Lauren Iida was born in Seattle and holds a BFA from Cornish College of the Arts (2014). She shares her time between Seattle and Cambodia where she leads art tours, writes and illustrates bilingual books for children and works in her cut paper studio, the ‘mobile atelier.’ She specializes in intricately hand-cut paper, often incorporating ink wash and shadow play. Her reoccurring 30-foot-long hand-cut paper temporary installation piece/performance piece, the "Memory Net" has traveled the world, taking on new meaning and engaging communities in each place it is displayed. Iida has exhibited her work at ArtXchange Gallery, King Street Station, the Mayor’s Gallery at Seattle City Hall, Shoreline City Hall, Virago Gallery, Tacoma Spaceworks and Sculpture Northwest. She is an Artist Trust GAP Grant recipient and received an Art Matters fellowship in 2017. Her work has been collected by the City of Seattle and she has been commissioned for public art by the City of Shoreline and the City of Seattle. She is currently working on a public art project for the Washington State Convention Center Addition, public art for Sound Transit, and a third project for Seattle's Office of Arts and Culture. Iida is the founder of Open Studio Cambodia which supports Cambodian emerging artists and leads contemporary art tours throughout the country. Much of Iida's work is influenced by Cambodia where she has been active for many years working on various non-profit and social entrepreneurship projects beginning in 2008. Other major influences include her family's Japanese American heritage and incarceration during WWII and celebrating her Pacific Northwest home.