Gallery 2010-2020 Sketch Book ArtShop Magenta Door Art Studio
Questions? Email [email protected].
Follow me on instagram @ojascastromaria.
Questions? Email [email protected].
Follow me on instagram @ojascastromaria.
Artist Statement
I am a visual artist and well-being instructor whose life is tightly woven with resilience, community, and creativity. My artistic practice is infused by my lived experience of finding hope and community amid challenges — including caring for my son during cancer treatment, teaching incarcerated adults, surviving the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School shooting, and raising three children on the autism spectrum.
My work layers linoleum prints, thick acrylic mediums, cultivated botanicals, original audio recordings, and weathered objects, presented in highly textured collages and site-specific installations that are designed to evoke a sense of childlike wonder and awe, narrate a journey toward wellness, and promote an enduring light.
Whether you are connected to the person next to you because of health challenges, autism, cancer, gun violence, or the joy of surviving - you have a story to share. I invite you to contemplate shared connections - focusing on what unites us rather than what sets us apart.
~Maria Ojascastro
Background:
I am a Visual Artist and Well-Being Instructor who uses the transformative power of visual arts with diverse and underrepresented audiences to celebrate what connects us rather than what sets us apart. I have taught educators, medical and mental health professionals, cancer survivors, and victims of trauma for PALM Health, Prison Performing Arts, the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, The Contemporary Art Museum, the Cancer Support Community, Washington University, the Center of Creative Arts, Siteman Cancer Center and other cultural, mental health, medical, and educational institutions both regionally and nationally. I have taught art to individuals with developmental delays, hearing impairments, significant medical conditions, dementia and learning disabilities, as well as typically developing and gifted students.
My passion project is the Arts and Healing program that brings writing, visual arts and theatre to residents of the Transition Center of St. Louis, Missouri Eastern Correctional Center and Missouri Department of Corrections - Probation & Parole.
I completed the Artist INC Express training in 2026, the Anthropedia Well-Being Coach training in 2018, received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Washington University in St. Louis in 1991, studied in Santa Reparata International School of Art in Florence, Italy in 1990, and am a proud alumna of St. Mary's College of Notre Dame, IN.
I moved to a small Kirkwood farmhouse in September 2021. Two months later I opened my studio doors in the renovated barn for private lessons, intimate artist retreats and collaborations that inspire and heal. My work as an educator was eclipsed by my studio work in 2025. Highlights include designing a living mural, a newspaper article that featured my artistic practice, and a solo exhibit featuring 14 new mixed media works. With this trajectory, my emphasis on what brings us together rather than what sets us apart, now reaches thousands of people.
Read about Transformation Through Creativity in Prison Performing Arts Blog
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Consider what the photos looked like when these guys had their photos taken as they entered the justice-involved system. Now they smile with their portraits that tell the story of their transition to becoming productive citizens post incarceration. Prison Performing Arts brings writing, visual arts and theatre to residents at the Transition Center of St. Louis that allow participants hands-on learning opportunities in their pursuit of self-awareness and healing. |
The reality we live in is frightening. But she has faith in our
generation. Our voices are a hyacinth blooming in the morning frost
— a symbol of hope. ~ Gracie Eppler, The Observer
Press/Publications
Videos
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HEC-TV St. Louis Artist Guild
STL TV St. Louis Artist Guild Exercise Your Creativity PALM Health Show the World You’re Still Here PALM Health Art Inspiration PALM Health Mother’s Day Gift PALM Health What to Eat During Cancer Treatment to Boost Your Immunity Cancer Support Community What to Eat During Cancer Treatment to Help Combat Nausea Cancer Support Community What to Eat During Cancer Treatment to Help Navigate Taste Alterations Cancer Support Community Nutritious and Delicious Bulgur Salad Cancer Support Community Exploring Trauma through Expressive Art Missouri Institute of Mental Health |
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Education
Artist INC, St. Louis, MO — Business of art workshop, 2026
Anthropedia Institute, St. Louis, MO — Well-Being Coach Training, 2018
Washington University, St. Louis, MO — Master of Fine Arts, Commencement Marshal, 1987–1991
Santa Reparata International School of Art, Florence, Italy — Printmaking workshop, 1988
Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN — Bachelor of Fine Arts, 1983–1987
Anthropedia Institute, St. Louis, MO — Well-Being Coach Training, 2018
Washington University, St. Louis, MO — Master of Fine Arts, Commencement Marshal, 1987–1991
Santa Reparata International School of Art, Florence, Italy — Printmaking workshop, 1988
Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN — Bachelor of Fine Arts, 1983–1987