Shirley Schanen Gruen received a Bachelor of Science degree in Art Education at the University of Wisconsin and continued art studies at the Art Center School, California, and Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Her work has been shown in juried shows throughout the United States for the past twenty years.

In 2003, she was voted Citizen of the Year by the Port Washington Chamber of Commerce and received a citation from the Wisconsin Assembly, commending her art for Port Washington.