News, Exhibitions, and Events
Artist Talk at Cannonball Arts: Toxic Beauty Nudibranch Project
Cannonball Arts, 1930 3rd Avenue, Seattle, WA
November 6, 2025, 5pm-7pm
Mark your calendar! I’m thrilled to be traveling to Seattle to present a talk about my rideable mechanical-bull-based nudibranch project, Toxic Beauty.
Join me to learn about the creative process, the problem-solving, and the nudibranch research that went into this much-larger-than-life needle-felted sculpture of a sea slug. I’ll share stories and photos and answer your questions.
Tickets are required; find more information on the Cannonball Arts Events page.
Flora 2 in the ICA SJ Auction
Once again I’ve contributed a piece to the annual auction held by the Institute of Contemporary Art San Jose; the live event takes place on Saturday, November 1, 5-9pm. You can bid on my wool drawing Flora 2 remotely using their online bidding portal.
My ‘wool drawings’ are images I create by anchoring wool fibers directly through thick cottony printmaking paper; the accumulation of wool on the front of the paper makes up the recognizable drawing, while fibers also protrude through the back. This drawing was based on a California poppy I saw and photographed on a dog walk; I used about six different colors of dyed wool to achieve the effects of light, shadow, and three-dimensionality.
Fall Open Studios at the Alameda Artworks
The public will once again be welcomed into artists’ studios at The Alameda Artworks on November 15th and 16th, from 11am - 5pm. Check out works-in-progress and buy one-of-a-kind creations from San Jose artists.
In my studio you’ll see my ongoing wall sculptures focused on the optics of bounced color. These pieces are meditations on what it is to see— and I find they soothe me (and viewers) in a very fraught time. I’d love to hear your feedback on the works.
Find a map of participating artists and more information on my Open Studios page.
“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:
Fabulous Fiber at the Oceanside Museum of Art
July 26 - November 2
Curated by Kate Stern, this exhibition is a dazzling celebration of textile artistry where tradition meets innovation. Three of my Hanging Pod sculptures will welcome touch.
Exhibition Celebration Saturday, August 23, 2025, 5-7pm. Register Here.
Recently Closed: 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.