“I make art to better understand myself and the world around me” -Mariam Paré

Mariam Paré is a Chicago based visual artist and self-taught mouth-painter. She became a quadriplegic at the age of 20 after surviving an act of gun violence. The injury caused Mariam to lose the use of her hands, and so she re-trained herself to paint by holding brushes in her mouth. Mariam pursued a degree in Studio Art and continued to develop herself as a visual artist and “mouth-painter”.

Today Mariam Paré is a prolific talent celebrated for her colorful portraits, and thought-provoking multi-media works. In addition to painting by mouth, she makes diverse and inclusive artwork often touching on motifs based on the disability experience. She is creator of Tres Fridas Project, a highly reviewed exhibition that "re-imagines art through the disability lens". She was awarded a 3Arts Fellowship for 2020, and continues to work in collaboration with UIC (Chicago) Disability Culture Leadership Initiative. She is an active member of the disability arts community in Chicago, and tenured member of the International Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists Worldwide.