About this exhibition
Chad Alexander Matha
“Everything To Build With”
December 5–March 1
MOWA | DTN
About the Exhibition
Working with a multitude of different materials, literally “everything to build with”—language found on a thrifted yardstick—Matha transforms the overlooked and discarded into bold, unexpected stories
Opening Party | December 5 | 5:00—7:00
Artist Talk | December 5 | 6:00
Emerging artist Chad Alexander Matha transforms found and readymade objects into two- and three-dimensional collages that reflect on identity, memory, and meaning. Scouring thrift stores for industrial materials and overlooked objects, he has assembled a vast studio “catalog” of discoveries that serve as the foundation for his work. By combining these materials—plywood, bungee cords, buckets, and more—with craft-based processes such as knitting, sewing, and weaving, Matha constructs visual narratives that connect the personal and the universal.
His work often addresses specific experiences and significant moments, like in We Grew Flowers in the Baseball Diamond, an artwork referencing when Matha first revealed his sexual orientation to a childhood friend. Working with a multitude of different materials, literally “everything to build with”—language found on a thrifted yardstick—Matha transforms the overlooked and discarded into bold, unexpected stories.
The artist lives and works in Milwaukee and recently received his BFA from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. Everything to Build With is his first solo museum exhibition.
This exhibition is open to the public at MOWA | DTN, the museum’s satellite location inside Saint Kate—The Arts Hotel in downtown Milwaukee.
Image: Chad Alexander Matha, We Grew Flowers in the Baseball Diamond (detail), 2024
Image: Chad Alexander Matha, Field Day, 2025