12 Apr “Becoming: Lessons From Spring” First Friday Event – Artsy Heart – May 2
“BECOMING: LESSONS FROM SPRING”
Original Oil Paintings, Accompanying Poetry, Classical Vocal Performance
Featuring Artist in Paint, Poetry, and Voice: Rina Lucas – staffandpalette.com
With Virtual Piano by Composer: Arshak Sirunyan – www.arshaksirunyan.com
Including Wine and Cheese Reception
May 2nd, 2025: 6 – 8 pm
ARTSY HEART – GLEN TOWN CENTER, GLENVIEW, IL – theartsyheart.com
FIRST FRIDAY EVENT
Program
Staff & Palette is delighted to bring an original multimedia show “Becoming: Lessons From Spring” featuring the paint, poetry, and voice of Rina Lucas to Artsy Heart, an innovative, eclectic gallery shop in upscale Glen Town Center just outside Chicago in Glenview, Illinois for their First Friday 2025 event line up. On May 2nd, from 6 to 8 pm, patrons will be treated to an elegant wine and cheese reception hosted by the gallery owners while chatting with the artist before and after her live performance planned from 6:45 to 7:15 pm. Rina’s own paintings, spoken word poetry, and classical voice will engage the audience and seek to tell a story with seasonal metaphors for life transitions.
Artist Statement
“At each stage of life we continue to evolve into the person we are meant to be, the best version of our authentic selves. I’ve learned in Spring to find my strength in softness and stillness, as do the blossoms and butterflies. Their wisdom endures through the plenty of Summer and the want of Winter. As Autumn’s splendor provides reason to reflect where we have come thus far, so the soaring song of Spring’s renewal reminds us of where we want to go. Spring shows us who we are becoming as new blooms burst forth.” – Rina Lucas, Staff & Palette
Artist Bio
Soprano Rina Lucas is known for her powerful instrument, effortless range, and musical versatility. Comfortable in multiple genres, she has performed as a soloist with the Charleston Symphony, with the Lowcountry Voices, during the televised Spotlight Awards, in her own multimedia Piccolo Spoleto productions in SC alongside pianist and composer Arshak Sirunyan, and in her original virtual and live shows at The Moss Center and the Floyd Center for the Arts in VA. In addition to her accomplishments as a vocalist, Rina is also a gifted poet and visual artist working in oils. All of her paintings, rich and diverse in subject and style, are accompanied by poetry and signed in Hebrew as a nod to her roots. She has been featured in numerous juried exhibitions along the East Coast and beyond. Her interdisciplinary work has also been recognized by Artistonish Magazine, Classical Singer Music Magazine, Medici International Music Competition, Music International Grand Prix, National Association of Teachers of Singing, and TERAVARNA. With a Bachelor of Science from James Madison University and a Master of Physical Therapy from Gannon University, Rina’s path to performance has been nontraditional, having turned to the arts full time in 2012 after a career as a Physical Therapist. Since that time, she has developed her talents with several excellent mentors including: Professors of Voice – Sandra Barnhardt, Patricia Clevenger, Dr. Jill Terhaar Lewis, and Ariana Wyatt, Artists – Michael Farrar, Z.L. Feng, Jonathan Green, and Terry Lyon, as well as the former Poet Laureate of Charleston, SC, Marcus Amaker. She owns Staff & Palette, her studio for paint, poetry, and voice in the Greater Chicago area where she has recently relocated with her husband John and their beloved pups, Ariel and Eli.
