Maria Estrela
Please introduce yourself: what do you do? Where are you from? Where are you now?
My name is Maria Estrela. I do many things, and I am from many places! I am a visual artist working in Collage, Mixed Media, and Digital Photography and curate exhibitions at the West Orange Arts Council. I sit on the Bloomfield Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs advisory committee and chairperson for the Cultural Affairs sub-committee.
I am Vice-President of the Miguel Vicente Monteiro Foundation (a non-profit that sends school and sanitary supplies to Cape Verde children). I work as a Physical Therapist Assistant and am a mother to my fifteen-year-old son. He just became a professional soccer player!
I was born and raised in Cascais, Portugal, a small fishing village about 30 minutes by train down Lisbon's coast. My family is originally from Cape Verde, an archipelago of 10 islands situated on the West Coast of Africa. Cape Verde is an African nation that gained independence on July 5, 1975. Before that, it was a part of Portugal. I am based in Bloomfield, New Jersey, where I have lived for the past 9 years.
How did you venture into the world of art? What or who inspired you?
I have been passionate about photography since I was very young. My father gave me a camera when I was 13, and I started taking photos of everything. My oldest sister is a fantastic artist; I remember her drawing portraits of every one of our family. She is so talented. She was my first inspiration, and I wanted to be an artist like her.
Living in a multicultural family, both Portuguese and Cape Verdean, I listened to the songs of the iconic African "Barefoot Diva" Cesária Évora and the Portuguese legend Amalia Rodriguez. These artists inspired me to create art that expresses my identity as Luso-African, a mix of Portuguese culture with my African heritage.
As an artist, were there any critical defining moments that sparked your determination to follow your creative urges & intuitions?
I always had the desire to be an artist. However, my son and financial obligations compelled me to train in a career that would enable me to support my family as a single, working mother., Over the past 10 years, I constantly felt that something was missing in my life. I started taking photographs as a hobby, which evolved quickly to a professional portrait and event photographer.
While earning my Physical Therapist Assistant degree, I joined the Newark School of The Arts. I encountered fellow artists and became involved with the growing arts scene in Newark, NJ. This inspiring community motivated me to create more art, and I took a Collage workshop. This was a significant turning point, to the extent that I changed my focus from photography to collage and mixed media. Over the past three years, I have been making collages and mixed media pieces with women of color as protagonists. Many feature African women and explore my own cultural fusion of Cape Verdean culture, European culture, and North American culture.
As a gallery curator, how important is it right now to elevate & showcase the works of artists of color?
First, I want to say I have been lucky to have the opportunity to curate at the West Orange Arts Council. They welcome exhibitions featuring artists of color. I have been able to seek out a diverse group of local artists who didn't have enough opportunities to come together and show their work.
Second, I intentionally use my curatorial opportunities to give space to BIPOC artists to showcase their work. BIPOC artists are underrepresented in the art scene. I use my platform to focus on these groups of artists and support them in raising awareness of BIPOC artists’ issues in their own communities, including racism, discrimination, inequality, and injustice.
Which artists have been on your top 5 list, and why?
I have too many!
Frida Kahlo for her determination, strength, and courage.
Michelangelo was a genius, and his work was ahead of his time.
Bisa Butler is an inspiration to me. Her work with fabrics and colors inspired me to create collage and mixed-media art using African prints and textiles.
Joanna Vasconcelos's work is very inspiring. She creates large-scale pieces in public spaces, and audiences can touch her work, giving them a closer interaction with her art.
Luis Levi Lima is a Portuguese-Cape Verdean artist. His work brings back memories of my childhood.
Have you explored the world of digital art & NFTs? If so, what are your thoughts: does this interest you from the curator's standpoint?
I haven't done much work with digital art & NFTS. I am definitely interested in exploring this soon. NFTs are the way to go nowadays.
What plans do you have in the near (post-COVID) future?
I want to create Open Air Galleries accessible to all, especially in communities lacking art galleries and where people cannot afford to go to a museum. I also want to open my own gallery focusing primarily on minorities.
What advice would you give to a young person from the diaspora who wants to do what you do?
My advice is to go to as many art places as you can. Sit around and talk with older artists and ask them questions about things that you don't know. Never give up. Do what your heart and soul tell you to do, even if sometimes it feels strange or people don't understand. Your heart and soul will lead you to your primary purpose.
