Biography

Lavanya Shubhakar is a multicultural artist, art educator, program administrator, and a mother of two beautiful daughters. Lavanya is a self-taught artist with a deep passion for arts education and community engagement. Lavanya is a Norwich, Connecticut resident and currently serves as the Director of Education at the Mystic Museum of Art where she plays a vital role in shaping the museum’s educational programs and initiatives. Lavanya brings a unique perspective to her work, combining her artistic talents with her commitment to fostering cultural and environmental understanding. She is actively involved in community-based art projects that involve and reflect the local community

Lavanya’s creative journey began when she was a child and her biggest artistic influence came from watching her dad, an engineer who specialized in town planning, create elaborate city plans and illustrations. Since then, she has been exploring, learning, and refining art techniques and styles with a variety of mediums- painting, drawing, sculpture, stained glass mosaics and mixed media.

Lavanya’s teaching philosophy is rooted in the principles of cultural responsiveness and student-centered learning. She believes that it is important for students to develop a positive attitude and appreciation towards other cultures. Lavanya specializes in art-forms related to Indian cultures such as mandala art, rangoli, henna designs, kundan art, and meenakari art, and loves to share these creative processes and techniques with her students.