Throughout millennia, shamans and other transformation agents
in the communities around the world have engaged the power of
Art as a tool for Transformation
Since the 1970s
artist, poet, storyteller and shaman
Maria Mar
has sought new ways to do this for our modern culture.
“Art is the expression of our Creative Agency when it marries our deepest truth.
At the same time, this expression unlocks that Creative Agency and activates
our capacity as creators, empowering us to forge the life and work we want,
to change the conditions we do not want and to co-create the world
we choose to inhabit.
Art allows us to make our intangible dreams palpable, so that we can birth them into existence. It enables us to transmute the lead of our wounds and limitations into the gold of our personal power and liberation. It empowers us to give flesh to the deepest longing and highest vision of our Spirit, so that we can embody our potential.
Through the creative expression we transform our perception and emotions to nourish our intention, fueling our capacity as active agents of life. This moves us from the adult developmental stage where 58% of the population stays ~the socialized mind that is easily pressured by popular opinion or manipulative tactics. Instead we develop a self-authoring mind (only 35% of population) shedding the influence of trends and socialization to articulate our own values, define who we are and freely choose what we stand for. Art can then uplift our perception into a higher human developmental stage: the self-transforming or Interconnected Mind (only 1% of population). Here we become a higher-functioning adult who is free from identity attachments and learned habits and who instead has a fluid mindset that allows us to dive into the complexities of life, expand our perception and choices, listen to others with different viewpoints and to be open to other possibilities.*
This transformation is the shift from victim to creator to leader. In my 5 decades of experience as a transformation agent, I have witnessed the power of art as a bridge to bring more people into higher stages of adult development and consciousness, so that we can co-create a better world and a more diverse and socially just society.
My soul fills with joy when I create art and when I help awaken the human Creative Agency, uplifting others from being trapped in learned limitations or limiting circumstances to becoming creators of the change they want in the world.”
Maria Mar
*Reference to: Dr. Robert Kegan, former Harvard psychologist, Theory of Adult Development
Quick Links
- To my Experiential Books –– Read them or Ride them! Most of my books have an experiential component. Find out more here.
- To my NEW!Artchemy Atelier YouTube Channel: Art that uplifts, inspires and transforms.
- To my latest event (During Covid these are online events). In 2022 I’ve worked with the Backstory program of the Victory Theatre Center to bring together New Yorkers and Californians –as well as a global audience. In this first month of 2022, Latino artists share the voices of Latinos in response to the West Side Story. Enjoy!
- To my blog to enjoy my poetry, stories and articles.
- Join my Butterfly Waves Community of creative women who want to shine bright in their true bold bright colors!
Commitment
Maria Mar has a lifetime of commitment with art as a vehicle for transformation, manifestation, empowerment and liberation for the people, with special emphasis on women.
1970s
Puerto Rico
- Political theater in the Universisty of Puerto Rico against the intervention of the police force in campus and the killing of student Antonia Martinez and other repressive actions.
- Ecological Awareness theater to educate people on ecological damaging projects proposed for the island.
- Popular education theater following the principles of Paulo Freire.
- Pioneered feminist theater in the island with the performance “Chupate Esta en lo que te Mondo la Otra.”
1980s
New York
- New York Artist in Residence: Poetry- through several programs: Taught poetry in school settings and used poetry as a transformation vehicle with disempowered women in community settings. (See clips below: Women of the Regent Hotel)
- Experimented with the integration of empowerment workshops and interactive performances to generate an interactive, transformative theater experience
- Created Ecuelecua Interarts Performance Collective and did dozens of presentations to prevent violence against women and children and family violence.
- Opened for Miguel Algarin in the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. (See video on the right column.)
- Presented Poetry advocating for women’s empowerment in different locales in New York and offered the performance-workshop “Sister, Love Thyself.”
- Began her legacy project “De Pueblo en Pecho” (A Heartful of my People), documenting the stories of Puerto Ricans who migrated to New York through interviews that became poems. (See clips below.)
Maria Mar opens for Miguel Algarin
in the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in 1983
She reads three of her brand new poems,
Billy Bang in the violin and percussion by Papo Sterling and Ricardo Isaac.
Maria’s part starts at 2:34 to 16:58
Followed by Miguel Pineiro and then Miguel Algarin
The Women of the Regent Hotel
Maria Mar in a Poetry Residence with homeless women during 1987
that lead to a book of their poems, a presentation and a national performance with their poems
Video based on a ppt presentation created by Maria Mar.
Click button to see video presentation in Google Drive.
1990s
New York
- Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center, New York. Presented the performance “Mujericana” where a cast of 20 Latino performers played her poems from “De Pueblo en Pecho” and other poems about the Latina experience in New York, with environments created by award-winning artist Pepon Osorio.
- Developed Theatre of Transformationtm (TOT), her methodology of theater and performance as immediate ceremonies of immediate transformation for the community and the individual.
