We recently connected with Maria Esswein and have shared our conversation below.

Maria, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I’ve always wanted to be an artist since I could hold a crayon and scribble. It was something I have always been passionate about. However, I was also told the only “real” artist jobs that would “make money” were in graphic design. Otherwise, I’d be a “poor starving artist” no one cared about until MAYBE after death.

College changed that. I was a graphic design/digital art major for a majority of my undergrad career until I took a sculpture class. It changed my whole world. I fell in love with the physical medium, and my mentors both in undergrad and graduate school really helped guide me and encourage me to pursue being a three dimensional artist professionally. I initially received a lot of backlash when I fully embraced being a sculptor from some people in my life, but honestly the negative responses lit a fire under me to prove I could do this and be successful as a studio artist. Becoming a sculptor and a professional artist was one of the first times I felt like I had made a decision for myself without someone planning my life for me.

Maria, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Maria Esswein, and I am a multidisciplinary artist currently residing in the Dallas Fort Worth area. I received my Bachelors of Fine Arts in Sculpture at Southeast Missouri State University in 2020, and my Masters of Fine Arts in Intermedia at the University of Texas at Arlington in May 2023. I originally am a Saint Louis native from Missouri, and have moved to Texas for graduate school in 2020, during the pandemic.

Some fun irrelevant things about me: Pisces, ENFP, my favorite animals are monkeys, octopus, and platypuses, and I really love ice cream..a lot!

Back to art stuff!

My work focuses on the exploration of gender, art, and religion through a feminist perspective. It embodies a multitude of emotions such as grieving the loss of innocence, moral confusion, isolation, and the search for sexual and personal liberation. Through a variety of mediums, my art explores and challenges the set of beliefs and expectations
regarding sexual behaviors, sexuality, intimacy, and identity I was indoctrinated in at a young age. My most recent body of work analyzes the ideologies purity culture places upon young women and girls and how it is enforced throughout American society – positioning women in a dichotomous and contradictory space where they are either pure or impure; pious or promiscuous.

Many of the influences are derived from my familial ties to Catholicism, the current political state of the United States, and popular culture. Ephemeral and domestic materials are some of the primary sources incorporated throughout the various mediums used due to their familiarity as well as their sensual, luxurious nature. I process feelings of disgust towards my own body due to religious indoctrination, constant criticism and trauma with the intent of bringing about normalizing healthy, human behavior and relationships while simultaneously questioning patriarchal religious ideologies within my art practice.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Actively support artists. Show up to their exhibitions, buy their work, and bring others to events. I think too many people treat the arts as a cute hobby and not something that is one’s livelihood. It’s a competitive field, but I believe society needs to start advocating for the arts as loudly as they do for math and science. I am sure I am “standing on my soapbox,” but I am tired of time and time again seeing art programs get looked over when we could be offering so much more to the artistic community. For example, there’s so much incredible technology out there anyone could potentially use to create, but it is rare or unbelievably expensive to access outside of a learning environment.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding experience is when someone comes up to you after seeing your work and wants to discuss the content of my work with me. Much of my work reflects my personal experiences and emotions. It makes me feel less alone when someone says, “I went through something similar, and I do not see many people talk about it. Thank you.” I feel that the art is completing one of the many goals I strive for: connecting with others and being one of the many voices speaking out on a certain topic. I love talking to people and learning about them. When my art creates a safe space for people to be comfortable or inspire confidence in themselves, it makes me feel successful.

Contact Info:

• Website: mariaesswein.squarespace.com
• Instagram: @a_glass_of_esswine

Image Credits
Gallery Photographs Courtesy of Christina Childress