Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Keegan Luce
P1
12/21/16
Why would you do something you dont enjoy? This is the mindset of Audrey Luce. As
an artist who has always devoted her life to doing what she loves and being as happy as possible,
she was constantly surrounding herself with people that made her happy. Between decisions that
seem so trivial but make such a difference and choices that were big and made a difference
accordingly.
Audrey was born on July 22, 1966. She lived a normal life in a middle class household,
and got a brother at the age of one on August 10, 1967. Audrey moved several times before she
was eight because of financial difficulties and her mother trying to avoid an abusive husband.
When she was eight the strong willed Luces moved to Lisbon. Growing up in Lisbon was her
little slice of paradise. Bartholomew Street was the perfect little wooded way for an adventurous
and creative girl to wander. The woods and the winds were inspiration for a lot of her childhood.
She was born in the 60s, but was shaped by the 70s.
In the decade of disco, rock, and punk. In the decade of Nixons resignation, the
Watergate Scandal, and the energy crisis. In the decade of Disney Worlds opening, Saturday
Night Lives premiere, and Star Wars. Yes, the 70s. A decade where music changed drastically,
the nation faced some real problems, and pop culture changed rapidly. The 70s gave America
plenty to worry about, but also plenty to love. The change from the 60s to the 70s was a large
expensive. Most gas stations had to ration, and they would mark rations by colored flags. Green
for when they have gas, yellow for rationing, red for out of gas. Sometimes lines for gas would
go around the block. Cars would sit for minutes, if not half an hour, waiting for gas. Now, for
someone growing up in this time, this would be normal, but for someone maturing in this time or
adults living through this, this is a drastic change in pace of life. It could easily make people late
for their jobs, school, or any sort of commitment. Getting used to that change in schedule would
have been hard at first, but change comes with time and they would eventually get used to it, but
With the introduction of the first Personal Computer, the Apple II, business became much
more streamlined as more programs developed. At first, the computer wasnt very capable at
doing all that much, but once the technology improved and developers found ways to simplify
and streamline, there could be so much more achieved with just a simple display of text and a
keyboard. The computer would soon evolve into one of the world most useful technologies that
is used daily by millions, but to a lot of the people of the 70s, it was nothing more than another
invention that would just be another fad. But clearly that was not the case.
The only President of the United States of America to ever resign did so in the 70s. His
resignation came to avoid impeachment when when he was found out for trying to cover up
illegal activities during the Watergate Scandal. The Watergate Scandal was an event that
involved multiple people that tapped phones and and stole documents. There burglars were doing
all of this to aid Nixons campaign, but it is unknown whether or not they were working with
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him, or if he even knew they were doing it. But, when he did find out he began covering it up
Even with all of these life changing events of the decade, there were less life changing
events. Pop culture adapted and evolved a lot during the 70s. As the open of the 70s came around
the Beatles, one of the largest bands of the era, broke apart and with them so did rock n roll.
Music of the 70s went in a few different directions with Disco, Punk, and Hard Rock. These
genres were really a large part in further evolution in music and really developed a diversity of
The woods beyond Bartholomew were a maze of green with a passageway for trains
tucked far through the bramble. Tracks, that felt like a ladder laid on the ground, were paths to
another world. Though the pavement of wood and metal were forbidden by her mother, the sense
of rebellion gave her the excitement that truly made the journeys so fun. They gave her an
escape, somewhere to go when there was nothing else to do. She could sketch without
judgemental eyes peering over her shoulders save the curious birds. An escape from the
boredom of school or torment of bullies was not easy to find, but when wandering through the
woods, its easy to get lost. Not physically lost, but a type of lost that left a trail behind you. A
type of lost that lets wonder endlessly take hold about how the trees grow so tall and so mighty,
Audrey was not an outcast at school, but didnt necessarily appreciate the large crowd.
She wanted a crowd where she could fit without feeling like she needed to be someone she
wasnt. A crowd that would give her a wide sense of open creativity. At school on Wednesdays
she saw girls and boys dressed in scout uniforms. The appeal of the uniforms was clear in
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Audreys mind. On the way to school, Audreys plan would come to fruition as the car rolled
Oh, um.. I know exactly that day. It was a Wednesday, actually. And the reason I know it
was a Wednesday is because because all the boys and the girls who were in the boy
scout or girl scouts or cub scouts were wearing their uniforms to school. And mom drove
us to school that day and all of the girls were wearing their uniforms and walking to
school. And I said Mom, I wanna be in girl scouts and she said Yknow I was gonna
talk to you about that. You get your choice, you can be a girl scout or you can go to art
classes and I said art classes. She didnt even finish the sentence and I just snapped.
And Ive been doing art and taking classes and Ive done art every single day ever since
But, wait. She forgot to account for another option. She had been so distracted by the uniformity
and comradery of the girl scouts, she took no heed to her favorite hobby, art. Art had always
been on Audreys mind, but always in the back of it until it had the chance to fly forward and
Audreys father passed away when she was in her very late 20s. She doesnt remember
much about him, other than a few terrifying memories. Audrey described to me in an interview
one of the memories that she had which really spoke to the level of fear she had.
