Michael Shirley

Since the age of seventeen, Michael has been actively involved in the arts in a variety of ways. For 32 years he specialized in visual merchandising, display and administration with a national retail chain and received numerous awards from national corporations for his work. For the past 31 years, he has been co-owner, with his wife Linda, of The Arts Connection's "Arts Conservatory" and "Renaissance Academy of Learning".

Michael has studied painting with Joyce Kamikura, Brent Heighton and Toni Onley and over the years he has taught drawing and painting to children and adults. Now retired, he continues to paint, with many of his pieces on display at The Arts Connection. He has been the recipient of numerous awards from the Community Arts Council's Midsummer Arts Dream Show and he has been selected several times to participate in ArtRich at the Richmond Art Gallery.

Until its closure in 2011, Michael was the Manager of "Artisans' Galleria", the Community Arts Council's retail outlet representing BC artists which operated at various locations in Richmond. Although Michael's health and mobility issues pose certain restraints, he is able to provide valuable feedback on various CACR projects, he continues to paint for various fundraising projects, and enjoys sitting the shows at the annual Midsummer Arts Dream event.