Drawing a New Path - Meet Tracey Laguerre

• May 02, 2019
  By Jacques Jean-Baptiste

Tracey Laguerre is a Los Angeles, CA based Haitian-American animation artist who is blazing new paths in the world of digital animation, art and design.. She currently works for New Media and Children's Television in Los Angeles. Ever since she was a child she loved telling stories with her art. Tracey says that growing up she had difficulties expressing herself. “I was always having to switch between languages and cultures. At home we spoke creole and I grew up as a traditional Haitian girl in a Haitian family. Then at school I was American, and the culture there was very American."

But through her art, she found that she could express herself clearly to anyone in any language. She was accepted to attend CalArts; a college developed by Walt Disney for Animation. In college, she won several prestigious awards such as the Disney Foundation Award, AIGA World Studio Award, and the Women in Animation Students to Watch Award. She also spent a summer studying abroad in Paris.

As a student, Tracey made time to give back to underprivileged communities as a teacher and counselor. She also created a youtube channel that focuses on art education for young creatives. You can find some of her work at this link along with some of her short films https://www.youtube.com/user/cuite3000/.

“I'm proud of my Haitian heritage. It influences a lot of my personal work.”
- Tracey Laguerre

Since graduating, Tracey has worked with Google, Dreamworks, Buzzfeed and other media companies as an illustrator and animator. "I love what I do and I'm glad my art can touch so many people." says Tracey.

Her next venture is children's television. Her short film "I Love You Jocelyn" (which can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE_2XhurFMo has had great success receiving film awards from the African Film Festival Association and international distribution.

She's currently developing a children's series with "I Love You Jocelyn" the iconic female Carribean hero. "I think positive representation is so important to a child's self-esteem. Growing up I didn't see a lot of kids like me on TV. Now I can do something about that. The support of my community means everything to me. I remember before anyone else would hire me, I'd get freelance jobs for logos and illustration work from my own people. You never forget the people who believed in you first, and I still make it a point to keep myself available to the Caribbean diaspora for quality freelance illustration work. America has its own animation legacy with Walt Disney. I intend to create my own artistic legacy with my community too."

You can see more of Tracey Laguerre’s work at:
Tumblr: traceyelle.tumblr.com
Or contact her directly to commission work or interviews at:
Email:Tracey Laguerre

Be on the lookout for this talented, young animator. Tracey Laguerre is an inspiration to all young Haitian and Caribbean women and men looking to break into the digital media design industry.