Bethany Studnicky

Artist & Designer

BACKGROUND

I was born and raised just off the Chesapeake Bay in Annapolis, Maryland as the sixth of seven children. Struggling with my self-perception, I lacked confidence and strength of self. My family had always provided a creative space in my home, but I never identified myself as an artist. In seventh grade I took my first visual arts class. With the guidance of a compassionate middle school teacher, I found myself in a youth Gifted and Talented Arts program.

Under the tutelage of renowned American artist Michael Bell, I discovered the capacity of art to challenge the status quo, reflect on interpersonal conflicts, self-heal, and eventually, to teach me self-love.

Art is my passion. Bethany’s Art & Design Co. is my means to share my passion with you. BA&D Co. originated as B Stud Art on the floor of my dorm room in the fall of 2013. I had just begun my freshman year at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. To my dismay, Emory had just cut the visual arts program. I helped create student organizations such as Emory Arts Underground, the largest student arts advocacy group at Emory, the Media Literature and Arts Outreach House, and worked with many more to keep the arts alive at Emory.

While at Emory, I began working as a lab associate at the Emory Center For Digital Scholarship (ECDS). My training as an artist made digital design feel natural. I fell in love with the medium and have since trained myself in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign.

I graduated from Emory with a dual degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (concentration in Visual Culture) and a Visual Arts Co-Major (concentration in Art History) in 2017. I spent the following year working as an office manager for Dr. Jagdish Sheth, a professor, researcher, author, and thought leader in Marketing and Consumer Behavior.

Over the summer of 2018, I completed an editorial internship with Three Ships in Raleigh, North Carolina. I moved on to become the Junior Art Director and Events Assistant at The Brock Group, a strategic communications group in Durham. Now, you can find me at Imurj, The Artist’s Cafe, in downtown Raleigh, where I am the Director of Arts and Exhibitions.