Shirley Wagner was born in Youngstown, Ohio. She obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Youngstown State University. She lived in New York City before moving to Tucson, Arizona in 1983. She resides with her husband and three sons in the Tucson desert, a place of fragile beauty that provides light, space and inspiration for her work.

She was a Visual Arts Specialist in the public school system in Tucson before dedicating herself full time to her wood assemblage work. While teaching, her school received nation honors and was selected from hundreds of US schools as a model for arts integration into the curriculum. The findings were published in 2005 in Third Spaces: When Learning Matters, released by the National Education Association.

In 2oo6 she was nominated for the Arizona Governor’s Art Award, recognizing her contribution to the arts. She has been featured in various local publications including the Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Lifestyle. In January 2010, she will be the featured as "Style Maker" in LUXE Magazine, a luxury home magazine that features architects and designers.

Shirley is currently owner/member of Flux Gallery (www.fluxartists.com), an artist’s collective of contemporary work in Tucson, Arizona. She is one of nine artists who operate the business. Each artist rotates time working between the gallery and their studio.

www.shirleywagnerartist.com