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.

~project leading multi-disciplinary remote/hybrid/IRL teams~human-centered community building~enterprise-level administration assistancemore about my role as a community designer: i played a key collaborative role within the IDEO community. i worked in the org's craft cohorts (nested communities within IDEO, gathering designers together by disciplines), acting as a thought partner and collaborator with leadership to deliver on aspirations. from supporting cohort community-building to helping to foster a sense of belonging, to supporting individual growth by helping people feel seen and celebrated, i understood the pulse of the craft communities, helped leaders be aware of everyone’s needs, and coordinated internal events for skill sharing and team building.

in this first role at IDEO as a community designer, i planned team building and educational events for visiting designers in detroit for projects with ford, and supported design project teams in day-to-day operations. i enjoyed the challenge of creating the foundation for a creative community without the physical anchor of an actual studio, onboarding designers into the satellite studio, and team building both among IDEO designers and between IDEO and ford teams. the highlight of this position was planning inspirational field trips into the detroit maker community to inspire IDEO designers and to share the immense talent present in detroit.

~garden design client service management~retail management~floral event production~employee and vendor management~marketing, communication, press, brand strategy/implementation, social and content execution ~customer/client experience designfor 12 years, pot + box provided fresh flowers and living plants to southeast michigan before closing in april 2019 so founder and creative director lisa waud could focus on public art installation work.