Shelby Seu was born and raised in Trenton, Ontario, Canada. Following her sophomore year at the Pratt Institute, she relocated to the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore, Maryland, where she earned her BFA in painting (magna cum laude). During the duration of her studies, she received the John Loys Honors Award for painting (Pratt Institute), and several painting departmental awards from MICA. Shelbys academic and artistic pursuits have also led her to study abroad at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London, England, and to take language courses at Johns Hopkins University, in Baltimore MD.
In 2010, Shelby received the Ellen Battell Stoeckel Fellowship from Yale University. For this fellowship, she attended Yale Universitys Summer School of Art in Norfolk, CT, an internationally selective residency run by Yale Universitys School of Art.
Shelbys work has been included in shows in New York State, Maryland, Connecticut, and Ontario. Her recent exhibitions include a solo show at the Maryland Institute College of Arts Gateway Gallery, titled Romantic Projections, and several other group shows in conjunction with MICA. She has also participated in group shows with Yale University, and was included in a show with Current Gallery Space, in Baltimore, MD.