Lara understands “artisan.” Her grandfather was a woodworker. Her grandmother was a dried floral artist. Her great-aunt was an accomplished quilter. Her aunt was a painter and floral designer. Her grandparents farmed the land and were experts at canning and slow food. Her father was a draftsman and dabbled in stained glass and architectural design. Her mother was skilled in crochet and macramé. One of her first jobs was at the local Arts Guild and Gallery. It’s always been a part of her life.

Her zone of genius lies in creating handmade artisan businesses focused on three pillars: planet, people, and prosperity.

She has worked for nearly three decades in sales and retail for impact-driven brands, such as Aveda and Laura Ashley, and as an executive in international travel (Francophone specific) before starting her own successful art business and even showing her art at the Louvre in Paris!

Building an award-winning social impact venue (the first of its kind) allowed her to work more one on one with local artisans to create their legacy businesses while also supporting the local community through prioritizing handmade, farm-to-table, local, sustainable events and supporting local charitable and nonprofit organizations.

The year 2021 saw the launch of her first international best-selling book Maker’s Mark and the beginning of supporting and educating artisans on a more global level with the creation of Artisan & Company and the Artisan Academie.

With sustainability and social impact in the forefront while supporting artisans, her second best-selling book The Sustainable Maker was written and the Sustainable Artisan Guild initiative was created. The Guild is a global movement helping artisans build a more sustainable business in their studios and through their products while building community around the world.

Lara has been fortunate to have studied with some incredible programs to build her skills and expertise, such as studying fine art at the Milan Art Institute, modern and contemporary art and design at MoMa, business of art at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, and is currently working toward her MA in Sustainable Design at Minneapolis College of Art & Design.

She also sits on the boards of the Uptown Art Association and the Eagan Arts Association.

Of course, this is in addition to expanding her creative skill set with studies in various lost arts including pigment making, block printing, gilding and perfume making to name just a few.

She is just as happy painting and creating as she is reading the Stanford Business Review, consulting, and discussing biomimicry and sustainability in business.

She can be found usually covered in color, with pigments in her hair and a minimum of three books in her handmade bag while juggling a raspberry mocha from a local coffee shop, her three kids, and a handful of slow flowers. She’s a sucker for a great antique chandelier, a vintage dresser with impeccable dovetail joints, a good farmers’ market, heritage art supplies, an artisan-made mug, a dip pen with a great medieval ink recipe, and any opportunity to learn something new.