News, Exhibitions, and Events
Pinkness Study at the Annual Auction at Works/San Jose
Saturday, April 4, you can bid on Pinkness Study #15 (Parallel Twist) at the Works/San Jose Auction. From 2005-2007 I served on the Board of Directors at Works/San Jose; to this day I value all that I learned working behind the scenes to help run a nonprofit arts organization (and be a better exhibiting artist). You can help support a vibrant San Jose art scene by adding to your art collection. Visit the website to preview the works.
Luminosity at Abrams Claghorn Gallery, Albany, CA
Two of my “Pinkness Study” wall sculptures will be featured in Luminosity: the Glow From Within at Abrams Claghorn Gallery in Albany, CA, curated by Laura Abrams.
Luminosity is defined as “full of or emitting light; bright or shining, especially in the dark.” This exhibition celebrates the beginning of spring, with its lengthening days and blooming flowers. Artists were challenged to create incandescent, illuminated artwork. This group exhibition features nineteen artists who have contributed art that radiates life, spirituality, resilience, power, and charisma. The inner glow leads our way through tough times.
April 3 - 30, 2026
Opening reception Saturday, April 11 from 2-4pm; please RSVP to LuminosityExhibition@gmail.com
Silicon Valley Open Studios May 16 & 17
Take a look inside working artists’ studios on Open Studio days at The Alameda Artworks. Over 30 artists will be participating at one location; in my Green Door Annex hallway I’ll be hosting guests Kay Fontana, Reen Rubay, Ezra Mara, and Tony Baxter Framing.
Saturday and Sunday, May 16 & 17, 11am - 5pm
Rainbow at Whitney Modern Gallery, Los Gatos, CA
Guest curator Marie Cameron invited me to create new work for her summer group show Rainbow at Whitney Modern in Los Gatos, CA, so I’ve been straying from my pink palette in reflected light and color studies. This is an in-progress photo of one of the stitched sculptures I’m completing for the show.
The show will run from June 1- 30th; opening reception information coming soon.
Newly completed sculpture: “Acephala Mater”
Introducing “Acephala Mater.” Titled with the Latin for "Headless Mother," this new sculpture hearkens back to my “Overbred” series of creatures that take domestication to ridiculous extremes. This three-legged, three-teated, non-capitated, minimized bovine form serves as a raw anatomical metaphor for the contemporary American mother. Read more in my blog: “Overbred Again”
48 Pillars at Arc Gallery, SF
Closing this Saturday: the annual 48 Pillars exhibition in San Francisco from February 28-April 4, 2026.
This unique show features twenty-four artists each making diptychs on two identical panels each measuring 48” x 12” x 1 5/8”. Despite the structural constraint, subject matter will vary widely by the artists, hand-selected by curator Michael Yochum.
Recently Closed Shows
FEM-Minis at San Francisco Women Artists Gallery
March 3 - April 2, 2026
FEM-minis was an Northern California Women’s Caucus for Art member exhibition centered on the expansive concept of FEM. Ideas around feminist, feminine, fem-presenting, fem-forward. The theme embraces any subject associated with women or female presenting persons; the female figure, femininity, feminism, children, dismantling the patriarchy, the lived experience of female-identifying persons, suffrage, reproductive rights, the struggle against or within the bonds of gender roles imposed by societies. It is also about claiming the space to simply be who you are, to express that joy and celebrate identity. FEM-minis invited works across media that reflect the complexity, resilience, and vibrancy of FEM in all its forms.
Startup Art Fair LA
Thanks to everyone who came out to see my work at the Startup LA Fair that took place February 27-March 1st at The Kinney Hotel in Venice Beach. Besides wall-mounted sculptures that hightlighted the glowing effect of bounced light and color, I also debuted a new body of touchable work (if consent was granted) and a new sculpture from my Overbreeding genre.
“Toxic Beauty" Rideable Mechanical Bull Soft Sculpture Commission, Cannonball Art Center, Seattle
Cannonball Arts is now open to the public regular hours: Wednesday - Sunday. Check the website for directions, information, and tickets.
A brand-new contemporary arts and entertainment center put out a call for proposals for a dramatically interactive artwork: a rideable soft sculpture built over a working mechanical bull. My proposal was selected, and with the help of volunteers in my studio I created ‘Toxic Beauty,’ a ten-foot-long sculpture of a Hopkins Rose nudibranch, or sea slug.
Learn more about the project on the Toxic Beauty page.
Watch behind-the-scenes footage of the making of Toxic Beauty on my YouTube Channel.
Press coverage for Toxic Beauty at Cannonball Arts:
InTouch Hanging Pods at the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum
New UnNatural Designs Apparel Available Through My Sister Site
Curious about the perfect proportions of a penguin? Perhaps you need to sport the Vitruvian Penguin Tee Shirt to remind you.
