Therese Gietler

I’m an artist who wears many hats—director, producer, educator, collaborator, and co-creator of immersive art experiences. I grew up outside Buffalo, New York, shaped by a working-class upbringing and a strong sense of curiosity. I’ve always been driven to make things—stories, images, spaces that invite people in and make them feel something real. That drive led me first to photojournalism, where I learned to tell grounded, emotionally resonant stories, and eventually into producing commercial photography and video work for over two decades.

But something was missing: creative agency—the kind that comes from telling the stories you believe matter. So I built a creative consulting practice to help others advocate for themselves, and then turned the mirror inward. That reflection led me to teach at the Portland Winter Light Festival and eventually create Sparking Creativity, a docuseries about artists who use light to transform public space and unite communities.

I’m not documenting from the outside. I’m in it. As one half of Twisty Maurice, I create immersive installations. I know the exhilaration and exhaustion of building something from scratch, hoping it connects, and staying up too late wiring LEDs that might not work. That lived experience informs everything I do behind the camera—it’s why I ask better questions, why artists trust me, and why this work feels less like a job and more like a calling.

I’m not chasing prestige. I’m chasing resonance.