H e l l o !
LARA’s LAB focuses on the exploration of and experimentation with documentary installation art that addresses pressing societal issues.
I am interested in portraying complicated or uncomfortable, yet important, subject matter in a visual way that is memorable, thought-provoking, and accessible without the viewer needing to have any particular expertise in or knowledge of the topic.
All of my projects incorporate direct or indirect contribution from others, whether it be through the sharing of personal stories that shape the content, or through the wealth of information gathered during extensive research about the project’s topic.
I work under the name, LARA’s LAB, to acknowledge and include all the people who generously offer their narratives and insights, as well as the people behind the information I find in my research online.
— Lara Myers
Lara Myers grew up all over the U.S. (she lived in 10 states by the time she started college) and chose Marin County and San Francisco as her home base in the mid-nineties. After trying out mini-careers in marketing, product development and trial litigation, she discovered that documentary installation art is the perfect fit for her conceptual creative communication skillset. Her work has won awards and has been the topic of two Lifestyles Section feature articles in the Marin Independent Journal. She was a Max Thelen Studio Residency artist at Art Works Downtown in San Rafael, California, which is where her studio, Lara’s Lab, is located. She is the godchild of a Charo backup singer, a former dancer for a kickass-female-fronted San Francisco band and the human of a hilarious 17-breed street dog named Nila.
Curriculum Vitae
Ongoing Public Participatory Installations
Daily/Weekly COVID-19 Deaths / ongoing production of installation / ongoing 2020-2024+
Things Guys Actually Said To Me (And What I Did About It) / public events held to collect stories for public participatory installation / ongoing 2017-2024+
The 500 Houses We Lived In When We Were 10, Drawn From Memory Alone / public and private events held to collect drawings and stories for public participatory installation / ongoing 2013-2024+
Solo Exhibitions
Max Thelen Residency Solo Show No. 1 / Art Works Downtown, San Rafael, CA / 2017
Max Thelen Residency Solo Show No. 2 / Art Works Downtown, San Rafael, CA / 2017
The 138 Houses We Lived In When We Were 10, Drawn From Memory Alone participatory installation / Underground Gallery @ Art Works Downtown, San Rafael, CA / 2017
SHHH!! / outdoor yarnbomb installation / College of Marin campus, Kentfield, CA / 2011-2013
Group Exhibitions
Politically Charged / Blue Line Arts, Roseville, CA / Jurors, Blue Line Arts Executive Director MaryTess Mayall and Board Vice President Trung Cao / 2024
CONTEXT / Art Fluent / online exhibition during lockdown / 2021
The Human Spirit / online exhibition during lockdown / Recipient of First Place Award / Juror, Chester Arnold / 2020
Migration / Art Works Downtown, San Rafael, CA / Juror, Emily A. Kuhlmann, Director of Exhibitions & Curatorial Affairs, San Francisco Museum of the African Diaspora / 2017
Renegade Fiber / Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, Novato, CA / Recipient of 3rd Place Award / Juror, Richard Elliott, Associate Professor, California College of the Arts / 2017
Marin Contemporary / Art Works Downtown, San Rafael, CA / Juror, Julie Zener, Zener Schon Contemporary Art / 2016
Climate Change / Art Works Downtown, San Rafael, CA / Juror, April Minnich-Bucksbaum, The Baum Foundation Executive Director /2016
International Fiber Arts VII Exhibition / Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Sebastopol, CA / Jurors, Lia Cook, John Hopper and Kyoko Kumai / 2015
Shelter /Art Works Downtown, San Rafael, CA / Juror, Catharine Clark, Catharine Clark Gallery / 2014
Open Craft and Sculpture: Traditional To Cutting Edge / Marin Society of Artists, Ross, CA / Juror, Emily Dvorin / 2014
Residencies and Awards
The Human Spirit / online exhibition during lockdown / Recipient of First Place Award / 2020
Renegade Fiber / Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, Novato, CA / Recipient of 3rd Place Award / 2017
Max Thelen Studio Residency / Art Works Downtown, San Rafael, CA / founded Lara’s Lab specializing in documentary installation art / 2016-2017
Artist Talks
Artist Talk / The Human Spirit / online during lockdown / 2020
A Conversation About Fiber Arts Today Panel Discussion with Carole Beadle (Professor Emeritus, California College of the Arts) and Five Local Bay Area Artists / International Fiber Arts VIII Exhibition / Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Sebastopol, CA / 2017
Artist Talk / Renegade Fiber / Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, Novato, CA / 2017
Events
ArtRageous Burning Bubbles Bash / Art Works Downtown fundraiser event / member of Organizing Committee / 2024
Art Works Downtown Tour for San Rafael Business Improvement District Leadership Institute /2024
TEDx Marin / Artist Showcase 2020 / online event during lockdown / 2020
US National Committee for United Nations Women, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter / Annual Community Meeting & Celebration / Showcase of Things Guys Actually Said To Me (And What I Did About It) participatory installation / 2018
Press
From Comic Books To Maker’s Markets, Sacramento Offers Unique Art Experiences This September / Sacramento News & Review, September 9, 2024
“He Said What?” San Rafael Artist Turns Sexist, Misogynistic Statement Made To Women Into Jewelry / Marin Independent Journal, Lifestyles Section feature article, May 3, 2018
Home Sweet Home: Exhibit of Houses Drawn From Memory An Exploration of Childhood / Marin Independent Journal, Lifestyles Section feature article, March 17, 2016
Open Studios Events
San Rafael 2nd Friday Art Walk / monthly open studios event / 2016-2020, 2023-2024
Marin Open Studios / 2017-2018, 2024
Education
Fiber Sculpture Studies with Carole Beadle (Professor Emeritus, California College of the Arts) / College of Marin / Kentfield, CA / 2011-2016 / Classroom Assistant 2015-2016
Loyola University of Chicago School of Law / Chicago, IL / J.D. / 1994
Northwestern University / Evanston, IL / B.S. Rhetorical Analysis with Concentration in Art Studio Practices / 1989