Paré Mariam

Mariam Paré was born in Morocco in 1975. As a young child, she moved to the USA with her family. At the age of twenty, she became the victim of gun violence which left her a quadriplegic. Before becoming injured, Mariam Paré was an aspiring artist, studying Art. In a therapy session, she was taught to write her name by holding a pen with her mouth. She soon adapted to this painting technique and enthusiastically began teaching herself to paint with her mouth.

In 2003, Mariam Paré went back to college to obtain her bachelor’s degree in Studio Art. Over the next few years, she continued to develop herself as a mouth painting artist, participating in national exhibitions and showing her work in private galleries. As her involvement in art and disability communities grew, she began to share her message of perseverance with audiences all over the world through TV appearances, news segments and in newspaper reports.

In 2006, she became a Scholarship Holder of the Association. In 2016, she became an Associate Member of the VDMFK. She has been a Full Member of the Association since 2023.

Today, Mariam Paré works in her studio in Chicago. She produces her artwork with diverse subjects in oil, acrylic and modern mixed-media techniques. She is also currently participating in collaborations with other artists in the areas of videography and photography.