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.
SELECTION
Jurors Tom Loeser and Joyce Lin, along with Emily Zilber, WEM's Director of Curatorial Affairs and Strategic Partnerships, will select the finalists for the exhibition from the images submitted using a blind jury process. It is strongly recommended that you submit high-quality images to ensure the jury sees your piece at its best.
The competition is open to both emerging and established makers across all artistic disciplines, so long as wood is a meaningful part of the finished piece. Entered works should be available for the duration of the exhibition. Jurors will evaluate the submissions based on inventive approaches to the prompt, craftsmanship and technical proficiency, aesthetics, and other considerations as determined by the jury.
Tom Loeser served as Chair of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Art from 2009-2014 and was head of the wood/furniture area at UW-Madison from 1991-2020. He currently maintains an independent woodshop on Madison’s fabulous East Side. Loeser designs and builds one-of-a-kind functional and dysfunctional objects that are often carved and painted and always draw inspiration from the history of design and object making. His work can be found in museum collections including the Brooklyn Museum; Museum of Arts and Design, New York; Racine Art Museum, Wisconsin; Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art; Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery, Washington, DC; Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, New York; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut, and many other institutions.
Joyce Lin is an artist and sculptural furniture designer who experiments with a diverse range of materials to create works that explore the connections between outer surfaces and the interior and the ongoing erosion of boundaries between the natural and the man-made. Originally from Birmingham, AL, Lin pursued her cross-disciplinary interests through the Brown|RISD Dual Degree Program, studying Furniture Design at RISD and Geology-Biology at Brown University. She has since exhibited in notable galleries and institutions such as R & Company in NYC, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. Her pieces are held in numerous private and public collections including the RISD Museum, The Mint Museum, Carnegie Museum of Art, Munson Museum of Art, Houston Civic Arts Collection, New Orleans Museum of Art and SFMOMA. Her practice has been featured in publications including The New York Times, The Architect’s Newspaper, Dwell, Paper City Magazine, Objects: USA 2020 and Objects: USA 2024.
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.
The pieces may be offered for sale with a 30% commission for the Wharton Esherick Museum; prices are set by the artist. Cash prizes of $500, $300, and $200 for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place will be awarded, as well as a $200 Viewer’s Choice award voted on via the virtual exhibition on WEM’s website.
Pieces selected for the exhibition will be displayed in a secure area and are insured by the Museum from the time of their arrival to the time of their delivery to the artist or purchaser. The exhibition will run from June 18 through September 20, 2026.
ENTRY PROCESS
Entrants should submit a completed entry form online. Please submit no more than 3 images for each entered piece; we recommend two overall images and one detail. Photographs should be JPEG or TIFF files sized at a minimum of 4 x 6 inches at 300 dpi, submitted online. The jury will select finalists via your submitted images, so we suggest sharing images that are as high quality and well-composed as possible.
There is a $30 entry fee ($20 for Museum members). The fee is non-refundable and covers the entry of up to three pieces. Additional entry fees apply for more than three pieces.
Applicants can submit their work for consideration online here.
DEADLINE
The deadline for entry is January 9, 2026 by midnight. All entrants will be notified by February 27, 2026 of the jury’s decision.
SALES
Please note on your entry form if your piece(s) are for sale. If they are not for sale, please include a value for insurance and your piece will be marked “Not for Sale” during the exhibition. The Museum retains a 30% commission of your retail price if sold.
SELECTED PIECES
If your piece is selected for the onsite exhibition, you are responsible for shipping your work to the Museum. The Museum will pay the cost of shipping unsold pieces back to you after the exhibition closes. You are welcome to drop off your piece before the exhibition but if you are unable to pick up your piece after the show, you will be responsible for the cost of shipping. International submissions are welcome, but please consider the shipping expenses when selecting pieces to submit.
Questions regarding the annual juried show? Please contact Emily Zilber at emily@whartonesherickmuseum.org