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.

VIDS

CV

2021
july 2021 // party store, botanical installation. port austin, michigan. 
may 2021 // artist in residency. port austin, michigan.
mar 2021 // AWARD // the american horticultural society's 2021 frances jones poetker award
mar 2021 // INSTALLATION // title track, gallery installation. SOFT/HARD group show, galerie camille, detroit, michigan.
feb 2021 // GRANT // red bull house of art $1000 microgrant
feb 2021 // PRESS // create! magazine two page feature, curated by christopher jobson, editor-in-chief of colossal
feb 2021 // PRESENTATION // grosse pointe garden club virtual presenter.
jan 2021 // INSTALLATION // silver lining, botanical installation

2020
nov 2020 // GRANT // culture source’s flourish fund $1000 grant
sept 2020 // INSTALLATION // did you try unplugging it and plugging it back in again?, an installation for design core detroit's month of design. detroit, michigan.
sep 2020 // GRANT // detroit future city $2,500 working with lots grant
sep 2020 // GRANT // the carhartt workshop $2,500 community grant
sep 2020 // GRANT // gretchen + ethan davidson $2,500 art grant
sep 2020 // PRESS // cultured magazine, “why designer-maker culture is the enduring spirit of detroit’s design scene”
june 2020 // PRESS // PBS’ one detroit, “botanical installations around detroit”
june 2020 // PRESS // WDET’s essential music with ann delisi, “botanical artist creates large installations to support michigan’s flower growers”
june 2020 // PRESS // ABC WXYZ detroit, “detroit artists honor black lives, victims of police brutality”
may 2020 // GRANT // NEI grantee relief fund $2800 grant
may 2020 // INSTALLATION // big flower friend, six-week public installation series. detroit, michigan.
feb 2020 // INSTALLATION // markmaking, public installation. marfa, texas.
feb 2020 // RESIDENCY // self-directed mobile artist residency, western and southwestern US.

2019
nov 2019 // PRESS // pitchfork, “watch danny brown perform ‘best life’ on fallon’s tonight show from a car draped in flowers”
nov 2019 // PRESS // rolling stone, “danny brown reminisces from an old car bursting with flowers in new ‘best life’ video”
oct 2019 // INSTALLATION // danny brown ‘best life’ set production. jimmy fallon show, new york city, new york.
oct 2019 // INSTALLATION // hibernation, public installation. detroit, michigan.
oct 2019 // INSTALLATION // danny brown ‘best life’ music video floral set production. detroit, michigan.
oct 2019 // INSTALLATION // museum of botanic memory. FLORA festival, córdoba, spain
oct 2019 // SPEAKING // flora festival artist presenter. cordoba, spain.
oct 2019 // PRESS // infurma international habitat news, “winners announced for the best floral installations in the world at flora festival 2019”
may 2019 // RESIDENCY // munro lake artist residency, munro lake, michigan.

2018
oct 2018 // INSTALLATION // flower house park, neighborhood park designed and planted on the flower house property. hamtramck, michigan.
aug 2018 // SPEAKING // the grand hotel garden show keynote speaker. mackinaw island, michigan.
apr 2018 // SPEAKING // cleveland garden club affiliate day keynote speaker. cleveland botanic garden, cleveland, ohio.
mar 2018 // PRESS // the detroit news, “florist invites selfies in window for ACLU donations”
feb 2018 // INSTALLATION // obama portrait recreation, floral recreation of barack and michelle obama’s portraits, fundraiser for ACLU. detroit, michigan

2017
nov 2017 // PRESS // crain’s detroit, “pot + box to set up shop in the fisher building”
july 2017 // SPEAKING // slow flowers summit, keynote. seattle, washington.
june 2017 // SPEAKING // intermitten tech conference, “unearthing the ethics embedded in flower house” presentation. the ark, ann arbor, michigan.
june 2017 // INSTALLATION // the tony awards, green room installation, botanical installation. radio city music hall, new york city, new york.
jan 2017 // INSTALLATION // hiberna flores installation, botanical installation. oakland university art gallery, auburn hills, michigan.
jan 2017 // INSTALLATION // the fierce urgency of now installation, foraged material structure in response to presidential inauguration. roosevelt park, detroit, michigan.
jan 2017 // GRANT // goldman sachs 10,000 small business program awarded scholarship for 3-month intensive immersion.
jan 2017 // PRESS // the oakland post, “floral exhibit blooms to life”
jan 2017 // PRESS // detroit art review, “hiberna flores at the oakland university art gallery”
jan 2017 // PRESS // detroit free press, “detroit artist creates anti-trump ‘tunnel to hope’”

2016
oct 2016 // INSTALLATION // producer of joseph massie’s flower box, 3,500 sq ft hanging floral installation. adam strom hall, detroit public library, detroit michigan.
oct 2016 // SPEAKING // flowerstock speaker. hope flower farm, waterford, virgina.
oct 2016 // SPEAKING // detroit flower week speaker. detroit public library, detroit, michigan.
oct 2016 // SPEAKING // TEDxDETROIT speaker. fox theater, detroit, michigan.
oct 2016 // PRESS // blac magazine, “detroit flower week addresses lack of diversity in the floral industry”
oct 2016 // PRESS // playground detroit, “first annual detroit flower week festival blooms this october from the founder of detroit flower house”
oct 2016 // PRESS // detroit free press, “petal power: detroit flower week stems from artist's vision”
sept 2016 // SPEAKING // succulent gardens speaker and installation artist. succulent extravaganza, castroville, california.
sept 2016 // INSTALLATION // open streets detroit installation, immersive installation in turn lane of 4-lane street. detroit, michigan.
july 2016 // SPEAKING // the henry ford museum presenter. maker faire, dearborn, michigan.
july 2016 // GRANT // people first project $5,000 grant. supported by kresge art foundation. awarded for parklet activation on michigan avenue in detroit’s corktown neighborhood
may 2016 // INSTALLATION // secret install, suspended floral installation popup. hamtramck, michigan.
apr 2016 // SPEAKING // broad museum, lecturer and instructor. the art of lecture series, east lansing, michigan.
mar 2016 // SPEAKING // milwaukee art museum, keynote. art in bloom exhibition, milwaukee, wisconsin.
feb 2016 // SPEAKING // cranbrook art museum, speaker. bluestockings salon, birmingham, michigan.
feb 2016 // INSTALLATION // david klein gallery, gallery window floral installation in conjunction with kari cholnoky exhibition. detroit, michigan.
jan 2016 // SPEAKING // seattle wholesale growers market, seattle, washington. the evergreen state college, olympia, washington. portland wholesale growers market, portland, oregon. portland nursery, portland, oregon. three sisters floral design studio, palo alto, california.

2015
dec 2015 // GRANT // belle foundation $3,000 artist grant anonymously nominated in support of the creative spirit.
nov 2015 // GRANT // new economy initiative $10,000 challenge grant. awarded for renovations and launch of retail flower truck.
oct 2015 // INSTALLATION // creator and project director of the flower house project, large-scale floral installation. hamtramck, michigan.
may - dec 2015 // PRESS // flower house press
oct 2015 // PRESS // flower house was introduced to the world with this stunning mini film from na frenette
july 2015 // PRESS // martha stewart (videos),”meet lisa waud of pot and box floral design” and “lisa waud of pot and box on the flower house project”

BUSINESSES
PRESENT IDEO, detroit experience coordinator.
2019-2020 slow flowers membership and special project manager
2005-2019 pot + box floral design + horticultural decor, founder and creative director.
2015-2016 detroit flower week, founder + producer.
2014-2016 flower house, creator + producer.
1999-2003 bella fiore gardening, co-founder and creative director.

COMMUNITY
2017-2019 board member, michigan flower growers co-operative
2013-2017 valentine’s day and holiday indie maker markets, VLNTNSDYMRKT and HLDYMRKT, coordinator and producer.
2016 detroit flower week, floral design conference.
2007-2010 small & mighty, small business leadership organization.

EDUCATION
2016-2017 goldman sachs 10,000 small businesses, detroit, michigan.
2003-2005 the evergreen state college, olympia, washington. culture, text, + language. bachelor of arts.
1996-1999 michigan state university, lansing michigan. horticulture department.