'1930s to '1940s - The Morning Star

Jesus Benjamin Lucero was born August 23th 1937, to a Tarahumura (Rarámuri) father Jose Lucero, and a Yoreme Indian (Mayo Native American) mother Maria Lucero Arredondo, from Douglas, Arizona, The United States of America.
His mother was raised in a convent, a community of nuns, both his parents where very loyal to their Roman Catholic faith.
Maria Lucero had a household of 7 children to maintain and provide, despite the fact that the family had financial difficulties, it had no limitations on Jesus his evolving capacities, it was more the opposite way around, it boosted his self confidence even more to become an educated and well succesful person.

Lucero liked to remember himself and others what his parents gave him as advice and said:"My mother and father used to emphasize ‘God gave you three things: intelligence, good health and the ability to stand on your own two feet.’ It’s up me to use those attributes."

In his youth he had an aspiring sport interest, but the talent for art and the interest in the field of education, was yet to be the true purpose on his life journey, accompanied by a spiritual guidance he had acquired by character and life lessons, the people started giving him his Indian name Taáhhàa or Chiri Sopori, and was also better known as 

"the morning star"

As we already know, Jesus had a particular interest in sports and academics wich he was completely focussed on, but he discovered his passion for art while being taught by Cheyenne artist Dr. Richard West at Bacone College in Muskogee. Dr. Richard west was at that time Head of the Art Departement at Bacone College, achieving many awards, was a master of flat-style painting, that drew upon the pictorial and narrative aspects of Plains hide painting. Dr. West was an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho TrIbes. Bacone College was best known for their Indian Art Program and Athletic students, wich contributed to a variety of prominent and notable people.

Lucero once quoted:

“ Dr. Richard West made an impact on me as he did other students, He wanted all of us, in taking art from him, to study our cultural birth and our cultural background, who our parents and grandparents are.”

While the fundamentals for his passion for art was formed under the guidance of Dr. Richard West, it was only up to the time that he attended Southwestern State University in Oklahoma, that his passion transformed into a destination. Former members of the Art Department at Southwestern, Merle Kelley, Richard Taflinger and Kenneth Watson, gave him the defiance and opportunity to truly express himself as an individual artist.

Lucero had an affinity with his Native American heritage, by studying history and culture, and administering it to his Art. His dedication and hard work made him earn a Associate's degree in art (Bacone College), a Bachelor's degree of Science in Education (Southwestern Oklahoma State University), a Bachelor's degree in art (Weatherford College), and a Master’s degree in Art (San Diego State University)