Leah St. Lawrence is an art critic, new media curator, technology advocate, and chair enthusiast. St. Lawrence writes about and curates contemporary new media, digital interaction, and online engagement—specifically related to political/social/LGBTQI issues. A dedication to working alongside organizations and individuals who are committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion work in cultural spaces is paramount to her publications, writing, and curation.
Current
ARCADE NW PUBLISHING
Editorial Director
e. leah@arcadenw.org
w. www.arcadenw.org
GREAT JONES GALLERY
Co-Founder
e. greatjonesgallery@gmail.com
w. www.greatjonesgallery.com
Past
MONDAY VOL. 3 ETUDES
DIGITIZATION AND PERSONAL TRAUMA: PROCESSING STRESS AND LOSS THROUGH NEW MEDIA EXPRESSIONS
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
“Storytelling comes in many forms, but when it comes to re-presentation of a virtual identity, the methodology is to simulate the creators’ experience, so it can be reconstructed for and by the user. Games put you in the position of a character and can be very tuned into building empathy because of the way it feeds you the creators’ intended experience”.
Excerpt from Monday Vol. 3, Feb 2019
ASSOCIATION OF ARTS ADMINISTRATION EDUCATORS: REIMAGINE, RECONNECT, RENEW - A VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
2021
ONGOING RESEARCH FROM “REHEARSING RACIAL EQUITY: A CRITICAL ANTHOLOGY ON ANTI-RACISM AND REPAIR IN THE ARTS”
“linguistic constructions have allowed institutions to maintain an aloof attitude towards proper and inclusive representation. The lack of explicitly stated positionality from museum leadership and curatorial staff when they attempt to showcase historically ‘othered’ cultures is mirrored in Mission statements and external communications, which have allowed arts museums to wade into issues of cultural and social equity and justice with a broad shield of self-imposed vague-ty. This type of linguistic mapping serves only to normalize all experiences of aesthetic culture to the default white gaze. White curatorial staff and educators are not the only ones who need to clearly state social position and methodology through proper language, the institution itself also shares in this duty.”
Excerpt from 2021 presentation
TOWN HALL & GAGE ACADEMY OF ART SPEAKING SERIES
WHO NEEDS GALLERIES? FINDING NEW WAYS TO NAVIGATE A CHANGING ART WORLD FT. LEAH ST. LAWRENCE, BRANDON VOSIKA, MARY ANNE CARTER
MODERATED BY JOHN BOYLAN
“In an age of rapid advances in technology, the art world is being dramatically disrupted as never before. The Gage Academy of Art teams up with Town Hall to bring Seattle artists Brandon Vosika, Mary Anne Carter, and Leah St. Lawrence to the stage to share their experiences in an art scene facing unprecedented new opportunities and challenges. They outline how fairs, DIY spaces, and social media outlets such as Instagram are gaining popularity as alternatives to the traditional gallery system.”
Excerpt from Town Hall event page
PROJECTED PARALLELS: FROM ANALOG TO DIGITAL
AN IMMERSIVE POP UP GALLERY EXPERIENCE WHICH COMBINES DIGITAL MEDIA WITH PHYSICAL FORM FIRST DEBUTED AT SEATTLE DESIGN FESTIVAL 2019 UNDER THE THEME OF ‘BALANCE’
CURATOR/PROJECT COORDINATOR
“we have been forced into a situation where we must balance our public and private life on a pin point; constantly being asked to reconcile technological advancements within a nostalgic outlook. how do we solidify this balance as we are present in the physical world while simultaneously cultivating an enticing and encompassing digital life?”
Excerpt from Seattle Design Festival promotional poster
THE SIMULATED METROPOLIS: ART & IDENTITY WITHIN THE NETWORK
ARCADE ISSUE 37.1 WINTER 2019
FEATURE EDITOR
“The simple fact that we exist within our constructed digital spaces as we exist in our cities means that we have a right to alter, use, and conceptualize them in new ways—or to harken back to a spirit of advancement, which we are always in danger of straying from.”
