Fused Glass jewelry

and mosaic Artist

Lauren Schmidt is an artist and educator in the Chicagoland area who has been a member of IAEA since 2009. Schmidt earned her Bachelors of Science in Art Education (2010) and MFA with an Emphasis in Sculpture (2015) from Northern Illinois University. She is currently in her 5th year teaching visual art at Oswego East High School. Previous public high schools Schmidt has taught include Hinsdale Central High School and York Community High School. Previously, Schmidt was an adjunct instructor at Joliet Junior College and Instructor of Record at Northern Illinois University’s Foundations program. 

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During the 2021 school year, the Oswego East Visual Arts Department was a recipient of a prestigious Schools of Distinction award from IAEA. 

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In her classes, Schmidt encourages students to incorporate thematic content, relevance, culture, and personal narratives within their work. Students are provided perimeters to collaborate, brainstorm, and execute artistic decisions within their own design framework.

 

Schmidt has shown her own artwork at the Zhou B. Art Center in Chicago, Lacuna Artist Lofts and Studios, the Silver Room in Wicker Park, Union Street Gallery in Chicago Heights, Studio 659 in Whiting, Indiana and various galleries in the Chicagoland area.