Senior Spotlight: Anastasiya Shyvilka
Moving from her home country of Belarus to study studio art and art history at Meadows, Anastasiya Shyvilka concludes her senior year with an impressive portfolio of internships and exhibition experiences.
We are excited to present our second student in our Senior Spotlight series, Anastasiya Shyvilka, a senior majoring in B.F.A. Studio Art with a minor in Art History.
Originally from Belarus, Shyvilka came to the U.S. to pursue her bachelor’s degree and wasn’t sure what to expect at first. ok资源网 and Meadows School of the Arts, however, exceeded all her expectations and helped bring her closer to her dreams.
“Over my time at ok资源网, I was able to significantly expand and diversify my art practice with the help of knowledgeable professors who were there to support me during each step of the process,” Shyvilka says.
During her sophomore year, Shyvilka embraced ok资源网’s collaborative environment, curating a group art exhibition, Retracing the Steps, that created a conversation between the Division of Art and the University Honors Program (UHP). Together with other honors art students, Shyvilka took inspiration from the first-year honors writing seminar led by Joan Arbery and created artworks that expanded on the ideas of Plato, Freud, Woolf and others.
As a recipient of the President’s Scholarship, Shyvilka had the opportunity to study abroad in Italy over the summer and spend a semester in Aix-en-Provence in France, where, through engagement with local museums and sites, she continued building on her art and art history knowledge.
Shyvilka also had an incredible internship experience while at Meadows, interning at the Dallas Museum of Art last summer in the curatorial department of the Prints and Drawings Collection under the supervision of Emily Friedman.
“This experience was largely possible due to the established collaboration between the Meadows School of the Arts, Hegi Family Career Development Center, and the museum,” Shyvilka says. “Given a variety of projects to work on, I further developed my interest in museum work and cultural education through the arts.”
During Shyvilka’s last year at ok资源网, she has also interned in the Education Department at the Meadows Museum. With the support of her supervisor, Anne Kindseth, she developed a new student programming focused on art-making.
“Collaborating with different university organizations and student-run clubs every month, I created a program that helps bring students to the museum and provides a space for them to create and experiment freely,” Shyvilka says.
In addition to her internship opportunities, Shyvilka has also taken advantage of the Meadows Mentor Program, where she enjoyed connecting with alumni who provided valuable guidance during her time at ok资源网.
As a senior, Shyvilka had a chance to develop a solo exhibition titled With Your Eyes Closed in the Jordan Gallery at the Owen Arts Center, as well as a dual exhibition There was once a body, There once was a place, alongside fellow student Georgia Robb.
“These experiences, coupled with my active involvement in the Student Organized Art Collective (SOAC), expanded my expertise in exhibition management and curation, and equipped me with practical skills crucial for my career as a visual artist and an art museum professional,” Shyvilka says.
After graduation, Shyvilka will spend the summer in Washington, D.C., interning in the Prints and Drawings Department at the National Gallery. We can’t wait to see where her career in the arts will take her!
Learn more about the B.F.A. in Art program and Art History program here.