Naomi Lawrence, Artist-in-Residence at The Church of St. Edward the Martyr
Naomi Lawrence is a NYC Fiber Artist based in East Harlem. She works with acrylic yarn to create oversized 2-Dimensional crochet flowers, trees and wildlife. The site-specific installations are sewn onto chain-link fences in parks and public spaces.
Originally from England, UK, the first installation she created in 2014, Blue Iris endeared her to the uptown community that she now calls home. Her installations take a few months to create but are generally approved by the city to stay in place for up to one year. They are often washed and refurbished to be reinstalled in various locations such as school playgrounds. Public engagement is a primary goal of each installation. The works become part of the urban landscape.
The audience is made up of people who live, work, and pass by the sites in their daily lives and also to a growing number of people who visit the neighborhood specifically to participate in the curated art walks and to learn about the creative neighborhoods that East Harlem is well known for.
Lawrence studied Floral Design at the University of the Arts in London, 2007 and worked as a florist before immigrating to the U.S. She has been knitting since 1999 and crocheting since 2009. In 2010 social media introduced Naomi to street art known as yarnbombing but her work quickly became in demand by arts organizations and city agencies. Naomi’s work is freeform crochet and does not follow a pattern. She works with photographs so that she can reproduce subtle changes in color found in nature.
Naomi and her family relocated to East Harlem/Harlem from London England over 10 years ago and they recently became United States citizens. After first connecting with StEM back in 2014 during the pandemic they decided to become members of the church and now attend regularly as a family.
“Feeling close to our neighbors, school families and community organizations across the area and committing to our neighborhood has been essential in putting down roots and thriving as a family unit” says Lawrence.
“I love that neighbors and their children are familiar with my crochet work and so used to seeing them around the streets and parks where they live.”
Naomi and her husband Chris are members of InnerCHANGE East Harlem, a Christian order that journeys with those who are marginalized.
