Maria Karametou

Maria Karametou, a first-generation immigrant from Athens, Greece, is a Professor Emerita from George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, a visual artist working in mixed media, and the author of the recently published (March 2026) fiction book "The Amalgam." Described as “sweeping, intimate, and deeply human," the book takes readers on an adventure from Greece to the U.S. and to Asia Minor (Turkey) to follow the journey of two strong women—the Asia Minor refugee grandmother and her immigrant to the U.S. granddaughter—and trace the family secret that binds them through "survival, exile, and the unbreakable pull of home.”

As an artist with over 30 years in her field, Karametou has exhibited her artwork internationally in many museum and galleries that include: the Ludwig Museum for International Art, Aachen, Germany; the Vorres Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens, Greece; the National Gallery of Art, Sofia, Bulgaria; the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C.; the Sejong Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea; Kunstwerk Carlshütte, Büdelsdorf, Germany; Apartman Projesi, Istanbul Turkey; Trito Mati Gallery, Athens, Greece; Elite Gallery, Moscow, Russia; A. Taki Gallery Istanbul, Turkey; Asian ArtWorks, Beijing, China; among many others. In the U.S., her work has been shown at The National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C.; The Holter Museum, Montana; The Baltimore Museum; The North Dakota Museum; The Corcoran Gallery, Washington, D.C.; The Montana Museum; The Danville Museum (VA); The Portsmouth Museum (VA); The John Elder Gallery, New York, N.Y.; The Shiva Gallery, New York, N.Y.; The Harper Collins Gallery, New York, N.Y; Comus Gallery, Portland, Oregon; Selby Gallery, Sarasota, Florida; J. Scott Gallery, Vermont, among numerous others. Her most recent solo show, “Kallos,” was at the Katzen Museum, Washington, D.C.   

International collaborative projects include “Penelopeia”, sponsored by the Presidency of the European Union; being a visiting artist at the international symposium “Earth” (Skopelos Foundation for the Arts, Skopelos Island, Greece); organizing and curating “Converging Parallels” in collaboration with Turkish artist Biret Tavman (Ayse Taki Gallery, Istanbul);  “EcoReflections” in partnership with artist C. Demir (Resim ve Heykel Müzesi Galerisi, Ankara, Turkey); and the “Vegoritis” Project, Macedonia, Greece.

Karametou’s work is in permanent collections worldwide, including The Vorres Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens, Greece; the Baltimore Museum; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki, Greece; the Holter Museum, Helena, MT; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Crete, Greece; The Schar Cancer Institute, Inova Hospital Group, McLean, VA; the Freddie Mac Corporation; the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities and was in the collection of His Excellency the U.S. Ambassador to Greece and Mrs. T. Miller during his tenure. Numerous reviews include The Washington Post; the Baltimore Sun; the New Art Examiner; To Vima; the Kathimerini; Epikera magazine; The Evening Sun; The Washington City Paper; Baltimore City Paper; SMCK magazine; the Voice of America; the Washington Review; The Alternative; Eikastika Magazine; National Herald; Hellenic News; Vogue Magazine (Greek edition), as well as an “Antenna” Greek Television interview, and inclusion in the book “The Power of Visual Logos” (ICAN 2003). 

            She is the recipient of many awards such as a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar Award from the Council for the International Exchange of Scholars, the First Prize in the Maryland Biennial, and Individual Artist Grants from the Maryland State Arts Council, Montgomery County Arts Council, and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, among several others. She served on the Board of Directors of the Arlington Arts Center from 2004 -2012 and is a juror and curator of many shows. 

As a writer, Karametou has published short stories and poems in literary magazines, including the Washington Writers Publishing House, The RavensPerch, A Bilingual Anthology of Greek American Poetry, and Bethesda Magazine, after receiving an award in the Washington Metropolitan Area Short Story Competition. Other publications include numerous artist statements, artist books, and essays. Her current work, both literary and visual, relates to Identity.

Karametou first studied painting and drawing in her native Greece under Theodore Drosos, and immigrated to the U.S. after high school. She holds a BA from the University of Maryland (cum laude) and an MFA from the Hoffberger School of Painting, Maryland Institute of Art, Baltimore, where she studied with renowned artists Grace Hartigan and Salvatore Scarpitta. 

She is a Professor Emerita, having recently left her tenured position at the School of Art, George Mason University, Virginia, USA, where she directed the Drawing Division, prior to serving as the Director of Art International Programs. 

She has also taught in various other institutions, including the University of LaVerne, The University of Maryland (European Division), and George Washington University.