CYNTHIA SHAFFER
Cynthia Shaffer has lived and exhibited her work in New York City, Chicago and Phoenix before moving to Pittsburgh in 1990. Her art involves several disciplines: sculpture, pencil illustration, photography, graphic design, mural painting, henna tattooing, calligraphy and mixed media. She has been part of many Pittsburgh exhibitions including a three-artist show entitled “Earthborn” and has curated two exhibitions entitled “Wild Things” and “In the Belly of the Beast”. Winning a citywide art competition to promote the 2006 MLB All Star game, her first-place entry, an 8’ star with sculpted sea creatures, was permanently installed at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium and she threw out the first pitch of the game at PNC Park. She developed Wild Animal Art, bringing live animals into a classroom and educating students about its characteristics which are expressed in an art project. Elements of nature, particularly repellent ones, are collected by the artist and intricately arranged to lure the viewer into seeing them as objects of beauty. This passion for animals led to years of volunteer work. She has been caring for Pennsylvania wildlife at the HAR Wildlife Rehabilitation Center since 2004, including fostering neonatal opossum, and has been taking photos of homeless cats and dogs at the Butler County Humane Society since 2003, posting their pictures on Petango to aid in their adoption.
