Cheekwood Estate & Gardens has named nationally recognized artist Maura Wright as its 2026 Martin Shallenberger Artist-in-Residence. More Tennessee Event Venue News
Wright is known for immersive installations that combine sculptural ceramics, historic ornament, and painted environments. Working primarily in clay, she draws inspiration from decorative arts, domestic objects, and folk traditions.
During her residency, Wright will look to Cheekwood’s decorative arts collection, Historic Mansion and gardens to create a site-specific installation inspired by the estate’s history, architecture and landscape.
The residency will culminate with an exhibition on view inside Cheekwood’s Mansion and Museum from August 1 through October 4, 2026.
“Maura’s work beautifully bridges the worlds of decorative arts, architecture, and contemporary ceramics, making her an ideal fit for Cheekwood,” said Sarah Sperling, Senior Vice President of Museum Affairs in a release. “We are excited to support her creative exploration of our collections and landscapes and to share the resulting installation with our visitors.”
“I’m so excited to be at Cheekwood,” said Wright. “Working at the incredible estate and alongside the beautiful gardens is a gift filled with endless inspiration.”
Wright earned her MFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University and her BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute. Her work has been shown across the country and featured in Architectural Digest, Surface Magazine, Curbed and Dwell.
The Martin Shallenberger Artist-in-Residence series brings national and international artists to Nashville to create and exhibit site-specific works at Cheekwood. Past artists in the program include Tamara Kostianovsky, Sarah Nguyen, Craig Black, Hiroshi Sato, Gabriel Dawe and Soo Sunny Park.
For more information on Wright’s upcoming exhibition or to purchase tickets, visit cheekwood.org.
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