She Keene: Art with Teeth, and a Grin
She (short for Sheila) Keene walks the streets of Macon with purpose. Sometimes in long overalls, sometimes in short ones… always with a camera in hand and a feminist fire in her belly. She films the sidewalks, the stories, the historic homes, and the bright blooms arranged by neighbors.
Her videos are quiet acts of preservation—but also resistance. This is Macon, her home, and she is not just living in it. She is reshaping it.
“I do love my Macon,” She says. “I want people to see downtown Macon the way I see it. It’s so beautiful. The architecture, the landscaping, the brick streets, the history, the people... and, last but certainly not least, it’s a WALKING CITY.”
She was once Sheila, a tech professional who built a successful career in a male-dominated world. But she left that behind—financially secure, creatively restless—and re-emerged as She: artist, activist, unapologetic truth-teller. The art behind RedefiningShe. Her art speaks with color and conviction, offering not only visual beauty but sharp social commentary.
Tucked inside each piece of her art is a date, often hidden, scannable by QR code, which leads viewers to the story of a woman in history… oh, I mean “HERstory”… who did something remarkable on that day.
“I wanted to do more than just art,” She says. “From the beginning, I wanted to do something that would create some change in the way the world views and treats Girls and Women.”
Hiding “HERstory” dates is a signature that sets her apart. Not just clever—but consequential.
Long before her career—and before she walked away from the daily grind and into her groove—She was a shy and observant girl growing up in Macon, already questioning why boys and girls were treated so differently.
Her early discomfort with societal expectations only deepened when she set her sights on attending Georgia Tech.
“I really wanted to GO TO COLLEGE,” she says, jazz hands and all.
In the 1980s, only 21% of Tech students were women. She wanted to be an engineer, not a nurse or a teacher. That decision had raised eyebrows in her own family, but She was already learning to trust her gut—and defy the rules.
“I was so confused by that,” She says, “why people, good, well-meaning people, felt the need to put girls in these boxes.”
She earned her degree, then built a 25-year career in computer engineering and federal contracting, navigating the everyday dismissals familiar to women in tech: ignored suggestions, ideas lifted by men, and even “helpful” advice from a mentor who cared and who suggested she wear turtlenecks so her male coworkers would focus on her PowerPoint, not the way she looked.
“When I walked into a conference room, I would get points deducted because I was a woman,” she reflects, “while my male peers would get points added just for being a man.”
She absorbed it all—not with resentment, but with resolve.
Her fire to get girls out of boxes was lit on shop floors in the 90s where men cat-called every woman who walked by and pinned up calendars of scantily-clad models. She found it hard to have serious technical conversations in spaces that objectified her.
Enter the firebrand with a paintbrush.
Enter the woman who saw the leers and made them art.
Enter The Resistance in overalls.
Her resistance had grown sharper, funnier, and finally—visual. After achieving her goal of retiring financially secure at 50, She pivoted into an artist with a mandate: to dismantle patriarchy one vivid design at a time.
Her razor-sharp, patriarchy-busting messaging is crucial. It gives her art not just a business edge or conceptual hook, but a mission. Her work is firestarter material: unapologetic, fueled by that lived experience, and producing a hearty laugh. Or at least a giggle. Every time.
“Sometimes, finding the humor is more difficult than others. There’s no humor when the current administration erases Women’s stories from government websites, and bans using the words ‘Women, Girls, Breastfeed, etc.,’ in documents and grants. There’s only anger, resistance, and the undeniable need to PUSH the fuck back. With that said, I’ve always found ways to add humor to make my point. One line I will never cross is being disrespectful or unkind to any person.”
She calls her products “art-inspired gifts for the women and girls who’ve never seen anyone who looks, thinks, or dreams like them.” The messaging is bold, with teeth, often even biting.
“Why, yes, I’m a feminist — but only when you’re an ignorant misogynistic asshole,” reads one design. Another quips, “I got my high heels on — preparing to shatter some glass ceilings.”
Her pieces dare women to be too much. To laugh too loudly. To take up space.
