I am an art education practitioner with over fifteen years of experience working with children and adults across three countries and a wide range of contexts, from public schools and museums to private members clubs and corporate institutions.

My practice has taken shape across Bucharest, Milan, and Berlin. I have worked with private international schools including the British School of Bucharest and the Berlin British School, public secondary schools in Berlin, museums including the Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum in Bucharest and Palazzo Reale in Milan, cultural foundations such as the Victoria Foundation in Bucharest, and private members clubs including Soho House Berlin. At the European Business Academy Berlin I lectured adults in art education methodology, training them to become educators themselves. I’ve been teaching and lecturing in English, German, Italian, and Romanian.

The way I teach is deeply rooted in my own experience as a student. My first art teacher, Elena Stoica, guided me from the age of three and gave me something I have spent years trying to pass on: the understanding that art is not a skill to be acquired, but a way of seeing and being in the world. That same spirit is at the heart of the Art Club I have been leading at the Berlin British School since 2014, a long-term programme I built from scratch, and one that continues to remind me every week why this work matters. Several of my former students are now studying architecture, design, and fashion at university, and that, more than anything, feels like planting a seed in the world, hoping it will bloom beautifully and spread to the next generations.

Rooted in what I learned from my first art teacher, my approach is inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy, an educational method developed in northern Italy that places the participant’s voice and creative agency at the centre of learning. I work across painting, drawing, printmaking, collage, and graphic design, adapting everything entirely to the context, the group, and the goal.

What sets my work apart is a genuine artistic life that feeds directly into how I teach, experience across cultures, languages, and age groups, and the deep conviction that the best thing an educator can do is create the space for someone to find and trust their own artistic voice.

I am available for workshops, ongoing programmes, “Kunstvermittlung” (art mediation), creative sessions for companies and organisations, and collaborations with cultural institutions. If you would like to work together, I would love to hear from you.

A few words from people I’ve worked with

“She offers a very caring and relaxed environment for our children to excel in their drawing and painting skills, while also allowing them to work on their own individual projects and develop their creative thinking skills.”

Caitríona Phelan-Körnig, School Principal, Berlin British School — Art Club since 2014

“Students achieve convincing artistic results under her guidance. Her working method as a freelance artist has an inspiring effect on the students, who appreciate her as an attentive and empathetic teacher.”

Hans Steinke, Principal, Willi-Graf-Gymnasium, Berlin, 2022

“Maria has a wonderful rapport with people of all ages, especially children. Her ability to connect with her students and her talent at teaching simple concepts, as well as more advanced topics, are both truly superior.”

Alecsandra Ionița, Head of Communication, Fundația Calea Victoriei, Bucharest, 2011

“Her way of teaching makes you feel there is a bond between her and you. Maria developed my creativity by giving me a simple subject such as a ‘circle’ and leaving me to develop it myself using imagination and creativity.”

Cindy Jiang, former student, 2010

A glimpse of my documentation work over the years, across schools, museums, private clubs and cultural institutions: painting, drawing, printmaking, collage, charcoal, ink, sculpture, clay modelling and cyanotype.

Soho House Berlin

I have been offering workshops at Soho House Berlin since 2018, not always on a fixed schedule but returning regularly over the years. I have always enjoyed it. The participants tend to be creative people who are genuinely curious and keen to learn, which makes the whole experience lively and fun.

Berlin British School

A glimpse of my work from 2014 to present. Primary school, ages 4 to 12, mixed in groups of maximum 13 to 14 children, in different contexts: in school, museum visits and workshops. Painting, drawing, printmaking, collage, charcoal, ink, sculpture and clay modelling, adapted to each child’s pace and needs. This mixed-age approach is central to my philosophy, and so far it has been working beautifully.

Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum, Bucharest

I taught at the museum’s summer camp for a few consecutive years, starting in 2008, when I had just turned 18 and graduated from the Nicolae Tonitza Art High School in Bucharest. It was my professor and artist Dr. Iuri Isar who recommended me for this programme, and in many ways it marked the true beginning of my journey as an art education practitioner. Being surrounded by so many talented children in that extraordinary place remains one of the most memorable experiences of my life.