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Name: Anna Bonshek
MUM Degree: PhD, Maharishi Vedic Science, 1996
Position: Director, Prana World Group
Home: Brisbane, Australia
Books Published: 5
Passions: Vedic knowledge, architecture and design
“I’ve always been concerned with how to
create a better world, how to help women in the arts, and how to find
ways to live peacefully,” says Anna Bonshek, an internationally known
digital media artist and writer whose career has taken her to the far
corners of the world.
Anna’s art installations have been exhibited in Australia, England, Hong Kong and the
U.S. Her articles on art and creativity have appeared in magazines and
journals including Artlink; New Art Examiner; Body, Space
and Technology; Artists’ Newsletter; and Consciousness, Literature and
the Arts. She holds an advanced degree in painting from the prestigious University
College London and has curated art exhibitions at Des Moines Art Center and the Institute for the Creative Arts at University of Northern Iowa.
A woman of many interests and an inveterate traveler, Anna is Director of Prana World Group, which provides consulting services on art, publishing, design and Vedic architecture.
In 1992, Anna worked with her husband Lee Fergusson (see his MUM profile), a higher education professional and environmentalist, to found a university in Cambodia. Working closely with the Cambodian government, they started Maharishi Vedic University which opened to more than
5,000 student applicants (for 550 available seats) enrolling in programs ranging from business to
architecture.
Anna, a prolific writer, has authored several books. While Mirror of Consciousness and The Big Fish
explore the intersection of creativity and consciousness, Heniek: A Polish Boy’s Coming of Age in India During World War II,
tells the story of her father, a Pole who was deported to Siberia at the age
of 12 and then escaped to India to lead a fascinating, adventurous life. Heniek has been heralded personally by Polish Prime Minister Donald
Tusk. Read a review (please be patient; this link loads very slowly).
Anna's more recent book, Consciousness-Based Education and Art, was released in 2011.
Anna credits her education at MUM as critical to her artistic process and successes.
“For an artist the most important thing is to find a way to reach
maximum creativity,” says Anna. “MUM’s Conscious-Based Education helped me to do just that. The school is
unique, inspiring and energizing. There is no place like it I've ever come across. Learning at MUM enlivens the field of creativity
and helps establish the experience of all possibilities, which will support whatever activity you’re engaged in. Consciousness-Based Education is an unquantifiable gift, as is MUM.”
Born in England, Anna lives with her husband on Australia’s Gold Coast.
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