Staff Profile: Miriam Zecharias

	Miriam Zecharias stands between two of the paintings from her exhibition, Radiance of Compassion. space

Talents and abilities often run in families as is the case for Miriam Zecharias. Ms. Zecharias’ interest in painting can be traced back to her father, a portrait painter in her native country of Eritrea located in northeast Africa.

“My father was a great painter. He was a history teacher and his hobby was painting and drawing. There was an American military base in the sixties in Asmara, the city where I grew up, and I remember the GIs buying a lot of tribal portraits made by my father,” she says. Although she enjoyed art, Ms. Zecharias didn’t realize her natural talent for it until a few years ago.

A library assistant in ASU’s Reese Library, she began painting after taking an art course for non-art majors. “I started out as a nursing student. I was about to begin my clinical when I was told that I needed to take an elective. After taking the painting class, I was hooked,” she says. “I felt good about changing majors, but I also felt guilty for abandoning the noblest of professions—nursing,” she added.

“When I am painting, I get so into it that I’ll forget the time because I’m so involved. I’m totally in another world,” says Ms. Zecharias.

The mother of three recently presented her senior art exhibit, Radiance of Compassion, in ASU’s New Space Gallery. It featured portraits of humanitarians and music artists as well as paintings of nature and some pottery. “It seems people respond emotionally to my artwork,” she says of her first series of artwork.

Although Ms. Zecharias is a cum laude graduate of ASU with a bachelor of fine arts degree, she still plans to continue working in the library. “I love working in the library. For now I don’t know what the future holds for me. I am just beginning. I will submit some of my artwork to different galleries, and see how it goes,” she says.

Now that her busy schedule with work and college has lessened, Ms. Zecharias says that she can now get back to doing the things she enjoys—like spending time with her daughter and family.

She says that it was the support of her family and the encouragement of her professors and colleagues that she was able to receive her degree and pursue her passion in painting. Eden, her daughter who has special needs, would encourage her when painting. “She would come in the studio in the evenings and say, ‘Mom you are a great painter, now take a break,’” says Ms. Zecharias. “Their encouragement made it possible,” she adds.

Name: Miriam Zecharias

Position: Library Assistant IV

How long at ASU: 9 years

Family: Husband, Habteab Zerit; sons, Abeselom, 34, and Dermas, 25; daughter, Eden, 22

Little known fact: She designs and sews 90 percent of her clothing. She is a gourmet cook and enjoys decorating her home, gardening, and reading.

What she likes about ASU: “I always felt comfortable here. When you’re from another country, how you are accepted is very important. If you feel comfortable, then you are part of the community. ASU is a nice place to work.”

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June 2007
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