The Department of Art regularly invites artists, critics, historians and designers to participate in the Visiting Artist Speaker Series, classroom lectures and critiques. The Speaker Series happens every fall semester and is free to the public.

Shelley Niro was born in Niagara Falls, New York.  Shelley is a member of the Turtle Clan, Bay of Quinte Mohawk Six Nations Grand River Reserve.

Niro is a practising artist, concentrating on painting, photography and film.  In 2017 Niro was awarded the Canada Council for the Arts Governor General Award in Visual Art, the Reveal Award from the Hnatyshyn Foundation, Dreamcatcher’s Visual Award and the Scotiabank Photography Award. She  became an honorary elder in the Indigenous Curatorial Collective. Niro received an honorary doctorate from the Ontario College of Art and Design University.  In 2020 Niro was presented with the Paul de Hueck and Norman Walford Career Achievement Award from the Ontario Arts Foundation.

Niro likes to confront serious issues in Canada with direct truthfulness in regards to colonial perspectives directed to Indigenous lives.  Sometimes this direction finds a humorous route hoping to make that journey easier to see and understand.