Lauren M Reilly

Creative Director

lauren@sustainable-spin.com

she/her

Lauren M. Reilly merges community engagement and environmental stewardship through her art. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art from Skidmore College in 2015, after which she worked in production pottery, a glass gallery and studio, and as a jewelry maker. She later transitioned into designing residential and commercial gardens in New York City, continuing her artistic practice as a member of Undertown Studio in Greenpoint. In 2019, she relocated to Miami to pursue a Master’s degree in Coastal Zone Management from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School, where she researched the intersection of climate science, urban parks, and human wellbeing.

While living in Miami, Reilly managed a volunteer-based conservation program at the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science. During her tenure, she led the Sustainability Committee, spearheaded South Florida's participation in the City Nature Challenge, and ideated the Your Shores program. She also mentored interns conducting graduate-level research and helped secure federal and local funding to support the museum's conservation efforts. Reilly took great pride in celebrating World Oceans Day and Earth Day by leading environmental art activities, conducting outreach at environmental festivals, hosting hands-on printmaking activities with the public at environmental art fairs, and speaking as a panelist at ARTSail’s "Sheroes of the Ocean" environmental art panel. To date, she has coordinated over 150 volunteer events, engaging more than 3,000 people in coastal habitat protection efforts.

As an intersectional artist and sustainability advocate, Reilly’s art centers on community, the environment, and the joy found in regeneration. Her work highlights the interconnectedness of humanity and the natural world, blending the energy of collective action with the transformative power of art.

In 2024, Reilly founded Sustainable Spin, where she uses maps and storytelling to create engaging, interactive visuals that bring complex scientific topics to life. Through her work with digital storytelling platforms such as StoryMaps, she has helped researchers communicate their work to broader public audiences and translated place-based scientific information into accessible narratives about sustainability in Miami. Reilly has also developed environmental education programs that explore how imagery shapes our perceptions of ecosystems, including workshops with students examining how mangroves are portrayed in media and how those perceptions influence conservation attitudes. By guiding students in place-based storytelling, she encourages people to observe their surroundings closely and share personal connections to the landscapes they inhabit. Her work compiles local knowledge, research, and lived experience into visual stories that help communities better understand their environment and imagine pathways toward more sustainable futures.