Marie Bergstedt is an 80-year-old American multimedia artist based in San Francisco who specializes in fiber art portraits. Growing up in Vicksburg, Michigan, Bergstedt was shuffled back and forth between her young birth mother and a foster home. In the absence of a traditional family structure and as a means to escape her unhappy childhood, Bergstedt learned to work with her hands to sew, crochet, and knit. These skills allowed her to earn an income, as well as express her interest in people and families. It was during her childhood that Bergstedt discovered her desire to become an artist.

As an adult, Bergstedt married, had a daughter, and taught kindergarten. She continued studying various art mediums, and at the end of a college art class, her teacher remarked, “You have missed your calling. You must study art for the rest of your life.” Bergstedt knew that was true. From that moment on, she took art classes and attended workshops for several years in addition to working full-time and being a wife and mother. In 1979, Bergstedt and her family moved from Michigan to San Francisco, where she continued to study drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, and art history. Her husband encouraged her to study photography, so she took photography classes at Wright State University and San Francisco Art Institute. During this time, Bergstedt exhibited hand-colored photography prints and designed clothing and jewelry in addition to working as a development director for a non-profit organization and raising her daughter. Although Bergstedt was learning new art mediums in her courses, she always incorporated the knitting, crocheting, and hand-stitching techniques she learned as a child. In 2006, she enrolled in fiber sculpture classes that allowed her to integrate her art skills into meaningful statements about life and societal issues in America.

After Bergstedt’s marriage dissolved, she described herself as “sad and spiritless.” However, she persevered and continued towards her goal of becoming a full-time artist in her sixties by living frugally and using upcycled materials in her artwork. Bergstedt continues to use the crocheting, knitting, embroidering, and other sewing skills she learned during her turbulent childhood to produce her portraits. She also uses friends and family members as her subjects to represent broader societal issues in America, such as homelessness, health problems, and environmental concerns.

Often finding inspiration for her multimedia fiber projects in her Midwestern family members’ expressions, Bergstedt uses this moment captured of her sister Vicky at a family reunion in Michigan, showing surprise and disapproval when her grandchildren suddenly jumped into a swimming pool. Bergstedt is currently translating her sister’s facial expression into a multimedia portrait using a combination of painting, embroidery, crocheting, and sewing, titled "What?" This piece symbolizes the uncertain state of American society. “It’s like every day there’s a new surprise or shocking news that makes you say, ‘What?’”