Aspen Monet Laboy
Biography
Born in Omaha, Nebraska to Black and Puerto Rican parents, Aspen Monet Laboy is a poet, glass, and installation artist. Their literary and visual work express themes of nature and identity, exploring the interconnectedness of people and their surroundings. They have published four poetry books– Spirit (2017), The Quiet Lion (2018), I MATTER (2022), and Rhetorical Conversations (2024)– exhibited in galleries, performed in art hubs, and co-founded the poetry program Corner’s Space held at KANEKO. Several of their poems were aired on Friday Live with Nebraska Public Media in 2023, and later became a guest on NPR’s Riverside Chats in 2024. They have been awarded two scholarships from Penland School of Craft and were accepted into the 2024 Pilchuck Glass School Auction. An alumni of Amplify Arts, Aspen was part of the 2023-2024 Alternate Currents Cohort, Community Advisory Group, and now serves as a board member.
Curriculum Vitae
Education
2014
Diploma, Ralston High School, Ralston, NE
2017
Liberal Arts in Creative Writing, Metropolitan Community College, Omaha, NE
Grants & Scholarships
2021
Marsha P. Johnson Institute, COVID-19 Recovery Fund, Richmond, CA
2024
Penland School of Craft, Glass - Ché Rhodes: Reheated and Plated, Bakersville, NC
2025
Penland School of Craft, Glass - SaraBeth Post Eskuche: Cut, Sift, Fire, Bakersville, NC
Group Exhibitions
2021
KANEKO, Tessellation, Omaha, NE
The Apollon, Meet The Artist, Omaha, NE
The Apollon, In The Shadows, Omaha, NE
Harvester Artist Lofts, Beheaded, Council Bluffs, IA
The Apollon, Wizarding World, Omaha, NE
2022
KANEKO, Supervisor Showcase, Omaha, NE
Radial Arts Center, Art Expo Benefit, Omaha, NE
MoonRise Gallery, Biophilia, Omaha, NE
BLUEBARN Theatre, Harvest Moon, Omaha, NE
3301 Harney St, Everyday Performances, Omaha, NE
2023
LUX Center for the Arts, Lavender Country, Lincoln, NE
Generator Space, <proxy-fl3$h>, Omaha, NE
2024
Union Street Gallery, Small Works / Big Impressions, Chicago Heights, IL
Star Deli, Material Muddle, Omaha, NE
Generator Space, Sequin/ce, Omaha, NE
Glacier Creek Preserve, Bouteloua LitART Fest, Bennington, NE
Fremont Studios, Pilchuck Glass School Auction & Gala, Seattle, WA
John J. Mercer Masonic Temple, BFF Ball & Art Auction, Omaha, NE
MoonRise Gallery, Nothing New, Elkhorn, NE
2025
Hillmer Art Gallery, This Is Us, Omaha, NE
Joyce Norene Wilson Art Gallery, A Garden of Expression, Bellevue, NE
Tugboat Gallery, From Omaha, With Love, Lincoln, NE
Radial Arts Center, RADIANT, Omaha, NE
Joslyn Castle, Black Cat Show, Omaha, NE
2026
Hot Shops Art Center, Silenced: Your Comfortability is Not Our Reality, Omaha, NE
Solo Exhibitions
2022
Goldsmith Silversmith, Los Flores, Omaha, NE
Fleabane Gallery, El Baño, Omaha, NE
2023
Hardy Coffee, The Grind, Omaha, NE
Family of Things, Affirmation, Omaha, NE
Goldsmith Silversmith, Dreams, Omaha, NE
2025
Petshop Gallery, Mediums, Omaha, NE
Performances
2023
Project Project, We’re In The Back, Omaha, NE
Generator Space, <proxy-fl3$h>, Omaha, NE
Parrish Studios, Fuck Cancer, Lincoln, NE
2024
Ming Toy Gallery, Xanadu, Omaha, NE
Generator Space, The Reading Room, Omaha, NE
The Church / Art House, Midwest Poetics, Omaha, NE
Generator Space, Sequin/ce Performance Night, Omaha, NE
Pageturner’s Lounge, Femme Open Mic Night, Omaha, NE
2025
Pageturner’s Lounge, Toddfather & Friends, Omaha, NE
Publications
2017
Laboy, Aspen Monet, “Spirit,” Eber & Wein Publishing, New Freedom, PA
2018
Laboy, Aspen Monet, “The Quiet Lion,” KDP, Seattle, WA
2022
BFF Zine, Issue 13, Omaha, NE
Laboy, Aspen Monet, “I Matter,” KDP, Seattle, WA
2023
Laboy, Aspen Monet, “Friday Live,” Nebraska Public Media, Lincoln, NE
2024
Laboy, Aspen Monet, “Six Fundamental Questions,” 001*Omaha, Cincinnati, OH
Next Soulmate Mag, Issue 1, Online digital zine
Laboy, Aspen Monet, “A View/A Glimpse.” We Free Us, edited by Peter Fankhauser, Amplify Arts, 2023, p. 72 - 95
The Gardyloo, Issue 1, Online digital zine
Laboy, Aspen Monet, “Riverside Chats,” NPR, Omaha, NE
2025
Laboy, Aspen Monet, Groundwater: Farmer’s Almanac and Seed Catalog, Blazing Star Seed Cooperative, p. 1, 44, 47, 81
Laboy, Aspen Monet, “Rhetorical Conversations,” Capitol Bindery Inc., Omaha, NE
Programs
2021 - 2023
Co-founder, Corner’s Space, KANEKO, Omaha, NE
2023 - 2024
Amplify Arts, Alternate Currents Working Group, Omaha, NE
2024
Workshop Facilitator, Emerging Artists: Commemorating Communities – Representing Histories, Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center, Omaha, NE
Workshop Facilitator, Rest Fest: Gratitude - A Written Reflection, The Union for Contemporary Art, Omaha, NE
2025 Teaching Artist in Residency, Poetic Glass, Trudy’s, Omaha, NE
Work Experience
2021 - 2023
Operations Assistant, KANEKO, Omaha, NE
2023
Artist Grant Reviewer, Amplify Arts, Omaha, NE
2023 - 2024
Community Advisory Group, Amplify Arts, Omaha, NE
2024
Visitor Services Coordinator, The Union for Contemporary Art, Omaha, NE
MAP Fund Reviewer, New York, NY
2022 - 2025
Studio Assistant, Therman Statom, Omaha, NE
2025 - 2026
Board Chair, Amplify Arts, Omaha, NE
Mini Grant Reviewer, Nebraska Arts Council, Omaha, NE