Lauren Ari (b. 1966) is an artist and educator whose multidisciplinary practice encompasses drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpture and mixed media. Born in Buffalo, New York, Ari studied at the Rhode Island School of Design before earning a B.F.A. with High Distinction from the California College of Arts and Crafts (now California College of the Arts) and an M.F.A. (2001) from the University of California, Davis. Drawing is the foundation of Ari’s practice, and she often extends the work into three dimensions through clay, wood, metal and textiles. Her expressive works emerge through an improvisational process informed by dreams, personal experience and the unconscious, balancing humor and playfulness with darker emotional undercurrents. Her work has been exhibited widely, including at the Richmond Art Center, and is held in the collections of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Ari lives and works in Richmond, California, where she is also active as an arts educator.