BIO
lisa waud creates multi-sensory, site-specific botanical installations that explore the brief space between growth and decay, and the ways nature offers a reset to both individuals and communities. her work examines impermanence and transformation, using plant-based materials to shape environments where visitors move through shifting states of presence, memory, and sensory experience.
grounded in a background in horticulture and professional floral design, lisa’s installations intervene within existing architecture, echoing natural structures to create temporary spaces of reflection. influenced by land art and large-scale environmental installation, she builds ephemeral works that invite participants to consider their relationship to time, place, and ecological vulnerability.
collaboration is foundational to her practice. lisa engages the hosting community throughout each project—from planning through exhibition and afterlife—integrating diverse voices, histories, and perspectives into the conceptual and material fabric of the work. this collaborative approach expands what the installations can hold, transforming them into shared cultural experiences rather than solitary expressions.
lisa’s process is also guided by environmental ethics. she prioritizes low-waste production, sourcing from local growers, using found or reusable materials, and composting or recycling at project completion.
across all aspects of her work, lisa is motivated by curiosity about how people move through space, how materials shape behavior, and how temporary environments can foster connection, dialogue, and a sense of collective belonging.
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.
