Submissions are now open!
Material Bodies: Identities in Clay explores the human form as both presence and a container of experience to examine identity, memory, and transformation. Through surface, gesture, and form, the works reveal how material carries personal and collective stories - holding traces of strength, vulnerability, and resilience.
We invite ceramic artists based in the Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin to submit work responding to the exhibition theme.
Exhibition Dates: Nov. 13-Dec. 19, 2026
Opening Reception: Friday, November 13, 2026, 5-9pm
Submission Deadline: June 30, 2026 - Midnight
Acceptance emails will go out Monday July 6, 2026
Click here to complete the Material Bodies: Identities in Clay application
ELIGIBILITY: Open to all professional ceramic artists, ages 21 and up, who design and produce their own original work. Work must have been created within the last three years and may not have been previously shown at Oliva Gallery. All work MUST BE FOR SALE. Artists may submit up to three original works. Installation and video works are not eligible due to space limitations.
AWARDS: Best in Show. This winner will be featured in a curated solo exhibition at Oliva Gallery in 2029. Plus a People's Choice Cash Award of $200.
JURORS: Nancy Pirri and Lauralynn White
Nancy Pirri is an artist from Chicago, working primarily in figurative ceramics. Pirri has won awards from the Beverly Arts Center and the Rockford Art Museum, including work published in ‘500 Figures in Clay’ V2. Pirri has exhibited nationally and internationally and has acquired collectors from all over the world. This is her second year as Juror and Curator for the Midwest Ceramic Exhibition. Pirri is currently represented by Oliva Gallery, J. Petter Galleries (MI), THE STALLS/Primitive Warehouse, Inner Haven Gallery and the shop at 6311arts.
Lauralynn White is an exhibiting artist and curator in Chicago. She earned a BFA in Illustration and Art History from Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). White is a Signature Member of the National Association of Women Artists (NAWA), serving on their exhibitions and PR committees. White has served on the board of ArtFusion, Pottstown, PA and as a juror/curator for exhibitions, including: Albright College, YorkArts, Alvernia University, and Reading Film Festival. For nearly a decade, White was Gallery Director at GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, Reading, PA and was the founding Director/Curator of Contemporary Art Gallery, Chautauqua, NY. White has exhibited nationally and internationally, integrating the human form in landscape and bringing to her work a vision of humanity in the natural world.
Established in 2016, Oliva Gallery is a woman-owned gallery dedicated to showcasing exceptional works from established Midwest artists. For over a decade, Kimberly Oliva curated over 250 national exhibitions featuring fine art and design.
Material Bodies: Identities in Clay explores the human form as both presence and a container of experience to examine identity, memory, and transformation. Through surface, gesture, and form, the works reveal how material carries personal and collective stories - holding traces of strength, vulnerability, and resilience.
We invite ceramic artists based in the Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin to submit work responding to the exhibition theme.
Exhibition Dates: Nov. 13-Dec. 19, 2026
Opening Reception: Friday, November 13, 2026, 5-9pm
Submission Deadline: June 30, 2026 - Midnight
Acceptance emails will go out Monday July 6, 2026
Click here to complete the Material Bodies: Identities in Clay application
ELIGIBILITY: Open to all professional ceramic artists, ages 21 and up, who design and produce their own original work. Work must have been created within the last three years and may not have been previously shown at Oliva Gallery. All work MUST BE FOR SALE. Artists may submit up to three original works. Installation and video works are not eligible due to space limitations.
AWARDS: Best in Show. This winner will be featured in a curated solo exhibition at Oliva Gallery in 2029. Plus a People's Choice Cash Award of $200.
JURORS: Nancy Pirri and Lauralynn White
Nancy Pirri is an artist from Chicago, working primarily in figurative ceramics. Pirri has won awards from the Beverly Arts Center and the Rockford Art Museum, including work published in ‘500 Figures in Clay’ V2. Pirri has exhibited nationally and internationally and has acquired collectors from all over the world. This is her second year as Juror and Curator for the Midwest Ceramic Exhibition. Pirri is currently represented by Oliva Gallery, J. Petter Galleries (MI), THE STALLS/Primitive Warehouse, Inner Haven Gallery and the shop at 6311arts.
Lauralynn White is an exhibiting artist and curator in Chicago. She earned a BFA in Illustration and Art History from Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). White is a Signature Member of the National Association of Women Artists (NAWA), serving on their exhibitions and PR committees. White has served on the board of ArtFusion, Pottstown, PA and as a juror/curator for exhibitions, including: Albright College, YorkArts, Alvernia University, and Reading Film Festival. For nearly a decade, White was Gallery Director at GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, Reading, PA and was the founding Director/Curator of Contemporary Art Gallery, Chautauqua, NY. White has exhibited nationally and internationally, integrating the human form in landscape and bringing to her work a vision of humanity in the natural world.
Established in 2016, Oliva Gallery is a woman-owned gallery dedicated to showcasing exceptional works from established Midwest artists. For over a decade, Kimberly Oliva curated over 250 national exhibitions featuring fine art and design.