Last year I was met with the honor of exhibiting my work alongside the work of Félix González-Torres. My work Who Commands Us To Create and Recreate Ourselves was placed next to the work Untitled (L.A.). This was part of the text based exhibit “Am I Your Type” at the Barrick Museum in Las Vegas 2023-2024.
Hey Alma Feature
I am so grateful to be profiled for Hey Alma, one of my fave Jewish publications. I was interviewed by Diana Dalton, an amazing artist, writer and documentarian who I met in Pennsylvania, working at a Jewish summer camp. Diana is a fellow in the Hey Alma
Link to the Hey Alma article here: https://www.heyalma.com/queer-jewish-creative-laurence-myers-reese-thinks-everyone-is-an-artist/
New Online Store!
I’m SO happy to announce the launch of my new online store.
On this page you can purchase tarot readings, stickers, fortunes, custom paintings, prints, and more.
Keep your eyes peeled, because I’ll be adding some new designs and products for the holidays!
You can also purchase from my Spri.ng Store, where you can get print on demand products.
I’ve launched a few new designs, with many based on Moses Ephraim Lilien’s designs. You can get a 10 commandments mug, birkat kohanim socks, and a welcome mat with a tapestry design. I’ve also got phone cases, stickers, bags and more!
https://shop.lmyersreese.com
Check it out here: https://shop.lmyersreese.com
And, if you’re just in the giving mood, consider supporting us as we face a difficult financial hardship:
Thesis Published!
After almost 6 months of waiting, my graduate thesis in full is available for reading on ProQuest and across University repositories across the country (and world!). I am now searchable in library databases and other repositories for theses. I am grateful to the UNLV Graduate College for helping me publish my work.
You can now read the full thesis here:
Laurence stands in front of their installation “In the Image of” at Donna Beam Gallery, March 2022.
postcards preorder
Coming soon! Postcards featuring words of Talmud and Brachah (blessing).
Several designs are available:
The ineffable name of HaShem printed on top of the created word G!DX.
An image of cucumbers with a phrase from tbd Talmud in which Rabbi Eliezar recounts a tale in which he spoke one word and tbd field was filled with cucumbers. A mysterious passage. Inspired by my studies with Svara.
A print of a pomegranate with the Hebrew phrase Shanah Tovah - a good new year. Great for Rosh Hashanah!
A rainbow Tallis wirh a morning blessing for being trans “Baruch Atah HaShem she asani trans” - thank you god who made me trans.
fill out the preorder form below!
For cards in time for Rosh Hashanah, fill out the order form by September 10.
Cards will be printed and mailed by September 15.
Price: $1 per card; $18 for 20.
Shipping: $1.50 US; $3.50 International
You will be invoiced to the email you provide once the cards are complete.
Rosh Hashanah cards will be printed and mailed by September 15.
You must complete the form by September 10 to secure your order before Rosh Hashanah.
Sticker Fortunes
Have you ever wanted a tarot reading, but also wanted something to take away from it? How about a sticker reading?
Just for you, I will draw a sticker from a deck of stickers. There are two decks available: "memes” and “amulets.” The “meme deck” is a series of digital collages I’ve made, while the “amulet deck” is a series of digital drawings based on the Sephirot of the Tree of Life.
I will then interpret the drawing of “card'“ and what it may mean to your situation. You may include as much or as little detail about your question as you like, though the deck cannot answer questions like “and and when will I die ?” Only the divine can know answers like that.
The reading and sticker is a flat $5. This covers the cost of the printing and shipping for me to break even. If you’d like to leave a tip for the reading, you are welcome to do so. Your payment supports an independent artist and the emotional energy of giving you a personalized reading.
Once you fill out the form below, you will be redirected to check out to pay. Thank you for your support.
Mazal tov!
Examples from the Meme Deck
Examples from the Amulets Deck
Zines on Sale
Did you miss the experience of seeing “In the Image of…” exhibition in person? You can experience the texts through the lens of the amazing graphic designer Monet Green, who helped me produce a zine companion to the exhibition. I am selling these for a sliding scale of $5-25.
The cost of printing is $6 per zine, and shipping is $2 per zine. The cost of graphic design was $600.
Please consider what you are able to pay.
If you are able to pay more, you offset the cost for people who cannot pay the full amount.
