About
Lauren Sanders explores the idea of the American Dream and its relationship to blue-collar life through hands-on, labor-intensive processes such as painting, analog photography, and crochet. Her work pulls from cinematography, pop culture, and art history to create its own visual language. She received a BFA from Kansas State University and an MFA from Louisiana State University. Her work has been exhibited in New York, California, Missouri, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Texas, and Louisiana.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My current work focuses on the fantasy and portrayal of the American Dream in pop culture. Playfully mixing low brow materials and imagery with traditional media, installation and performance bringing the viewer into my paintings. Using dramatic cropping, camera angles and controlled color, I frame each painting like a movie still to blur the line between memory, imagination, and the cinematic experience. Creating an uncanny resemblance to public places such as a gas station or dive bar gives a unifying context and narrative to individual artworks.
With installation, I can create an overstimulating, beautiful space for the viewer to feel the melancholy of the subjects in my paintings. Formally trained as a painter, I draw inspiration from and make references to artists like Mark Rothko, Audrey Flack, and Richard Estes in my installation work. Conceptual artists like Adrian Piper, Mike Kelley, and Joseph Beuys continue to shape and change my idea of the artist’s role in society.
CV
SELECTED SOLO AND TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2026 Lingering Memories, Solo Exhibition, City Arts, Wichita, KS
2024 this is fantasyland, baby don't let reality get you, Vulpes Bastille, Kansas City, MO
2022 I wish I could buy a single cigarette so I had a reason to think about you, Glassell Gallery, Baton Rouge, LA
2022 First, The White Building, Wichita, KS
2017 Sure, Why Not, Mark A. Chapman Gallery, Manhattan, KS
RESIDENCES/ CONFERENCES/ LECTURES
2026 Resident Artist, Two Coats of Paint, New York City, NY (unable to attend)
2023 Artist Lecture, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
2023 Artist Lecture, Charlotte Street, Kansas City, MO
2021 Resident Artist, Open Studios, Wichita, KS
2016 5th Biennial Western Cast Iron Conference, Scottsdale, AZ
AWARDS/ GRANTS
2023 Artist INC Fellow, Charlotte Street, Kansas City, MO
2020 Professional Development Grant, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
2019-22 Assistantship, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
2107 Mark A. Chapman and Cheryl Mellethin Fine Arts Scholarship, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
2017 Best in Show Award, Commerce Bank Art Show, Commerce Bank, Manhattan, KS, Juror: Aileen Lin & April Bojorquez/Beach Museum
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 Art on the Trail, Great Plains Nature Center, Wichita, KS
2024 The Art of Photography, Prairie Village Arts Council, Prairie Village, KS
2023 Abrazo, Verum Ultimum Gallery, Portland, OR
2023 March Group Show, Jones Gallery, Kansas City, MO
2023 Amazing Portraits, Modern Visual Arts Gallery, Bethlehem, PA
2022 Celebrate Art, Modern Visual Arts Gallery, Bethlehem, PA
2021 Pop Culture and Trashy, Shoxxbox Gallery, Hermosa Beach, CA
2021 Sincerious, Foster Gallery, Baton Rouge, LA
2021 Warmth of Autumn, Stockyard Gallery, Kansas City, KS
2021 JOY (This Is Just What I Needed!), Edward A. Dixon Gallery, Dayton, OH
2021 Figure It Out, 120 Art Gallery, Taylor, TX
2021 Women in Art, Las Laguna Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
2020 30 Under 30, Veridian Artist, Juror: Kelly Kivland/Curator, Dia Art Foundation, New York City, NY
2020 Go! Figure, Shoxxbox Gallery, Hermosa Beach, CA
2020 Recompose, Bricks and Bombs Gallery, Baton Rouge, LA
2020 Artist’s Vision, Marin Society of Artists, San Rafael, CA
2020 February Group Show, Jones Gallery, Kansas City, MO
2020 9th Annual “All Women” Competition, Light Space and Time Online Art Gallery, Palm Springs, CA
2019 Swamp Thang, Foster Gallery, Baton Rouge, LA
2017 Student Exhibition, Commerce Bank, Manhattan, KS, Juror: Aileen Lin & April Bojorquez/Beach Museum
2017 Ten: Watercolor Exhibition, Manhattan Art Center Manhattan, KS
EDUCATION
2022 MFA in Visual Arts, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
2017 BFA in Studio Art, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS