Artist Biography:
My name is Maia Monteagudo and I was born and raised in Boston, MA with two incredibly progressive and supportive immigrant parents from Guatemala. I had been brought up to explore the arts and creativity in a wide array of modalities including: visual arts, music, dancing, and acting. Throughout elementary and high school I explored my own artistic styles through school art programming as well as extracurricular classes in fashion design. While pursuing my B.A. in Psychology at Connecticut College, I ventured into graphic design to further expand my skillset and creative platforms. Between my B.A. and M.A. I dedicated myself to fully developing my artistic voice through retail visual merchandising to better understand composition and form as well as self-guided exploration of acrylics and inks. During this time I would continue to hone my craft by commissioned art and illustration along with tattoo design consultation. In 2017, I graduated from Lesley University Graduate School with a M. A. in Mental Health Counseling with a concentration in Expressive Arts Therapies. Currently, creative exploration not only drives the foundation of my therapeutic practice but also serves as my own exploration of who I am as I continue to evolve.
Artist Statement:
Creativity is how I communicate. Being raised the child of two worlds, Guatemala and the United States, language and expression quickly became ever present in my identity formation and art making process. I quickly found my unique perspective through the arts transcended English or Spanish, driving my fervor for acrylics, ink, pen and multimedia. My work has evolved to explore the multiple layers of identity, perspective and expression through the use of text, shapes, colors, lines with strong cultural influences from my Guatemalan roots and Mayan ancestry.