Artist CV

Bio and Overview

Lauren Saunders (b.1990, London) is a professional visual and participatory disabled artist, educator and activist based in Hull, UK.

She is interested in how ‘line’ can positively impact the physical natural environment and ecoliterate social change in the context of the climate crisis, by cultivating radical compassion and kindness towards the more-than-human world. She works with natural/biodegradable/recycled materials or with the Land itself to translate complex geopoetical theories into drawings, sculpture, installations and participatory artworks.

Lauren trained at Camberwell College, Middlesex University, UNION: The Northern School for Arts and Activism and most recently achieved a Distinction within her MA Creative Practice studies at Hull School of Art and Design.

She maintains a robust professional practice and is an experienced community artsworker with a strong track record of delivering meaningful, accessible artistic commissions and projects. Lauren has previously exhibited work at Humber Street Gallery, The Thought Foundation, Sunny Bank Mills and within British Ceramic Biennial, and has engaged in residencies with the Hull Artist Research Initiative, The Art House, Tate Exchange and the Wellcome Trust. She has partnered with a number of organisations on project work, including Absolutely Cultured, Scarbrough Museums and Galleries, the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Friends of the Earth, Ferens Art Gallery, 87 Gallery and the NHS.

Lauren is also the Co-Director of arts journal and arts collective The Critical Fish, a project which aims to make writing and conversation about visual art and culture more inclusive and accessible.

Exhibitions and Public Realm

2024

Shorelines: A Perfect Storm (Part 2), Hull, Bristol, Liverpool
Orb #5 (Public Artwork),
Pearson Park, Hull

2023

Faces of Climate Change, Humber EcoFest, Hull
seeds of change (MA Show), Prospect Gallery, Hull
Where The Beings Are (The Movie), Freedom Festival
Where The Beings Are (Public Art), YWT Nature Garden, Hull

2022

Land Empathy Development Lab, Hull Artist Research Initiative, Hull
Trees and Water, Prospect Centre, Hull

2021

Feral Reveal #4, Humber Street, Hull

2020

Practice in Place, Humber Street Gallery, Hull
Feral Reveal #2, Humber Street, Hull

2019

Rejects, Bean and Nothingness, Hull
Drawing Breath, 16 Humber Street, Hull
Thoughtful Planet 3, Thought Foundation, Birtley
Ones To Watch, Sunny Bank Mills, Leeds
Littoral Vistas, Central Library, Hull

2009 – 2018

Ten Degrees, Fine Art BA (Hons) Degree Show, Hull
Artist Takeover #1, Queen’s House Showcase, Hull
Fountain17, Gladstone Pottery Museum, Stoke-on-Trent, as part of the British Ceramic Biennial
Hull in Paint, Touring, Hull
Wellbeing Through Creativity, University of Hull, Hull
Fountain 17, Broderick Gallery, Hull
Recovery Through Art
, Kardomah94, Hull
Creative Arts End of Year Show, London
Threshold, Barnet, London
Camberwell Fd Diploma End of Year Show, Camberwell College, London

Residencies

2023

Broad Sailing, Norfolk

2022

Elloughton Primary School, East Yorkshire
RE:Locate, Hull Artist Research Initiative, Hull
The Art House, Wakefield

2021

The Ideas Hub, Wellcome Trust, London

2020

ONE Book Residency, Online
Emergence @ Tate Exchange, Tate Modern

2018 – 2019

Shape Arts Instagram Takeover, Online
Park Ave, Hull
Humber Street Sesh, Hull
Easington Coast, East Yorkshire
Queen’s House, Hull

Publications and Writings

2023

Submissions, Times V: Solidarity [online]

2022

Ethical Art-Making; Human Non-Human Creative Collaborations
The Geopoetics of Drawing, The Critical Fish [online]

2021

Living Lines, Carbon-Borders-Voices [online]

2020

Genotin, Creeping Expansion; Happy Families (Issue One)
Emergence [Tate Exchange]

2019

Drawing inbetween the lines, The Critical Fish, Brill (Issue Two), November
Editorial, The Critical Fish, Anchovy (Issue One), May
Place To Place, Double Negative [online]
Blogger for Disability Arts Online

2016 – 2017

Genotin, Creative Journeys: Untold Hull
A Picture of Health: an exploration into the relationships between visual art and meaningful mental health recovery, Undergraduate Dissertation, Research
Holistic Health: The best kind of therapy?, OT News, February

Relevant Training and Education

Ongoing

MA Creative Practice, Hull School of Art and Design. End 2023.
UNION 23, The Northern School for Creativity & Activism. End 2023.

2022

Advanced Facilitation Skills, UNION; The Northern School for Creativity and Activism

2021

After Art, Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination
Painting, Feral Art School, Hull
Edward Jenner Leadership Award, NHS

2020

Digital Storytelling, NHS England
Languages of Editing, Liverpool
Fruit Factory Network, Hull/North UK
UNION 19, The Northern School for Creativity & Activism, UK

2019

Printmaking, Feral Art School, Hull
Drawing Marathon, Royal Drawing School, London

2006 – 2018

Fine Art BA (Hons), 1:1, Hull School of Art and Design
Skills for Community Arts Work Award, Artlink, Hull
Art Therapy Foundation
, Northern Art Therapy Programme, Sheffield
Award in Education and Training, Hull College
Working Creatively with Children, Hull
Creative Arts Fd Degree (Merit), Barnet College, Middlesex University
Art and Design Fd Diploma (Merit), Camberwell College, University of the Arts London
Life Drawing, Illustration Skills, Visual Thinking and Narrative Structures, Camberwell College, University of the Arts London
3 A Levels and 1 AS Level
10 GCSE’s A*- B

