32nd annual juried woodworking exhibition

In 1994, the annual juried woodworking exhibition began as an opportunity to encourage new, creative and imaginative designs in wood. Encouraged to think like Esherick and invent designs both expressive and functional, professional woodworkers, artists, hobbyists and craftspeople have submitted hundreds of pieces reflecting each year’s theme. From wooden jewelry to wall cabinets, chairs to desk accessories and everything in between, the next generation of artistry in wood has passed through the doors of the Wharton Esherick Museum.

THE CHALLENGE

The phrase groundbreaking has multiple meanings. Each addition to the built environment begins with the loosening of the earth that will eventually come to support its weight. When we hold a groundbreaking ceremony for new construction, we bestow ceremonial purposes on everyday objects like shovels, and actions like digging. As an adjective, groundbreaking describes ideas that are new, significant, and original, sure to have an impact on the community that engages with them.

The year 2026 marks the 100th anniversary of a pivotal moment for the Wharton Esherick Museum that required both literal and symbolic groundbreaking. In 1926, Esherick completed the first phase of construction on his Studio, the space that introduced his distinctive architectural and artistic vision to the built environment. This first part of the Studio showcased Esherick’s deep interest in vernacular architecture, desire to bring the natural world into the built landscape, commitment to a larger workspace that would accommodate his growing creative efforts in wood, and investment in himself as not only a painter but also a builder of worlds. The Studio is a deeply personal space—one that Esherick himself called an “autobiography in three dimensions”—and naturally reflects breaks in the aesthetic and ideological ground that allowed him to reshape his creative career.

We will mark the Studio’s centennial year through programs honoring both the physical foundation Esherick laid and the new aesthetic directions that act made possible. We will also explore how Esherick’s groundbreaking work continues to inspire fresh thinking, experimentation, and creative ambition today.

For WEM’s Thirty-Second Annual Juried Woodworking Exhibition, Breaking Ground, we invite contemporary artists to take inspiration from what they consider groundbreaking, defined by any of the term’s multiple meanings. How does Wharton Esherick’s life and work seem groundbreaking in 2026 and how might this be interpreted through your own practice? Whether public or personal, what ideas or shifts feel groundbreaking in this complex moment in history? What groundbreaking tools or moments have shaped your practice? Is there a groundbreaking idea that has inspired your work? What do you consider groundbreaking about your own contributions to the expanded field of art and design in wood? After the initial excitement and ceremony of a groundbreaking, how do we build?

With these prompts, we encourage applicants to think broadly about the theme. We hope you will submit entries across a wide spectrum of approaches, so long as they incorporate wood in some way.

THE EXHIBITION

A group of works from the final jury selection will be exhibited in the Museum’s 150 square foot visitor center gallery. All of the works in the jury selection will be shared via an online exhibition on the Wharton Esherick Museum’s website and through a small publication. To learn more, please see our recent Juried Exhibitions including Wood And…  (2021), Home as Self (2022), Telling Tales (2023), Rhythms (2024), and Renewal (2025). 

WEM will also host public programs connected to the exhibition. Many of the virtual public programs from past years are also available as recordings on our website.