An Artist’s Life
In her quiet, but persistent pursuit of art, Lucille Arrigan Rice '46 crafted a life devoted to the exploration and expression of the human condition - all while working and raising a family. She was, at one time or another, a fiction writer, painter, teacher, and journalist. Lucille married Thomas Rice a year after she graduated from Saint Joseph College. She went on to raise three daughters, creating for them a life rich in artistic sensibility.
Giving up art for the sake of family was never an option Lucille considered. "My mother held an unabashed belief that women could do or be anything," said her oldest daughter, author Luanne Rice. "She was greatly influenced by her Saint Joseph College education and the women she encountered there. Still, I think it took great courage for her to pursue her art while working and raising a family."
A household in the midst of creation
Luanne and her youngest sister, Maureen Rice Onorato, recall a household always in the midst of creation. "My two strongest childhood memories are of falling to sleep every night to the sound of my mother typing, and the easel she always had set up in the kitchen with a painting in the works," said Luanne. Likewise, Maureen remembers a literary card game called "Authors" and a weekend ritual: "Every Saturday, Mom would take us to the library followed by a visit to the New Britain Museum of American Art."
It is no wonder that Luanne, Maureen and their sister, Rosemary Goettsche, are all artistic. A New York Times best-selling author, Luanne credits her mother's influence on her writing success: "Art was a constant part of our lives." In particular, the sisters remember a summer spent at the shore with their mother leading them in writing exercises. Maureen is a published poet and painter of nature scenes and Rosemary, who also attended SJC, produces etchings and miniature watercolors. "From my mother we all the importance of creative expression," Maureen said.
Everything literary
As an English major at SJC, Lucille was involved in everything literary. Editor-in chief -of the year book, Epilogue, and editor of the literary journal, Interpretations, Lucille also originated a column in the Targe. After college, Lucille worked as a reporter for The Hartford Courant and The New Britain Herald. Later in life, she turned her attention to painting, exhibiting her work at the Lyme Art Association and the Essex Art Association.
Although never one to boast of her accomplishments, Lucille believed writers should be published and read. And so she was. Maureen remembers browsing through a bookstore in Newport while she was in college and stumbling upon an old issue of American Magazine that included one of her mother's stories. In addition to her College writings - several short stories and an Easter play, Quem Quarteris - Lucille wrote a play, The Bride's Grandmother, which was produced in the late '40s at Boston College.
More than 13 years after her death, Lucille continues to be a source of surprise and inspiration. It is indeed surprising that a young woman graduating in 1946 with such a strong artistic drive could step into marriage and motherhood without losing sight of her own ambition. And it is inspiring to reflect on a life lived in accordance to one's intent.
