Kirk Chernansky is an alumna of the University of Kansas, School of Design. Following graduation, she worked for 15 years in advertising art direction that took her to New York where she honed conceptual and design skills at the School of Visual Arts. In 1995, she left the for-profit business world, made the leap to social work, acquiring a master’s degree from the University of Chicago, and in 2007, began taking courses at Northwestern in art therapy to bridge the two paths.