Shanna Merola

Shanna Merola is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Interdisciplinary Art + Design department at the College for Creative Studies (CCS) in Detroit, MI. She is a multidisciplinary artist and legal worker whose practice integrates visual art, photojournalism, and environmental activism.

Her educational background includes a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art, a renowned institution for experimental art and design.

Merola’s research and artistic focus centers on environmental justice, particularly through sculptural photo-collages that document EPA Superfund sites and the long-term effects of industrial pollution in communities across the U.S., including Detroit, Chicago, and Love Canal, NY. Her work critically engages with themes of slow violence, climate crisis, and community resilience. She often collaborates with grassroots organizations and fellow artists, merging art with advocacy.

The 15 most recent publications and exhibitions reflect a consistent trajectory in environmental art, with recurring themes of toxicity, memory, and resistance. Her projects span solo and collaborative exhibitions, critical writing, and community-based mapping, all situated at the intersection of art, ecology, and social justice.

Selected Awards and Residencies:

• Kresge Arts Foundation Gilda Award in Visual Art (2023)
• MASS MoCA Artist in Residence (2022)
• Barbara Deming Memorial Fund Grant (2022)
• Society for Photographic Education Imagemaker Award (2019)
• MacDowell Artist Residency (2017)

Merola has taught at institutions including Cranbrook Academy of Art, Wayne State University, UC Berkeley, and CCS. She actively mentors emerging artists through workshops and community engagement, particularly via her work with the National Lawyers Guild, where she facilitates Know-Your-Rights sessions. Though no formal grant leadership is detailed, her receipt of competitive fellowships indicates strong external funding support. She is affiliated with several artist collectives and collaborative networks focused on environmental and social justice.

Her artistic lab is both physical and conceptual—rooted in Detroit but extending internationally through exhibitions and publications. Projects like Swan Song and We All Live Downwind function as living research labs, incorporating fieldwork, community input, and interdisciplinary collaboration.