Ceramics as Archive with Lauren Shapiro

“Ceramics is an archive—an ancient tool that has touched every continent. Human beings have had a long relationship with this material, and it’s fascinating that it continues to be used today. I’m interested in using ceramics to tell different stories about natural spaces, architecture, and human history.”

Lauren Shapiro is a Miami-based visual artist who explores material traditions and environmental research. Working primarily in ceramics and glass, she creates sculptural forms ranging from vessels and reliefs to large-scale public art installations. Her practice draws from original fieldwork and site-specific studies, blending organic textures with geometric and architectural motifs. Through collaborations with scientists, and by combining digital tools with traditional hand-built methods, Shapiro creates works that reflect nature’s fragility and human history, serving as both artworks and material archives.

Shapiro’s work was the subject of a solo exhibition, Pastiche, at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Miami in 2024. Select recent commissions include Collected Forms, MSC Cruise Terminal, PortMiami in 2025; Garden Portals, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami in 2021; and Future Pacific, Bakehouse Art Complex, Miami in 2020. Her work is also collected by Soho House and Jorge M. Pérez, among others.

Shapiro is a Season Eight commissioned artist. She is the master ceramist and strategist behind previous projects, often supporting the visions of artists-in-residence at Bakehouse Art Complex. We’re honored to be working with the source herself.

Film by Alexa Caravia