Sheila Cameron (artist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sheila Cameron
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Cameron at The Center for The Arts
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| Education | Loyola University Maryland |
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| Known for | "Free Katie" |
| Movement | DANK (Do Art Now Kids) |
Sheila Cameron is an American artist, blogger, graphic designer, and producer who lives in California. She is well-known for starting the "Free Katie" campaign. This campaign involved designing and selling items after news of Katie Holmes's engagement to Tom Cruise.
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What Did Sheila Cameron Do in Hollywood?
After finishing college at Loyola University Maryland, Sheila Cameron moved to Hollywood. She had studied creative writing and fine art. In Hollywood, she focused on painting and writing. She also worked as a graphic designer. She helped create content for movies, TV shows, and websites. Some of her clients included HBO and Jagged Films.
The "Free Katie" Campaign
In 2005, when Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise announced their engagement, Sheila Cameron started a unique project. She designed and sold merchandise online. These items had slogans like "Free Katie," "Run Katie Run," and "Stop Sofa Abuse." The items included buttons, hats, mugs, T-shirts, and stickers. Soon, other people started copying her designs and selling similar "Free Katie" items.
The "Free Katie" website became very popular. In less than a month, it had over half a million visitors. Thousands of shirts and other items were sold to people all over the world. "Free Katie" shirts were even seen on red carpets. Famous people like Iggy Pop mentioned the campaign. In 2008, fans held signs with Cameron's slogans at Katie Holmes's Broadway debut. Even in 2012, after Katie Holmes's divorce, she was seen wearing a "Free Katie" shirt herself!
The campaign also led to an online community forum that was still active in 2015. Sheila Cameron received many emails from fans. She had to buy more internet bandwidth several times to handle all the website traffic.
News outlets in the U.S. and around the world covered the "Free Katie" campaign. Sheila Cameron was interviewed by NPR and a British TV show. She explained that she didn't truly believe Katie Holmes needed rescuing. She said she wanted to show support if Holmes ever wanted to leave the relationship. Cameron originally started the campaign for fun with friends, but it quickly became huge. The success of "Free Katie" also inspired her to create other T-shirts with "pop-culture satire."
Sheila Cameron called the "Free Katie" campaign her "Dear John letter to Hollywood." This meant it was her way of saying goodbye to that part of her life. She left Hollywood not long after the campaign became widely known.
Sheila Cameron's Art and Exhibitions
Sheila Cameron is part of two art groups. One is the Nevada County Yarn Bombers, which creates art using textiles like knitted and crocheted works. The other is DANK (Do Art Now Kids). She helped start DANK's "pop-up gallery" idea, which brings art into empty spaces.
Her Blog: Watching the Paint Dry
Cameron writes a popular blog called Watching the Paint Dry. It features essays about creativity, family life, and other topics. It also serves as a place to buy her artwork. She sees her blogging as a way to show "what it means to be an artist." She started the blog in June 2010 and posted new art every day for a whole year.
Magazine Covers
In August 2012, Sheila Cameron's painting "Sit" was featured on the cover of Style magazine. The magazine also included an article about her.
Jerry Saltz's Art Challenge
In 2013, Jerry Saltz, a well-known art critic, challenged Sheila Cameron on Facebook. He asked her to create 55 artworks without any fairytale themes. He also told her to try different materials and ideas. Cameron took on the challenge. She created all 55 works over three months. She saw it as a performance project. The collection was shown online and some pieces were sold. Jerry Saltz himself said, "Sheila Cameron did magnificently."
ArtSlant Competition
In 2013, ArtSlant magazine chose Sheila Cameron's artwork, "Original Super Power," as a finalist in its art competition.
Art Exhibitions
Sheila Cameron's art has been shown in many exhibitions:
- Beautiful Monsters. A solo show at Miner's Foundry Cultural Center in 2011.
- Art Works Gallery. Juried shows in 2012–2013.
- Wild & Scenic Film Festival Art Exhibition. A juried show in 2013 where she was one of 40 artists chosen from 500 applicants.
- Smallworks. A group show at Artist Studio in the Foothills in 2013, featuring small artworks.
- Art Walk program. At various locations, including "pop-up" galleries. This was a project by the DANK art group in Nevada City from 2014–2015.
- Wild & Scenic Film Festival Art Exhibition. At Osborne Woods Gallery in 2015.
- Discover. A solo show at Off Center Stage in Grass Valley in 2014. This show combined visual art with live music and readings.
- ArtExpo. A curated show in a former factory space in San Diego in 2014. It was an alternative to the San Diego Comic-Con happening at the same time.
- Every Angeleno Counts. A curated outdoor exhibition combined with a 5K run/walk in 2014.
- LORE: The Art of Story. A DANK group show at Miner's Foundry Cultural Center in 2015.
- New Works. A DANK group show at Miner's Foundry Cultural Center in 2015.
- Cinema. A DANK group show at Miner's Foundry Cultural Center in 2015.
Sheila Cameron's Family Life
Sheila Cameron and her husband, Greg, have two daughters. In 2008, her family moved from West Hollywood to the Grass Valley, California area, settling in Nevada City.
