Artist Biography
Lauren Cronan hails from Virginia and currently resides in Hartford, Connecticut. She is a first-year Master of Fine Arts student in Digital Media & Design at the University of Connecticut. Lauren is also a graduate research assistant with the digital humanities lab, Greenhouse Studios.
While at UConn, Lauren is working towards the Graduate Certificate in Digital Humanities and Media Studies (DHMS). At Greenhouse Studios, Lauren assists with Courtroom 600, a virtual reality game that explores the histories of the Holocaust through archival materials.
This semester Lauren is collaborating on an archival group documentary about Thomas J. Dodd and the Nuremberg Trials. She is also developing a zine with other students about the Cheney Brothers Mills of Manchester, CT. Independently, she is creating a documentary about Helen Clay Frick, the daughter of steel magnate Henry Clay Frick and inheritor of his wealth. The documentary explores their connections to working-class history, Helen's progressive and humanitarian efforts, and the duo's art collecting habits.
Lauren has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in filmmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCUarts). Her professional background includes academic and public library experience, including service, design, programming, and teaching.
Lauren currently volunteers for the Southern Cultural Community Alliance (SCCA), a coalition of, by, and for the Southern Cultural Community.
Artist Statement
I aim to convey the deep respect and curiosity I have for my subjects. I see art, archives, tech, and social science as interdisciplinary opportunities for learning, healing, and activism to improve human rights and ecological conditions. I want to enhance community awareness and access to resources through engagement, documentation, and preservation, especially among stigmatized and disadvantaged groups.