Materials: Hard + Soft Contemporary Craft & Digital competition Opening reception - Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025

Last night we celebrated 38 years of Materials: Hard + Soft with the opening of the 2025 show in our newly renovated Meadows Gallery. Thank you to the artists from across the U.S. and around the world who submit their work and congratulations to the select few who were accepted to this year’s exhibition! We also extend our gratitude to everyone who attended the reception and showed their appreciation for the incredible body of work chosen by our jurors, Christine Miller and Alicia Eggert, and curated by our very own Caitlin Spencer.

We’re thrilled to have announced the winners of this year’s MHS in each of the media categories and best overall:

Best in Clay - Jack Hein - Smelly Memory

Best in Conceptual - Brian Drake - Working Hard Or Hardly Working?

Best in Digital - Faith Belflower - Asphyxiation, Enervate, Solace

Best in Fiber - Claire Renaut - Topography

Best in Glass - Marcy Chevali - Untitled

Best in Metal - Brittney Hampton - Captivate

Best in Mixed-Media - Xinchen Li - The Sewing Machine

Best in Paper - Danise Holguin - Miss Ethel Gladys Antoinette Dubois Debuts in paper couture

Best in Wood - Archit Karkare - Amorphous

Best in Overall Exhibition - Isabel Zeng - Watchers

Congratulations to all for the well-deserved recognition of your work!

If you couldn’t make it to opening night, you still have plenty of time to experience the exhibition which will be on display until May 2. In the gallery, you can grab an exhibition catalogue (we ask that you only take one per party as supplies are limited) and reflect on the artworks with the Art for Thought questions provided. For children, we’ve made an MHS scavenger hunt! Preview the show with the digital MHS catalogue.