In my ‘recovery time’ after completing and installing my solo show I’ve added some ew designs for those who appreciate science + nature + art + weirdness. You can order them online at UnNaturalDesigns.com - and shipping is always free.
Content Magazine Feature for ‘In the Glow’
A huge thanks to Content Magazine; it’s always a little nerve-wracking to see what comes of an interview, since translation of a conversation involves sensitivity and creativity on the part of the writer and editor after all one has said. I was extremely pleased with Saira Singh’s resulting feature article; it truly captured a sense me and my project. And Daniel Garcia’s photos and videos are always a treat!
Read the article: Stephanie Metz- In the Glow, written by Saira Singh, with photographs by Daniel Garcia in Content Magazine Issue 16.4, Fall 2024
Watch the video: https://vimeo.com/984489435
Teddy Bear UnNatural History: Origin Story
I’ve started writing a blog about my unnatural history specimens over on my UnNatural Designs website featuring my more pop-culture-friendly work on tee shirts, photo prints, and stickers. Here’s the first entry, all about the origins behind teddy bear skulls made of felted wool.
Watch my Locals Interview on YouTube
I was featured on episode 3 of the ‘Locals’ series created by the Institute of Contemporary Art San Jose. Produced, directed and edited by Tachiya Bryant, with videography by Miguel Ozuna. Watch the video.
Introducing: UnNatural Designs
This is it: the official launch of my print-on-demand clothing store aimed at people who appreciate science + nature + art + weirdness.
This isn’t a change of direction as much as a parallel path- I’m still working in the studio on three-dimensional sculpture; I’m just letting myself play in two dimensions too.
I’m starting with designs featuring my teddy bear skulls as well as unicorn skeletons. Coming soon are shirts featuring pigeons vs doves, some fun with tardigrades, and other subjects that hit that sweet spot for me: inspired by nature, then filtered through my ‘unique’ brain.
Watch me create a complete sculpture in 6 minutes…
with a little help from time lapse and editing. This sea turtle project encapsulates all the stages of sculptural needle felting: from poking wool into separate body parts, to adding color and detail, assembling the part together, and inserting a wire armature and wooden base. This example project is part of my online video-based Sculptural Needle Felting Course.
Online Art Talks Now Booking
I’ve been invited to present Artist Talk slide lectures lately to various arts groups via Zoom. I love talking about InTouch and my journey through the challenges of making multiple, large-scale, labor-intensive touchable art with the help of volunteers, and the feedback I receive as a presenter is incredibly positive. Now I’ve also created and presented a kid-focused version in which I talk about sculpture, patterning, and my artwork with the assistance of images of my goofy dog, Splash. If you’re interested in having me speak to groups of kids or adults, contact me at stephanie(at)stephaniemetz.com for scheduling and rates.
"What a wonderful artist and presenter Stephanie is! She was very well received and feedback has been very positive! Love that the kids were so engaged that they did not want it to end." -Amy G., Elementary School Librarian, Los Gatos, CA
"You communicated so well, seemed so relaxed. And your work; I just wanted to reach out and touch it. Plus, insight about your problem creating and solving experience was a bonus and something that all of us can take as a personal lesson." -Rachelle W.
InTouch video experiences now live
Stephanie Metz: InTouch in its first incarnation delighted visitors of all ages with its tactile, interactive experiences during its run at the de Saisset Museum at Santa Clara University. The planned 6-month-long debut of the exhibition was closed early due to campus-wide COVID-19 precautions and County Shelter In Place Orders— but before that happened there were lots of photos and videos captured. Now you can experience the exhibition from home:
Watch a documentary-style Artist Talk video for a behind-the-scenes look at eh making of InTouch artworks and their presentation at the museum.
Take a video tour through the Hanging Pods and the Holdables to get a visual sense of the experience.
Please visit youtube.com/c/StephanieMetzSculpture for a full line-up of videos. If you like what you see, please share them!
In The News: InTouch
InTouch received great write-ups by Gary Singh in the Metro and Sal Pizarro in the San Jose Mercury News.
Flesh & Bone Study #3 (Sacrum/Vessel), one of the works included in Figurative Fiber.
Previously on view in San Jose: Stephanie Metz: Figurative Fiber
The San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art presented a solo retrospective of Stephanie Metz’s sculpture. Stephanie Metz: Figurative Fiber ran from February 23 - June 9 2019. The exhibition, installed in the SJICA’s Off-Center Gallery, highlighted pieces spanning eight years from eight bodies of work including teddy bear skulls, porcupine-quill-studded creatures, clothing overtaken by hair, wool drawings, and Flesh and Bone sculptures.