Artist Biography / Artist Statement

Initiated as a shaman, Dr. Benyshek’s research informs her studio practice. Integrating contemporary and traditional methods, she offers visions of inspirited nature and the eternal cycle of life.

In early childhood, Benyshek lived on a farm amidst a Czech immigrant community. She earned a BFA from Wichita State University, an MFA from the University of Washington, and an MA and PhD in Transpersonal Psychology from Saybrook University, San Francisco. Benyshek attended Pilchuck Glass School on a full scholarship and received an artist-in-residence grant at the Ucross Foundation.

She taught in Alaskan Native villages and worked as a runway model for I. Magnin. Her artworks have been exhibited at the Bellevue Museum, Whatcom Museum, Yakima Valley Art Museum, Coos Bay Museum, Museum of Northwest Art, and the Daum Museum of Contemporary Art. Dr. Benyshek recently returned to Kansas with her son.

List of Previous Exhibitions

Recent Solo Exhibitions

2026 – The Sanctuary, MARK Arts, Wichita, KS (Upcoming)

2025 – Mandalandscapes, Main Gallery, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI

2025 – Into the Garden, Reuben Saunders Gallery, Wichita, KS

2025 – Cosmic Spirits, Commerce Club at The National, Wichita, KS

Selected Recent Group Exhibitions

2026 – Contemporary Visions of the West, Daum Museum of Contemporary Art

2026 – Lotus and Lion: Contemporary Buddhist and Hindu Art, Shoshoni Retreat, CO

2026 – HERstory, Viridian Artists, New York City, NY

2026 – Tell Me What You Think of Me, Part 2, Salina Art Center, KS

2025 – Invoke, WomensWork.Art at Cunneen-Hacket Art Center, Poughkeepsie, NY

2025 – Rituals, Millepiani Gallery, Rome, Italy

2025 – Lotus and Lion: Contemporary Buddhist Art, Shoshoni Retreat, CO

2025 – Coalesce, art_upstairs, New York City, NY

2025 – Clio Art Fair, New York City, NY

2025 – MMX: Positive Disintegration, Harvester Arts, Wichita, KS

2025 – Prairie Art Exhibit, Symphony of the Flint Hills, Cottonwood Falls, KS

2025 – HerStory: The Battle Continues, Viridian Artists, New York City, NY

2025 – Versus, MARK Arts, Wichita, KS

2025 – Creative Labor: The Art of Gestation (online)

2024 – Winter Salon in Saffron, Cerbera Gallery, Kansas City, MO

2024 – cOLD Times, Viridian Artists, New York City, NY

2024 – Horizons, Midwest Center for Photography, Wichita, KS

2024 – Prairie Art Exhibit, Symphony in the Flint Hills Gallery, Cottonwood Falls, KS

2024 – Voices of the Midwest, Kavanagh Gallery, St. Charles, IL

2024 – Portfolio Platform, Midwest Center for Photography, Wichita, KS

Recent Awards

2026 – Women’s Eco Art Dialog, Andrée Singer Thompson Scholarship

2026 – Project Grant, Arts Council

2025 – Women’s Eco Art Dialog, Andrée Singer Thompson Scholarship

2025 – Artist Access Grant, Wichita Cultural Arts, KS

2024 – Koch Cultural Trust Enabling Grant

2022 – OpenStudios Artist in Residence

Public Art Collections

Snoqualmie Point Park, WA
Alpine Lakes Wilderness Society
Glass Museum, Ebeltoft, Denmark
Cultural Heritage Collection, King County Arts Commission, WA
Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, WA
St. Peters School, San Francisco, CA
University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA