About Lanecya ‘Spice’ Callahan
Rooted in storytelling, memory, and healing, Spice Callahan is a multidisciplinary artist whose work blends bold color, emotional realism, and surrealist flair. A Massachusetts native who lived in foster care as a child before adopting her brothers as a teenager and then serving in the Marine Corps, Callahan’s creative journey began in earnest during the art therapy sessions she turned to after her service. Her paintings, often moody with pops of vibrant color, explore themes of identity, motherhood, and home - real and imagined. Deeply influenced by artists like Mickalene Thomas and the fantastical world of Alice in Wonderland, she uses painting and poetry to reconstruct personal narratives, honoring both pain and joy. A proud sister, mother, and daughter of Congolese and Irish roots, her pieces serve as both sanctuary and statement. Her evolving practice includes zines, series on family life, and a dream of mural work and collaborative exhibitions. Currently pursuing her BFA, she exhibits across Massachusetts and envisions a future filled with public art, residencies, and freedom through creative expression.
Artist Statement
I make art for the woman I know I’ve always been. Powerful, strong, and beautiful. I make art to embrace the freedom in my own truth. My art represents the beauty, the magic I see, how I interpret my experience in this world. i make art through emotion or intuition. Whatever the emotion, whenever inspiration downloads, it’s time to create, write, sketch, etc, and I just go with the flow. I paint it or draw it, then that inspires what I write or vice versa. The process is so fun and makes being an artist so enjoyable. From idea to fruition, it is an adventure. The destination may not always be where you intended but the journey is always well worth the trip. My art is my open diary to the world. My art is little extensions of me that hold energy of myself.
Spice Callahan’s paintings, crafted in oil and pastel, are bold acts of emotional storytelling and imaginative world-building. She creates vivid, layered realms where surrealism meets street energy, and every figure, form, and colour is charged with feeling. Faces bloom from flowers, symbols twist into living myths, and technicolor eyes dare the viewer to look deeper. Her work is unapologetically expressive, born from a process that begins with intuition -sometimes words, sometimes sketches, but always soul first.
Deeply inspired by visual metaphor and ancestral spirit, Spice’s symbolism nods to the ceremonial beauty of African tribal traditions, such as the masks of the Maasai, which embody transformation, protection, and unseen truths. These forms fuel her own rituals of healing, especially as a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, mother, and warrior of experience.
Her art is an open diary, a reflection of both her inner world and the worlds she dreams into being. Chaos, beauty, and emotional truth all live here.
CV
EDUCATION
Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, MA
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting (anticipated)
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
"My Welcome Home", [Venue Name], [City, State] — [Year]
"Faces & Phases", [Gallery/Pop-Up Space], [City, State] — [Year]
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
Black Girl Art Show, [Venue or City] — [Year]
Concept Art Show, [Venue], [City, State] — [Year]
Medford Open Studios, Medford, MA — [Year]
RESIDENCIES
[Residency Name], [Location] — [Month/Year]
[Future Residency You’re Applying For], [Location] — [Planned/Expected Year]
PUBLICATIONS & PRESS
"[Article/Feature Title]", [Publication Name] — [Date]
Newsletter/Blog Feature, [Platform or Publisher] — [Year]
COMMISSIONS & COLLECTIONS
Private Collection, [City, State] — “[Title of Work]”, [Year]
Commission for [Client or Brand Name], “[Project Title]” — [Year]
AWARDS & HONORS
2022-24 Spectacular Black Girl Art Show (Charlotte, NC - Nashville, TN - D.C)
2022-23 Boston Art Book Fair
2022-23 Northeastern Juneteenth Festival
2022-24 West Medford Open Studios
2022 Beacon Hill Art Walk
Featured Artist at Mass General Hospital Home Front Gallery
2021 Medford Open Studios
2019 Medford Open Studios
2019 Boston Art Week
2018 Concept Art Manhattan
Honorable Discharge from USMC
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Executive Assistant, Lifetime Fitness — Chestnut Hill, MA — [Dates]
Art Instructor, [Organization or School] — [Year(s)]
ARTIST TALKS & WORKSHOPS
Guest Speaker, [Panel/Conference Name], [Venue] — [Year]
Workshop Facilitator, “Healing Through Art,” [Organization] — [Year]
AFFILIATIONS
Member, [Local Artist Collective/Organization]
Volunteer, [Community Group or Cause]
SKILLS & MEDIA
Acrylic, Mixed Media, Zine Making, Line Drawing, Installation
Adobe Creative Suite, Social Media Management, Arts Education