February Fellow, Lauren Shapiro, reflected on her time in residency at Everglades National Park for our AIRIE Asks, held on February 25th. In conversation with visual artist Joel Gaitan, Shapiro shared an intimate look at her practice, process, and month-long stay in the Florida Everglades. See photos from the event below.
Lauren Shapiro is a visual artist based in Miami who integrates ceramics and technology to discover and share insights into the natural world. Shapiro completed her MFA in Ceramics from the University of Miami in 2016. She has received grant awards and commissions from organizations such as the New York Foundation for the Arts, Knight Foundation, Andy Warhol Foundation, Oolite Arts, Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, and Art in Public Places. She frequently collaborates with scientists, resulting in projects that are deeply influenced by the nuanced ecosystems of South Florida and beyond. Among her solo exhibitions are "Future Pacific" (2021) at Miami's Bakehouse Art Complex, "Garden Portals" (2021) at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, and "Fragile Terrains" (2018) at Bianca Boekel Galeria in São Paulo, Brazil. Selected group showcases include "Design Miami" (2021) with Todd Merrill Studio, "Powder Hounds" (2020) at Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Aspen, and "Projektraum M54" (2017) in Basel, Switzerland. More about Lauren.
While celebrating life, death, and the afterlife, Joel Gaitan’s work studies the matters of self-identity, sexuality, and ancestral lineage. From forgotten tongues to erased cultures, Gaitan immerses into traditional hand-building clay techniques, keeping a sacred tradition from Nicaragua & Central America alive in a colonized world. Raised within Pentecostalism, Gaitan still carries the music, verses, and The Holy Spirit with his own interpretation. Gaitan highlights Nicaragüense lifestyle and aesthetics with ceramics and other mediums depicting portraits, utilizing elements of poetry, colors, and storytelling. Gaitan uses each work as an offering to the ancestors; those who have been encountered, and those who have not.
