Mary Schwartz

How and why did you become an artist?

To fulfill myself. I am Neurodivergent and my parents could not accept that. I was abused and bullied by them, and also by students in the expensive private schools that they sent me to. I was given every possible learning activity, sport and art in order to “cure” me.

Academics were easy without trying, sports were impossible, but art provided me a space in which to learn and feel things; it gave me an opportunity to express myself without the abuse and ridicule.

However, my particular brand of ND prevents me from recreating what I see around me. I cannot look at something and sketch it, I cannot visualize things in my head. In 6th grade, while living in Caracas, Venezuela, my class attended a perspective exhibit. That was a pivotal moment. I saw art… in a MUSEUM… that was lines, and engineering, and all those precise things that I WAS capable of!

What medium do you work in?

Glass.

How long have you been working as an artist?

I have been an artist my entire life. My first serious medium was fabric and I sold my first pieces at 16. Since then, I have created in fabric fibers, beads, pencil, metal, and wood, until landing on glass as my primary medium.

What are some of your biggest inspirations as an artist?

The perspective exhibit that I saw at age 12 or 13 began my understanding that art didn’t have to be a lifelike painting or an anatomically correct statue. Kandinsky, Miro, Escher – they opened my eyes to the ability to use shapes and lines. My favorite artist – Monet – taught me about repeating things over and over for the impression they make upon your soul. I find myself making the same things again and again, with slightly different colors, different fine details; that’s not my Autism, but my Artism creating an impression in my heart.

What is your connection to Northeast Minneapolis?

While I attended college, I lived at Broadway and Buchanan. I fell in love with the area, often walking from there to Central shops and exploring.  Marriage took me out of the area, but I continued to visit local businesses. Holy Land Deli has been a part of my grocery shopping for more years than I can remember. When I discovered fused and torchwork glass about 15 years ago, NE became my stomping grounds. Classes and studio time existed there, and I discovered Art-a-Whirl. My first studio was with another glass artist just North of the area; and when the opportunity to move into NKB arose, I couldn’t accept it fast enough!

How does Art-A-Whirl benefit you as an artist?

Art-A-Whirl gives me validation of myself and my place in the community. People come and see those pieces that impressed my heart and they LIKE THEM!

Glass is an interesting medium – it can have many lives. When I just can’t make a piece work, I break it up into small pieces, re-kiln them flat and put a magnet on the back. I also keep a bin of things that aren’t perfect – an ornament that had a piece slip in the kiln, a marble with an internal crack, etc. I take those pieces, and the magnets and give them out. The sheer joy that I get in return fulfills me in ways that selling a large piece cannot.

Any good stories or memories of an experience at Art-A-Whirl that you can share? What stands out?

​​Item #1: An elementary aged girl came into the studio clutching a five dollar bill. My partner was manning the studio and I had forgotten to put price stickers on a tray of cat pendants. She spied them and cautiously asked the price. My partner – thinking on his feet, and knowing me well – quickly said that they were $5 and tax was included! She was thrilled and her mother mouthed a thank you to him. She was buying a present for her former kindergarten teacher who loved cats. Item #2: this reaches outside of AAW, but started there. There is a disabled man who comes through NKB with his aide for most events. I always give him a magnet when he visits and he loudly proclaims my studio one of his favorite places and states that he always comes there first!  

What has being a NEMAA member meant to you? What do you value most about membership?

That I am part of a community. All of my life – family of origin, school, workplace – I have felt disconnected and of lesser value.  I’ve worked hard to work through much of that in therapy and education. I am also a DE&I champion at my day job and working to break down barriers for acceptance of disability and differences. From the day I walked into NKB and joined NEMAA, I’ve been accepted for ME.  I make beads and marbles that follow a formula, I make cheesy little critters that aren’t realistic, I make colorful blobs of glass that I arrange – however, I get compliments! Compliments from people I consider AWESOME artists! I also talk to people in the art community and I just feel a part of things. I feel like they like me, they like my work, they see value in me.

What do you wish more people knew about the arts scene in Northeast Minneapolis?

That it is a thing! Once I get outside the borders of Minneapolis and Saint Paul proper, it seems like there is less awareness. My day job is at a big corporation and when I talk about art/NEMAA/NE – it’s only a small percentage of people who know. The further into the suburbs, the less we seem to be known.

Art-A-Whirl and NEMAA turn 30 years old in 2025. Can you believe it? What changes have you witnessed?

The sheer size of the crowds! I cannot really detail much change beyond that. As someone visiting and as someone part of the event for the last three years, I have always seen a sense of community.  The common message I feel from the attendees is that they feel welcome. It’s not a hands-off culture, but rather one that all are welcome. In NKB alone, there is art ranging from a few dollars (or less – stickers!) to tens of thousands of dollars. There is something for everyone and the ability to access them.

Why is art important in our community?

Art is fulfilling. Art breaks down barriers. Art allows people of all walks of life to express themselves and to connect to others. People do not have to create art to be a part of it. When I was moving into NKB, I attended an “Art for All” show. I bought a piece and I have it hanging on my wall in the studio. The artist was a person with Down’s syndrome.

It does not matter that one knows the history of the art, the artist – just looking at a piece invites someone into the world of art and tells them that they belong.

Can you imagine a world WITHOUT the arts community in Northeast Minneapolis? How would the community be different?

No, and I don’t want to think about it. I watch a lot of science fiction and many of the shows have an episode or story arc in which things are militant, black and white, devoid of free thought. That’s how I imagine NE without the arts community.  

What are your hopes and dreams for Art-A-Whirl, NEMAA, and/or the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District in the next 30 years?

My hope is that it all continues and expands. My hope is that outreach goes into the suburbs and that we become known throughout the metro area. I’d also like to see partnerships with local organizations such as the Minnesota Autism Center. We could offer common spaces, get volunteers, and hold classes and camps for youth and vulnerable adults. The political climate suggests that funding may be cut for recreational programs for people with disabilities. I think that NEMAA and the Arts District could work to fill some of those gaps. We have 1,400 artists in NEMAA. If even 1/4 of them volunteered one day, think of what we could do for the community!

If you could make one change in Northeast Minneapolis, no matter the cost, what would it be?

1: Free community spaces for NEMAA and Arts district members to hold classes. 2: pedestrian bridges over the RR tracks behind NKB and at several spots over central. 3: convert the unused rail tracks (a couple sidings north of NKB) to be a green space for outdoor shows.  

Tell us again why you love being an artist and what your work brings to the community.

Because it fulfills my heart! Because art is how I express myself.

What do you want to share that we haven’t covered?

I would like to continue to discuss disability and acceptance. As a ND individual (Autistic, ADD, ADHD, Anxiety, and a bunch more – I have faced adversity, bullying, and abuse my entire life. While I have gotten unconditional acceptance at NKB, through NEMAA and the Arts District – that is not true throughout the entire Art community. I belong to several international glass associations and have seen cliques and bullying behavior in those. Change begins on the home front and we must continue to provide an example and keep pushing those tendrils into the bad parts of the art community.