We never really had a relationship with my father. Period. He just sort of disappeared
when we were kids. Mostly because he was very very very abusive to Emere. There was
one incident where, I dont know if [my brother] remembers this but I do, he broke down
the door of the apartment we were living in he literally punched through it and he got into
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the apartment and mere tried to call the police, we were really little, and he put his bloody
hand on the phone to keep her from calling and the visual of that is what I remember. The
wall being white, the phone being white and blood dripping down the walls. Thats what
The fear was not only for herself, but for her mother. Her mother, Emere as our family lovingly
calls her, was raising two children on her own, as well as dealing with an absent, abusive father.
Emere went though a lot of trouble to make sure that her children knew little to nothing
of their turmoil. She didnt want the troubles that they were facing to affect her childrens life. It
could have affected their school, or their happiness. She wasnt going to let them know if there
was no need for them to know. Audrey knew virtually nothing about the financial situation at
home, she just knew that sometimes, with little notice, she could have to pack up and leave for a
new house.
We moved maybe six times. And twice while we were with him. Its one of the reasons I
dont hold on to shit. I dont hold onto stuff because Im very accustomed to putting
what I need and everything i need in a box and picking up and going. Ive move a lot in
my life. A lot. And part of it has to do with that, part of it has to do with me (Luce 4).
Audrey had grown used to moving so much, that she was ready for it. She knew what she
needed, and what she could live without. But when she moved to Bartholomew, that skill was no
longer needed.
Audrey had moved to Bartholomew when she was 8. She went into 3rd grade to Lisbon
Middle School. She was finally where she would spend the rest of her child into teenage life.
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Audrey found it very easy to get used to living on Bartholomew and found it very nice to finally
have one place that she could finally stay at and not have to worry about leaving. With arrival to
When we moved into the house we got a cat name BJ. I don't know how he got the name
BJ, I dont know. But apparently mom said we had another cat when we were even
younger, but I dont remember that cat. It was when our father was still around. And then
I remember BJ because when he wanted to come in the house, he would on the window,
you know where emeres couch is then shes got that little lamp near the couch, right in
front of the window, he would jump on the screen and hang from the screen. And meow
at you, but you couldnt hear him because the windows were closed. BJ was a black and
white cat. And then BJ just disappeared one day which tends to happen with outdoor cats
in Maine. And then mom came home one with, we wanted a dog, she kept saying no, we
were too young. And then one day she came home with a box. She put the box down and
we looked inside and there was a puppy. And that was Charlie. Charlie was a miniature
collie, and my mom like to pick on me because I used to dress the dog up in this orange
sweater a tiny little orange sweater because I was walking the dog one day, I was walking
back from the field and this kid that I wanted to smash his head into a brick wall thats
not nice Audrey, dont say that Anyway, the kid says you should be careful with that
dog because it looks like a fox and if I ever saw it in the woods Id shoot it (Luce 4).
Audrey was greatly affected by these pets. They made her smile, or sometimes gave her a dose
of annoying reality when they wont leave her alone. But sometimes pets are the best shoulders
friends. They may not know exactly whats up, but they can be there and offer up support when
its needed. Sometimes their support isnt even intentional and they just give you a reason to
laugh when you need it. Siblings can make something that would typically be boring and turn it
into something that can be the highlight of your week. Fond memories from your childhood
could be something that lingers in the back of someones mind for the rest of their lives.
Hmm. Got a lot of em. Um Probably shoveling the driveway and [my brother] and
shoveling it. Oh, theres a really fun on where your dad was standing in the snow scoop,
he SURFED down the driveway. Probably one of my favorite ones, yeah (Luce 7).
Sometimes these memories are the only comfort you can find in dark times. Sometimes they
offer a kind of barrier from all the bad that looks to bombard someone until they feel like they
With youth comes a sense of invulnerability. That can lead some people down a bad path.
Sometimes, it gives kids a hunger for danger, and sometimes it can lead them to just making
poor decisions, which do typically go hand in hand. Audrey found that sometimes, even without
Ummm I think [a major turning point in my life would be] when I found out my
friend Ricky had cancer. And a brain tumor. We found out when we were in high
school. Because in highschool youre like, youre invincible and he was a good friend
of mine and the best friend of another really really good friend of mine. And he was just
very very alive. When he got diagnosed with a brain tumor he needed surgery and
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chemotherapy and radiation. He couldnt go to school anymore so we didnt get to see
him very much. He was sick and DYING. Its like all of your invincible and then the
next minute the world shows you youre not. And then the next year one of my friends
died in a car crash. So it was like all this stuff that had been happening in your life that
this is how it goes. Life is happy happy happy but all of a sudden this is how life goes
(Luce 7).
Audreys first experience seeing a dead body on the newspaper was a picture of her friend, who
died in the car accident mentioned just now, with a towel over his face still in the backseat of the
car. Audrey quickly found out how quickly life can turn upside down.
Audrey realized pretty early in her teenage years that she wasnt like a lot of other girls.
