Athena Varner

COLLECTIVE WORK

Athena Varner (b. 2001) is an American multimedia artist currently located in Indiana. Athena studied at Purdue University, completing her Bachelor’s of Arts in 2024 in Studio Arts and Technology with three concentrations: 2D Media, 3D Art, and Electronic and Time-Based Art with a focus in creative coding, respectively. She is currently completing her Master’s in Public Health with concentrations in epidemiology and infectious diseases.

Her work is exhibited nationally, most recently at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, earning her a distinctive exhibition award, “Best Creative Coder” within her undergraduate career.

Varner’s work primarily investigates the idea of emotional and physical autonomy within the human experience and technology; Additionally, undertones surrounding mental illness, identity, grief, and body image can commonly be found in most of her 2D artwork. Throughout all of her work, she unabashedly uses color and mixed patterns to mimic sensory overload.

^{“Chaos, though often all-consuming, is a beautiful gift to an artist. I embody, embrace, and enrich my life experiences through creation, typically projected through creative coding, collage, and multimedia art. Customarily, themes of my work include grief, my experience with Bipolar Disorder and visual hallucinations, and body image projection. Experience is a privilege; I find that my grief is simply overwhelming, unhoused love.”}
_{- Athena Varner}

₊⊹ Exhibitions ₊⊹

WORKS

2024

2024 Undergraduate Juried Exhibition, Ringel Galleries, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana

Third Edition of the Nursing Center for Family Health Student Art Juried Exhibition, Lyles Porter Hall, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana

Odds & Ends, Ringel Galleries, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
**Awarded “Top Electronic and Time-Based Art Student” exhibition award

2023

First Edition of the Nursing Center for Family Health Student Art Juried Exhibition, Lyles Porter Hall, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana

2020

Honeywell Center Annual Juried Fine Art Competition, Wabash, Indiana

Honeywell Center Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition, Wabash, Indiana

2019

Honeywell Center Annual Juried Fine Art Competition, Wabash, Indiana

Honeywell Center Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition, Wabash, Indiana

2018

Honeywell Center Annual Juried Fine Art Competition, Wabash, Indiana

Honeywell Center Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition, Wabash, Indiana

2017

Honeywell Center Annual Juried Fine Art Competition, Wabash, Indiana

Honeywell Center Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition, Wabash, Indiana

₊⊹ Education ₊⊹

2024 BA Studio Arts and Technology- concentrations in 2D media, 3D art, and Electronic and Time-Based Art

CERTIFICATES
(awarded by Coursera Project Network)

Overview of Data Visualization, 2025
Introduction to JavaScript, 2025
Introduction to HTML, 2025