Mentor Interview

Lauren Popp; Educations, Exhibitions, Extraordinary.

Lauren reflects on being a nanny in Ireland, travelling, her childhood and her love of immersive artwork.

"I just wish I could have split myself in two after college"

Lauren Popp is the Educations Programs Coordinator at the New Children's Museum. She was cool, calm and collected when I conducted our interview. She was dressed casually in dark denim jeans a black blouse and holding a coffee cup. Her answers go past her years in San Diego and into her childhood as an Air Force daughter. She's down to earth when she talks about her experiences with travel, and college life and how she got to where she is now. If she was ever tardy, as soon as she stepped in the room you were sure to forget it with her easy going attitude and light personality. She has a sort of aura surrounding her, which you can't help but admire.

Lauren was always very college driven, she danced throughout her life and through college, worked with choreographers and started college as an English major. Her sophomore year in college, she called the Art History professor Mary Vidal and asked why she would want to be an Art History Major. Mary said that “art history is literature, visual art, science, history, politics and more all in one,” and if Lauren wanted to “be surrounded by beautiful things all her life” she should major in Art History. She took one of the classes in Impressionism and was sold. She changed her major and has been dedicated to being an educator of Art History since then.

Throughout the interview Lauren mentioned artists that worked with more material items, rather than just paint. I asked if she preferred those to paintings and she said she likes "to be immersed in a space with a piece of art." Some of her favorites include Tara Donovan who is currently showing at MCASD. She also mentioned she favored the work of controversial artist Eduardo Kac.

Growing up, Lauren had a pact with her best friend in college that if they didn't have jobs by the time graduation came around, they would move to Ireland for a year or so and become nannies. All for the experience. When going into detail about the story Lauren lightly responded to my question of if she regretted anything with: "it doesn't do you any good to regret, so I don't regret not going, I just wish I could have split myself in two after college to do both things. Have a job, and go travel."

Currently, Lauren has been to Mexico, France, Switzerland, Germany and Spain. She has plans to travel more and wishes she went abroad for a year or two to teach English. She has plans to potentially go to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands this year as well. She mentioned that she thought it was "valuable to stay in one place for a longer extended time."

The New Children’s Museum is home to many dedicated workers such as Lauren Popp, many who have different but still interesting stories to tell. This internship and mentor interview taught me nothing other than that. Everyone has their own story to tell, and you owe it to them to appreciate that they are different and have different things to offer that you might not be able to.