Please consider supporting an independent artist by paying as much as you are able.
Fill out the preorder form here:
For expedited service, you can pay now via PayPal:
Can’t wait? Buy a digital copy here for $7:
https://shop.lmyersreese.com/listing/in-the-image-of-zine
Preview the zine below:
Trans Talmud on Tour
Over the past month I have had the pleasure of presenting my work at four separate conferences:
American Academy of Religion Western Region Conference at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, March 20
Western Jewish Studies Association Conference at the University of Oklahoma, Norman, March 27
Conney Conference on Jewish Arts at the University of Wisconsin Madison, March 28
Graduate Professional Student Association Annual Conference, University of Nevada Las Vegas, April 1
About the Thesis:
In the Image of... (towards a Trans Talmud) is a visual art exhibition and series of work exploring Jewish legal texts and contemporary scholarship through a transgender lens. The work of the exhibition uses painted text and audio to create a space in which visitors are enveloped by the writings from prominent transgender theologians and the Babylonian Talmud. These writings include debates of the gender of Abraham and Sarah as eunuchs, gendered prohibitions against clothing and ritual garments, and the tale of how a man developed the ability to breastfeed a child. Drawing on queer time, post-Jewish theory, and iconoclastic tradition, the thesis investigates and speculates on intersex and transgender Jews in history in order to build queer-inclusive religious spaces.
Losing My… Spirituality, Religion, Identity
Losing My… Spirituality, Religion, Identity
A VIRTUAL EXHIBITION
IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF RELIGION WESTERN REGION ANNUAL MEETING, MARCH 2022
WWW.UNLVMFA.ART/LOSING-MY/
Losing My… explores themes of spirituality, religion, and tradition. Reflecting on loss, isolation, enlightenment, and normative structures, the works in this virtual exhibition reflect a moment of inward looking, notably during the coronavirus pandemic. Anxieties around self, identity, and gender come through the motifs and repetitions used by each artist.
In the Image of: Thesis Exhibition March 4-12
Laurence Myers Reese: In the Image of… Towards a Trans Talmud, March 4-12
Location: Donna Beam Gallery, 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy., Las Vegas, NV 89154
Opening Reception: March 4, 6-8pm
Artist Talk: March 6, 1-2pm
Gallery Hours: March 7-11, 10am-5pm
Closing Reception and Book Release: March 12, 6-8pm
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/362028788865725/
In the Image of… (towards a Trans Talmud) is a body of artwork that examines Jewish paradigms of gender through the transgender lens. The exhibition incorporates projected and painted text in the gallery, enveloping viewers who must walk in and around the text on floors, walls, and sculptures.
Drawing from the history of Judaism’s iconoclastic tradition, this exhibition uses appropriated text to create a framework for queer Jewish existence. The installation is accompanied by sound, video, embroidery and works on paper that elaborate on the lived experience of transgender Jews. The exhibition opens March 4 with a reception 6-8pm and Shabbat Candle lighting at 5:30pm. The exhibition will close with a reception and zine release March 12, 6-8pm.
Save the Date: MFA Open Studios at UNLV
December 3 - UNLV MFA Open Studios
It’s back! And this time, it’s in PERSON!
That’s right, for the first time in two years, we are opening up the graduate arts studios at UNLV for visitors at our semi-annual open studios. Masks are required!
At the graduate open studios visitors can see the process and research of UNLV’s graduate students in art.
Keep an eye out on UNLVMFA.ART as the date approaches!
All masks are required at all times by visitors on campus. Social distancing is recommended.
UNLV COVID Safety Guidelines: https://www.unlv.edu/coronavirus
SOLD! Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow
Seeing a work go to a new owner is a joy, but also contains the sadness of saying goodbye. Thank you to my recent benefactors who have supported my art career in the past month! I got to sell quite a bit of works to some my friends, fellow artists and secret crushes.
Here are some works I got to send off to some recent collectors:
Hu Ya’aseh Shalom Aleinu, Oil on panel, 5x5”, 2021
Hanky from New Hanky Code (Queer Semiotics) Series, Embroidery on found hanky, 2020
Rhyme Scheme, Watercolor on Arches, 8x10, 2021
Interested in purchasing or commissioning art? Email me for more info.
Works on Paper at University of Nevada Reno 8/23-9/24
Works on Paper : UNLV
On view at the University of Nevada Reno Department of Art, Reno, NV
From August, 23 through September 24, 2021
Works by graduate students in Art at the University of Nevada Las Vegas
Artists: Cida de Aragon, Aaron Cowan, Erin K. Drew, Nishan Ganimian, Keeva Danielle Lough, John McVay, Lyssa Park, Laurence Myers Reese, Emily Sarten, Ty Suksangasophon.
This exhibition is part of an exchange between graduate students in Art at both the University of Nevada Reno (UNR) and University of Nevada Las Vegas. A follow up exhibition in spring 2022 will feature works on paper from UNR graduate students will be on view at the Donna Beam Gallery of Art, UNLV.
I’ll have this on view in Reno!
Mas y Matzoh
Watercolor on Arches
22x30”
2021
Loan from private collection
Congressional Commendation
I am honored to announce that I received a Congressional Commendation from Congresswoman Dina Titus. I received one alongside other UNLV MFA candidates Aaron Cowan, Erin K. Drew, Keeva Danielle Lough, John McVay, and Emily Sarten. We were recognized for contributing to the arts and culture in Las Vegas on the occasion of exhibiting work at Test Site Projects gallery for the exhibition "What Seems like Forever," curated by Erik Beehn.
My humble gratitude to Congresswoman Titus, Erik Beehn, Demecina Beehn, Sonny Tsoi and Test Site Projects.
www.testsiteprojects.com
What Seems like Forever at Test Site Projects
March 27 - April 21, 2021
What Seems like Forever : A group exhibition curated by Erik Beehn, featuring works by Aaron Cowan, Erin K. Drew, Keeva Danielle Lough, John McVay, Laurence Myers Reese, and Emily Sarten.
Test Site Projects:
Address: 1551 S Commerce St, Las Vegas, NV 89102
Phone: (702) 706-8512
Space is a Practiced Place: Laurence Myers Reese Midway
January 20-29 at Grant Hall Gallery at the University of Nevada Las Vegas
Space is a Practiced Place: Laurence Myers Reese
A midway exhibition in fulfillment for the thesis requirement for the Masters of Fine Arts at UNLV.
Banned from Facebook: The artist talks the internet doesn't want you to see!
Recently the University of Nevada Las Vegas MFA students presented an artist talk on Facebook Live. Not long after some nudity was shown was the stream taken off, and the UNLV department of art page placed on probation. Whoops! Can’t have nipples on that platform. But lucky for us, I preserved the recording, nipples and all!
UNLV MFA Drive-Thru Open Studios
Buckle up and head over to the UNLV MFA Drive-Thru Open Studio Weekend @ GRS! This semester hasn't been like any other before, and although we cannot do things quite like how we used to, the MFA students at UNLV see this as an opportunity to reinvent.
This semester we invite you to visit the GRS (Graduate Research Studios) and experience the work from the safety and comfort of your car. Graduate students will present 2D, 3D, and video and performance work through the windows facing the outside of the Studios, allowing you to view the art as you drive around the building, or park and observe from the safety of your vehicle.
Please note that for the safety of our community, all campus visitors are required to wear a face-covering at all times.
The Drive-Thru Open Studios will take place December 11-13 from 6PM-9PM.
UNSHELVED AT THE SAHARA WEST LIBRARY
September 4, through November 29, 2020
MFA students from the Department of Art at UNLV present an exhibition of new work Unshelved, at The Studio at the West Sahara Library, September 4th through November 29th. The artists in the show address the library and research as jumping-off points for their work. The exhibition as a whole investigates the intersections of reading, research, and archives.
MFA (VIRTUALLY) OPEN STUDIOS
The Department of Art at University of Nevada Las Vegas is excited to announce that in lieu of its traditional in-person MFA Open Studios, the Master of Fine Arts Art candidates will be hosting a Virtual Open Studios experience as a culmination of the Spring 2020 semester. The community is invited to visit the Spring 2020 MFA Open Studios artists’ pages on www.unlvmfa.art.
Virtual Open Studios coincides with the launch of an MFA website UNLVMFA.ART, devoted to Vegas Institute for Contemporary Engagement (V.I.C.E.) curatorial projects on campus and beyond, including exhibitions, performance, interviews and digital events featuring the work of MFA students, alumni and other artists in and outside Las Vegas, Nevada.