Laura Smith, LMHC

Senior Creative Director

Laura is an expressive arts therapist & community art educator who has spent her career working with schools, communities and organizations to nurture individual and collective growth and healing through creativity. She has been designing and facilitating creative processes for the past 15 years throughout the US and its Southern Border, Central and South America, East Africa and Asia and at home in Massachusetts. Her work uses a myriad of expressive resources, including community murals, peacemaking circles, visual art experientials, spontaneous play and rhythm to promote healing, dialogue and transformation.

She recently returned to Massachusetts after living in Medellin Colombia, with a Fulbright fellowship, where she worked as a community-engaged mural artist and expressive arts therapist with different artist collectives and universities on the ground. Laura began her journey at RAW eleven years ago as a visiting artist and went on to lead art therapy groups and co-lead several youth employment opportunities and community partnerships. Laura is very excited to be returning to the RAW community in her new capacity as Creative Director.

Laura re-joined the team at RAW in 2022.