Bio
Anya Shire-Plumb is a visual artist whose paintings explore, among other things, issues of female agency, public versus private space, and freedom from social expectations. Influenced by Italian Renaissance art history, her work sheds light on the subtle ways in which beauty masks pain and restrictions in everyday life.
Since completing a BA in Studio Art and Psychology from Brandeis University, Shire-Plumb has exhibited in London, England, as well as New York City, Concord, and Cambridge, MA. She has been the recipient of grants and awards such as the Remis Grant, Fisher Explorer Grant, the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Arts Grant, and the Debora Josepha Cohen ’62 Memorial Award in Fine Arts in Painting.
Born and raised in London, England, she spent formative summers in Houston, Texas, studied in Tuscany, Italy, and is now based in Boston, Massachusetts.
Education
2022 BA, Studio Arts and Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
2019 Brandeis in Siena Study Abroad Program, Siena, Italy
2018 CET Academic Program Mid-Year Fall in Florence, Florence, Italy
2017 Foundation Year in Visual Arts, Middlesex University London, London, UK
Group Exhibitions
2023 New Art, New Wave, Boomer Gallery, London, UK
Reflections, The Umbrella Arts Gallery, Concord, MA
Summer Feels, HMVC Gallery, New York, NY
Holiday Small Works Sale, Cambridge Art Association, Cambridge, MA
2022 Senior Studio Spring Exhibition, Dreitzer Gallery, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
2021 Senior Mid-Year Exhibition, Dreitzer Gallery, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
New Work from Home and Abroad - Work by Award Winning Students, Goldman Shwartz Fine Arts Building, Waltham, MA
2020 Rise Up - Fine Arts Majors and Minors, Dreitzer Gallery, Waltham, MA
2019 New Work from Home and Abroad - Work by Award Winning Students, Dreitzer Gallery, Waltham, MA
2018 Arts Foundation Year Final Exhibition, Middlesex University, London, UK
Residencies/Honors/Awards
2022 Debora Josepha Cohen ’62 Memorial Award in Fine Arts in Painting, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
Graduating High Honours in Studio Art, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts Grant, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
Fisher Explorer Grant, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
2021 Remis Grant, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
2019 Remis Grant, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA