We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lauren Copeland N’Namdi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Lauren , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
Ha! Well I hope you can meet my parents one day. First thing that comes to my mind. Lauren, don’t ever embarrass your family. Two, Wen are growing a person. Third, “Be Careful”. Lastly your name is Lauren Fitzgerald Copeland. I start with this because you always have to remember who you are, where you came and that you have the right to be any and everywhere in life. My parents are very grounded and hospitable people. If you know me you have been to our family’s home in Detroit, had a fabulous meal prepared by either of my parents. If you are above the age of 21 you had one of my mother’s infamous gin martinis extra dry with a blue cheese olive. What they did right was led by example. They believed and supported my passion for art and design. They instilled values of being a good and kind person. That your your character will take you everywhere. My parents surrounded me with the very best people who would and continue to support me. Now being a parent we taught our eldest daughter a quote from, Bryan Stevenson “Always to the right thing even when the right thing is hard”.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
My background is in fine art. I have been exposed to art and design my entire life. My cousin is Aaron Douglas. One of the most iconic artist of the Harlem Renaissance. Mostly hailed for his mural work. He did several portairts of my great aunt, my grandmother and mother. I have been looking at these paintings my entire life. He captured the essence of style, grace and asesthic of that area. His monatomic palettes are stunning. He did a mural at my Aunts house outside of Delaware. I remember walking into her home. It was like my dream home. It was midecentry modern. Built-ins, Open plan, sunken living room, geometric patterns and a suspended hanging chair. I think that’s were my love of design clicked.
So being surrounded by art it was an innate calling. I don’t remember wanting to do anything else but art and design. Lot of of art early education Detroit, summer programs and amazing educators.
I attended Spelman College in Atlanta, GA. I received by BA in Studio Art. Being in Atlanta in the late 90’s as my daughter says “ancient times”. There was a great collective of artist that attended school with but also in Atlanta. They were all open to teach you techniques. Studying fine art gave me a great background to design. It taught me about color, scale, texture and compostion.
After college I attended Pratt Institture in NY receiving an MS in Interior Design. This was really my golden tickets to the most amazing career opportunities in NY. Architectureal firms, Airways and then being an owners representative for a corporate real estate firm.
So the key is to keep learning. Be open to new opportunities and take a risk. Following your passion is key but it also must bring food to the table.
I am proud of my experiences and the gift of having people that love and encourage you to excel.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Society can best support artist by continuing to fund and support foundations and entities that raise money and awareness to help the creative community. Being a creative means taking a risk. You put your heart and soul in your literature, visuals or even what you serve on a plate. You are immediately met with judgement…I don’t like that, what is that, I can do that. So having entities that support your effort are critical to have a healthy creative ecosystem.
Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?
Coming from fine art and design background. I appreciate the tactile nature of fine art. I love walking around a sculpture looking at all the details from head to toe. Looking a mural seeing those burst of energy from the spray can. Or seeing painting and visualizing the dramatic gestures of the artist hand on the canvas.
It might be my novice perspective but I don’t know if I get that same feeling from an NFT. It is still pretty foreign to me. I have been to lectures, have seen NFT’s and I still don’t get it. Sometime I feel if you have to keep explaining it then you might be trying to sell yourself on the concept.
On the other hand, if that is your means of putting out our creative thought go for it. Personally I need to feel comfortable before I invest in something that is not tangible.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nncontemporary.com
- Instagram: @fitzmimi @dgsdines
- Facebook: Lauren Copeland N’Namdi
- Linkedin: Lauren Copeland N’Namdi
Image Credits
N’Namdi Contemporary Fine Art (Interior Gallery) Francks Deceus (Art Work)