Maria Patterson
Wood Sculpture Artist
Maria is an award-winning woodcarving teaching artist based in Indianapolis who discovered carving as a therapeutic antidote for burnout in the tech industry, after years spent building AI policy and technology infrastructure spanning from academia to startups to the White House. She creates whimsical wood art solely using hand tools, breathing new life into cottonwood bark sustainably sourced from dead trees. Her wooden sculptures have found homes everywhere from the bedrooms of children to national exhibits in fine art galleries. In 2023, her carvings earned an Indiana Artisan designation, defining the finest in Hoosier craftsmanship. She currently teaches beginner carvers at the Indy Art Center and as a Lechleiter Visiting Artist at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis.
