Finnegan Shannon (formerly Shannon Finnegan; born c. 1990) is an American multidisciplinary artist located in New York City, 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]