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  • Exhibits
    • 2025 Exhibits
      • Viewpoints 2025
      • Denis Orloff: A Journey through Painted Landscapes
      • Good Works
      • Strength and Resilience
      • Katie Truk: Macro vs Macro
    • 2024 Exhibits
      • Dwelling In Hope
      • Donna Grande: Evolving Origins & Liminal Perceptions
      • Inspired by Family & Community
      • State of the Art 2024
      • Text
      • Viewpoints 2024
      • Yvette Lucas: Second Nature
      • Black and White Imprint
      • Marsha Heller: Impressions from Nature
      • Across The Line
    • 2023 Exhibits
      • The Life and Culture of Modern Day Latinidad
      • Inspired by the Weight of an Object
      • I AM HERE
      • State of the Art 2023
      • Critique Group Showcase 2023
      • ViewPoints 2023
      • Local Materiality
      • Rhythm and Blues
    • 2022 Exhibits
      • On the SURFACE
      • Pages
      • Inspired by George Inness
      • It’s Academic
      • State of the Art 2022
      • Critique Group Showcase
      • ViewPoints 2022
      • Mujeres del 2021
    • 2021 Exhibits
      • Absolute Abstraction
      • Inspired by an Object
      • State of the Art 2021
      • ViewPoints 2021
      • Womyn’s Werq
      • Privilege, Power, and Everyday Life
    • 2020 Exhibitis
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      • Inspired by Dance
      • State of the Art 2020
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Ara-Lucia: You are the fragrance of my memory.

Ara-Lucia: You are the fragrance of my memory.

SKU: 2021-00040.

Growing up as a bipolar child in the rural 1970’s was heartbreaking. The augmented way I perceived life frustrated my family; I was regarded as the child who exaggerated and lied. At 29, when I was diagnosed and began taking medication, I was no longer the exaggerator, but I was left with a profound desire to be understood – a need that fuels my work.

My current work explores this desire through visual storytelling. The story is told by two female characters. The first woman, who I call Her or She, is a luminous, immaculate presence. In Her company, it’s possible to experience a deep sense of being known. The second woman – I, Me or My – is the human narrator. As a whole, the work tells the story of My attempts to locate Her in time/space, and to remain with Her, where I experience a profound sense of acceptance and grace.

I draw the figures using charcoal which can be brushed or blown away with breath, emphasizing the fleeting nature of our connection. One of the medications I take for bipolar disorder causes a hand tremor that can distort the drawings’ marks. These marks represent the dichotomy of my rich spiritual connection with the woman against our inability to be present with one another. She resides on her plane of existence and I on mine.

My drawings include physics texts, ancient maps, and symbols. These establish the path through space/time I must travel to be with Her. The women’s clothing, representative of many eras, underscores their drift through time. When the drawing is complete, I ask the figures to tell me the words for the drawing. This text is written in cursive as the drawing’s final act.

Category: WomynsWerq. Tags: Black & White, drawing, figurative.
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EXHIBITION HISTORY
Selected Exhibitions

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2019, Your hand, Your Touch, Center on Halsted, Chicago, Illinois Curator: David Joseph
2017, Blu, ARS Gallery, Benton Harbor, Michigan Gallerist: Anna Russo-Sieber
2016, Beyond the Last Outposts, Live Work Yoga, Chicago, Illinois Curator: Rich Logan
2014, Nebulous Certainties, Outcenter, Benton Harbor, Michigan
Independent Project curated by Tami Miller, Curator of Exhibitions, Collections and Education, Krasl Art Museum

GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2020, Shown from Afar, Women’s Work, Poughkeepsie, NY Jurors: Nansi Lent
2020, Touch, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, Juror: Gina Lee Robbins

2019, Beyond the Selfie, The Art Center Highland Park, Highland Park, Illinois Guest Jurors: Judy Norris and Suzette Bross
2018, 15th Annual Regional Juried Exhibition, Freeport Art Museum, Freeport, Illinois Juror: Kathy Knapp
2018, Naked Truth,, Old Courthouse, Woodstock, Illinois Jurors: Membership Committee, Women’s Caucus for Art, Chicago
2018, Wordplay, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, Illinois Juror: Vernita Nemec
2017, 104th Annual Gold Medal Exhibition, Scarab Club, Detroit, Michigan Juror: Dennis Nawrocki,
2017, State of the Art, Scarab Club, Detroit, Michigan Juror: Dennis Nawrocki
2017, Transforming Visions 2017, Noyes Cultural Center, Evanston, Illinois Curator: Joanna Pinsky
2016, Believing Is Seeing, Artists & Makers Galleries, Rockville, Maryland  Juror: Rebecca Cross, Sponsored by the Women’s Caucus for Art, D.C. Chapter
2016, Abstract Show IV, Brickton Art Center, Park Ridge, Illinois Curator: Avahani Mullen
2013, Michiana Art Competition, Box Factory for the Arts, Benton Harbor, Michigan Jurored by committee
Awarded Honorable Mention, Special Collection
2019, Institute of Theoretical Physics, University Innsbruck , Innsbruck, Austria

