BEARING TIME ARTIST: LAUREN VARGAS
video by Justin Ryan Boyer
936 = The number of weeks in childhood.
Each week has a distinct pattern. The rhythm of our lives is measured in weeks. Distinct moments of my daughter’s lives stick in my mind, but often I struggle to distinguish one week from the next and history starts to blur in my mind. It’s hard to remember exactly what they were like before as the present is so vibrant. “Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom,” Psalm 90 says. Oops, I numbered our weeks instead. Each painted rock is the number of weeks old each of my daughters were at the time of the painting. — Lauren Vargas
Lauren is a Philadelphia-based painter whose work focuses on the stories communicated through portraiture and urban landscapes. Working as both a painter and educator, Lauren lives in the North Philadelphia community of Hunting Park, where she daily encounters both the strengths and needs of her community, which inspire her work. She worked as a community artist for five years, teaching after-school art classes in painting, drawing and silk-screening to middle school and high school students in North Philadelphia. When she's not creating art, Lauren's work is in education, which includes nine years as a high school math teacher and now helping teachers tangibly improve their instruction with EdConnective, a virtual instructional coaching company. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Fine Arts and Urban Studies in 2005. Lauren has received two Leeway Foundation Art and Change Grants for artistic projects that impact social change. She has recently shown work at the Philadelphia Sketch Club, Orange Korner Arts, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, CFEVA, the 3rd Street Gallery, and will have work displayed at the Pennsylvania State House this fall as a part of the Souls Shot project.
Contact: lauren-vargas.com