Ava L Peterson

(B. Columbus, OH) Ava L. Peterson examines the domestic interior as a site of propriety, class aspiration, and excess. Peterson subjects imagery of upper-middle-class interiors to a series of process-based painting techniques, resulting in surfaces that are at once lush and unstable. Peterson received an MFA in Painting & Drawing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2026) and a BFA in Studio Art from Denison University (2024). Notable exhibitions include Housewarming (Elise Seigenthaler Gallery, IL), House & Garden (Incubator Gallery, IL), In a Child's Place (Purple Window Gallery, IL), and Forget-me-not (Epiphany Center for the Arts, IL). 

2025 Luminarts Visual Arts Fellowship, Finalist; 2024 Nan Nowik Memorial Award for Outstanding Artistic Expression

2026 Housewarming (group exhibition), Elise Seigenthaler Gallery, Chicago, Illinois; Forget-Me-Not (group exhibition), Chase Gallery, Epiphany Center for the Arts, Chicago, Illinois; 2025 Missionaries of Taste (solo exhibition), Art City, Chicago, Illinois; 2025 In a Child's Place (group exhibition), Purple Window Gallery, Chicago, Illinois; 2025 House & Garden (solo exhibition), Incubator, Chicago, Illinois; 2025 Luminarts Visual Arts Exhibition (group exhibition), John Mooney Foundation, Chicago, Illinois; 2025 Group exhibition curated by Cheryl Pope, Soho House, Chicago, Illinois; 2024 Clear the Kitchen Table (solo exhibition), Bryant Gallery, Denison University, Granville, Ohio; 2024 I Will Never Properly Comprehend the Line (group exhibition), Denison Museum, Denison University, Granville, Ohio

Ava L. Peterson is an artist based in Chicago, IL, who examines the domestic interior as a site of propriety, class aspiration, and excess. Working through painting, Peterson reconfigures the beguiling aesthetics of upper-middle-class and historic interiors, drawing from contemporary interior design magazines and historic interiors.

Her process subjects imagery to a series of process-based techniques resulting in surfaces that are at once lush and unstable. Ornament deteriorates into abstraction, echoing and subverting the traditions of mid-century abstract painters. In Peterson’s space, painting operates as both control and surrender: a veil through which decoration is simultaneously obscured and revealed. The viewer is left with little stable point of entry, mirroring a loss of control within the domestic sphere amid a resurgence of traditional values. In this context, homemaking reasserts itself as both aspiration and trap—psychological as much as economic.

As an educator, Peterson emphasizes process-based experimentation, informed intuition, and the development of sustainable creative practices. She encourages students to embrace uncertainty, follow curiosity, and take risks without the pressure of predetermined outcomes, while building a strong foundation in formal technique and visual language. Through iterative making, critique, demonstrations, and artist research, students learn to think critically, articulate their ideas, and engage confidently in dialogue about their work. Peterson fosters an inclusive, collaborative classroom grounded in mutual respect, where accessibility and economic equity inform course design through flexible material requirements and varied learning resources. Drawing on her liberal arts background and interdisciplinary studio practice, she views painting and drawing as expansive, material-driven modes of inquiry rather than fixed disciplines. Her goal is to equip students with the technical, conceptual, and communicative skills needed to sustain thoughtful, exploratory creative practices both within and beyond the classroom.