Shawn Powell was born in St. Clair, Missouri. He received a BFA in both Art History and Painting from the Kansas City Art Institute in Kansas City, Missouri and an MFA in Painting from Hunter College in New York, New York.

Powell’s recent solo and group exhibitions include "Flat File Project" at Deanna Evans Projects in New York, New York (2021); "Lauren Yeager and Shawn Powell" at Abattoir Gallery in Cleveland, Ohio (2020); "Selects" curated by Amanda Valdez at Air in Space Gallery in Portland, Oregon (2020); "Velvet Ropes (G.I.F.C)" at David Risley Gallery in Copenhagen, Denmark (2018); "Too Many Mornings" at 106 Green in Brooklyn, New York (2017); "The Shore" at Cecille R. Hunt Gallery at Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri and "Blue Tomorrows" at Chapter NY in New York, New York (2014).

He is currently an Assistant Professor in Painting at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio and received the Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award in 2021.

Shawn Powell lives and works in Kent, Ohio.