Lauren Elder

Trained in Sculpture (UCLA) and Landscape Architecture (UCB Extension), I create eco-environments for everyday life and facilitate community participation in the design-build process. Since 2009 my practice has alternated between North America and Latin America.

In the North this interdisciplinary social practice seeks to ‘interrupt asphalt with Nature and Art’. Past projects are primarily urban and have included pocket parks, school gardens, pollinator gardens, lawns to landscapes, city farms, and landscapes for a variety of community uses: recreation, education, relaxation, meeting and celebrating.

In the Southern Hemisphere, I have worked
on rural and peri-urban projects that address basic needs for good food and healthy social space.

Projects invite the participants to envision new possibilities and to transform underused or neglected spaces into life-filled environments that display their own creative talents. Principal collaborators are credited on my website.

As we enter a new era, water management and the effects of climate change have become increasingly pressing concerns for work in both hemispheres.

I also create sculptures, site-specific installations and live events supporting cross-cultural bonds. Se habla español.

Awards: Potrero Nuevo Environmental Fund, California College of Art (Professional Development), City of Oakland Cultural Affairs
and Public Art