Lauren Smart
Clinical Assistant Professor of Journalism Loyola Marymount University
- Los Angeles CA
Education
Southern Methodist University
B.A. Journalism; B.A. English
Syracuse University
M.A.
Arts Journalism
Accomplishments
Critic in Residence, Shreveport Regional Arts Council
2015, 2018-2022
Hall of Fame, Collin College Theater Department
2019
Associated Press Managing Editors, Community Service
2017
Critic Fellow, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center
2013
Digital Editing Fellowship, Chautauqua Institution
2016
Graduate School Master’s Prize, Syracuse University
2012
Visiting Critic, Chautauqua Institution
2012
Affiliations
- Member, D-FW Theaters Critics Forum, 2013- 2017
- Member, American Theatre Critics Association, 2012 - Present
Media Appearances
Playwrights embedded in Dallas newsroom reflect the messiness of journalism in their new drama
Dallas Morning News online
2020-02-27
Playwrights grew out of a conversation between Southern Methodist University journalism professor and freelance arts writer Lauren Smart and The News’ assistant managing editor Tom Huang in the backyard of Oak Cliff’s Wild Detectives bookstore, where coincidentally Kastner and Mosley have performed many times.
Journalist Lauren Smart Talks Social Media and Teaching
The Academic Designer online
2019-11-22
In this academic interview, Lauren and I talk about her courses and teaching practices at Southern Methodist. And we talk about her work with Storytellers Without Borders, an initiative at the Dallas Public Library that helps train future journalists.
Journalism and Libraries: “Both Exist to Support Strong, Well-informed Communities”
Nieman Reports online
2019-06-19
Lauren Smart, Storytellers Without Borders program coordinator, notes one advantage of partnering with the library: a multitude of resources—including librarians themselves—that can help the student journalists with their work. For many of the participants, exposure to the library is an important element of the program. “I think, for a lot of the students, this is the first time they’ve walked into a Dallas public library. What the library is and how it functions [is something] that a lot of young people don’t understand in the 21st century,” says Smart, who teaches journalism at Southern Methodist University.
Why a curator and arts writer think Dallas’ Cultural Plan isn’t really meant for artists
Dallas Morning News online
2019-04-25
The 112-page document took center stage for criticism at Tuesday night's Duets, a conversation series hosted by the Arts and Entertainment team at The Dallas Morning News. The discussion was led by Lauren Smart, journalist and arts writer, and Sofia Bastidas, gallery director and curator.
Smart said she viewed the plan as a "pulse-taking of the Dallas arts." It was reported that in 2017, Dallas arts was an $891 million industry that was responsible for driving 33,000 jobs. To Smart, the plan was a way for the leaders to think about what the arts contribute to the city of Dallas.
The State Of Arts Journalism
Art&Seek online
2019-01-17
In the last decade, newspapers both nationally and in North Texas have substantially cut the number of arts and culture writers they employ. Wednesday on Think, Krys Boyd talked about the relationship between arts journalism and the arts community with SMU journalism professor of practice Lauren Smart, Theater Jones editor Mark Lowry, artist and critic Christopher Blay, and Jerome Weeks with KERA’s Art and Seek.
Event Appearances
Talk on NFTs
Future of Art Collection Shreveport Regional Arts Council
2021-03-01
Judge
Art Pricing Workshop Shreveport Regional Arts Council
2021-08-01
Podcast Guest
Shakespeare Decoded Online
2021-01-01
Moderator
How the Local Arts are Surviving Dallas Startup Week
2020-09-01
Moderator
Playwrights in the Newsroom Project Dallas Morning News
2020-01-01
Articles
Playwright Heidi Schreck has a personal relationship with the Constitution. Do you?
Dallas Morning News2021
An all-white cast at WaterTower Theatre has sparked outrage. After last summer, critics ask, ‘How?’
Dallas Morning News2021
How fabled indie Dallas art space Oliver Francis Gallery was reborn, with a twist
Dallas Morning News2021
‘Fire Bones’ melds audio, video, text and more in a show for the smartphone age
Dallas Morning News2021
