Emma Schwartz (b. 1999, Lincoln, NE) is a mixed media artist currently based in Upstate New York. Her figurative work melds painting and soft sculpture together creating a liminal space where explorations of sex, devotion, and relationships occur outside of the repressive doctrines of Midwestern Evangelicalism. Purple clouds, cowgirl adornments, piercings, and red hair, are all recurring motifs in her work that signal to her past and the continual feminist lens that she views the world through. She incorporates saturated colors, fabric, and rhinestones to dramatize the Biblical stories, Christian iconography, and personal narratives that she reimagines in her work. Within cropped and expansive scenes she highlights the instances of devotion and connection on sexual and platonic levels that help her navigate the deconstruction of her faith and rebuild a sense of community and self-acceptance.