quilt Show: On the Set with Maria Shell <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YarTHxylOjY>
The Quilt Show Interview: Maria Shell <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy2bX9CV2To>
Quilt National 2015: Maria Shell <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ENsisGVYyw>
C&T Improv Stripes Demo <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDE2oQFj-5A&feature=youtu.be>
Artist Talk, By Hands, Attleboro Arts Museum, Attleboro, MA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfFGhJaK8e4&t=994s
WMC Word Jam McCarthy Community Quilt <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg8yMRjRyw0>