Shelley Niro was born in Niagara Falls, New York. A Mohawk artist, 
internationally recognized photographer, painter, and award winning 
filmmaker. Since 1990, when she graduated from the Ontario College of Art, 
she has developed a body of work that is 'characterized by a sense of camp 
humour and a celebration of life' (Fuse, Fall 1992:38). Shelly received 
her MFA from the University of Western Ontario in 1997. Best known for her 
hand tinted images of her three sisters as the frolicking trio in Mohawks 
and Beehives and her first film, a co-production with Anna Gronau, "It 
Starts With a Whisper", Niro's creativity is never predictable. Her work 
is in the collection of the Laurentian University Museum and Art Center, 
the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, the Canada Council Art 
Bank, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the Woodland Cultural Center 
and the City of North Bay. Currently her work is included in an exhibition 
titled "Reservation X" for the Museum of Civilization, Hull, Quebec and 
Iroquois Art, Visual Expressions of Contemporary Native American Artists, 
Amerika Haus, Frankfurt am Main Germany. Shelley is preparing for Native 
Nations, London, England and a solo exhibit in September at the Indian Art 
Centre, Hull, Quebec, titled "For Fearless and Other Indians".