The Protest Cup Fellowship at NCECA

March 25-28, 2026 | Detroit, MI

The Protest Cup Fellowship centers artists and uses the familiar form of the cup to express protest and care around issues like gender, racial equity, free speech, climate change, and more. The purpose of the exhibition is to reinterpret the cup into a subversive object by means of decoration, form, and/or how the object functions. 

In addition to thinking about the cups as protest objects, our exhibition is itself an anti-capitalist protest. We’re experimenting with a model of compensation rooted in equity and inclusivity–one that values both the makers and those seeking to engage with and own pottery. 

Our Economic Model

Our “Protest Cup” exhibition functions as a fellowship following a profit-sharing agreement.

All artists' work will be priced the same, at $100/cup. Buyers can select the cup of their choice at the show, and pick up the cup at the end of the show on Friday afternoon, March 27. For this experiment, work can be sold for as little as $75/cup to buyers who demonstrate financial need. We are attempting to create an equitable environment for those who want to participate in collecting a cup in this experiment. This is limited to one low cost cup per customer. We will also request that buyers who are financially able, please pay more than $100/cup to offset the sliding scale.

Buyers can also choose to participate in a raffle. On March 27th, all remaining unsold pieces will be placed in a raffle to be distributed at the close of the show. Raffle proceeds will be evenly divided and used to compensate artists.

All artists will be paid as close to $50/cup as funds allow. The proceeds will be split evenly with POW!