Olenka Bodnarskyj

Olenka Bodnarskyj is Bennett Day School’s Visual Arts Teacher for grades 1-8. Olenka is an artist, arts, and museum educator. She received her BFA in Printmaking from the State University of New York at Buffalo and her MFA in Studio Arts at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. For almost twenty years now, she has been teaching art for not-for-profit organizations, museums, and private schools including The Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Spertus Museum, Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, and Catherine Cook School. She was the Family Coordinator in the Department of Museum Education at the Art Institute of Chicago where she facilitated intergenerational arts experiences for families.

Olenka’s great interest in the Reggio Emilia approach and constructivist educational pedagogy led her to Bennett Day School.

In addition to teaching at independent schools in the states, Ms. Bodnarskyj lived and taught abroad for a few years in Southeast Asia. Olenka’s passion for travel comes from a desire to see, observe, and understand how people around the world live, play, and think and to see what we share in common as global citizens and the differences that make us unique and beautiful. During those travels, she often captures special moments through the lens of her camera. She is excited for another year of creating and learning with her students at Bennett Day!