Creating Space Between Worlds

Lauren Jimerson

Lauren Jimerson is a trained art therapist and fine artist who lives and works in the Rochester area. Lauren began examining the complex subject of historical trauma while attending graduate school at Nazareth College. This was when she discovered that her life experiences served as a profound connection to the loss of cultural identity that took place throughout American history, more specifically the Boarding School Era. This provided the first step of many towards Lauren’s passage to self-discovery, resistance, reclamation, and self-acceptance. Lauren now serves as a community partner to Nazareth College’s Community Youth Development program and has presented at national conferences and universities about the pedagogy of historical trauma and resiliency and its effect on human development.

Lauren also examined the momentous role of food sovereignty while serving as the project manager at the Iroquois White Corn Project at Ganondagan State Historic Site in 2016. While holding this position, Lauren educated individuals and audiences on the history and significance of a local ancestral food staple as well as developed recipes and provided workshops. Lauren grew up on the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation, south of Buffalo, NY, but has spent the past 20 years raising her children and acclimating to her ancestral lands in the Rochester area.