Sonya Blesofsky is a visual artist and art professor with 30 years of experience teaching art in museums, universities, art schools and community organizations. Over the past 15 years her work as an artist and educator has focused on accessibility, working extensively with people with disabilities in museum and university settings. Building upon her experience with disability populations, she has spent more than 10 years working with people living with dementia and their caregivers through programs at The Jewish Museum and NYU Langone’s Alzheimer’s Disease & Related Dementias Family Support Program in New York City.

From 2012-2014 Blesofsky participated in a grant-funded initiative at the Guggenheim Museum that trained educators in Universal Design for Learning, an approach to teaching that emphasizes accessibility and the diverse needs of all learners. A life-long learner herself, Blesofsky’s commitment to learning can be seen in her own works of art, as well as in her warm and open approach to all learners. She creates inviting environments in which to learn, and warmly encourages all learners to express their specific point of view.

Blesofsky has taught at the Guggenheim Museum, Museum of Arts and Design, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Jewish Museum as well as Brooklyn College, Purchase College and Parsons The New School. Blesofsky’s artwork has been shown at galleries throughout New York and the United States. Her artwork is inspired by the city, and explores personal and collective memory and loss. Blesofsky grew up in Southern California, and lives and works in New York City. She holds an MFA in Painting from the San Francisco Art Institute, and BAs in Studio Art and Community Studies from UC Santa Cruz.