Women in art have traditionally been overlooked and undervalued.
“Undervalued?! That’s an understatement. Women earn 70% of conferred Bachelors of Fine Arts degrees and 65–75% of Masters of Fine Arts degrees in the U.S., though only 46% of working artists, across all arts disciplines, are Women. From a global standpoint, gallery representation of Women artists rose to 41%, up 6% from 2018. So, we are moving in the right direction, but still have a long way to go.”
Aspiring female (and male) artists can learn a lot from She’s approach to art as business. She runs a full-scale creative enterprise, selling her greeting cards, notebooks, stickers, prints, and original artwork on her sleek online shop, and through more than 100 stores nationwide. The Bohemian Den in downtown Macon, owned by Scott Mitchell, remains the only store where her fans can buy her original artwork. That store—once called Travis Jean’s Emporium—is where She’s adult journey into Macon began — with a single brave ask of Scott, a stranger back then: “Will you show my work in your store?”
Scott said yes. That yes became a friendship and grew into loyalty. That friendship became a mural. And that mural made She feel something new: she belonged in Macon.
While painting her first mural ever for Scott’s store, She drove downtown from her country home in Monroe County each day and was struck by how people on the street greeted her, engaged her, wanted to know what she was creating. The sense of community was palpable. When the mural was done, She knew she didn’t want to leave.
She and her partner, Doug, moved into a beautiful 1910 Tudor home on College Street, which they restored together. She acted as the general contractor, a role the tradesmen often assumed belonged to Doug.
“Ask her,” he would say to the tradesmen. “She’s in charge.”
Doug is She’s self-described partner-in-crime. Both have engineering backgrounds. Both have skills. Neither is afraid of anything. Together, they took on the renovation, doing the hard, hands-on, challenging work they love, making the vision in She’s head a reality in wood, tile, paint, and wallpaper. She learned do-it-yourself skills from her father when he had helped her renovate rental and flip homes for one of her many side hustles.
During the Tudor’s renovation, She and Doug climbed ladders, pulled down ceilings, scraped paint, rebuilt stairs, and moved 100-year-old tubs—doing much of the back-breaking work themselves to restore their historic home. And then they won an award from the Georgie Historic Trust and Historic Macon for it.
“Living in this beautiful historic home is a privilege, but, to me it represents much more. It took us one year and one week to fully renovate and I was here nearly every single day, seven days a week. When I walk through this home, I admire its features and feel much satisfaction from the accomplishment of making it, once again, into a family home worthy of architect Neel Reid’s vision.”
As demonstrated, She is a woman in charge. Of her artwork. Business. Home. Time. Life.
Her independence comes out in her choice of clothing, too. Overalls are her uniform, simply because they’re comfortable and have many pockets for putting things.
“I always have pencils, a phone, glasses, tape measures, etc., and overalls have lots of pockets,” She says. After having to dress professionally for her career, She relishes wearing what works best for her art-making and her stroll-taking.
She wakes early every morning to dive into her art or tackle business tasks. But she’s always seeking fresh challenges—new ideas, maybe new renovation projects, new ways to be of use.
“I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. During my professional career, I ALWAYS had side hustles that involved turning an idea into a business.”
In her life so far, She has run several businesses, renovated many homes, and owned multiple rental properties. She created a software development firm, co-owned an assisted living facility, and even made earrings with her sister for local boutiques. Now, after decades of hustle, She’s focused on simplifying; the homes are sold. The energy flows toward art.
She’s still building, with clarity and purpose.
She’s not just building art, though, and her message doesn’t stop at the canvas edge. She’s building civic infrastructure.
Alongside neighbor Elizabeth Lott and fellow-activist Abby Aiello, She co-founded Macon Rising, an informal but mighty coalition of concerned citizens devoted to democracy, decency, and the rule of law. Their first gathering in early 2025—held on She’s back patio—drew more than 100 people. She remembers the exact moment the first guests arrived: 5:16 p.m., fourteen minutes early. Her analytical brain clocked the time and her activist heart knew: something important was beginning.
