LAUREN SEMMER
Lauren Semmer | Lor-rehn Sem-mer | is a Manhattan-based creator. She’s the only child of a Black mother and a Canadian father who gifted her the freedom to explore and roam and take chances from an early age, in the Minneapolis suburb where she grew up surrounded by trees. (Also, dual citizenship, ftw!) For much of her youth, Lauren was the only biracial person in her school, though her friend group was wide and varied. An early introduction to art and working artists inspired her passion for all things art-related, whether ballet, painting, music, or creative writing, and she made art from the time she was a small child. Shy but confident, Lauren didn’t thrive in a traditional learning environment; being dyslexic made early reading a challenge, so she spent much of her time daydreaming and drawing imaginary worlds until she attended an alternative arts high school where she flourished.
Ahead of graduation, Lauren was accepted into the College of Visual Arts in Saint Paul and after a year there, she relocated to NYC where she studied Art History at NYU. Freelance work in fashion led to success as a fashion publicist, editorial prop stylist, and set designer. All the while she continued drawing but kept it largely to herself. In 2015 she finally began working commercially as an illustrator. And then an opportunity in children’s books presented itself; a dream come true. Her first book, The ABCs of Black History, written by Rio Cortez, received a starred review from Kirkus, and was a NYT Bestseller.
Lauren’s art aims to celebrate what some may deem an imperfect path, recognizing that the adversities a person endures are what make them unique and interesting, just as her nontraditional career trajectory and life experience informs her artistic perspective in its own distinct way—it’s what gives her art soul.
