in the

........I was raised in the perfect alchemy of the magical lore of the south in the Mississippi delta that spoke to me in ancient whispers on soft summer nights....  and the very concretive realities of the cities of the north,  that kept  the edges of my instincts  sharp...One of my greatest influences  was my father. My father was an exceptional artist and painter as well as a great spirit he was also one of the" Tuskegee Airmen" I inherited much from him. My mother was an educator  and a  pianist .I grew up embraced  in and encouraged by  the creative forces of my family, that allowed me to explore ,stretch and discover  my creative" selves ". During my childhood and in my  high school years my father and I would share his studio , which was in our house in Brooklyn, N.Y.. He carefully instilled into my young hands and my wild unblinking inner eye to really "look" and "see" digest, and then execute with feeling and mood and always rely on blood memory.

I won several scholarships  at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn N.Y. for the gifted youth program. I attended Washington Irving high School and Performing Arts High Schools both in N.Y.C.. I studied modern Dance and received a scholarship at the Martha Graham school ...and was torn for years between the two art forms,until I learned  how to let them  complement and enrich each other in my work with movement, shape and  balance.I graduated at the the top quarter of my class  with an Academic art Degree from Washington Irving.I attended Ohio State University where I was an Art major and Dance minor, however I finished at the the Juillard School of Music with a B.F.A. in Dance.

My journey as an artist has been rich and life affirming.I have been inspired by and contributed to the multicultural milieu of New  York, Los Angeles and Europe, i have been called an "ARCHETYPAL EXPRESSIONIST".I have been so fortunate and blessed to have been touched by the muses and they have been so generous with me . My career spans more than 30 years of creative, innovative endeavors in the arts. I have made my mark as an artist in a variety of media, most recently in  Saint Paul Minnesoto at the Pillsbury HouseTheater for the Late Night Series...."Painter, writer Marilyn LaGrone-Amaral paints pictures with words in her performance of "YOU WON'T GO AWAY HUNGRY A FEAST FOR THE SENSES" a present day Scherazade, she draws you into her world of precious flavored moments of time, and snapshops of a life where Stories+Paintings=Food."

I strongly believe that all individuals benefit by expossure to art, and that a society experiences positive change when its members are given the opportunity to develope their own means of artistic expression .My long-term commitment to share my talents through teaching in a variety of community-based art programs and educational institutions reinforces that belief.

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EYXHIBITIONS:

"Pathways and Echoes"- UCSB Multicultural Center,Lecture, one woman show Santa Barbara,

Mask Designer for Annual Brazilian Carnival-Hollywood Palladium, Hollywood Ca.

Rosetta Stone Gallery- "Visions of a Culture" Los Angeles, Ca.

Site Gallery "Cool Art 97" Los Angeles, Ca.

"Museum of the Senses" Festival of the Five Senses, Ritz Carlton, Laguna Niguel. Ca.

"Cafe Boogaloo" permanent installation, Hermosa Beach Ca.

"The Crow Two"- Tribal installation for Vincent Perez.Malibu Ca.

"Please do Touch" Hollywood Mogul Gallery, Hollywood Ca.

"Chalk it Up Festival" muralist and Artist for wearable Art Silent Auction, Pasadena, Ca.

"The Essence of Women" Bova Gallery, Los Angeles Ca.

The Festival of Masks, 8 years,Los Angeles Folk and Art Craft Museum

"Colors from the Outside" two woman show The Eye Grind Gallery, Los Olivos Ca.

"Generation Of Women" Third world Art EXchange,Los Angeles Ca.

"The First Decade" La Mamma Galleria, New York City

"Urban Masks Stories" one woman show, the Stevenson Gallery Silverlake, California

"The African Marketplace Art Festival" Los Angeles

""You Won't Go Away Hungry, a Feast for the Senses" A performance project: paintings, spoken words and music. Performed at thePillsbury House late night series, Minnesota.

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TEACHING:

"Youth First Theater of Hearts", Los Angeles Ca.

Watts Labor Community Action Center. Los Angeles Ca.

Immaculate Heart College Center,Los Angeles Ca.

Pratt Institute Of Technology, Brooklyn, New York

Police Athletic League Art Centers, New York, N.Y.

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PRESS/REVIEWS

Los Angeles Times

Dysona Magazine

Vibe magazine

Hollywood Reporter

Los Angeles Daily News

The African Market Place under the Fringe Art Festival, Archival Video, for Peter Sellers

L.A. Weekly

"Lifes rhythms provide me with the elements of color,shape,texture

mood and change,which echoes blood memory and feeling....often

reflecting the relentless spin and shifting currents of my inner

worlds. Through my work you and i are allowed a glint of something i

know and everything i am."

Marilyn LaGrone-Amaral