ebere agwuncha

Designer, Maker, and Artist

2021 Make a Wave

Teaching Arts

ebere agwuncha (she/they) is an Igbo-American craftsperson and educator born and based in Chicago. Their practice embodies the histories of various Igbo (an ethnic group of Nigeria) sites, objects, architectures, paying homage to the traditional collective crafting practice of Nigerian women. Her craftwork appears as softly domestic through intimate installations that immerse the viewer with functional objects, wall sculptures, video projection, and interactive ritualized portals to their ancestors. They are known for creating precise sculptures with art techniques including ceramics, woodworking, reed basket weaving, cane wrapping, jute fish netting, horsehair rerooting, and willow weaving.

In 2025, ebere started the program woven together, a free basket weaving workshop offering, celebrating the collective memory of hands and craft practices that Igbo-Nigerian women have and continue to steward. ebere completed the Writer-in-Residence Program at Writing Space (Chicago), BOLT Residency at Chicago Artist Coalition (Chicago), ACRE Residency (Wisconsin), Soaring Gardens Artist Retreat (Pennsylvania), and the Starlight Artist Residency at Aao Mil Baithen with Spaceshift Collective (Chicago). ebere has done collective work with In Care of Black Women as a collaborator (Chicago), Tanda of Chuquimarca Projects (Chicago), More Than Monoliths with The Buxton Initiative (Ames, Iowa), Mobilize! Creative Blocks Collective Dreams on the Design Build Team (Chicago), and Alt_ as a Designer in Residence (Chicago).

ebere’s artwork has been exhibited nationally including solo exhibitions across Chicago at Roman Susan Gallery, Chicago Artists Coalition, and Comfort Station. She has shown work in group exhibitions at Uri-Eichen Gallery, Chicago Art Department, Chicago Artist Coalition, EXPO Chicago, Buddy at the Chicago Cultural Center, Bronzeville Winery, The Silver Room Block Party Design Pavillion, and Breathing Room Garden. ebere completed a major public art installation titled ***ode to rhumboogie*** on the Arts Lawn with Arts + Public Life in the summer of 2025. ebere was the inaugural Artist-in-Exchange for a semester with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Sculpture Department and then completed a semester teaching as a Visiting Lecturer for Knowledge Lab: Craft Ecologies.

ebere received a Bachelors of Industrial Design degree from Iowa State University (2019) and is currently the Education Programs Manager at Arts + Public Life, a dynamic hub part of UChicago Arts in the Division of the Arts & Humanities. They have received awards for their work including a Research and Development Grant from Ignite Fund (2022), Spark Grant from Chicago Artist Coalition (2022), and Make a Wave Grant Award from 3Arts (2022).

ebere agwuncha's Website