Contemporary Craft

Welcome to our new National Artist-in-Residence, Esther Cho!

Esther Jihye Cho () is a New York-based artist working across woodworking, textiles, and paper sculpture. She explores the hidden layers of memory, emotion, and secrecy by transforming them into sculptural forms. Using handmade paper and traditional Korean techniques such as jiseung and joomchi, her slow, detailed process invites reflection and care.

Cho holds dual MFAs from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in Woodworking and Furniture Design, and Design Studies with a focus on papermaking and textiles. A recipient of the 2017 Windgate-Lamar Fellowship, she has studied Korean papermaking traditions in South Korea and bridges historical craft with contemporary expression. Her work has been exhibited at venues including the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum, the Textile Arts Center of Madison, and the Art and Literature Laboratory. She has been awarded upcoming residencies at Contemporary Craft and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts.

Next time you visit, make sure to stop by our National Artists-in-Residence Studio and say hi, and don't miss Esther's upcoming Joomchi workshop! Learn more and register HERE: https://contemporarycraft.org/studio-2/upcoming-workshops/

Join us for another week in the studios! Many of these workshops still have spots available—learn more and register HERE: https://contemporarycraft.org/studio-2/upcoming-workshops/