Cranbrook Alumni Exhibition Opens Next Week in Detroit
More Than 100 Works by Cranbrook Ceramics Alumni on View in Detroit During National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts Conference
Cranbrook Alumni Exhibition
March 25–28, 2026
Work by: Top row, L to R: Ebitenyefa Baralaye, Cammi Climaco, Laith Karmo. Bottom row, L to R: Shannon Goff, Chris Berti, Beth Katleman, Anjuli Wright.
Detroit, Mich., March 18, 2026 — In March, Detroit will welcome makers, artists, and educators from around the world for the annual conference of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA), the largest ceramics conference in the United States. Taking place March 25–28, the conference will bring thousands of participants to the city for exhibitions, lectures, and events celebrating contemporary ceramic practice.
In conjunction with the conference, Cranbrook Academy of Art will present the Cranbrook Alumni Exhibition, the largest collection of alumni ceramics ever shown together, at the Chrysler House in downtown Detroit.
The presentation brings together more than 100 works by alumni ceramic artists across 21 states and 3 countries. The work explores materiality, scale, and emergence, all set within the architectural setting of the city. For the full list of participating artists, visit our website.
Featured artists include Cranbrook ceramics luminaries Marie Woo (MFA Ceramics 1956), Mie Kongo (MFA Ceramics 2008), and Rob Raphael (MFA Ceramics 2004), alongside alumni from the Ceramics department spanning more than 70 years.
The exhibition is curated by Alison Wong (MFA Painting 2006), Director and Curator at Wasserman Projects. The exhibition committee is made up of Fabio J. Fernández (MFA Sculpture 2002), Executive Director of the National Sculpture Society; Ian McDonald, Head of Ceramics at Cranbrook Academy of Art; and Shelley Selim, the Mort Harris Curator of Automotive, Industrial, and Decorative Design at the Detroit Institute of Arts.
It will be on view to the public for only four days, March 25 through March 28. A reception will be held on Thursday, March 26, with a special curator and committee walk-through from 4–5pm.
Cranbrook Alumni Exhibition in Detroit
Chrysler House
719 Griswold St., Suite 170, Detroit
On view: March 25–28, 10am–5pm, daily
Reception: Thursday, March 26, 5–8pm RSVP
Curator and Committee Walk-Through: Thursday, March 26, 4–5pm
Select work featured in the exhibition will also be for sale. A link to the online sale will be posted when the show opens and can be found on Cranbrook’s website. Additional Cranbrook-connected exhibitions, talks, and tours will take place throughout Detroit during the conference. A full schedule of events can be found on the NCECA website.
The exhibition is sponsored by Bedrock and presented in partnership with Wasserman Projects.
