Rise Fellow 2022

As a temporarily displaced person after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Tonya believes that there is nothing more important than life, art, and mutual help. As an aspiring illustrator, she wants to help people who struggle with anxiety in the art community. During her gap year and for her Rise project, she started making an app that will help artists and creative people to achieve work-life balance. Tonya has volunteered by making free art commissions for donations, and later, fundraised for volunteers in spots affected by war. In the future, she plans to make an NGO that will research local archives in search of oppressed artists who were erased in history, and share their stories with a wide audience.