“The time is always right to do what is right.” —Dr. Martin Luther King
About Me
Bio
Cecile Shellman is a motivational speaker, author, and independent museum consultant whose work focuses on issues relevant to diversity, accessibility, inclusion, and anti-racism in museums.
From 1991 until the late 2010s Ms. Shellman worked in the visual arts sector at various galleries and museums across four states. Her deep knowledge of art interpretation and administration positions her to be an advocate for individuals and communities who have been marginalized and less represented by museums. She continues to work tirelessly in the service of museum practitioners, boards of trustees, and museum service organizations to teach best practices in anti-oppression and Inclusion in the arts.
Past appointments include: Director for Visual Arts and Exhibitions at the August Wilson Center; Program Manager for Pittsburgh Public Schools’ Culturally Responsive Arts Education initiative; Education Coordinator at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston; Director of Education at Heckscher Museum of Art, New York; and Education Curator at the Museum of Church History and Art, Salt Lake City.
She serves on the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh Board of Advisors, Is an advisor to the Sports and Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh, and works as a Senior Diversity Fellow of the American Alliance of Museums’ Facing Change Initiative. Ms. Shellman has headed and contributed to museum teams across the nation to strategize and maximize their DEAI best efforts at every level of leadership and staff engagement. She is a qualified administrator (QA) for the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), the premier cultural competence assessment tool worldwide.
Her current clients include: Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, The Frick Pittsburgh, The Terra Foundation for American Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, The New York Transit Museum, Discovery Place, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, The Concord Museum, The Farnsworth Art Museum, and the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council.
Ms. Shellman holds a BFA in painting from Brigham Young University and CMS from Harvard University. She enjoys spending time with her husband, Spencer, and is a fiercely competitive Scrabble player.
Why Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, Inclusion, and Justice Matter
Diversity exists. Inclusion takes effort. In between are the concepts of equity and access. Every person generally deserves attention, dignity, respect, and belonging. Our biases and prejudices often prevent us from valuing others as we should. Museums are among the fields that need improvement in this regard. In fact, racism and other aspects of systemic oppression are evident in museum culture. Identifying and eliminating bias, acknowledging worst practices, committing to best practice, and embarking on transformation are critical to survival and sustainability. I can help you channel your efforts to diversify, provide equal access to, and include, valued voices and visual content to your museum.
Tailor-made for you
I guarantee that my work with you will model the practice of dialogue and resonance: I will listen to you and together we will create unique workable solutions for your staff, visitors, exhibitions, and programming. No two museums or DEAI challenges are alike!
At the Utah Museums Association 2018 conference, an administrator remarked:
"Cecile prepared a presentation before arriving at the conference, but after she mingled with our museum community and listened to some of their struggles and questions, she went back to the drawing board and developed a new presentation to respond to the specific needs of our members. This demonstration of empathy resulted in a presentation about difficult issues that was well received, impactful for those in attendance, and was the catalyst for important discussions."