- Silver Whale Gallery, New York and other New York alternative, cultural and community spaces: Theatre of Transformationtm presented The Temple of Desire, and interactive AIDS prevention performance created and performed by Maria Mar and Corazon Tierra.
- Presented several laboratory performances to develop the TOT approach in local communities.
- Began her shamanic training.
- Daily News, New York, VIVA Magazine: Wrote The Brave Adventure of Puerto Ricans in New York, featuring poems from De Pueblo en Pecho, that recounted the stories of Puerto Ricans who moved to New York during the 20th century. (See clips below.)
De Pueblo en Pecho
A Heartful of my People
Epic Poems about the Puerto Rican Migrants in New York
told with love, courage and SABOR
By Maria Mar
Click link below to open the PDF.
pueblo-en-pecho-viva-1999-clips-merged
PDF includes the entire feature article in VIVA Magazine, Daily News, with historical photos from the Centro de Estudios Puertorriquenos Library, Hunter, CUNY, plus brochures of performances, extracts from poems and update about the project.
2000s
New York and beyond
- Finished her training as a shaman and traveled to Yucatan, Mexico where she helped create a spiritual healing center for low-income people.
- Traveled to South Africa to help artist-activist Gabrielle Le Roux transform her work to combine her activism as a watch-dog for women’s images in the media and women’s empowerment and her gift for visual arts into a unique form of service that would generate a profound difference in the world by becoming the creator of alternative images herself.
- Worked with South African women in manifestations and workshops for their empowerment.
- Several New York Locations: The Vessel of the Goddess/Cantaro de la Diosa, shamanic dance performance by Corazon Tierra in alternative and community spaces. Created costumes, interactive art installations and musical
- Began writing her first novel.
- Published her first novel, Angelina & the Law of Attraction: A Woman’s Journey from her Pressing Problems to her Brightest Potential.
- Julia de Burgos Cultural Art Center, El Barrio, New York, Mary Magdalene Festival, for the Magdalene Meditative Dance Series by Corazon Tierra: Sacred Heart Sacred Dance. Art Costume, Voice, Sound and Music by Maria Mar
- Published her first poetry book: The Tao of Trees: Poems that Reconnect you to the Natural World and your Sacred Self.
- Community Gardens in New York: Performance of The Tao of Trees poetry performance with Corazon Tierra.
- El Barrio Art Space, New York, Magdalene Meditative Dance Series by Corazon Tierra: Devotion. Wearable Art Costume, Voice,and Meditative Sounds by Maria Mar
- Created her trademark Story Alchemytm to use story as a journey for transformation.
- Created her trademark Artchemytm to use art as alchemy for transformation.
- Created her trademark ChiDancetm to help people use movement to change energy patterns so that they could break free from the past and live the life they choose.
- Moving Body Salon at Moving Body Resources, New York, participated in the Dance-Poetry performance Unraveling Absence from the Cuerpografias Series. Dance and Poetry by Corazon Tierra: Voice, Sound and Music by Maria Mar
- Atlantic Gallery, New York, in Corazon Tierras, Dancing Palette Series: Stop Making Sense, Voice and Meditative Sounds by Maria Mar.
- Online event via Zoom: Performed poems from “De Pueblo en Pecho” in “West Side Story” a literary reading by “Backstory” a program of the Victory Theatre Center.
- As part of Earth Day with Earthday.org: Online via Zoom: Yearly Presentation 2020-21: Healing with the Trees: Poetry Reading and sharing illustrations of trees, plus exploring self-healing in connection with healing the trees (energy work).
Poetry Performance of The Tao of Tree
in a New York Community Gardens, 2019
Maria Mar in a Poetry Reading online for
BACKSTORY Live, January 2022
A program of
The Victory Theatre Center
Featuring poems from
“De Pueblo en Pecho”
Click here to see the YouTube Replay
CLIPS
De Pueblo En Pecho
Maria’s legacy work has been developing since the 1980s as she interviews Puerto Ricans who have moved to New York, with special emphasis on workers and women, and including historical research.
- Maria has performed these poems in different events and locales in New York.
- She included them in Mujericana, a 20-cast performance at the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center, New York –with sets created by award-winning artist Pepon Osorio.
- They were also featured in the Daily News’ VIVA MAgazine in her article “The Brave Adventure of Puerto Ricans in New York.”
- She has also read them in online events with a USA cross-state and global audience.
Poetry for Women’s Empowerment
One of Maria Mar’s main focus in her poetry from the 70s to the 90s has been women, the female perspectiv and women’s empowerment. Likewise, she has employed poetry as a vehicle to empower women in different locales, programs and events.
- Created the “Sister Love Thyself” poetry performance and workshop, presented through New York in different community centers and events.
- Worked with Adele Slaughter in the development of a poetry workshop with the Women of the Regent Hotel. This lead to their poems been featured in a book and later on a performance in public TV.
- She developed the performance “Amores que Matan 1 and 2/Love that Kills 1/2”– featuring poems written by women who killed their abusers and were in prison as a result. This performances were presented in Performance Center PS 121, New York.
