Stories in Motion: A Conversation with A.L. Lummus

by Paul M. French

I meet A.L. Lummus in the suburbs of Thornton, where she lives with her family. It’s something she comments on several times during our conversation—how her lifestyle and art don’t echo the expectations of the culture.

Despite now earning a living from commissioned work, when Lummus was in art school, she was told to avoid realism at all costs because she wouldn’t be taken seriously. Like Thora Birch’s character in Ghost World, she was pushed toward more abstract styles. She disobeyed.

Since then, the artist has been focused on conveying the reality of sexual assault through unique black-and-white portraits of survivors. Recently, Lummus decided to leave her comfort zone, employing kinetic features to give the work more life—with viewers able to interact with elements of the portraits with knobs and levers. In a garage littered with art and toys, we discussed why she’s chosen to move her art in this radical new direction.