Sioux City, Iowa—Morningside University is proud to announce that artist and faculty member Shelby Prindaville has been selected for a statewide Iowa arts fellowship, becoming the first Sioux City-based artist to receive the honor since the program began in 2014.

The fellowship is designed to elevate artists who are already excelling in their fields, offering support at pivotal moments to help them grow, expand their practice, and create public programming that reaches a wider audience. Each year, the fellowship selects a cohort of just five artists from across Iowa. When applications opened, Prindaville applied with the support of Morningside’s campus grants office, which encouraged her submission.

Prindaville proposed a series of inventive, community-focused projects that blend art with Iowa’s agricultural roots. Highlights include:

  • Handmade materials from nature: Harvesting native plant material to create ink and paper.
  • Agricultural collaboration: Partnering with Morningside’s Agricultural Sciences program to transform field and sweet corn crop residue into paper.
  • Biology collaboration: Partnering with Morningside’s Biology program in transforming native mushrooms into paper.
  • Classroom integration: Making handmade paper and ink in her printmaking course, giving students hands-on experience with the materials.
  • Original artwork: Painting on the handmade paper.
  • A drone-powered experiment: Collaborating with The School of Agriculture and Aviation this spring to use an agricultural spray drone to apply ink to large-scale works.

Prindaville will represent Iowa’s artistic talent at the annual Iowa Artist Retreat, a two-day program in Grinnell, Iowa, where attendees sharpen their financial know-how, connect with artists across the state, and chart a path forward for their careers.

A Reflection of Morningside’s Commitment to the Arts

Visual and performing arts are central to Morningside University’s foundation and community. Prindaville’s fellowship reflects the institution’s ongoing commitment to extending education beyond the classroom and giving both artists and students the opportunity to apply their skills in meaningful, real-world ways.

As her projects take shape over the coming year, Prindaville plans to share the resulting work through exhibitions and public programming, inviting the wider community to experience the intersection of art, agriculture, science, and innovation.