Shannon Finnegan
Bio
Shannon Finnegan creates artwork across a variety of disciplines and media. Their work has been commissioned by and featured in a variety of notable museums and cultural locations including the Banff Centre, the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Nook Gallery, and the High Line. As an activist-artist, Finnegan has created the Anti-Stairs Club Lounge, an ongoing project that brings together people who cannot or choose not to use stairs. Finnegan will often create a physical lounge space for the Anti-Stairs Club. Notably, Finnegan protested the inaccessibility and lack of consideration for physically disabled people and people who choose not to use stairs at the Vessel in New York City by bringing the Anti-Stairs Club Lounge to the walkway in front of the Vessel. Finnegan has received a Wynn Newhouse Award, a residency at Eyebeam, and a grant from Art Matters Foundation.
(All information from Shannon Finnegan's website)
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Image Descriptions
Photo of a bench from the exhibition "Do You Want Us Here or Not": In the center of this photo, on an angle, is a bench. There is a white wall behind the bench and a grey floor beneath it. The bench has been painted blue, though the edges of it remain uncovered by paint, allowing the wood grain to show through. On the portion of the bench that would support one's back, printed in all capital letters, are the words "This exhibition has asked me to stand for too long." The seat of the bench has the words "Sit if you agree" printed on it, also in capital letters. On the right side of the screen one can see part of another blue bench that appears identical other than the fact that the words on the bench read "I'd ra" before being cut off by the edge of the photo.
Photo of "Portrait of Danielle Durchslag": The background of this photo is a white wall. Hanging on the wall are ten pieces paper, arranged in two rows of five. Each piece of paper is affixed to the wall with a rectangular piece of blue painter's tape on each of the top corners. The pieces of paper are painted different colors with different colored writing on each. Each paper has writing on it in all capital letters. The papers in the top row say from left to right "insurance doesn't believe anything I take is medicune," "calculating what's worth it," "emptying out days for recovery," "my secret life on the toilet," and "I have time, money, and flexibility, and it is still so hard to navigate this fucking system." The papers in the bottom row say (from L to R) "looking great and feeling sick," "too many male doctors," "crooping crying while pooping," "toilet mapping" and "connoisseur of waiting room decor."
Photo of "Anti-Stairs Club Lounge": The photo depicts an orange wall with a propped open door on the left side of the wall. Through the door, one can see green walls, a sliding glass door, a white chair, pictures hanging on the wall, and cacti. On the orange wall, to the right of the door, in squiggly, blue, capital letters "ANTI-STAIRS CLUB LOUNGE" is written. To the left of the propped open door, one can see an image being projected onto a wall in a different room. The projected image shows a hand. To the right of the orange wall is a cement pillar and a white wall.