"Since I began to draw, the figure has been my first, most immediate and most interesting subject. Drawing and painting are very physical work that I feel through my own body, as a lover of dance and movement. Beyond the physical and visceral connection, the concerns that I address are human issues, and the figure is the logical vehicle for expressing them. The person's relationship with society and the body in relationship to its environment are themes that continue to fascinate me, and I have been able to address them quite specifically in my work as a muralist. In smaller works on paper or canvas, I have been free to explore each individual as a world in itself. The figure or body, as 'temple of the soul' is not simply a form, but an expression of the spirit within. Our cultural traditions, personal histories and relationships are the body within the body, that express themselves outwardly as well. The figure provides endless revelations for me."

Juana Alicia works in a variety of media as a muralist, illustrator, printmaker and painter. She has a large body of public work in San Francisco, and has also painted in Central America. She has taught at Stanford University, Skyline College and world College West. She holds a Masters in Fine Arts and is the co-founder and currently co-director of The East Bay Institute for Urban Arts, an activist community based art school. Ms. Alicia's personal work is exhibited world wide. Known especially for her murals and public art, Alicia infuses her work with social, political and spiritual themes. She enjoys directing groups in many of her large-scale murals because the process enables her to witness how individuals change as a result of working together artistically. Building trust and forging bonds through listening and sharing, the community visualizes their culture, history and interior lives. Her collaborative works include Maestrapeace, on the San Francisco Bay Area Women's Building; Positive Visibility, (by HIV positive women); Balance of Power, a community youth project, as well as numerous others. She is currently working on Sanctuary, a commission for the international terminal at San Francisco Airport.

For more information about Juana Alicia, go to the Maestrapeace Home Page at http://www.maestrapeace.com.