Call Description

In celebration of the twentieth Craft Alliance Biennial focused on teapots, the Staenberg Gallery proudly presents Better Together: Twenty Years of Teapots. 

The ritualistic use of tea sets varies across cultures and contexts—upon closer examination, our approach to tea becomes a reflection of class, politics, and the beliefs that shape how it is prepared, served, and enjoyed. The vessels and utensils designed for this age-old practice have been influenced by these very rituals, evolving from functional tools to objects of profound cultural significance. Whether it’s the formality of high tea, the reverence of sacred tea ceremonies, or the everyday ritual of a midday break in a cubicle or carpool lane, these practices and their corresponding objects each tell a unique story. 

Better Together brings together a diverse range of perspectives, rituals, and practices by inviting artists from various disciplines to explore their relationship with tea sets, services, and rituals. From the intricacy of a finely crafted tea service to the simplicity of a quiet cup enjoyed in the kitchen, from teaspoons to tea towels—what does the ritual of drinking tea mean to you? Collectively, these objects will offer a rich narrative about the role of tea in our modern world. 

Juror: 

Margaret Bohls received a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design in 1989, and an MFA from Louisiana State University in 1995. She has been teaching ceramics at the college level for over twenty-five years. She is currently an Associate Professor of Art at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. She previously taught at the University of Minnesota from 1998 to 2011 and has taught as visiting faculty at Ohio University, Penn State University, and NSCAD University in Halifax. She has given lectures at universities across the U.S. and has taught hands-on workshops at art centers such as Arrowmont School of Art and Crafts, in Gatlinburg, Greenwich House Pottery in New York, Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Aspen, Colorado, and Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina. Bohls’ work has been shown in over 100 group and solo exhibitions since 1995 and is included in the permanent collections of the Everson Museum in Syracuse, The Weisman Museum and the Minnesota Museum of American Art in the Twin Cities, the American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA), and in the Sonny and Gloria Kamm Teapot Foundation Collection. She has written articles for the Journal of the National Council for Education on Ceramic Arts, Ceramics Monthly, Pottery Making Illustrated, and Studio Potter Journal.

About Craft Alliance: 

Craft Alliance has been providing the Saint Louis metro craft education for over 60 years. Located in The Maker District of  St. Louis, Craft Alliance is a hub for artists, enthusiasts, and students to explore, learn, and celebrate the world of contemporary craft. We offer studios for ceramics, print and paper arts, metals, fibers, glass, wood, an artists-in-residence program, robust community programs, and an exhibition program.

Key Dates: 

Call dates: March 7, 2025 - May 30, 2025

Exhibition dates: August 29- November 1, 2025

Applicants notified by: June 12, 2025

Work delivered by: August 15, 2025

Work Returned: November 12th, 2025

Sales: 

All work submitted should be available for sale. Any sales during the length of the exhibition will be transferred to the artist after Craft Alliance takes a 50% commission of the total sale. Please include the price of work, and account for the 50% commission, in your CaFE account portfolio/artwork image details.

Shipping and Drop-off: 

Artists should make arrangements for works to arrive on site at Craft Alliance no later than August 15th, 2025.  Artists are responsible for shipping works to Craft Alliance and for insuring shipped work for its full value. Craft Alliance will pay for return shipping in the event that works do not sell. Unsold artwork will be shipped back to artists by November 12, 2025.

Application Requirements

Please submit:

• High resolution images of 3 pieces for consideration
• A pdf containing a bio, a cv, and artist statement
• An entry fee of $30 for 3 images and $10 for each additional piece you would like to submit

Eligibility Criteria

The exhibition seeks traditional teapots, teacups, tea sets or other objects used in the preparation and consumption of tea along with artists interpretations on the objects. Previous biennials have seen sculptural paper tea pots, beaded vessels, and prints among others. Artists exploring these themes who work in Ceramics, Metals, Glass, Printmaking and Paper Arts, Fibers and Textiles, Wood, sculpture and installation should consider applying.  Current Craft Alliance staff or board members are ineligible.