Lauren Pallotta Stumberg is a muralist, painter, and sculptor. Her work honors the human experience through abstracted portraiture and symbolism, where patterns and forms coalesce to create a distinct vernacular.Much of the nuanced motifs in her work derive from experiences living and working abroad over the course of several years in the Marshall Islands and Sicily. In both places, learning the respective culture and language translated into abstract painted narratives. Stumberg uses her creative offerings to engage with community. She started Think Greatly with a mission to facilitate neighborhood projects as part of her social practice and to curate female-driven collaborations and narratives.Stumberg’s work has been awarded grants from several Georgia-based arts institutions; public and private commissions of her work can be found throughout Georgia.Stumberg is one of two local artists to receive a 2017 Emerging Artist Award from the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs. She is a Hambidge Fellow, and represented by dk Gallery in Marietta, GA.“The symbol I use most frequently in my work is an abstracted magpie, an omen of change. Indeed, the presence of the magpie is a calling to enter a crucible of the spirit, to open yourself to personal transformation.” Legend of SymbolsMagpies: omens of change; a calling for personal transformationPorcupine Quills: good luckHouses: vessels of safety; nurturing growth; communityLadders/Stairs (usually slanted lines): homage to aspirational goals and helping to bring others up with youBrushstrokes: mark-making as a form of meditationStacked Bowls: vessels of shared food; communityCircular forms and hexagonal shapes: community; incubation of ideas