Mariam Paré is a visual artist and mouth-painter. She became a quadriplegic after surviving an act of gun violence when she was a college student. After re-training herself to paint by holding the brushes in her mouth, she returned to complete degrees in Visual Art and Design and continued to develop herself as a visual artist and "mouth-painter."
Today, Mariam is a prolific artist celebrated for her mouth-painted portraits and mixed media works. In addition to painting, she creates digital artwork, illustrations, and installation art, often exploring themes related to the disability experience. She is the creator of the Tres Fridas Project, a critically acclaimed exhibition that reimagined iconic works of art through a disability lens, celebrating disability culture while featuring the stories, experiences, and creative contributions of dozens of members of Chicago’s disability arts community.
Her major commissions include projects for Craig H. Nielsen Foundation, Pepsi Co., Omorose Cosmetics, and LifeWTR. Paré is a 3Arts/Bodies of Work Fellow, and active member of the disability arts community in Chicago. She is a member of the association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (MFPA) worldwide.
"I make art to better understand myself and the world around me. I make art to call attention to things I think are meaningful. ...Through art I have immense freedom."
