About Mara - BIO

Mara Giles is an emerging and self-taught artist who uses fabrics, textiles, and quilting techniques as her medium. Her art quilts are rooted in understanding the human condition, at socio-cultural as well as psychological levels. A theme of particular interest for her is freedom from societal constraints and being able to simply exist as one is.

Mara was born in New Mexico to a Puerto Rican mother and an American father, both well-educated, socially aware, and progressive. Throughout her childhood and adolescence, she was raised between the verdant tropics of Puerto Rico and the expansive desert of New Mexico. Her cross-cultural upbringing gave her a keen interest in cultural diversity and variations in human behavior.

She has a BA in Philosophy and a MA in Cultural Anthropology, both of which have excited her to explore ideas in her art outside of her own personal experiences. Her art quilts are imbued with themes and imagery varying from cultural explorations to socio-political issues. Some are inspired by major 20th century philosophical and art movements, using deceptively simple patterns, color, and space to tell their story.

As a child, Mara was fascinated by both of her grandmothers’ sewing and fiber art abilities and watched with wonder as they created dolls and knitted blankets for her and her cousins. Although introduced to quilting in 2006, it wasn’t until she retired from her career in higher education administration in 2017, Mara began quilting in earnest and was able to devote herself to her passion of making art quilts.

Mara currently lives in Glendale, Arizona where she has her studio, ArtSewDifferent.

NEWS

Untitled (with brushstrokes) (2021) is on exhibition at FOUND:RE Contemporary Art in Phoenix, AZ as part of the FOCAL POINTS: Minimal vs Maximal exhibition. December 3, 2021 - March 26, 2022.

Ferns Unrolling Their Young Fronds (2019) is on exhibition at Las Laguna Art Gallery in Laguna Beach, CA as part of the Botanical Art & Illustration Online Exhibition. December 2, 2021 - December 31, 2021.