Thirty years of experience:
public art managing, curating,
planning, AND policy development
Shelly Willis was the Public Art Director of the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission (SMAC) for the past 9 years where she managed the City and Counties Art in Public Places Program including overseeing the development of the Sacramento International Airport public art project, an $8 million project and the largest in Sacramento’s history, and the $9.5 million Entertainment and Sports Complex public art program. Willis came to Sacramento after six years of managing the University of Minnesota public art program where she also taught courses in public art in the Departments of Urban Studies and Landscape Architecture. She is co-editor of the book, Public Art Practice, published by Routledge, New York. Willis is on the advisory board of FORECAST, Public Artworks, a St. Paul non-profit organization that publishes Public Art Review, and supports and advocates for public art nationally. She co-curated Columbus Public Art 2012, a temporary public art project in Columbus, Ohio that involved more than 50 artists and resulted in 12 major works of public art. Willis received her B.A. in Business and Art History from California State University, Chico. She is the recipient of 2 City Manager Commendation Awards for outstanding performance. Five public art projects that she managed have received the American For the Arts, Public Art Network Award. She lives in Curtis Park, Sacramento with her husband Laurence Campling and their two Labrador retrievers -- Lilly and Olive.
Shelly Willis is now working as a consultant in project management, public art consulting, and artist representation.
Contact her at: shellyw857(at)gmail(dot)com
