Shanna Steals is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and cultural worker based in Alfred, Ontario. She grew up across rural Eastern Ontario—including Casselman, St-Albert, Limoges, and Alfred—roots that continue to shape her deep connection to land, language, and community.

She holds an Honours BFA in Visual Arts with a concentration in English Literature from the University of Ottawa (2006), where she specialized in black-and-white darkroom photography, mixed media sculpture, assemblage, and installation. While she explored drawing, painting, and performance throughout her studies, she remains most grounded in acrylic painting, sculpture, mixed media, and drawing—the core mediums of her practice today.

Her work is process-driven, rooted in material exploration and traditional fabrication methods. She embraces tactile engagement, often weaving in natural and recycled materials, and her artistic voice reflects a balance between ritual, resilience, and environmental awareness. Shanna has created major murals, designed logos, and produced theatrical masks and visual elements for stage and film. She exhibits regularly in local and regional galleries.

A passionate educator since 2003, Shanna has taught visual arts to children, teens, and adults across cultural centres and schools. In 2014, she completed the Artist-Educator Foundations course through the Royal Conservatory in partnership with the Ontario Arts Council. That same year, she became the founding Coordinator—and later Executive Director—of the Conseil des arts Prescott-Russell Arts Council (CAPRAC), where she led the organization until 2020. She now works as a freelance artist, facilitator, and consultant while raising her son and fostering creative community spaces.

Shanna is affectionately known as "Madame Papillon" for her work with Monarch butterflies. Since discovering a caterpillar in her garden in 2018, she has become a dedicated Monarch rearer and advocate. This passion has since infused her artistic and educational practice with themes of environmental stewardship, transformation, and wonder. Whether in classrooms, galleries, or garden paths, Shanna brings a unique blend of creativity, care, and community vision to everything she touches.