About Maria

Maria Servellón is an award-winning multimedia artist, filmmaker, and designer from Boston, MA. Working across film, new media, projection, installation, photography, and design, she uses a synesthetic, narrative-driven approach to explore the interplay between art, music, movement, and personal identity. Her work blends magical realism, sensory experimentation, and emotional authenticity to create visually immersive, story-rich experiences.

Her creative projects have been presented locally and internationally, with screenings and exhibitions in Massachusetts, New York, California, Oregon, the UK, and Mexico. Recent highlights include the mystery-drama short Phantasma (2025, Best Experimental Film at the LAVA Film Festival); projection design for Company One’s The Interrobangers (2024, Elliot Norton Award finalist for Outstanding Scenic Design); and the immersive room installation Hibiskiss (2022, exhibited at MassArt x SoWa), showcasing the breadth of her creative work.

Maria’s contributions to the arts have earned significant recognition, including being named a “Latina Leader” by Amplify Latinx, an “Outstanding Young Leader” by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, and one of WBUR’s “The Makers”. She has received awards, grants, fellowships, and residencies from the Boston Mayor's Office of Arts & Culture, Mass MoCA, the Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston, and other prominent organizations. Maria holds an MFA in Film and Media Art from Emerson College, a BA in Studio Art from UMass Boston, and has taught at Emerson College, MassArt, Northeastern University, and UMass Boston.

Artist Statement

I am a visual explorer and storyteller who uses film, new media, design, music, and dance to express truths and possibilities. My approach blends experimental and narrative techniques to craft authentic narratives and immersive experiences. Through my work, I seek to satiate my curiosity about the world and unravel my connection to it.

My artwork is a conscious and intuitive exploration of intersectional identity, utilizing elements of magic realism. Through abstract and archival visuals, I pay a color-rich homage to the fluidity of culture, gender, history, memories, and dreams.

My artistic journey aims to transcend established norms existing in both the physical and digital spheres. These realizations aim to bridge a connection between myself and the audience, forging a mutual path of discovery and understanding.

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Awards, Honors, Grants, Fellowships, & Residencies
2025
- Phantasma, Best Experimental Film Award Winner, LAVA Film Festival
- Phantasma, Best Director Drama Short Finalist, NYLIFF
- Phantasma, Outstanding Short Film Finalist, Shawna Shea Film Festival
- Phantasma, Outstanding New England Short Finalist, Massachusetts Independent Film Festival
2024
- WBUR’s Boston Makers, WBUR
- Hispanic/Latino Leader, MassLive
- Boston Opportunity Fund, Boston Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture
- The Interrobangers, Outstanding Scenic Design, Outstanding Production Finalist, Elliot Norton Awards
2023
- Sustaining Practice Grant, Collective Futures/Tufts University/Andy Warhol Foundation
- Black Super Hero Magic Mama, Outstanding Production Finalist, Elliot Norton Awards
2022
- Surge East Boston Coastal Communities Artist Fellowship, Boston Dance Theater
- We Create! Festival Fellowship, Danza Orgánica
2021
- Featured Small Business, AIGA Boston
- Sponsorship Program 2.0, Sponsee, NAAC ArtsBoston
- BIPOC Leadership Circle, artEquity
- Artist of the Month, Greater Boston Artist Collective
- Out of the Silhouette, 2nd Place, Under The Same Flag Show, Project B Gallery at The Mill Contemporary
2020
- Ten Outstanding Young Leaders Honoree, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce/City Awake
- Latina Leader Award Honoree, Amplify Latinx
- Assets for Artists Grant, MASS MoCA
- Creative Entrepreneur Fellowship, Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston
- Digital Media Capstone Teaching Residency, Boston Public Schools/EdVestors
2019
- Hyphen, Best Drama Finalist, Official Latino Film and Art Festival, Palm Desert, CA
- Hyphen, Best Coming of Age Film Finalist, Oaxaca Filmfest, Mexico
- New England Film Star Award Finalist, NewEnglandFilm.com
- Hyphen, Best Music Award Winner, Femme Filmmakers Fest, Online, CA
2018
- Boston Latino 30 Under 30 Award Honoree, El Mundo Boston
- Boston Artist Opportunity Fund, Boston Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture
2016
- Summit Scholar, Forbes Under 30
2015-2018
- MFA Half-Tuition Fellowship, Emerson College
2014
- Pasillos Pintados Artist Residency, Hurley K-8 School

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“Maria Servellón is a visual explorer. She imbues her multimedia projects and independent films with reflective curiosity, moments of magical realism, and a lot of herself.
Servellón’s calling card is dreamlike and emotionally authentic. ‘Hyphen’ features young, first-time actors, surprising pops of animation, a choreographed dance scene, and arresting transitions. It’s no wonder “Hyphen” was selected to screen at film festivals in multiple cities, including Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Portland, Oaxaca, Mexico, and beyond.” - WBUR

”Maria Servellón‘s lustrous projections [in Morning, Noon, & Night] impressively portray the immaculate and too-good-to-be-true nature of the internet as well as beautiful memories.  It’s pristine, sparkling, and deceptively perfect…“ - Sleepless Critic

”Sharing home movies creatively projected by Maria Servellón, Eddy is not limited to the stage…” - The Sleepless Critic

”[Company One’s] design team brought its A game… especially Maria Servellon (projections).” - The Boston Globe

”Working within the realm of glitch art, Servellón is deeply drawn by both the philosophical and aesthetic aspects of the glitch, a technical malfunction or human error. Subverting our traditional perception of these errors, the artist embraces the “happy mistakes” through the exhibition and seeks to illuminate an alternative experience that is also authentic to our daily lives.
Concertedly, Servellón’s artistic intervention repositions viewers to approach the reality from a different perspective, one that finds serendipitous qualities within errors.” - Harvard Square

”[Cagen] Luse’s truly exceptional work is abetted by projection designer Maria Servellón” - The Boston Globe

”Maria’s work gives a feeling of colors floating through space, with layers of translucency and opacity. Glimpses of semi-abstract images embedded in her graphic work show a mysterious, dream-like tone to her collections.
Maria explores human form, beauty, and abstraction…” - A Far Cry

”In addition to showcasing a stylistically diverse selection of artworks, Bradbury made a point to include a mix of well-known, experienced makers such as Maria Servellón…
The shifting groove and mood of Servellón’s ‘between u & i & them, with its trippy, sometimes ominous vibe…” - Boston Art Review

”…Servellon’s serenely captivating short film, Hyphen…” - Filmotomy.com