Lauren Shapiro's One of One
On Saturday, December 13, we gathered at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden to celebrate Lauren Shapiro, our first member-commissioned artist of Season Eight. The master ceramicist, mold maker, public artist, former Girl Scout, and self-proclaimed archive nerd invited us to explore the gardens through a sunset treasure hunt.
The rules were simple: choose a riddle and locate the corresponding plant or tree to collect your piece. Some Collector members opted to take on the challenge solo, while others teamed up with Patrons and friends to solve their riddles. When time was up, we then regrouped in the clearing of the urban oasis for our long-awaited and mysterious moment of reveal.
Each luxe black box contained a unique and truly spectacular ceramic sculpture inspired by elements of South Florida’s landscape—fruits, aquatic animals, plants, crystal formations, and more. These elements draw from Shapiro’s extensive research-backed library of molds and glazes, some of which were developed during our diving excursion with her last year. Every piece is one of a kind: 50 distinct glazes and 50 different arrangements, created with tremendous care for our community.
The artist explained that she had never separated a piece before, but wanted each of us to be connected through this one body of work. Describing her studio as a pseudo nail salon with over 800 glazes on the wall, she chose her top 50 for our collective commission. Combined, they form Nebula: a singular, interconnected work that unites us all, named for its galactic spectrum of glazes and compositions.
A good idea belongs to everyone. In our reflection on 2025, “community is everything, community is what we build together.” We are grateful to build and share Commissioner with all of you.
Relive the night in photography by Chantal Lawrie.
Download the riddles and see all the works with installation instructions.
A sincere thank you to Adaeze Nwakobi for her thoughtful writing. The production team that brought this project to life includes Claudia Des Rosiers, Veronica Gort, Sofia Metcalf, Grey Pierre-Louis, and our beloved mixologist, Rico. We extend overwhelming gratitude to Amy Rosenberg, her team, and the Miami Beach Botanical Garden. Tito’s Handmade Vodka kept us hydrated, and our community nourished us in every way.
Big love to art+mgmt’s Nicolas Ochart and Julia Bassiri, with whom we worked hand in glove. Our curatorial partners are Primary.