Anastasia Afonina

Creative Project Manager | Cultural Projects

Amsterdam, NL | EU work authorization | Open to remote & hybrid roles
+31 614409299 | afoninafonina@gmail.com | anastasia-afonina.com

Profile

Creative project manager with 10+ years of experience across cultural programs, events, galleries, education, digital production, and international operations. Comfortable managing several projects at once, from content and logistics to communication with partners, artists, and clients. Strong at turning creative ideas into well-organized execution.

Areas of Expertise

Project / Production: Creative Project Management | Cultural & Event Production | Exhibition Coordination | Logistics | Partner Coordination

Digital / Content: Adobe Suite | Mailchimp | Website Support | Digital & Print Production | Content & Communication

Languages: English fluent | Russian native | Dutch: strong comprehension, spoken Dutch in progress

Experience

The Merchant House

2021 - 2026

Associate, Gallery & Cultural Production

Central operational contact in a small core team, coordinating exhibitions, gallery participation in art fairs, cultural programs, artists, collectors, visitors, press, shooting teams, suppliers, and external collaborators.

Cultural programming & event production: coordinated 100+ cultural and exhibition-related events, including openings, finissages, concerts, artist talks, screenings, dinners, performances, and art-fair programs; managed technical setup, guest and speaker communication, catering, visitor experience, and on-site coordination.
Exhibition & art-fair participation: coordinated 25+ exhibitions and gallery presentations, including The Merchant House’s participation in Unseen Amsterdam, PAN Amsterdam, and Amsterdam Art Week.
Artist & stakeholder communication: worked with artists and cultural contributors Leo Vroegindeweij and Tomoko Mukaiyama; supported presentations featuring Tracey Emin, Banksy, Damien Hirst, Bridget Riley, and JCJ Vanderheyden.
Digital, print & publishing: produced exhibition materials, including website updates, newsletters, invitations, press materials, captions, and visual assets; supported the production of 3 exhibition catalogues.
Production logistics: handled sourcing, shipping, customs, supplier coordination, installation support, photo shoots, and last-minute problem-solving.

Snurk.Travel

2014 to ongoing

Co-founder / Operations & Content Lead

Built and developed an international tour business operating across 6 countries, combining operations, tour design, content, client communication, and team coordination. The company now operates with an established team, while my current role focuses on strategic input and occasional operational support.

Experience continued

Snurk.Travel

2014 to ongoing

Co-founder / Operations & Content Lead

Operations & scale: scaled operations to 700+ guided cultural experiences annually, with 950+ reviews across major travel platforms and consistent 4.9-5.0 ratings.
Team & partner coordination: managed 50+ guides at peak, 200+ collaborators, and local suppliers for tailored experiences including transfers, canal cruises, workshops, photo shoots, and private flight lessons.
Project design: designed most company tours, including city walks, countryside trips, and custom itineraries.
VIP programs: designed and coordinated multi-day programs for Škoda, Cadillac, and ING.
Content & audience growth: wrote website copy, tour descriptions, client communication and brand materials; helped grow the audience organically from 0 to 33,000+ followers.
Community projects: led 126 volunteer tours for Ukrainian newcomers, reaching approximately 1,200 participants.
Business adaptation: adapted the business model through COVID disruption and international market shifts.

Gerrit Rietveld Academie

2022 to ongoing

Workshop Specialist, Digital & Print Labs

Support students across all levels and disciplines with digital-to-production workflows, from file preparation and software support to large-format printing, laser cutting, embroidery, book production, and VR.

Digital-to-production workflows: guide students in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, After Effects, file preparation, and production workflows for print, laser cutting, embroidery, and book production.
VR workshop development: introduced & deliver 8+ VR workshops annually using Unity and support VR setup.
Student guidance under deadline pressure: support students through technical challenges and deadline.
Large-format printing: prepared large-format photo prints for 5+ solo exhibitions and artist presentations.

Selected Projects

Visual Artist & Creative Media Work

Selected exhibitions, screenings & project-based roles

Presented work at Eye Museum, Stedelijk Museum, Arti et Amicitiae, Brakke Grond, and other cultural venues. Nominated for the StartPoint Prize for European Art Graduates in 2019. Selected project roles include video editing for SpeakEasy Sessions, VR development for Abner Preis Studios, assistant-director work on film/music productions, and freelance journalism for Discovery and My Planet.

Framer Framed & HvA MediaLAB Amsterdam

Teaching & Workshops

Delivered children’s workshops at Framer Framed in 2019 to 2024, designed the Young Makers Studio in 2023, and gave VR workshops as a Guest Teacher at HvA MediaLAB Amsterdam in 2021.

De Parade

Creative Workshop Contributor, 2025 to ongoing

Create live custom illustrated pancakes for Artistic Crêpes, an interactive food-art project by Hotmamahot illustrators.

Draw Nude Listen to Sounds, Zaal 100

Co-organizer & Host, 2024 to ongoing

Co-created and run monthly life drawing sessions with professional models and live DJ, growing the project from scratch to 20+ participants per session.

Education

Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam

Bachelor, Audio-Visual Department, 2019