Cheryl was born and raised in Tarras, Central Otago. She has a Diploma in Fine and Applied Art (Distinction Graphics) from Otago School of Art, Dunedin (1975) and a Post Graduate Diploma in Advanced Printmaking (Lithography) from Wimbledon College of Art, London (1979).

Cheryl taught ceramics and drawing for many years at Ara Institute. Since 2005 she has been working full time from her home studio in Lyttelton.  Cheryl exhibits regularly both here and overseas.  Awards include Portage Ceramics Merit Award (2017) for her work ‘Milkstock’, and Sculpture on the Peninsula (2011) Premier Award for her “Harder Larder” installation. In 2013 Cheryl attended a residency in Sturt, Mittagong, Australia and in 2007 the FuLe International Ceramic Art Centre, Fuping, Shaanxi, China.

Cheryl was the 2019 recipient of the Creative New Zealand Craft/Object Fellowship.  Her solo exhibition Shaped by Schist and Scoria, celebrating her four-decade career, was held at Christchurch Art Gallery in August 2022. Since the Christchurch Earthquakes Cheryl has made many replica architectural ceramics to replace those lost on many significant buildings in the city.

Cheryl’s work is held in the collections of Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand;  Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu; Canterbury Museum; The Arts House Trust, Museu del Cantir d’Argentona, Spain; FuLe International Contemporary Ceramic Art Museums, Fu Ping, Shaanxi, China;  Lincoln University and Ara Institute.

In 2017 she was made a member of the International Ceramic Association, IAC.

Panel Statement: “For more than four decades artist Cheryl Lucas has been at the forefront of ceramic practice in Aotearoa. Defying easy categorisation across craft and art, Cheryl has pursued a studio practice that exemplifies a lifetime commitment to making with the hands. Her work interrogates the potential of the vessel as an expansive sculptural form, which she deploys to explore social and environmental issues which speak to a lifetime spent living in the landscapes of Te Waipounamu. She has made a unique and vital contribution to the Canterbury built environment, making replacement chimney pots and ornate ceramic detailing for heritage buildings damaged in the Canterbury earthquakes. An art educator for many years, she has generously given her time, knowledge and support to her surrounding artist communities in Ōtautahi and Ōhinehau.” – Laureate Selection Panel 

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