DesignHER is a platform that celebrates the vision, craftsmanship, and innovation of women in design. By curating stories from leading female designers, artisans, and creatives, our latest series, in collaboration with Women Create, offers an intimate look at the diverse paths these women take to shape their industries and their own businesses. Through thoughtful interviews and features, the platform illuminates the artistry and technical mastery that define their work, while exploring the deeper narratives of creativity, resilience, and leadership. DesignHER honors the unique perspectives of women, fostering a community where design excellence and empowerment intersect to inspire the next generation of trailblazers.
Heidi Lanino is a figurative abstract artist living and working in the Hudson Valley. She studied drawing and painting at Pratt Institute as one of four recipients of a full-tuition merit scholarship. Early in her career, she worked as an art director for L’Oréal before fully dedicating herself to her artistic practice and arts education. A passionate advocate for the arts, she is committed to fostering creativity and the artistic process within the wider community. Lanino’s work explores the relationship between the body and both physical and emotional space as a narrative. Her intuitive process spans canvas, paper, wood, metal and clay, often incorporating folding techniques to create sculptural portraits of the female form. Her Folded Female series investigates themes of sensuality, identity, societal ideals of beauty and the cyclical process of transformation — expressed through the continuous act of folding and unfolding. Her work has been exhibited in the United States and internationally and is held in numerous private and public collections. Lanino’s work resides in the permanent collections of the ACLU, The Carlyle Hotel, HBO, Cheval Gloucester Park Hotel, Hotel Avalon, The Hyatt Regency, Orange County Trust, and Orange Regional Medical Center, in addition to several noteworthy private collections. Learn more about Heidi and her sculptural work in today’s DesignHer.
aspire design and home: How do you think being a woman has influenced your approach to design and creativity?
Heidi Lanino: Being a woman has profoundly shaped my approach to design and creativity, especially in my series, The Folded Female. My work reflects both personal and collective experiences, exploring the strength, complexity and evolving narratives of women. We navigate multiple roles — mother, daughter, partner, friend — balancing resilience with sensitivity, as well as our own relationship with ourselves — metaphorically and physically.
My creative process is intuitive, shaped by these layered experiences. Each piece I create extends beyond my own journey, celebrating the beauty, challenges, and complexity of the female identity. The ever-changing stories of women continue to inspire and drive my work.
adh: What’s your favorite part of the creative process, and why?
HL: I love the evolution of the creative process — the experimentation, learning and internal dialogue that unfolds along the way. Witnessing a vision take shape and shift over time is captivating. The layering of ideas and materials transforms fleeting moments into something lasting, making the journey of growth and discovery endlessly engaging.
I work intuitively, allowing the process to guide me. My pieces often begin simply, with paper, before evolving into wood, clay or metal. Folding becomes a meditative practice, reflecting the ways external forces and internal landscapes shape us. The interplay of form and space in my reliefs and sculptures invites shifting perceptions — like moments suspended in motion.
adh: Can you share an example of a project where your perspective as a woman played a significant role in the outcome?
HL: One project where my perspective as a woman was integral to the outcome was Folded Females Reflection, a series of mirror-polished stainless-steel sculptures exploring the female form through folding, reflection and movement. This work was deeply personal, shaped by experiences of strength, adaptation and emotional depth.
Drawing inspiration from classical Greek and Roman sculptures — historically idealized depictions of the female form — I reinterpreted these ideals through a contemporary lens, emphasizing transformation and fluidity. Dance played a crucial role in this series, with the sculptures designed to turn slowly, echoing the grace and power of movement. Their reflective surfaces distort their surroundings, creating an interactive experience that mirrors the way women navigate identity, perception, and space.
Beyond form and material, Folded Females became an exploration of resilience and softness, the ways we fold and unfold over time — both literally and metaphorically. My perspective shaped every aspect of the process, translating lived experiences into a visual language that invites reflection on identity, movement and selfhood.
“The key is what is within the artist. The artist can only paint what she or he is about.”
— Lee Krasner
adh: How has your personal journey as a woman shaped the stories you tell through your creations?
HL: My work evolves alongside my personal journey, reflecting my passions, interests and growth. While drawing serves as a foundation, my creative practice extends into sculpture, figuration and abstract painting. I am drawn to the tactile qualities of materials, using texture and form to explore themes of identity, transformation and resilience.
In my Folded Female series, I examine the dynamic relationship between external pressures and internal realities, mirroring how we yield, resist and evolve. Inspiration also comes from the creative process itself — immersing myself in materials like metal, clay and wood heightens my connection to both the subject and the emotions I seek to convey. My work becomes a dialogue between the tangible and the unseen, inviting viewers to explore the intersection of reality and imagination.
adh: Are there any particular themes or messages you aim to convey through your art?
HL: At the heart of my work is an exploration of the female form — its strength, vulnerability, and continual transformation. Folded Females reflects my own journey, embodying the dance of life and the shifting nature of identity. I see it as a universal female skin, unfolding through intuition, impulse and improvisation — much like how we navigate womanhood.
My process merges drawing, painting, cutting, and folding — a physical manifestation of reinvention and resilience. The act of folding is more than a technique; it’s a means of storytelling, of mending and reshaping, much like how we reconstruct ourselves over time. With every fold, I negotiate the balance between control and surrender, allowing the work to evolve organically.
Dance, especially Martha Graham’s philosophy, deeply informs my work. She saw movement as an expression of an internal life force, and in Folded Females, each curve, crease, and negative space is an emotional gesture — yielding, resisting, adapting. The slow rotation of the sculptures reflects this rhythm, capturing both the fluidity and weight of transformation.
Ultimately, my work explores the dialogue between inner and outer worlds, between what is seen and what is felt. It’s about the beauty of unfolding, the courage in reconstruction, and the quiet strength found in every fold.
\adh: How do you think your work has evolved over the years, and what factors have driven that evolution?
HL: My work has evolved alongside my life, shaped by my experiences, the world around me, and my engagement with nature and movement. While the female voice and storytelling have always been central to my practice, they have deepened in complexity over time.
Drawing remains the foundation of my creative process, but my approach has expanded into sculpture, figuration and abstract painting. I am deeply drawn to materials and textures, using their tactile qualities to express ideas.
A pivotal moment in my artistic journey was visiting museums at a young age, particularly the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Seeing Rosa Bonheur’s The Horse Fair left a lasting impression — the power, movement, and freedom of the horses became symbols of female strength and resilience, themes that continue to inform my work today.
adh: Can you talk about a piece or project that holds special significance to you and why?
One of the most meaningful pieces I’ve created is Four Women from my Folded Females series. This work reflects both personal experiences and the shared realities of women — our strength, struggles and the ways we support and uplift one another.
Born out of an intuitive process, Four Women uses folded paper to shape portraits that embody resilience and vulnerability. It explores evolving ideals of beauty, the ways we adapt to life’s challenges, and the continuous negotiation of identity. Beyond personal expression, it became part of a broader conversation on women’s rights, the #MeToo movement, and the unspoken solidarity among women across different backgrounds.
Its acquisition by the ACLU for their permanent collection was an incredible honor. Knowing that this piece resonates with others and contributes to a larger dialogue on justice and equality reaffirms my belief in the power of art to amplify voices and inspire change. Four Women serves as a space for reflection and collective strength — a reminder that none of us are alone in this journey.
Like what you see? Get it first with a subscription to aspire design and home magazine.