@sheltondl.artist

Dennis Shelton is a Triple Threat Artist which has received all his formal art education from NYC public schools including higher education. Shelton devoted almost four decades teaching the children of NYC Art in the Public School system. He is finally living his dream in retirement of being a Visual artist working with Handcut Collages, Wood Assemblages and Mixed Media. Dennis Shelton has shown his Creative Expressions as a solo artist and in group shows in the Bronx, Maophac, New Rochelle, Rye, Yonkers and other areas in the  Tri-state. Shelton has held many different titles in the art community including Master Art teacher and former president of the Riverdale Art Association. Shelton received his first art prize in fourth grade and has continued to receive art recognition and prizes throughout his career. His art work primarily focuses on his Deep Southern roots and his Urban life experiences.

Featured Work:

Seats for the Ancestors (2023) | Mixed media + wooden chair | $2,400

Seats for the ancestors is a mixed-media art which piece depicts the importance of community and the success of each person. This piece was made to debunk the "crab barrel story". It states, that black people each other down which prevents the success of other blacks. There are six key elements to the piece such as water, horizontal and vertical wooden beams and the white and blue background, the color red and the six wooden stools which are all symbolic to black history. The six stools in each group represent our ancestors who gave us the vision and the strength to archive. The physical stool represents any and all ancestors, in your family, in your generation, or in your life. The unifying theme to this art piece is the message that "it only takes one voice to change history", so each one of us should be empowered to be that voice of change.