As a studio artist and teacher-researcher, Lauren Adams came to Opal energized by the question-seeking and meaning-making happening between children and teachers alike.
Before connecting with Opal in 2010, Lauren taught for many years among other dynamic teaching and learning communities on both North American coasts. She holds a BFA in Ceramics and Sculpture from Kansas City Art Institute and a MS in Early Childhood Education from Hunter College in NY.
Since joining Opal, Lauren has continued to expand her own concept of what being present and intentional means. Provoked and aligned with Opal’s approach of Playful Inquiry, Lauren is dedicated to furthering her understanding of the rich relationships possible between children, the arts, and inquiry within the laboratory for democratic life, which she calls ‘the studio-mindset’. Her research at Opal concentrates on the potential of the beauty materials have in supporting children who are nurturing their innate gifts of play, curiosity, and engagement. Ultimately, she is curious about what supports children in making sense of their place among things in this world, and harnessing their advocacy for change. She is humbled by the humility of her own journey, examining her white privilege and racism, her identity as a white woman, and her role in dismantling institutional racism. She revels in potential dialog with other educators who are determined to inspire change in this up-turned world we live in, and is propelled by Opal’s social justice lens (identity, diversity, justice and action) to help frame her thinking and research.