Drew Manusharow
International Artist, B.F.A.

Biography

Drew Manusharow, known artistically as Drewmanity, is a multidisciplinary artist based in Ahwatukee, Arizona. His work is rooted in ancestry, global exploration, and a deep connection to the Sonoran Desert. Born to a World War II refugee father and a Swedish-American mother devoted to service, Drew was raised in a home filled with stories, traditions, and love.

Growing up at the base of South Mountain, Drew was a Boy Scout who developed a lifelong bond with the desert botanical landscape he calls his backyard. At Mountain Pointe High School, he was active in student government, showcased his artwork, swam, played soccer, and helped lead his volleyball team to back-to-back state championships, earning All-State honors. He also received a community service award.

Drew earned a NCAA Division 1 volleyball and art scholarship to California State University, Northridge, where he spent two years expanding his understanding of culture and creativity in Los Angeles. After his father was diagnosed with terminal cancer, Drew transferred to the University of Arizona in Tucson to be closer to family and pursue his Bachelor of Fine Arts. At the U of A Drew helped the Arizona Wildcat Volleyball team through Regional and National Championships.

Drew stood out both on the volleyball court and in the art world. He exhibited in the Lionel Rombach Gallery, interned at the Joseph Gross Gallery under the curator’s guidance, and became the first art student to be featured by the UAPresents The Professional Theater & Performing Arts program. That work earned him national attention and a Tucson Ad Federation ADDY Award, marking him as an award-winning Arizona artist and athlete.

After graduation, Drew worked as a graphic designer and illustrator for the 2006 Arizona Small Business of the Year, followed by time at two ad agencies before freelancing. He also returned to coach volleyball at Mountain Pointe, which inspired him to try out in Europe and play professionally in Germany. There, he helped his team win their league and advance to a higher division. While in Europe, he visited his father’s and grandparents’ birthplaces—across three countries—further connecting with his roots. Drew went on to travel around the world.

Over the years, Drew has traveled to 38 countries across five continents, including the ancestral homelands of his family. He’s volunteered and taught in communities throughout India, Tanzania, Thailand, Germany, and Mexico. His journey has included studying yoga and Vipassana meditation in India, learning mindfulness from monks, shamans, and spiritual teachers across Southeast Asia, and spending time in prayer with the Dalai Lama at his temple in Dharamshala.

Professionally, Drew has worked across hospitality, landscape architecture, sustainable agriculture, and renewable energy. Yet no matter the path, he always returns to human-centered creativity and connection.

His current art practice explores ancestry, ecology, and consciousness through mixed media, healing arts, sculpture, and photography. Deeply inspired by the Sonoran Desert, his work invites reflection on presence, identity, and shared humanity.

“The journey is the reward,” he says. “And if you feel something—anything—when you see my work, then we’ve met in the right place.”

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