Daiva Walz is a studio artist and emerging educator living and working in the Chicago Metropolitan Area. Walz has an Associate in Arts from Triton College, River Grove, IL, where she studied drawing and painting. She also completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art, Media, and Design at DePaul University, Chicago, IL.

Walz’s most recent exhibitions include a sculpture piece exhibited at the 2024 DePaul Artist Collective juried exhibition and ceramic pieces exhibited in the 2022 Spring DePaul Artist Collective juried exhibition at the Richardson Art Gallery, DePaul University. In 2022, Walz completed a studio tech internship at Firebird Community Arts Center in Chicago, IL, while also working with their After School Matters program as an instructor's assistant, assisting teens with art projects.

In 2023, she interned at the Arts of Life in Chicago, IL, where she worked as an artist mentor, assisting adult artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities. There, Walz led group art demonstrations for the artists at the Chicago studio and via Zoom for their North Shore studio.

Walz is currently enrolled in a Master of Arts in Teaching program at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, working towards her K-12 teaching licensure, and plans to graduate in 2026.

Towle Theater Exhibition Ceramics Artist Statement: Inspired by a deep admiration and enduring curiosity for the natural world, my ceramic practice explores the intricate and subtle details of nature. I am especially drawn to organic forms and botanical patterns. These elements frequently appear in my work as surface decoration or structural inspiration, reflecting a desire to preserve and honor the quiet beauty that can be found in nature. Working with clay allows me to engage in a direct, tactile dialogue with the earth and its elements. The physicality of the process, whether hand-built or wheel-thrown, becomes a space of reflection and presence. I aim to create functional and decorative pieces that evoke a sense of admiration and quiet reflection, inviting users to reconnect with their innate bond to nature. Through form, texture, and design, I hope my ceramics foster not only visual appreciation but also a deeper awareness of nature’s enduring presence in our lives. Each piece serves as a moment to pause, notice, and honor the subtle complexities that surround us.

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