Excerpt from The Simulated Metropolis, Leah St. Lawrence, Feb 2019
![A DIGITAL NATURE“A DIGITAL NATURE BRINGS TOGETHER THREE ARTISTS [COLEY MIXAN, LIZ MPUTU, RICHIE BROWN] WHO EXPLORE THEMES OF ‘HEALTH HUMOR THE BODY AND EMOTIONAL PROSPERITY’ AND OUR EXPERIENCE OF THE DIGITIZED” EXERPT FROM JASMYN KEIMIG, THE STRANGE…](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b91598acc8fed17968803dd/1589309921673-0O1IQEBRN6NFFGHBVUWZ/DSC00171.JPG)
A DIGITAL NATURE
“A DIGITAL NATURE BRINGS TOGETHER THREE ARTISTS [COLEY MIXAN, LIZ MPUTU, RICHIE BROWN] WHO EXPLORE THEMES OF ‘HEALTH HUMOR THE BODY AND EMOTIONAL PROSPERITY’ AND OUR EXPERIENCE OF THE DIGITIZED” EXERPT FROM JASMYN KEIMIG, THE STRANGER Read More
CURATOR
“When our bodies and the earth become digital avatars of what was once tangible we end up rethinking these connections – which have now become virtual. How do we heal today? Digital artists Richie Brown, Coley Mixan, and Elizabeth Mputu explore the themes of health, humor, the body, and emotional prosperity in their newest works as our experience of ‘the digitized’ becomes integral to our everyday lives.”
Excerpt from Soil Art website
SOCIAL THEORY, POLITICS, AND THE ARTS: THE ART OF RELEVANCE
2022
EMPATHY, IDENTITY, & AUTONOMOUS PERSONS: ALGORITHMIC REPRESENTATIONS IN THE DIGITAL ARTS
“The issues of digital space are much the same as the issues of physical space as the architects and designers of both determine the intended use of these environments and for whom they are constructed. Be it physical or digital, creative endeavors can renegotiate how our bodies interact with space. Our participation in social and immersive digital media is bodily–connected to our physical and emotional state…Correlating philosophical theories of identity alongside algorithmic constructions, I explore the ways in which representation in digital spaces are affected by coded algorithms and how contemporary artists are addressing this through interactive new media art works.”
THERE IS NO NEUTRAL
POLITICAL EXPRESSIONS POST 2016 ELECTION
FOUNDER/CURATOR
“I believe that by taking such imagery called by the alt-right as “art” through the rigor of criticism within the fine art cannon, we bring alt-right conservatives to the battleground of political criticism…and they will not prevail. Putting them forward to be critiqued is the best way to generate a dialogue not only about freedom of expression, but also about what we deem good/bad art.”
Excerpt from One Year Later, March 2017
![THE STRANGER ARTS AND PERFORMANCESEATTLE’S ONLY NEWSPAPERFREELANCE ART CRITIC“[A]rtists like Larry Poons have recently avoided participation in the market to the point where they are literally thought to have died, and there are also those who authe…](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b91598acc8fed17968803dd/1551321822585-HG6O7WZHHWBJXB1OR58S/Stranger_Square.jpg)
THE STRANGER ARTS AND PERFORMANCE
SEATTLE’S ONLY NEWSPAPER
FREELANCE ART CRITIC
“[A]rtists like Larry Poons have recently avoided participation in the market to the point where they are literally thought to have died, and there are also those who authentically resist auction-house price tags through donation or public view clauses. Many times, the efforts made to de-commoditize a work of art end up enticing the market even more; if an artist flips off the collector, the collector will attempt to purchase the insult.”
Excerpt from “The Price of Everything” Captures the Art World That Banksy's Stunt Disrupted, Oct 24 2018
ARCADE SALON SERIES: DESIGN, POWER AND OUR VIRTUAL SELVES
ARCADE ISSUE 37.1 WINTER 2019
HOST/PRESENTER
Exploring the overlap between the built environment, online space, identity, power, and why ARCADE chose to publish this particular issue. The presenters will talk through their processes and how they come to understand these issues, and engage in dialogue with you around the same.
Description of Salon program
Interviews and Video Work
ARTISTS TO WATCH
MULTI DISCIPLINARY INTERACTIVE DIGITAL MEDIA ARTIST: CHANEE CHOI
Image taken from Mandala Hole, Artists Website
EXPERIMENTAL CGI, VR, 3D PRINTING AND NEW MEDIA ARTISTS: PUSSYKREW
Screen grab from Black Cracker - TIDE, part of the Converse #MadeByYou campaign, Berlin 2015
ANIMATOR, PHOTOGRAPHER, ILLUSTRATOR, DIGITAL MEDIA AND SOUND ARTIST: RICHIE BROWN
Still from A Digital Nature, SOIL, 2019
VISUAL ARTIST, MUSICIAN, PUBLIC LIBRARY ACTIVIST, QUEER-ECO RADICAL FEMINIST: COLEY MIXAN
Still from A Digital Nature, SOIL, 2019
NET-BASED ARTIST, CONTENT CURATOR, AND SPIRIT GUIDE:
ELIZABETH MPUTU
Documentation of Sanza, performance piece, 2017
ANIMATOR AND DIGITAL ARTIST: WONG PING
Still from Jungle of Desire, 2015
ELECTRONICS ARTIST: REILLY DONOVAN
Vesica Pisces, Virtual Reality Experience in Collaboration with Noisefold, 2017