Shannon Conley is an art quilter and fiber artist in Moore, OK, whose work is informed by her experience as a biologist and biochemist. She runs a biomedical research lab at a large university and ideas from her pieces often arise from scientific research from her lab or others. Sometimes the link is obvious, such as pieces depicting biological specimens or topics, while other times the links is more indirect. She has been artistic her whole life, and has used art quilts and fiber art as her primary medium since 2009. She’s interested in exploring the connections between science and religion, and between the physical world and the way it's colored by our varying perspectives. Much of her recent work has focused on interpreting the diversity and interconnectedness of various ecosystems using fabric and stitching. She grew up in southern New Mexico, and retains a strong connection to the dry mountains and high desert, areas that frequently appear in her ecology and nature-inspired pieces. Though her practice originates with traditional techniques familiar from quiltmaking, these approaches are expanded to include the use of non-traditional fibers and fiber-like materials, as well as other media/design approaches including painting, dyeing, screen printing, sculpting, and cutwork/openwork.