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Olivia Eshe Holt (b. 1998) is a visual artist native to Detroit, Michigan. Her artistry spans from traditional handcrafting to experimental techniques in ceramics, masonry, and mixed media. Through her multidisciplinary practice, she explores how materiality can be used to symbolize and give form to intangible phenomena. Her installations, sculptures and ceramic works are the outcomes of deep reflection on emotion, existence, connection, memory and time. 

Olivia earned her BFA in Product Design with a minor in Craft & Material Studies from the College for Creative Studies. She is currently focused on developing new bodies of artworks in the city of Detroit.  


Selected Work
Crafted ObjectsDigitally DesignedSpatial Installation

Dust and Water
Earthern Cement Scuplture. 2025

Vessels built by my human hand, made of material from the earth, placed in the ecosystem of Eliza Howell Park. A quiet companions to the land serving as conduits for reconnection to nature and ourselves.





Block Forms
Brown Terra Cotta. 2024




Electricfy Expo
Lexus USA. 2023

This booths modular architecture  utilizes a simple structure providing an open space for programming with easy deployment. It features interchangeable walls and rails for custom display.

Highlighting the next chapter of Lexus through display of campaign graphics, programmed activations and an engaging environmental application.

My impact: modular structure design, vehicle layout, 3D visualization and renders


T8 Market Stall Design
Better Block. 2023

FD23: Build a Better Market Stall
A Design Competition by Better Block

Project funded by AARP and Toyota

3rd place Awardee: Team 8 (T8) - David Cayll, Xelaya Mendoza, Santiago Romero, and Olivia Holt

Small business vendors play an irreplaceable role in our built environment. They create jobs and generate revenue while contributing to the overall vitality of strong cities. Communal markets have started gaining popularity and support due to their unique vendors with specialized goods. It's more important than ever that we nurture these spaces where one can immerse themselves in art and meet people from all walks of life.

While the payoff is immense, being self-employed can be a challenge in and of itself, especially when one loses some mobility due to age. As time goes on in the life of some vendors, setting up can become a hassle. From transporting their supplies and carrying their products to the actual setup of their stand. Our mission at Better Block was simple: create a market stall for a vendor who’s older than 50.



Reflections as Reminders 
zelkova wood cut, sanded, and planed with acrylic mirror. 2021.

Reflections as Reminders explores the wisdom of trees. Our lives are marked by rings and reflections of past and future. Tree rings reveal a cycle of growth offering lessons of adaptability guiding us to remain resilient.

This work was exhibition at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History as part of the D.Tree Studio: The Past, Present, and Future of Detroit Trees Exhibition, 

https://www.dtree.me/

    Half & Whole
    Cement Casting. 2021



    Earth Side
    Cast Concrete. 2021


    Garden Novella
    Other Work. 2021

    other-work.com
    video link
    Project Article on Medium

    A traveling garden of stories, plants, and lights. The stories are audio recordings from 15 residents and business owners from Southwest Detroit. As you approach the installation, motion sensors activate the lights and speakers, producing a soundscape choreography that introduces you to the community. Suspended plants evoke the sense of uprootedness and transplanted - and just as many immigrants in Southwest have had to plant new roots in a new ecology where they help one another thrive. Mirrors clad the underside of the canopy, reflecting the image of yourself as you hear someone else’s story, someone whose story may be much different than yours, as a reminder that even in our differences we are united. 


    My impact: prototype development, handcrafting techniques, final installation

    Cortado Table
    THING THING. 2021

    Cut coffee table set designed to be arranged in various orientations, creating special forms individually and together.

    My impact: co-designer, concept development, final installation

    Press: Interior Design Magazine



     

      Respose
      Spatial Design. 2020

      An outdoor pavilion centered around the themes of continuous flow and nature. REPOSE provides a sense of being inclosed and outdoors. There are three major areas in the pavilion; a bench to sit, bedding to rest, and a table to work. The pavilion offers ample floor space allowing users to sit low to nature, feel grounded, and look at the sky above.

      School of Space 
      e•scape design challenge