Shelly Errington is a cultural anthropologist specializing in the studies of plastic and narrative arts, focusing on documentary film, photography, arts, and multi-media. She is a professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Cruz.She received an M.A. from Newcomb College, Tulane University and an M.A and Ph.D at Cornell University. In 1981, she was the recipient of one of the first MacArthur Foundation "genius grants". She has done field work in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Mexico. Her current courses include a study of Multi-Media Ethnography. She is currently working on a documentary film on the art of the Pátzcuaro region of Mexico, and an accompanying book on the subject.