Artist Bio:

Lauren Ward (b.1992, New Mexico) is an artist, mother, advocate, and junior at Brown University. Her work’s been exhibited at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Brown University, Harvard University, and numerous locations throughout Chicago and New England. Ward was an artist in residence at The Creative Reuse Center of Rhode Island as well as the recipient of the prestigious Hugh Townley Travel Fellowship Award in 2025, which enabled her to travel to Ireland with her daughter and sister and reconnect with her Irish heritage and the inspiring craftsmanship of her ancestors. Her next body of work will arrive from the memories gathered from her travels. She spread some of her father’s ashes all over Ireland and that was an honor. 

Ward is a Sexual Assault Prevention Education (SAPE) Coordinator at Brown, as well as a teaching assistant for the sculpture department.

Artist Statement:

My life and my art are one and the same–  they inspire each other. This inspiration gives me a reason to wake up in the morning. Art has kept me alive and by seeing it and making it, I continue to discover hope. I crawled out of hell with a baby and I still love to make people laugh. I’ll be worried when I’ve lost my sense of humor. 

My work is autobiographical, sourcing imagery from personal photographs, as well as drawing from ideas and symbolism conceived from my journals. I use color to give life on the surface and through it, a way for the viewer to enter my world, by noticing the layers and movement I took to get where I am. I love oil paint, but I’m open to whatever materials are available to me and whatever I’m inspired to utilize in the process of making so that I can better communicate my emotions and connect with those who view my work. I want my art to stimulate empathy. 

I love making sculptures and these objects feel like artifacts and spirits born from the figures in my paintings. They inspire each other also. I create within a web of inspiration. 

I have extensive experience with dogs and they have protected me a lot and I’ve protected them. They are the protectors of my work and a role model for unconditional love. I love being a Mother. 

In the words of Slug, “When life gives you lemons you paint that shit gold”. 

~~Virgo Sun, Cancer Moon, Cancer Rising~~