Lauren Shapiro currently lives and works in Miami, Florida. Shapiro received an MFA from the University of Miami in 2016. She integrates ceramics and technology to uncover and communicate insights from the natural world, often collaborating with scientists to influence projects by the diverse ecosystems of South Florida and beyond. Selected solo exhibitions include “Future Pacific” (2020) at Bakehouse Art Complex, Miami, Florida; “Garden Portals” (2021) at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami, Florida; and “Fragile Terrains” (2018) at Bianca Boekel Galeria, São Paulo, Brazil. Selected group exhibitions include “Intricate Oceans, Coral in Contemporary Art” (2023) with Coastal Discovery Museum, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; “Design Miami” (2021) with Todd Merrill Studio, Miami, Florida; and “Projektraum M54” (2017) in Basel, Switzerland. Shapiro received awards and commissions from the New York Foundation for the Arts (2023), Knight Foundation(2021), Andy Warhol Foundation (2019), Miami Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs (2020-2023), and Art in Public Places (2021,2022). Her artwork is part of the Soho House Art Collection and Jorge M. Perez Collection.

During her RA+DI Residency, Shapiro developed new work and received legal support for contractual matters involving representation and licensing. She mentored students and provided apprenticeships to pass on her skills as a master mold maker and ceramicist.

“In my work, I’m exploring natural systems through materials such as plaster and clay. And I’m interested in connecting people with a feeling of mystery and magic in nature that can be seen reflected in patterns, forms of sacred geometry—and I take a lot of textures from the local landscape. I grew up in South Florida, which gave me access to a very unique tropical ecology, and this has been a big influence on my artwork. As a third-generation Floridian, I was very young when I first experienced the magic of nature, and many of my childhood activities were centered around the outdoors. As a professional artist, this magic has not been lost in my work, especially in Miami, where the concern for the impacts of climate change is on everyone’s mind. I want to involve people in my process of molding textures from the landscape and clay while learning how and why we should protect our tropical ecosystems.”

—Lauren Shapiro