About this Artist

Pronouns: she/her

Maura Dwyer is a Maryland Institute College of Art alumni with a focus on design that supports community-building and social justice. As founder of Spectrum Mural Studio, Maura works with talented illustrators, designers, students, small businesses and non-profits in the Baltimore/Washington DC area to increase participation in public art.

Artist Statement

Everything is designed. The sooner students understand each image, object, interface, and built environment they interact with on a daily basis was made by a person through a series of decisions, the sooner they can connect critical thinking skills to real-world impact. My art practice starts with an idea and ends in a visual representation of that using visual design elements, collage, cultural research, historical context, and communication.

I use collage because it’s a democratic medium; students do not have to be expert draftsman to create a powerful image. Anyone can layer textures, photos, found imagery and art mediums– learning how to do it skillfully is the key! In the classroom, students will spend time brainstorming and researching
solutions to an idea, creating drafts, peer-reviewing visual ideas, and collaboratively creating a final visual-whether a mural, poster series, or illustration for an exhibition of student work that clearly expresses a viewpoint.