A smiling woman with curly hair and glasses, wearing a royal blue t-shirt with "2024" printed on it, is deeply focused on her artwork. She is seated at a table, using a paintbrush with her right hand and pointing to a specific detail on a large white canvas with her left. The canvas is a work-in-progress mixed media piece with various blue paper cutouts and sketches. The background wall is covered with colorful, textured paintings and posters, including a prominent portrait of John Lennon. In the foreground, another vibrant, multi-colored painting is visible, out of focus.
I’m curious—when you’re feeling creative, what’s your go-to medium?

Harrison Center Artist Profile

Mary Mindiola

Mary Mindiola’s love of art spans back to early childhood.

Originally from San Cristóbal, Venezuela, Mindiola spent her days crafting and creating, a passion that was intensely nurtured by her mother. She would later study art and design in Grand Rapids, but young motherhood would prevent her from taking the risk of being a full-time artist. Mindiola only took the leap to during the covid pandemic, when employment options were low.A vibrant, vertical mixed media collage depicting the iconic Pagoda at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Pagoda is constructed from layers of cut paper, including newsprint and blue tones, set against a textured blue sky made of varying shades of blue paper scraps. Below the Pagoda, stylized green trees with yellow and orange highlights flank a bustling scene of people walking on a tan, textured ground, also created from collage elements. The overall effect is a textured, mosaic-like interpretation of a race day atmosphere.

Now she spends each day excited to follow her passion and in awe that people recognize her work and know her name.

“Time flies while I make art. Not too many people have the privilege of loving what they do and looking forward to repeating it again the next day. I feel very fortunate. I don’t call it work, I call it my passion, my creative space and time,” she says.

Mindiola’s visual art focuses on a form of “painting” using only recycled magazines, a choice she makes for environmental reasons. Her upcoming art installation titled “No turn on red” features different Indianapolis intersections and serves as a metaphor for the clash between safety-focused regulations and personal freedom. She hopes visitors will recognize the dichotomy between being forced in a corner that one side views as necessary safety and the other as bureaucratic overreach. She asks, “will you be the one who follows the law or the one who turns in a hurry?”

Learn more about Mindiola’s art at marymindiolaart.com.

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