Maritza Lezama was born in Mexico and emigrated to the US in 2016. She enjoys a broad spectrum of mediums, from painting and drawing, to pottery, to photography or fabrics, and she has an experimental and introspective approach to art as well as the patience to see things through to completion.

As a Lowell High graduate and a current student at Middlesex Community College, Maritza has been a part of the Refuge family since she began taking classes here in 2020. She is now co-instructing middle school courses and ceramics classes at Refuge, bringing her experimental approaches and dedication to her art full circle as an inspiration, and teacher, to the next generation of Refuge students.