BIO
based in detroit, michigan, lisa waud creates multi-sensory, site-specific botanical public art installations offering exploration of the brief space between living and decay and nature as a cleansing reset.
built on her background in professional garden and floral design, lisa’s work intervenes within existing architecture mimicking natural armatures as a rare pause button in the context of perishability and impermanence.
heavily influenced by land art and large-scale installation artists, lisa is drawn to create ephemeral works with plants and flowers that immerse and engage the hosting community throughout the project—in the planning process, throughout the exhibition, and in the project’s afterlife.
collaboration is foundational to lisa’s work. incorporating others’ voices, abilities, histories, and perspectives expand concepts, tools, and techniques within installations into sensory and cultural experiences she could not create alone, as is her preference.
lisa structures collaboration purposefully—mindfully partnering early in the design process, and welcoming steering from communities hosting installations to produce immersive art events that are built on a foundation of inclusivity and accessibility.
striving for zero waste throughout her practice, lisa sources from local growers and vendors, utilizes found and foraged natural items, buys used and reusable materials, composts organic matter, and recycles what remains.
past installations include flower house detroit, floral set design for danny brown's 'best life' video and jimmy fallon appearance, FLORA festival in cordoba, spain, the fierce urgency of now, hiberna flores, and the tony awards at radio city music hall.
lisa’s projects have been featured in the new york times, huffington post, martha stewart, hyperallergic, colossal, designboom, the jealous curator, globe and mail, detroit free press, the detroit news, detroit art review, crain’s detroit, black magazine, washington post, and travel + leisure.
lisa has lectured at TEDxDETROIT, milwaukee art museum, cranbrook art museum, broad museum, henry ford museum, cleveland botanic garden, intermitten tech conference, slow flowers summit, and david klein gallery in detroit.
lisa has received grants from goldman sachs, kresge art foundation, the belle foundation, new economy initiative, and the awesome foundation.
