Exclusive Artist Collection: Stevie Shao
“Artists give voice to many features of the communities they come from. Supporting artists from the area is a great way to keep the arts alive and encourage sustainable practices.”
—Stevie Shao
The stunning original art you’ll find inside of Starbucks Reserve stores isn’t just a reflection of our community created by people who are part of it. It is also access for all, the exposure to beauty, creativity, diversity and connection. Collaborating with these talented artists through the Starbucks Art Program allows each to bring their own story, color, style and perspective to both their work and their community.
Stevie Shao is one of the artists we are honored to collaborate with through the Starbucks Art Program. Showing her love of vibrant colors, bold lines and whimsical takes on everyday life, her work can be seen around the world, as well as inside the walls of Starbucks Reserve stores. We recently introduced a collection of exclusive merchandise from Stevie in Starbucks Reserve stores, and we’re proud to share more about this amazing collection here.
STEVIE SHAO COLLECTION
Stevie Shao has been an artist her whole life, but during the pandemic she became a breakout muralist, known for her vibrant pieces filled with whimsy. Based in Seattle, she began by painting murals on boarded-up businesses in the beginning of the COVID shutdown. People in Seattle loved her work’s optimism, and soon, so did Instagram. She’s been a full time artist since. Her colorful, bold art reflects the energy, magic and mystery of life, and that was exactly what drew Starbucks Reserve to her work.
I find inspiration in so much of life - color schemes found in nature, folk tales, textiles...
I love being able to integrate some of my Pacific Northwest pride or my Chinese American heritage into my art.
—Stevie Shao, artist
WEAVING WHIMSICAL STORIES OF COFFEE
For this Starbucks Reserve collection, she drew inspiration from Chinese-American folklore, wildlife of the northwest and the rich biodiversity of South American coffee-growing regions. Bright and lively, each piece weaves stories of her ancestors, natural beauty and the lush, natural ecosystems of South America, home to some of our favorite coffees.
Featuring a majestic jaguar, colorful butterflies, trees, flowers and Shao’s signature patterns, her collection includes a serving tray, tote, mug, t-shirt, bandana and set of decorative bowls. All in Shao’s unique, vivid style, and exclusively available at Starbucks Reserve stores. Take a piece of our stores, and of Stevie Shao’s art, home with you.
Like our coffees, each artist, each creation, each community is exquisitely individual. Meant to be experienced, interpreted and enjoyed by each of us in our own way. Connecting us to the humanity that exists in everything we do. It is proof of our belief in the importance of art itself.
