News, Exhibitions, and Events
Hawaii Artists Collab
I’m honored to be selected as one of forty artists taking part in the 2026 Hawaii Artist Collaboration. HAC is a non-profit organization that provides opportunities for artists to integrate collective knowledge to work together creatively while also providing resources for the benefit of the local community.
For over ten years master artists from Hawaii and around the world have come together annually to create one-of-a-kind artworks in collaboration with during a five-day event. The artwork produced each year during Collab is offered for sale at the annual charity art auction.
Proceeds from the art sales and ticket purchases help fund art supplies for classrooms, provide scholarships, and support future educational and collaborative events.
Join me in person in Kona on Noveber 7, 2026 from 4pm to 7pm for the live auction, or bid online (more info soon).
I’m excited to share with you all that we create!
More information can be found on the Hawaii Artist Collaboration Website
Threads of Resilience at the Euphrat Museum of Art
October 22 - February 6, 2027
De Anza College Euphrat Museum of Art
24250 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino, CA
Regular Hours: Tuesday - Thursday, 11am - 3pm
Visit the exhibit with Stephanie on Saturday, December 5, 11am - 1pm
Closing Reception with artists, music, and refreshments on Saturday, February 6, 12 - 2pm
Ten of my touchable Hanging Pod sculptures will be on exhibition as part of a meditation on mental health curated by Diana Argabrite. Threads of Resilience will explore the intersection of the arts, well-being, and healing. The artists included find healing in the act of making art, and their work aims to help others process loss and grief or spark moments of joy.
Artists include Shari Arai Deboer, Ellen Bepp, Reiko Fuji, Kathy Fuji-Oka, Jackie Liu, Therese May, Stephanie Metz, Lydia Sanchez, Edgar Sedano Peña, Pragati Sharma, Na Omi Judy Shintani, and Grace Zhu.
Read the San Jose Mercury News article about the exhibition here.
Biofresh, wool, polymer clay, eggshells, wood shavings, glass dome, wooden base, 8 × 9.5 × 9.5 inches, 2026
The Ribbon at Antler & Talon Gallery
September 24 - October 30, 2026
Antler & Talon Gallery
2714 NE Alberta Street
Portland, Oregon
I was invited to create a piece focused on themes of rebirth, renewal, and the circle of life as part of The Ribbon. The exhibition honors the too-short life of cofounder Susannah Kelly; the group show is part of the Susannah Kelly Art Award. The gallery is known for its nature-inspired art with a strong focus on technical skill. My addition is a tableau of young lab rats emerging from their eggshells. “Biofresh” is named after a brand of rodent bedding marketed for laboratory use that sounds rather aspirational.
Opening reception: Thursday, September 24, 6 - 9pm
Hours are Friday 3-7pm, Saturday 2-6pm, and Sunday 1-3pm
You can request a digital catalog in advance of the exhibition here: The Ribbon 2026 - Request Catalog
Fall Open Studios at The Alameda Artworks
1043 C Garland Avenue, San Jose - find me through the lime-green door off the parking lot.
Get a behind-the-scenes look at my art practice at Fall Open Studios at The Alameda Artworks in San Jose.
Visit me and 20 other artists spread across three buildings. We’re open 11am - 5pm Saturday and Sunday; parking is available in our lot or on the street nearby. All studios are wheelchair accessible.
New blog post: 50th Birthday Thoughts
On turning 50 as an artist and the benefits of grownup summer camp.
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”
Recently Closed Shows
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.
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.