Jennifer Lugris, MFA

Lugris’ art isn’t just about painting—it’s about storytelling, healing, and community. In 2022, she received a National Endowment for the Arts grant to bring immigrant success stories to life through a colorful series of paintings. By 2024, she was one of just four artists invited to join the Memory Palace Movement, a powerful initiative funded in part by the California Arts Council that co-creates healing spaces with, for, and by survivors of sexual abuse.

I have a complex family history of tragedy and triumph, which has instilled in me a sense of the fragile nature of life. I paint my ordinary daily life as vibrant, colorful, and patterned scenes to show gratitude for my existence.

Most of my paintings are multi-paneled triptychs, alluding to the fact that my human experience certainly cannot fit neatly onto one canvas. I am a culturally mixed Uruguayan Korean Spanish American who grew up Catholic and is now raising Jewish children.

As a child, I received many quizzical looks as individuals attempted to understand and piece together my varied, ethnic background. I recreate that same experience in my paintings by provoking the audience to find connections that pull the piece together.

“My paintings honor my refugee grandparents and parents who risked everything to offer future generations better opportunities.”

Interviews in progress, please check back soon!