Maria

Tavarez

Maria Carolina Tavarez was born in the Dominican Republic and came to the US at the age of three. She grew up in the Bronx and spent her high school years as a performer in the Sting Orchestra and Color Guard at Aquinas High School. She completed a BA degree from Monroe College in Hospitality Management and spent several years working in the culinary field. After her move to North Carolina in 2015, Maria completed a MS degree from Saint Joseph’s University in Health Administration with a minor in Health Informatics. She has volunteering experience with non-profit organizations in Raleigh such as Dress for Success, Inter-Faith Food Shuttle-Geer Street Garden, Clayton Recreation Center - Girls Youth Volleyball Coach,Habitat for Humanity, Artforall_NC, the Darkness Rising Project, as well as Griot and Grey Owl Southern Black Writers Conference.

As a self thought expressionist abstract artist pulling influences from Georgia O'KEEFE, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, and Paul Cézzane painting is an outlet of self discovery and inspiration. In 2021, she entered several online competitions including Art Show International and The World's Famous in Bronze: Creating Art with Love Gallery of Camilo Alfaro in Los Angeles California. She received two certifications for participation one from state assemblyman Tom Lackey and the other from the art gallery itself. So far for 2023 Maria has been a participant to the 2023 Juried Art Show at the Maria V. Howard Arts Center in Rock Mount, NC with her showpiece “Synergy”, the VAE’s exhibition, “Where Are You Really From?” with a piece called “the Village”, the Fine Arts Festival at the Art Gallery of Moore County with the piece “The Pack” and the upcoming Latitudes in Afro-Latinx Art in Greensboro, NC. Maria has no plans of slowing down as she continues her contribution to the Art community of the Triangle Area. Improving her art portfolio, skills, experience and raising funds to ultimately establish a non-profit organization encouraging mental health awareness and self-healing, through art therapy is her ultimate goal.

Acrylic, Charcoal, Collage/Assemblage, Photography

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