Her Story
About LeeAndra
LeeAndra Lujan serves as coordinator of Redline Contemporary Art Center's REACH satellite studio in Denver, Colorado. In this role, she works with young adults ages 18 to 24 who are struggling with instability or in recovery, as well as neurodivergent individuals and participants from several nonprofit groups including Coalition for the Homeless, The Gathering Place, Denver Housing Authority, Denver Inner City Parish, and Dry Bones Denver. She provides a welcoming, safe, and inclusive space where individuals can explore their creative side, find community, or simply connect with others. Lujan recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in fine arts from the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. Her background includes over 10 years in the field, and she attributes her path to community studios that transformed her own life, inspiring her to give back through accessible arts programming. She values relational communication and emphasizes that art involves dedication, passion, and consistency that can apply to any pursuit.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with LeeAndra
01What do you attribute your success to?
I used to give credit to others for my achievements. A very influential person in my life once told me that these resources and opportunities paved the way, but it was up to me to show up every day to make the exception to better my life, and myself, and my family's life. That reminder that you have support but it's you that has the strength to overcome anything is the best advice I stick with quite honestly.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I used to give credit to others for my achievements. A very influential person in my life once told me that these resources and opportunities paved the way, but it was up to me to show up every day to make the exception to better my life, and myself, and my family's life. That reminder that you have support but it's you that has the strength to overcome anything is the best advice I stick with quite honestly.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
One of my kind of niches is finding those people that say they don't have a creative bone in their body. As an artist, I try to express to any individual that art is not just drawing and painting and the mediums that comes with it. Art is the dedication and the passion, the consistency that you put into it. And I think that that transfers into anything, whether it's community work, painting, construction, just whatever someone puts so much dedication and passion to that is their art.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The main is inclusiveness. I think that what maintains the people coming in is providing a welcoming, safe space and somewhere that they feel included in everything that we do. I come from a similar complicated background so I can relate to a lot of the situations that they're going through. Relational communication is helpful. I try to let them know that they're not alone in the world in what they're going through.
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