Gabrielle Shelton is a Brooklyn-based sculptor and metal fabricator who builds evocative steel forms that blur the line between utility and abstraction. Trained at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and rooted in architectural craftsmanship, Shelton’s practice distills her decades of hands-on experience into stair-themed sculptures that reflect Bauhaus ideals and explore transitions of movement, space, and form.

At the Inn Way Art Co-op during Upstate Art Weekend (July 17–21, 2025), Shelton presented “Exit Plan 2025,” a bold aluminum staircase sculpture installed in the front yard as part of the Sculpture Garden Experience. Paired with other outdoor works, “Exit Plan 2025” contributed to the event’s immersive narrative—offering visitors a visual and conceptual portal into the balance between functional architecture and poetic abstraction set against the backdrop of sculptural dialogue and communal reflection.