Maiya Lea Hartman

Maiya Lea Hartman is a self-taught multi-disciplinary artist and muralist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They create in various mediums such as drawing, painting, ceramics, and mixed media. Their work is heavily figurative, with current work examining traditions of the African Diaspora and including textiles and symbols. Being self-taught, they look to their environment and memories to act as the mentors that guide their practice. They are interested in allowing their work to be a channel for Black people to experience familiarity, comfort, and nostalgia. Through familial and self-portraiture, they focus on themes of love and connectivity with memory, the ancestors, and the self. Their current work is expanding to learn about and commemorate stories of community members through large scale portraiture and sculpture.

Since the summer of 2020 Maiya has been working as a lead artist/collaborator with the mural collective Creatives After Curfew. Creatives After Curfew was formed In response to the murder of George Floyd as a way to bring images of healing and unity to the communities of Minneapolis. Their art's focus is in solidarity with a push for the abolition of police, community led safety, and imaging a future rooted in justice and liberation. In addition to the collaborative murals that they bring to life with their mural collective, Hartman has also created a number of their own murals throughout the Twin Cities. They are currently an artist in residence with the ALVERA apartments in St.Paul, Minnesota where they are creating an indoor mural for the apartment. In addition to their public art practice, Maiya has been working as a practicing studio artist and has exhibited their work in galleries both locally and nationally. Maiya's first solo exhibition titled "That Which Does Not Burn" opened in July of 2022 at the Minnesota African American Heritage museum and gallery in North Minneapolis. Hartman sees their studio and public art practices as intrinsically linked and holds family, community, and authenticity at the core of both. They view public art works as an invaluable way to make art accessible to communities and hope to continue bringing these large-scale paintings to life in the Twin Cities and beyond.

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@maiyaleaart