Lumin Wakoa (1981-2025)
Lumin Wakoa MFA 10 PT died peacefully in her home on July 6th, 2025, surrounded in love by her family. She courageously fought her terminal glioblastoma diagnosis for 14 months. Born in September 1981 in Tennessee and raised in Wakulla County, Florida, Lumin was a lifelong lover of the natural world, shaped by her woodland home in Crawfordville with a beautiful backyard sinkhole, as well as by her early education at the Magnolia School, Full Flower, and SAIL High School. After studying drama at the North Carolina School of the Arts her senior year, she spent a gap year sailing in the Bahamas. Lumin studied biology and art at the University of Florida and received her MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. She was recognized with RISD’s Award of Excellence as well as with numerous awards and fellowships over the following decade. Her paintings were exhibited across the world, including in New York, Los Angeles, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, and South Korea.