RESIDENCY
2006, Ragdale Foundation , Lake Forest, Illinois

INTERVIEWS/PUBLICATION
ElGenaidi, Deena, “A View from the Easel,” Hyperallergic, August 17, 2018, hyperallergic.com/456311/a-view-from-the-easel-95/

“Check out Ara-Lucia Artwork,” Voyage Chicago, May 29, 2018, voyagechicago.com/interview/check-ara-lucia-not-applicables-artwork/
Bonofiglio, Jeremy, “Beyond the Blue Horizon,” Herald Palladium, February 16, 2017, heraldpalladium.com/features/beyond-the-blue- horizon/article_28dd9f71-0f97-55a9-bfbc-ab8a01636afd.html

Miller, Tami, “Artist Interview: Ara Lucia,” Engagement from the Periphery, April 5, 2016, engagementfromtheperiphery.blogspot.com/2015/01/artist- interview-ara-lucia.html

ART DIRECTION
2009–2010, We Vow, Reconfig, Inc., Berrien Springs, Michigan
Goal: Raise awareness of California’s Proposition 8 legislation, which eliminated the right of gay people to marry
Created large-scale photographic portfolio of fine art photography storyboards, called “Photo-Fables”
Coordinated team of 58 people (creative and technical vendors) for one year of preproduction, a two day shoot, and four months of post production
Vendors included lighting and set crew, photographers, digital technicians, insurance, local government o ffices, security, food service, travel,
lodging, and publicity
Project-managed emergency location change 48 hours before shoot, all 65 team members were on-set on time and met schedule deadline
Worked with on-site consultant to resolve complex location logistics
Through SEO and SMM, moved Google search result of non-unique search term ‘we vow’ from a fifth-page rank to a first-page, second-entry rank in fewer than five months
Curvemagazine purchased an image for its April wedding feature
Successfully raised web pro file; aralucia.org was cited on CherryGrrl , SheWired, Get RI and many other websites

2007–2008, The Woods Opened and Through, Reconfig, Inc., Berrien Springs, Michigan
Created large-scale photographic portfolio of fine art photography storyboards, called “Photo-Fables”
Coordinated creative and technical teams for one year of preproduction, a one day photo shoot, and two months of post production
Performed a two-day shooting schedule in a single day and kept vendor and actor morale high
Successively re-arranged story-board to respond to on-set continuity issues
Designed and created loyal following with blog

1997–1999, Director of Blue Fox Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
Opened and ran fine art gallery on Chicago’s north side, specializing in mixed media
Provided launching pad for 16 emerging artists with individual and group shows
Curated exhibitions, created national and Chicago-area marketing campaigns, and opening events; juried multiple-weekend festival featuring shorts by emerging film-makers

Several artists now have their work in prestigious collections and museums

EDUCATION
Bachelor of Arts , Northwestern Illinois University, Chicago, Illinois
Granted Award for Overall Integration of Conceptual and Experiential Competencies

SOCIAL MEDIA
Artist Portfolio: artistarchive.com/artwork/ara-lucia

Instagram: @aralucia

Facebook: facebook.com/AraLuciaPage

Twitter: @ara_lucia

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size

24in x 18in

medium

Charcoal and ink on paper

Website

https://artworkarchive.com/profile/ara-lucia

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  • Exhibits
    • 2025 Exhibits
      • Viewpoints 2025
      • Denis Orloff: A Journey through Painted Landscapes
      • Good Works
      • Strength and Resilience
      • Katie Truk: Macro vs Macro
    • 2024 Exhibits
      • Dwelling In Hope
      • Donna Grande: Evolving Origins & Liminal Perceptions
      • Inspired by Family & Community
      • State of the Art 2024
      • Text
      • Viewpoints 2024
      • Yvette Lucas: Second Nature
      • Black and White Imprint
      • Marsha Heller: Impressions from Nature
      • Across The Line
    • 2023 Exhibits
      • The Life and Culture of Modern Day Latinidad
      • Inspired by the Weight of an Object
      • I AM HERE
      • State of the Art 2023
      • Critique Group Showcase 2023
      • ViewPoints 2023
      • Local Materiality
      • Rhythm and Blues
    • 2022 Exhibits
      • On the SURFACE
      • Pages
      • Inspired by George Inness
      • It’s Academic
      • State of the Art 2022
      • Critique Group Showcase
      • ViewPoints 2022
      • Mujeres del 2021
    • 2021 Exhibits
      • Absolute Abstraction
      • Inspired by an Object
      • State of the Art 2021
      • ViewPoints 2021
      • Womyn’s Werq
      • Privilege, Power, and Everyday Life
    • 2020 Exhibitis
      • ViewPoints 2020
      • Inspired by Dance
      • State of the Art 2020
  • Cart
  • Main Website