Serious Play: Explorations in Contemporary Craft

At the heart of craft is the act of play: testing limits, breaking rules, and finding joy in the unexpected. Whether through improvisation, accident, or deliberate experimentation, artists discover new possibilities when they let materials lead the way. Serious Play is a call for art that invites contemporary makers to celebrate curiosity, risk, and discovery in their creative process. Works might emerge from playful gestures, unconventional techniques, or unexpected combinations of media. They may highlight moments of chance or simply revel in the tactile pleasure of material engagement. This exhibition seeks craft that embodies exploration—where the making is as important as the finished form, and where materials are collaborators as much as tools.

Artists are encouraged (but not required) to consider how their work engages one or more of the following approaches: Improvisation & Chance – works that embrace accidents, unpredictability, or improvisation in making; Process as Play – works where experimentation, repetition, or testing limits become visible parts of the finished form; Tactile Joy – works that revel in the sensual, textural, or kinetic pleasure of material engagement; Unexpected Combinations – works that hybridize media, tools, or traditions in unconventional or surprising ways; Rules & Games – works that create, bend, or break systems—treating making itself as a form of structured play. These themes are offered as inspiration; artists may interpret "material play" broadly, across function, form, or concept.

The exhibition runs January 16 - February 27, 2026. Open to artists 18 years and older working in clay, fiber, glass, metal, wood, paper, and other craft-based media or hybrid forms. Both functional and non-functional works are eligible. Works must have been completed in the past five years and not previously exhibited at Craft Alliance. Entry fee is $25 for 3 images and $10 for each additional piece (maximum 5 images). All work should be available for sale with a 50% commission to Craft Alliance. Artists are responsible for shipping works to arrive by January 5, 2026, and must include pre-paid return shipping labels.