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MUSEUM FOR ART IN WOOD AND NEXTFAB ANNOUNCE ARTIST AND DESIGNER LIN ELKINS AS THE 2026 WINTER RESIDENCY PROGRAM FELLOW
The annual artist residency, hosted in collaboration with NextFab, is awarded to a Philadelphia-based artist creating contemporary art in wood
PHOTOS: HERE
Philadelphia, PA | December 28, 2025 – Museum for Art in Wood (141 N 3rd St, Philadelphia, PA 19106) and NextFab announced Philadelphia-based artist and craftswoman Lin Elkins as the Fellow for their sixth annual Winter Residency Program. Launched in 2021, the program is designed for artists based in the Greater Philadelphia region who work in the medium of wood and are pursuing research-based inquiries into sustainable creative practice. The residency will run from January 5 to March 5, 2026, culminating in a solo exhibition at NextFab (1800 N. American Street) opening on March 12, 2026.
The Winter Residency Program is a collaboration between the Museum and membership-based makerspace NextFab. Each year, the two organizations assemble a jury of makers and educators to award one Fellowship to an artist in the region who works either solely in wood or other materials in combination with wood. The Fellow receives a stipend for project materials and access to NextFab’s workshop space. Reflecting the Museum and NextFab’s support of environmental stewardship, reclaimed wood must comprise at least 50 percent of the Fellow’s work during the residency.
Lin Elkins is an artist, furniture maker, and craftswoman based in Philadelphia. Her interest in creating objects to positively impact people’s lives led Elkins to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Furniture Design from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. Since earning her degree, she has participated in several post-graduate programs, including a Fellowship at the University of North Carolina-Asheville, a craft education internship at North House Folk School, and served as the Staff Fellow and Media Coordinator at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship. Elkins has also assisted and led education courses at a variety of institutions, including Penland School of Craft and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts.
As an artist, Elkins is driven by the dichotomy between the natural and the built environment and how that tension affects the spiritual and physical connection we have to ourselves and the world around us. She explores this through purposeful functionality, playfulness, and art, creating opportunities for moments of comfort, wonder, and curiosity. One of Elkins’s recent pieces, “In My Mind’s Eye,” is a charming reliquary that serves as a vessel designed to shelter personal mementos for objects that offer profound emotional and spiritual meaning, reflecting our innermost memories, desires, and inner worlds. Another sculpture, “Vantage Points,” was inspired by her trips to coastal Maine, where large, modern, and precariously perched homes adorn the rocky cliffsides. Elkin’s sculpture captures the clean and pristine lines of these vacation homes juxtaposed with the untamed and unruly nature they rest. More of Elkins’s inventive work can be found on her website here
“The 2026 Winter Residency Fellow Lin Elkins embodies the program’s commitment to intensive research and material inquiry,” said Jennifer-Navva Milliken, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Museum for Art in Wood. “Through the Winter Residency, Elkins receives a NextFab membership and access to their facilities as well as the library and archives held by the Museum for Art in Wood. The opportunity for unfettered focus supported by the combined resources of the Museum and NextFab sustains deep creative exploration and advances thinking around environmental care and the future of wood-based artistry.”
The Winter Residency exhibition is on display at NextFab from March 12 to May 12, 2026. Following the exhibition’s opening, the Museum and NextFab will host an Artist Talk with Elkins on March 13, where she will share insights into her creative process and residency experience.
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About the Museum for Art in Wood:
The Museum for Art in Wood is the international leader for contemporary art and creativity in the material of wood. The Museum engages, educates, and inspires the public through the exhibition, collection, and interpretation of contemporary art in wood. Founded in 1986 and sited in Philadelphia, the Museum for Art in Wood serves a local and international community. It has built its reputation by providing opportunities for makers and visitors to experience craft directly, through participatory programming; seminal exhibitions and documentation; and the growth, conservation, exhibition, and care of its permanent collection. The Museum’s practice of keeping these resources free and available to the public emphasizes its commitment to building a democratic and inclusive community. Visit museumforartinwood.org to learn more.
About NextFab
NextFab is a membership-based makerspace that provides access to tools, technology, education, events, and services for makers and creatives. They offer a variety of education and startup programs, as well as professional design, production, and placemaking services for whatever your fabrication needs. Visit www.nextfab.com to learn more.