BIO
​Cindy Rivarde (b. 1966, Toledo, Ohio) is a Maryland painter crafting vibrant, painterly narratives where personal memory meets cultural mythology.  Her expressive work weaves together figurative storytelling, wild anthropomorphic nature, and scenes that pulse with lived experience - each piece a fragment of connection between body, place and belonging.  

Her paintings reflect a sense of drama that derives from her background in theater.   Rivarde earned a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a double major in visual art and dramatic art, receiving the Paul and Elizabeth Green Award for women in theater as well as honors for set design.  She received her M.F.A. in Painting from Towson University, Towson, MD and J.D. from the University of Connecticut.  

Rivarde has participated in exhibitions at the Stamford Museum of Art and Nature, Stamford, CT; Bergen County Museum, Paramus, NJ;  I A & A at Hillyer, Washington D.C.; Strathmore Art Gallery, Bethesda, MD; The Rouse Company Gallery at the Horowitz Center, Columbia, MD; MIFA Gallery, Miami, FL;  Mosaic Gallery, Fairfax, VA; Priddy Library Gallery at the Universities of Shady Grove, Rockville, MD; and BlackRock Center for the Arts, Germantown, MD.  In 2026, Rivarde had her most recent one-person show at the Hamilton Gallery, Baltimore, MD.  She has had other solo exhibitions at Casa Turquesa Gallery, Coral Gables, FL; the Societa Dante Alighieri, Coral Gables, FL, and the Montpelier Art Center, Laurel, MD.  In her early career, she was a scenic artist at Hartford Stage, PlayMakers Theatre, Long Wharf Theater, and Baltimore Center Stage. 

Rivarde is also an economic development professional and real estate attorney who builds communities with strong talent for placemaking and engagement.  She has overseen numerous cultural programming for cities including public art programs, cultural grants programs, musical series, film location services, and operation of cultural assets.  Rivarde currently lives and works in Maryland.  ​