{{Short description|American visual artist, educator and illustrator}} {{Primary sources|date=December 2023}}

'''Arlette Lucero''' is an American visual artist, educator, and illustrator.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://arletteluc.wixsite.com/arlettelucero/biography|title=Biography|website=arlettelucero}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.chacgallery.org/artist-arlette-lucero|title=Artists &#124; Arlette Lucero|website=CHAC Gallery}}</ref><ref name="westword.com">{{Cite web |title=100 Colorado Creatives 4.0: Arlette Lucero |url=https://www.westword.com/arts/denver-chicana-artist-arlette-lucero-talks-art-before-museo-de-las-americas-exhibit-9572023}}</ref>

In 2012, she was inducted as a Corn Mother for her community involvement and support.<ref>{{cite web |title=Arlette Lucero |url=https://www.cornmothers.com/Arlette-Lucero.php |website=Corn Mothers}}</ref>

== Background == Rooting from the mid-twentieth century and based in Denver, Colorado, Arlette Lucero is co-founder and previous education director of the Chicano Humanities and Arts Council (CHAC), an art organization in Denver that displays Chicanx art as temporary exhibitions.<ref name="westword.com"/><ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cornmothers.com/Arlette-Lucero.php|title=Corn Mothers &#124; Our Story|website=www.cornmothers.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Chicano Humanities and Arts Council will return to Denver's Art District on Santa Fe later this year |date=5 June 2023 |url=https://denverite.com/2023/06/05/the-chicano-humanities-and-arts-council-will-return-to-denvers-art-district-on-santa-fe-later-this-year/}}</ref><ref name="alto">{{cite web |title=Arlette Lucero: Unapologetic Chicana |url=https://www.altogallery.com/arlette-lucero-unapologetic-chicana |website=www.altogallery.com.}}</ref><ref name="acosta">{{cite web |last1=Acosta |first1=Anna |title=Chicano Humanities and Arts Council Celebrates a New Beginning |url=https://www.denver.org/blog/post/chicano-humanities-arts-council/ |website=www.denver.org.}}</ref> She has been self-employed since 1976.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Froyd |first=Susan |title=100 Colorado Creatives 4.0: Arlette Lucero |url=https://www.westword.com/arts/denver-chicana-artist-arlette-lucero-talks-art-before-museo-de-las-americas-exhibit-9572023 |website=Westword}}</ref> Lucero expresses her Chicana heritage through her artwork, including photography, illustration, and computer art.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://yourhub.denverpost.com/blog/2014/05/new-tummy-tale-book-seeks-writers/36337/|title=New tummy tale book seeks writers &#124; YourHub|website=yourhub.denverpost.com}}</ref> She also participated in Journey Through Our Heritage (JTOH), Arts Street, Voz y Corazón, KidzArt, and the Museo de las Americas.<ref name="auto2" /> For more than 15 years, Lucero has fulfilled the role of an art educator in her home state of Colorado, and she spent 7 of those years teaching at the Escuela de Guadalupe in Denver.<ref name="alto" /> Lucero taught about art murals, traditional art, and painting.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Arlette Lucero Artist Teacher Resume |url=https://arletteluc.wixsite.com/arlettelucero/education-resume |website=arlettelucero}}</ref>

Lucero earned her bachelor's degree in fine arts from Colorado State University and pursued graphic arts at the Community College of Denver.<ref name="Teresita Sandoval">{{Cite web |title=Teresita Sandoval |url=https://museumsfordigitallearning.org/object/642}}</ref><ref name="auto2" /> Lucero possesses more than 30 years of experience as a professional artist.<ref name="alto" /> Her experience includes children’s book illustrations, fine art, crafting, and graphic art.<ref name="fajardo">{{cite news |last1=Fajardo |first1=Renee |title=New book in unique series features art by Arlette Lucero |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/368217414?pq-origsite=primo&sourcetype=Newspapers |date=2005}}</ref><ref name="year">{{cite web |title=Year of La Chicana Opens with Unveiling of Murals by Artist in Residence |url=https://www.historycolorado.org/press-release/2019/08/27/year-la-chicana-opens-unveiling-murals-artist-residence |website=www.historycolorado.org.}}</ref>

In 2024, Lucero was a curator for the Dia de Muertos Art Show in Denver which displayed the art of 30 local Chicanx artists to nearby communities.<ref name="muertos">{{cite web |last1=Staff |first1=CE |title=Celebrate Dia De Los Muertos With A Masquerade Ball |url=https://www.coloradoexpression.com/celebrate-dia-de-los-muertos-with-a-masquerade-ball/ |website=www.coloradoexpression.com.}}</ref> The Day of the Dead event was open to the public free of charge with the goal of honoring cultural traditions of the Chicanx community in Denver.<ref name="muertos" /> == Works ==

=== ''Chicana'' === The art piece ''Chicana'' portrays a woman and a tree. Many patterns and designs are a combination of Spanish-style patterns and American symbols. This includes the colors of the American flag and the Mexican flag, as well as words such as "Freedom" and "Chicano". The woman in the art piece is shown to be carrying a flaming heart that is surrounded by barbed wire and a cross. The mix of hummingbirds and bald eagles in the art supposedly demonstrates Chicano, an American first with cultures of Mexican descent.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://arletteluc.wixsite.com/arlettelucero/paintings|title=Paintings of Arlette Lucero|website=arlettelucero}}</ref>

