Maria Gaspar

Maria Gaspar is an Associate Professor in Contemporary Practices at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Her work critically examines the relationship between power and place, often addressing systemic inequities, incarceration, and community engagement. Gaspar holds grants and fellowships including the Imagining Justice Artist Grant and the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Artist as Activist Fellowship. She has served on committees such as the MacArthur Foundation’s Chicago Commitment Team and the Art for Justice Fund’s Advisory Council. Her practice spans installation, video, sound, and performance, with a focus on marginalized communities and institutional critique.

Gaspar’s education includes a degree from Pratt Institute, where she explored interdisciplinary art under mentor Ernesto Pujol. Her research emphasizes radical resourcefulness and the transformative potential of art in public spaces. She teaches at SAIC, advocating for critical thinking and justice-centered pedagogy. Recent works include Soy Paz, Soy Más, a skywriting protest piece above a Texas detention facility, and collaborations with incarcerated individuals through projects like Radioactive: Stories from Beyond the Wall.

Awards and recognitions highlight her contributions to socially engaged art. She actively participates in anti-racism initiatives at SAIC, fostering inclusive academic environments. Her work challenges racialized notions of criminalization and reimagines public spaces as sites of empowerment.