Color Wheel 4 • 2024 • gouache and ink on paper • 14” x 14”
January 28–February 8, 2025
Reception for the artist January 28, 2025, 5:00–6:30 pm
Artist Bio:
Luci Kahroniios’tha Evans is an American contemporary painter and mixed media artist based in St. Louis, Missouri.
Raised in a family of artists, Luci’s passion for creativity began at a young age. Her artistic journey includes attending a Drawing Marathon led by Graham Nickson at the New York Studio School in 2018 and an art study abroad traveling through Greece, Italy, and Turkey that same year. She earned a BA in Studio Art from Principia College in 2020.
Her work has been featured in several exhibitions, including the pop-up show Tracking the Curve at the New York Studio School Student Gallery (2018). At Principia College’s James K. Schmidt Gallery, her art appeared in two exhibitions: a Student Study Abroad Show (2018), which she also co-curated, and a Juried Student Art Show(2019), where she received a prize for her work. Additionally, she was honored with the Kathryn Cogswell Maule Studio Art Award during her junior year (2019).
Artist Statement:
Corn has always been a significant symbol in my life. Growing up in the Midwest—the heart of the Corn Belt—we are surrounded by fields of it. Corn is in what we eat, what we drink, even in the gas we put in our cars. But what I am most drawn to about this crop is its role in Indigenous people’s histories and cultures. For example,I’m inspired by the Mohawk legend of the Three Sisters, which teaches the traditional practice of planting corn, beans, and squash together in the same garden. Each individual plant biologically supports the growth and wellbeing of the others and together they provide a healthy balanced diet for the humans who plant them. This practical form of companion planting symbolizes the harmony between food, land, and community.
As a descendant of the Mohawk Tribe, I strive in my work to celebrate the revival of Indigenous knowledge and traditions while grappling with the impacts of colonization. The works in this exhibition encourage you to explore the complicated story of corn: as a sacred crop and as a symbol of industrial exploitation.
My creative practice is rooted in experimentation and exploration, blending familiar and new materials to examine themes of identity, resilience, and environmental sustainability. I often use encaustic paint, a medium introduced to me by my Mohawk grandmother. I love working with this natural material (paint made from bee’s wax, damar resin and pigments) for its connection to my personal memory, its tactile qualities and its associations with preservation and healing which relates to broader cultural narratives.
Through mixed-media techniques, including painting, sculpture, and installation, I transform corn crop residue into textured assemblages. Each cob becomes part of a larger whole, reflecting the interconnectedness of individual lives within broader systems. The repetitive, meditative nature of this process speaks to cycles of life, culture, and regeneration, even in the face of destruction. Color also plays a vital role in my work, serving as both an intuitive and symbolic element. Vibrant hues evoke vitality, resilience, and the potential for transformation.
Through my art, I aim to create a space where viewers can reflect on the past, honor Indigenous wisdom, and imagine a more sustainable and inclusive future.
Left: Big Color Wheel, 2025, encaustic paint on corn cobs, 5’ diameter
Right: Luci K. Evans with Belt, 2025, encaustic paint on corn cobs, 7.5’ x 3.5’