On June 14, 2025, as part of a nationwide “No Kings” protest movement, She helped organize another peaceful Macon Rising gathering. They welcomed Middle Georgians — men, women, children — on Poplar Street, proudly displaying handmade signs and wearing anti-dictator t-shirts; pushing back against regressive politics and advocating for justice, equity, and inclusion in a city still wrestling with its own past.
“Macon Rising helps Macon rise through civic engagement, education panels, and community building,” She explains, “and more than 500 people showed up on June 14 to rally for positive change.”
She considers her art another form of activism.
“I’m not very comfortable being out there on the front lines speaking my message. But, through my art, I can take a strong stand and make my point.”
Well, guess who was out front anyway? Connecting with law enforcement, organizing signs, welcoming neighbors.
Yep, it was She.
She lives on a hill overlooking downtown—having quite literally, and metaphorically, risen to survey her hometown, her chosen town.
“Getting started is intimidating sometimes, especially if you aren’t a ‘trained’ artist like me and so many others. But, once you make the first big ‘ASK’ and make the first big ‘SALE,’ it gets easier.”
With her daughter now grown, her home self-made, her art spreading across the country, her feminism aflame and full of humor, She Keene is a presence.
She’s a regular presence downtown, walking not just for exercise, but to remain visible, rooted, and in tune with a city in flux. Her walks, her art, her activism—they’re all connected. All ways of showing up.
DSTO Moore, Macon Photographer and Memory Keeper, says “Sheila always has a smile on her face and an encouraging word when you see her. She’s also a talented artist and I'm Grateful our paths crossed on our journeys.”
She is the kind of woman who sets a bar high and doesn’t lower it. Not for love. Not for comfort. Not for conformity. She remarried late, and on her own terms—declaring from the start she wouldn’t be cleaning or cooking simply because she was female.
“I’ve just never wanted to settle,” she says. “Especially not for something as important as a life partner.”
She enjoyed being single for decades after an early marriage. Then, at age 49, she happened upon Doug, who added to her life rather than took from it, a non-negotiable on her list of non-negotiable relationship needs. That was 11 years ago. They've been together ever since.
She didn’t seek power, she claimed it. And she has been teaching others to claim theirs. Now. Not later.
“I want to leave the world a bit better for Girls and Women after pushing to overcome career obstacles that men don’t face… and often don’t even recognize. It would be so rewarding if those obstacles no longer existed. I hope my art gives Women and Girls confidence to speak out, be bold, and make HERstory. It took me way too long to find my confidence and voice.”
“I want to leave the world a bit better for Girls and Women after pushing to overcome career obstacles that men don’t face… and often don’t even recognize. It would be so rewarding if those obstacles no longer existed. I hope my art gives Women and Girls confidence to speak out, be bold, and make HERstory. It took me way too long to find my confidence and voice.”
In Macon, She Keene is many things—artist, neighbor, walker, activist warrior—but most of all, she is a presence. Rooted in place and fiercely feminine.
Held here because she belongs here.
Why She’s Held Here
She Keene is profiled not just because she creates, but because she changes. She changes what we see, how we feel, and what we believe is possible—especially for women who have been told to wait, quiet down, or make themselves small. She’s presence in Macon is rooted, radiant, and rebellious. Through her art, activism, and daily walks through downtown, she carries history in her pockets and puts the patriarchy on notice. She holds this place accountable—and helps it rise.
She Keene’s Details
Instagram handle - @redefiningshe
Business: RedefiningShe
Featured Image of She: Anna Daniels Photography
About the Author
Cindi Brown is a Georgia-born writer, porch-sitter, and teller of truths — even the ones her mama once pinched her for saying out loud. She runs Porchlight Press from her 1895 house with the creaking floorboards and an open door for stories with soul. She’s working on a book called Blood on a Southern Road about the ghosts we carry and the songs they leave behind. When she’s not scribbling about Southern music, small towns, and the wild gospel that lives in red clay soil, you can find her listening for the next thing worth saying.
