Lara Allen’s work has its roots in punk rock culture when at the age of 18 she formed the band Manwich in Cincinnati. Later she moved to SF where she played and recorded with numerous bands including Heavenly Ten Stems, Secret Chiefs 3, Caroliner Rainbow, and Ragtime Germs. During that time she developed a visual art practice that resulted in receiving an MFA  from Yale — where her work took on dimensions of text, performance and music. Recent shows include the Museo de Bellas Artes Cuba for the Havana Bienniel, the Queens Museum, CAC in Cincinnati, MOCA Cleveland, Eastern State Penitentiary and SFMOMA.