Maria Pithara was born in Cyprus. She now lives and works in Richmond, VA. She studied sculpture at the University of the Arts, Philadelphia and pursued an MFA in Sculpture and Extended Media at Virginia Commonwealth University. While there, she received numerous grants and fellowships, including a Phi Kappa Phi graduate scholarship and a residency fellowship at Santa Fe Art Institute, NM(2011) and at the Seven Below Arts Initiative in Vermont (2009). Her work has been shown in venues across the US including the Hirshhorn Museum in DC, Kim Foster Gallery in New York and Omikron Gallery in Nicosia.