"Barn Dance"

Absolut Vodka  Absolut Shelley Advertisement,
appeared in County Home Magazine, April 1990
The piece is in the Absolut Vodka Collection, SpritMuseum, Stockholm, Swedon.
Its image is in the Absolut Book, author Richard Lewis.

"Sullivan's Diner IV, Waiter Holding Fried Eggs"

In the permanent collection of Fenimore Art Museum,
New York State Historical Association, Cooperstown, NY

In 1999 the New York State Historical Association celebrated its centenary with a show of works
from its permanent collection, one of which was the "Sullivan's Diner IV, Waiter Holding Fried Eggs"
piece. A New York Times art review of the show said this:

"If much of the 20th-century work in the show is fanciful, it also touches on real life in all its bumptious oddity and warmth. Such is the case with the painted relief 'Sullivan's Diner IV' (1989) by Mary Michael Shelley, 49, an artist from Ithaca, N.Y., who has a degree in English from Cornell and is a practicing social worker.

"The piece, which conjures up 19th century shop signs and the
sculptures of the contemporary artist Red Grooms, depicts the interior of a local restaurant that
Ms. Shelley frequents. She chose the subject, she says, because restaurants are places 'where people, isolated during the rest of their day, could come together just to 'be' and feel a sense of instant belonging.' " - Holland Cotter, July 15, 1999.

Here is the full New York Times article from which the above quote was taken.

"Sullivan's Diner Five, Waitress and Waiter at End of Day"

In the permanent collection of the National Museum of Women and the Arts,
Washington, D.C..

Coca Cola Bottle with Artist.

Commissioned by Coca Cola for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics,
for their "Coke Art Folk Art" show at the 1996 Olympics.
Currently the piece is located on public display in the lobby of the
World of Coca-Cola, Atlanta, Ga.

"Cows, Chicken and Horse at Dawes Hill Farm"

Image from show announcement. In the Permanent collection of the American Museum of Folk Art.

[An artist] “has to develop a consistent vocabulary of form, an individualistic
expressive lexicon…When you see the work, you just know it has to be the work
of that artist. Certainly that is true of her [Mary Shelley’s] work.
No one else does work anything like Mary Shelley’s.” 

-Gerard C. Wertkin, then director of the American Museum of Folk Art, New York City.
quoted in a

Syracuse Herald American AP article (July 7, 1996).

Awarded Prestigious NYSCA/NYFA Grant in 2024

Below is the press release about the award put out by NYSCA/NYFA

Hello,
I'm writing with the good news that Mary Michael Shelley was recognized with a 2024 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in Folk/Traditional Arts.
Mary Michael Shelley is a visual storyteller who uses her art as a sort of “picture diary” to tell stories about the lives and activities of people who live around her in the Finger Lakes region of New York. She has lived in Ithaca, New York, since graduating from Cornell ’72 with a major in creative writing.
She worked within the gallery system from 1976 until 2008, and was once represented by the Jay Johnson America’s Folk Heritage Gallery (NYC) and the Frank Miele Gallery (NYC).

Since 2008 she has shown her work exclusively at the bustling Ithaca Farmers’ Market, where she brings her art directly to the public and demonstrates woodcarving technique, hoping to inspire other would be carvers to follow their own muse.

The NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship makes unrestricted cash grants of $8,000 to New York State-based artists working in 15 disciplines, recognizing five disciplines per year on a triennial basis. This program is administered by New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), with leadership support from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA).

"Edgemere Diner, Cups, Spoons and Forks"

Carved and painted folk art americana picture.
In the private Anthony Petullo Collection of Self-taught and Outsider Art.
"Mary's works are some of my favorite pieces in a collection of
more than 600 artworks. And they are among the most enjoyed
by visitors to my collection." - Anthony Petullo