Audrey was attracted to women. She was not attracted to boys the way that other girls her age
were and, at first, she found it uncomfortable. There is no easy way to understand sexuality. It is
different for everyone, and some people have a harder time finding theirs. It brought a gap
It was very uncomfortable. Going to sleepovers especially sleepovers with girls. That
typically meant, if it was just the two of us, we were sleeping in the same bed. And that
was really uncomfortable. I didnt necessarily like to do it, and i didnt like to have
She faced a big problem. She was distancing herself from some of her friends so much that she
potentially lost some because of something she has no control over. On top of finding out the
attraction to girls, losing friends that could have potentially been Audreys only support would
would she go? Parsons School of Design. Its perfect for an artist. Audreys mind was set on
this school and she had really done her research. She would travel to New York and go to college
there. But, Audreys mother didnt enjoy that plan. Emere thought that New York was too
dangerous, she thought that Audrey could get hurt, and she wouldnt allow Audrey to go to
college in New York. At first, Audrey thought her mother was being overprotective and was
rather mad at her mother, but as she got through her college experience, she realized Emere only
Audrey, after moving past Parsons School of Design, decided to go the Franklin-Pierce
College in New Hampshire. It had a very good art program and Audrey loved the experience. It
I went to a traditional college for two years in New Hampshire. And I was on campus and
I was living on a dorm and yknow, did that thing. Living in the dorms was a ton of fun,
because Id go to class during the day and do my homework at night and then after that
Id go and, everybody called it Audrey was doing her rounds cause I go and I visit all
my friends, Id go around and just visit everybody and then Id come back and get ready
for the next day and then go to bed. I did do a little bit of partying but I wasnt much of
a I didnt do a ton of it I guess i saw I saw to many people totally shitfaced and stupid
to know that that wasnt really fun, and holding someones hair back while they threw up
was not my idea of fun, and I did have some friends that decided they wanted to take
hallucinogenic drugs, and I sat there and babysat while they watched the walls melt so I
yknow pot was one thing, but the harcore drugs is not my idea of fun. I just figured ehhh
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you just never know, you know what I mean? I babysat one of them and she didnt
wanna go for the walk in the woods and I tried to talk the other four of them out of it, and
four of them went for a walk in the woods and I made sure that the EMTs knew that they
went out there cause it was winter time, but I thought it was pretty stupid (Luce 7).
Audrey started off her college career in a good place. It got her used to grind of college, and got
But, Franklin-Pierce College did not go without its problems. In fact, the problem was
something that had been brought up to her before. It was actually the fear that Emere had about
Theres only one thing I would changed from my entire life. And um, your dad does not
know about this. When I was in college in New Hampshire I got raped. And I went into a
dark, like a very dark room. And this guy I knew came to the dark room and he knocked
on the door and I opened the door and he pushed in. And I wish that I had never opened
that door. That is the only thing that I would ever change. Because thats something that
you take with you forever. Thats not something you and I did therapy for it, Ive been
to therapy for it twice. Survivors of rape certainly need a lot of support. You always hold
that. And if I could change that, I think it would have changed a lot of things throughout
my life, it wouldve changed some of my relationships it would have changed how I felt
about myself, and it would have changed quite a bit. Then again, maybe I wouldnt be
here now, yknow what Im saying? I think I couldve lived without that particular pain
(Luce 7).
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Audrey actually found out the reason why Emere didnt want her going to Parsons School of
Design after the incident happened, but didnt have the heart to tell her that it had already
happened. She couldnt face her mother with something like that yet, as it was hard for her to
face it herself.
During Audreys schooling at Franklin-Pierce College, her father got into contact with
her. She was surprised at how he found her, and didnt want to give him much more than really a
cold shoulder.
He sorta disappeared from our lives until I went to college. And then he, somehow found
me when I was going to school in New Hampshire and he called me at school and he
wanted to become my friend, yknow what I mean. He started to send me a few cards and
he wrote me a few times and he called me a few times and Emere told me that she just
didnt trust it, ok. And at one point, the last time I talked to him, he pretty much wanted
to know where I got the money to go to school and the reason he wanted to know is
because he wanted to borrow some. That was the last time I talked to him (Luce 4).
Audrey at first thought he might be trying to become a closer part in her life. She thought she
could give her father a chance, but Emere didnt trust it. Emere was right, as he wanted money
from her as she was barely making her way through college.
Audrey concluded her college career at Boston University. This school experience was
very different as she worked and lived off campus. It wasnt the same story of doing her
rounds but was definitely a loaded and full experience. Going to school in Boston was very
different because I worked. I went to school full time and I worked. Very stressful, very
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different. It was fun. I wouldnt trade it for anything. I wouldnt trade any of my college
Even with all of these hardships that Audrey faced, she still has spent an awful lot of time
focusing her time on happiness of herself and those around her. Everyone around her wears a
Myre, Greg. "Gas Lines Evoke Memories Of Oil Crises In The 1970s." NPR. NPR, 12 Nov.
2012.http://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2012/11/10/164792293/gas-lines-evoke-