=== ''Juanita Dominguez'' === In 2019, Lucero began a trio of expansive murals during her tenure as the Artist in Residence. Among these is ''Juanita Dominguez'', a tribute created with guidance from the El Movimiento Advisory Committee. In the center of the piece is the phrase "Yo Soy Chicano. Tengo Color..." surrounds the featured Chicana, translating to "I am Chicano. I have Color...".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.historycolorado.org/press-release/2019/08/27/year-la-chicana-opens-unveiling-murals-artist-residence|title=Year of La Chicana Opens with Unveiling of Murals by Artist in Residen|website=www.historycolorado.org}}</ref><ref name="Teresita Sandoval"/>

=== ''Dia de Los Muertos'' === The artwork ''Dia de Los Muertos'', with Chicanx cultural traditions, features a woman dressed up as a living "calavera", or sugar skull, which is often placed on the "Ofrenda," the heart of the celebration. The Ofrenda is intended to be interpreted as a symbolic bridge between the living and the dead.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://arletteluc.wixsite.com/arlettelucero/available-paintings|title=Paintings of Arlette Lucero|website=arlettelucero}}</ref>

=== ''Unapologetic Chicana'' === In 2024, Lucero exhibited her piece, Unapologetic Chicana, at the Alto Gallery in Denver, Colorado.<ref name="alto" /> Lucero describes how this painting reflects her experience growing up in Denver as one of the only Chicana girls in her community.<ref name="alto" /> Lucero's early life experiences were immersed in White culture.<ref name="alto" /> However, later on in her life as a teenager, she was exposed to elements of her Mexican culture through a summer school program she attended.<ref name="alto" /> This was the start of Lucero self identifying as a Chicana.<ref name="alto" /> ''Unapologetic Chicana'' represents who Lucero is culturally as a Chicana through her artwork.<ref name="alto" /> It shows the pride Lucero has in her culture, regardless of whether or not her work fits into the demands of mainstream art.<ref name="alto" />

=== ''Other Tummy Tales Series Book Illustrations'' === In 2004, Lucero created illustrations for a children's book for the very first time.<ref name="fajardo" /> Her illustrations in ''Chili Today, Hot Tamale and Other Tummy Tales'' provided Lucero with a breakthrough to work on future book illustrations.<ref name="fajardo" /> She was later recruited to create illustrations for an additional children's book, ''Ole! Pozole! & Other Tummy Tales''.<ref name="fajardo" />

== References ==

{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==

# [https://arletteluc.wixsite.com/arlettelucero "Art by Arlette Lucero"] # [https://www.chacgallery.org/artist-arlette-lucero "Arlette Lucero"] ''www.chacgallery.org'' # [https://www.cornmothers.com/Arlette-Lucero.php "Arlette Lucero – 2012 Corn Mother Honoree"] ''cornmothers.com'' # [https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/hispanic-heritage-month/celebrating-hispanic-heritage-with-art-from-latina-women/73-480617539 "Celebrating Hispanic heritage with art from Latina women"] ''9news.com'' # [https://www.westword.com/arts/denver-chicana-artist-arlette-lucero-talks-art-before-museo-de-las-americas-exhibit-9572023 "100 Colorado Creatives 4.0: Arlette Lucero"] ''westword.com'' # [https://www.samyakk.com/ Special effects bot in the art] samyakk.com # [https://yourhub.denverpost.com/blog/2014/05/new-tummy-tale-book-seeks-writers/36337/ "New tummy tale book seeks writers"] ''yourhub.denverpost.com'' # [https://www.westword.com/arts/denver-art-shows-and-events-this-weekend-18221465 "This Week in Galleries: Terrific Trios, Stevon and Arlette Lucero, Phillips Collection at the DAM"] ''westword.com'' # [https://www.historycolorado.org/press-release/2019/08/27/year-la-chicana-opens-unveiling-murals-artist-residence "Year of La Chicana Opens with Unveiling of Murals by Artist in Residence"] ''historycolorado.org'' # [https://arletteluc.wixsite.com/arlettelucero/available-paintings "Paintings of Arlette Lucero"] # [https://denverite.com/2023/06/05/the-chicano-humanities-and-arts-council-will-return-to-denvers-art-district-on-santa-fe-later-this-year/ The Chicano Humanities and Arts Council will return to Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe later this year] # [https://museumsfordigitallearning.org/object/642 Teresita Sandoval] #[https://www.historycolorado.org/year-la-chicana ''Year of La Chicana''] "www.historycolorado.org."

== External links ==

* [https://arletteluc.wixsite.com/arlettelucero Official Website] * [https://www.buzzsprout.com/699271/6561553 Tenet Podcast, Ep. 055: Arlette Lucero] * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSQjmLW8kRU&t=0s Voces en Arte | Arlette Lucero and Karma Leigh]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucero, Arlette}} Category:20th-century American women artists Category:American women illustrators Category:American women educators Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Artists from Denver Category:Community College of Denver alumni Category:Colorado State University alumni Category:20th-century American illustrators