Finnegan Shannon

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Finnegan Shannon (formerly Shannon Finnegan) is an American multidisciplinary artist located in Brooklyn, New York, United States. Working primarily on increasing perceptions of accessibility, Finnegan's practice focuses on disability culture in inaccessible spaces. Finnegan is most known for their protest pieces such as art gallery benches criticizing lack of seating^[1] and lounges for those who cannot access stairs.^[2]

Finnegan Shannon has been disabled their whole life, but grew up feeling isolated from the disability community.^[3] They experience pain when walking and standing, and thus focus on their need to consistently rest.^[4]

Finnegan graduated with a BA in Studio Art from Carleton College in 2011,^[5] and immediately began working at the Wassaic Project through 2014^[6]

Their work has been exhibited in major cultural institutions internationally, including the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity,^[7] Friends of the High Line,^[8] the Tallinn Art Hall,^[9] Nook Gallery.,^[10] and the Wassaic Project^[11] They have spoken about their work at the Brooklyn Museum,^[12] the School for Poetic Computation,^[13] The 8th Floor,^[14] and The Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library.^[15]

In 2018, Finnegan received a Wynn Newhouse Award.^[16] and participated in Art Beyond Sight's Art + Disability Residency^[17] In 2019, Finnegan was an artist-in-residence at Eyebeam.^[18] Their work has been written about in C Magazine,^[19] Art in America,^[20] Hyperallergic, and the New York Times.^[21]

• DUEL at the OUTLET Fine Art, Brooklyn, NY in 2013^{[22][non-primary source needed]}
• SHOULD / CAN'T, at The Invisible Dog, Brooklyn, NY in 2014^{[23][non-primary source needed]}
• The Worst at Carleton College, Northfield, MN in 2016^{[24][non-primary source needed]}
• fashionablecanes dot com on Tête-à-Tête, tete-ahh-tete.net^{[25][non-primary source needed]} in 2017
• Self-portrait at The Invisible Dog Art Center, Brooklyn, NY in 2017^{[26][non-primary source needed]}
• Anti-Stairs Club Lounge at the Wassaic Project, Wassaic, NY in 2017^{[27][non-primary source needed]}
• Disability History PSA, Eastern Pole, Cincinnati, OH in 2018^{[non-primary source needed]}
• Alt-Text as Poetry, developed at Eyebeam, presented at Queens Museum, Pratt, BAMPFA, and others in 2019^{[non-primary source needed]}
• Anti-Stairs Club Lounge, Vessel at Hudson Yards, New York, NY in 2019^[28]
• Lone Proponent of Wall-to-Wall Carpet, Carleton University Art Gallery, Ottawa, Canada in 2020^{[29][non-primary source needed]}

• Disrupt and Resist, Mason Exhibitions Center, Arlington, VA.^[30]
• She's Crafty (in collaboration with Breanne Trammell) at The New Museum Store, New York, NY in 2012^{[31][failed verification]}
• Peaces on Earth, at Sardine, Brooklyn, NY in 2012^[32]
• Everything is Index at The Invisible Dog, Brooklyn, NY in 2012^{[33][non-primary source needed]}
• Homeward Found, at The Wassaic Project, Wassaic, NY in 2013^{[34][non-primary source needed]}
• INK + IMAGE, OUTLET Fine Art in collaboration with The Center For Fiction, at Brooklyn, NY in 2013^[35]
• Drawings Along Myrtle Ave, Organized by Pratt Institute, at Brooklyn, NY in 2014^{[36][non-primary source needed]}
• All That & A Bag of Chips, at Dead Space, Brooklyn, NY in 2014^{[non-primary source needed]}
• BOGO, Davidson Contemporary, at New York, NY in 2015^{[37][non-primary source needed]}
• Company, at A4 Contemporary Art Center, Chengdu, China in 2015^[38]
• The Descent of Dust at Radiator Arts, New York, NY in 2016^{[39][non-primary source needed]}
• Endless Biennial, at 20/20 Gallery, Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, New York, NY in 2016^{[40][non-primary source needed]}
• Reflections on Failure, at Radiator Arts, Queens, NY in 2016^{[41][non-primary source needed]}
• Sociometry Fair 2016, at The Smell, Los Angeles, CA in 2016^[42]
• Wynn Newhouse Awards, at The Palitz Gallery, New York, NY in 2017^{[non-primary source needed]}
• Manifesto, at Nook Gallery, Oakland, CA in 2017^{[43][non-primary source needed]}
• Locus: Art as a Disabled Space, at The 8th Floor, New York, NY in 2018^{[non-primary source needed]}
• Means of Egress, at Dedalus Foundation, Brooklyn, NY in 2018^{[44][non-primary source needed]}
• Sign Project: Access and Accessibility Stories, at High Line, New York, NY in 2019^{[45][non-primary source needed]}
• Disarming Language, at Tallinn Art Hall, Tallinn, Estonia in 2019^{[non-primary source needed]}
• On Audio Description, in collaboration with Aislinn Thomas, at Banff Centre, Alberta, Canada in 2019^{[46][non-primary source needed]}
• Talk Back, at Flux Factory, Queens, NY in 2019^{[non-primary source needed]}
• Crip Imponderabilia, at NYU Galletin, New York, NY in 2019^{[non-primary source needed]}

• 2012 and 2013 Selected artist, Short list curated by Kris Nuzzi, BRIC Artist Registry, Brooklyn, NY^[47]
• 2014 Nominee, Rema Hort Mann Foundation Emerging Artist Grant, New York, NY^[48]
• 2015 Grantee, Awesome Foundation, New York, NY^[49]

• 2012 Resident, The Wassaic Project, Wassaic, NY^[50]
• 2015 Fellow, Copy Shop Residency, Endless Editions, New York, NY^[51]
• 2018 Recipient, Wynn Newhouse Award, New York, NY^[52]
• 2018 Resident, Ace Hotel Artist Residency, Curated by Taeyoon Choi, New York, NY^[53]
• 2018 Resident, Art + Disability Residency, Art Beyond Sight, New York, N^[54] Y
• 2018 Fellow, WITH x SYPartners, New York, NY^[55]
• 2019 Resident, at Eyebeam, New York, NY in 2019^[56]
• 2023 Resident, Pioneer Works, New York, NY^[57]

• Jennifer White-Johnson
• Indira Allegra

• Meier, Allison (6 August 2013). "Art Revitalizes an Old Mill: Photographs from the Wassaic Project". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
• "Wassaic Project Summer Festival". Chronogram. Sparrow. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
• Mallouk, Elyse. "On Laboring for Love". Art Practical. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
• "Wassaic Project July Festival". Tricolor News. Lakeville Journal. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
• "Vintage photo inspires Wassaic Project exhibit". Poughkeepsie Journal. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
• "Advocating for inclusivity through art and conversation, with Shannon Finnegan & Sugandha Gupta". Apple Podcast Preview. Designing For Humanity. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
• "7 Queer Artists Who Are Breaking the Industry Standard". Out Magazine. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
• "c Issue 141". c mag. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2020.