Projects

Ongoing

The Critical Fish, UK
Streams, 87 Gallery, Hull

2024

Shorelines: A Perfect Storm (Part 2), Hull, Bristol, Liverpool

2023

ReWild: A Space To Be, Scarborough Museums
Riverspeaking, Hull Maritime / The Humber Recovery College, Hull
Where the Beings Are: Shorelines (A Perfect Storm), Rights Community Action/Hull Friends of the Earth/Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Hull
INTER_CHANGE 22-23, Absolutely Cultured, Hull

2022

INTER_CHANGE Symposium, Absolutely Cultured / Humber Street Gallery, Hull
Flourish at Ferens (logo), Ferens Art Gallery
Building Research Culture, Leeds Arts University
The Creatives Directory (The Critical Fish), Hull

2021

Garden Explorers (Illustrations), Hull Culture and Leisure
‘What Matters to Me?’ (Recovery Strategic Framework), Humber NHS
Fishbowl Conversations, The Critical Fish / Absolutely Cultured / Creative Hull
Postbooks, The Critical Fish / Heads Together

2020

Drawing Masterclass, Ferens Art Gallery/The Big Draw, Hull/Online
Bags of Creativity, IVE, Hull

2012 – 2018

Caspars, Hull
Art, Migration and Mental Health, University of Hull, Hull
Wellbeing Through Creativity, University of Hull, Hull
Recovery Through Art, Kardomah94, Hull
Painted/Stained-Glass Murals, Psychiatric In-Patient Unit, Hull
Titania, Trestle Theatre, Hertfordshire and Rockwood Music Hall, New York
Der Mischlinger, Arts Depot, London

Prizes, Awards and Grants

YVAN Microgrant
Emergence Bursary Award
David White Memorial Award
Roland Box Prize
BCUR Posters in Parliament (2nd Prize)

Presentations

2022

Visiting Lecturer [Professional Practice], Hull School of Art and Design
Ethical Art-Making: Human Non-Human Creative Collaborations,
Hull
The Geopoetics of Drawing, Hull
Finding Funding and Creative Opportunities, Hull
Building Research Culture Workshop, Leeds Arts University

2021

Digital Inclusion, Artlink, Hull/Online

2019

Artist Talk, Flux/Us at Tate Exchange, Tate Modern, London

2018

Research Presentation, BCUR Conference, Sheffield
Artist Talk, Queens House Showcase, Hull
‘Portfolio Working’, HCUK HE Conference, Hull
Mental Health Through the Ages, University of Hull
Mental Health and Art, University of Hull
Posters in Parliament, BCUR, London

Features, Appearances and Engagements

2023

Crit Club: Ecology, EOP, International

2022

About the Creatives Directory,  David Burns Show (18.05.22), BBC Radio Humberside

2020

About Postbooks, Re:UNION (21.10.20), East Leeds FM
About Art, Liveline with Wolfy (18.08.20), Hull Kingston Radio
In Conversation with…, Shape Arts [online]
A Q&A with…, artist-network [online]
Testimonial/Interview, Young Artists Speak Out; Passion, Compassion and Purpose in the Arts and Education, Prof. Peter Renshaw, Independently Published, ISBN: 979-8-62-763212-4

2019

Selector for the 2020 Beverley Open Art Exhibition, Beverley Gallery
Creativity and Mental Health (23.09.19), BBC No Filter, BBC Radio Humberside
Mental Health Awareness Week (13.05.19), BBC No Filter, BBC Radio Humberside

2015 – 2018

Local radio talking about Mental Health Recovery
Rethink Mindfulness Calendar, UK

Relevent Employment and Contract Work

  • Artist Network Manager [contract], 2023, East Riding Cultural Education Partnership
  • Inter_Change Coach, 2023, Absolutely Cultured
  • Visiting Tutor, 2022-present, Humber Recovery College, Humber NHS
  • Learning and Talent Development Manager, 2022-23, Absolutely Cultured
  • Recovery Strategy Project Lead, 2020-21, Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust,
  • (Senior) Recovery College Practitioner, 2016-22, Humber Recovery College, Humber NHS
  • Activity Coordination, 2012-16, Various

Workshops

2023

Streams, 87 Gallery / The Critical Fish
Explorers: Sensory Drawing, 87 Gallery
Access in the Arts Masterclass, Absolutely Cultured
Various Arts and Crafts, The Humber Recovery College

Delivery areas of expertise
  • Radical Listening (nature)
  • Mindful Nature Drawing
  • General Arts and Crafts activities
  • Environmentally Sustainable Creative Practices
  • Creative Asset-Mapping
  • Writing Artist Statements
  • Making sense of Art
  • Understanding Depression/Anxiety
  • Understanding Mental Health Recovery
  • Mindfuless and Meditation
  • Digital Storytelling

I have also had training in; First Aid & Basic Life Support, Mental Health First Aid (Adults), Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults & Children, Data Governance, Health and Safety, COSHH, Food Hygiene, Fire Safety, GDPR, Advanced Conflict Resolution and Dementia Care.

I have also had training surrounding funding/commissions/tenders, marketing, project management and participatory public engagement. In addition, I have also participated in additional CPD training relating to Mindfulness, Art Psychotherapy and Mental Health Recovery.