August 13, 2025
Clay, Community, and Creativity: Roberta Ulrich de Oliveira’s Artistic Journey
By: Paulina Moran
Clay is just the beginning for Roberta Ulrich de Oliveira, a fearless artist who pushes the boundaries of her craft by blending ceramics with wood and metal in unexpected, striking ways. Her artistic path has been anything but linear, shaped by her rich experiences as a potter, graphic designer, and educator. Guided by intuition and memory, Roberta’s work emerges from subconscious gestures and patterns that invite viewers into a deeply personal, yet universally resonant world.
Her art has been featured in galleries and venues nationwide, including The Robert T. Wright Gallery of Art, Chicago Sculpture International Project Space, Epiphany Center for the Arts, Alma Gallery, Lure of the Local, Art Effect, Ravenswood ArtWalk, Glenwood Avenue Arts Fest, private collections across the country, and notably at the Adler Arts Center.
The Adler Arts Center has long been a vibrant home for artists like Roberta and for community members eager to explore their own creativity. Nestled in the historic home of architect David Adler, the Center offers an array of visual arts programming designed to nurture artistic growth and expression across all ages and skill levels. From hands-on clay and painting classes to mixed media, the Adler Center’s diverse offerings create a welcoming environment where students and professional artists alike can experiment, connect, and flourish.
For Roberta, the Adler Center is far more than a teaching space—it is a creative sanctuary and community where art becomes a shared language of growth, connection, and expression. “Art lets us share everything—our joy, our struggles, our hopes,” she says. “At Adler, you’re accepted just as you are. You’re free to explore, create, and be yourself. It’s brought me friendships, inspiration, and a deep sense of belonging. Every time I’m there, I see endless possibilities.”
Roberta working with a student in an adult ceramics class at the Adler Center.
Relief piece created by one of Roberta’s youth ceramic students at the Adler Center.
I had the pleasure of visiting Roberta on a slow Saturday morning, sitting together in her backyard garden, a lush, untamed space scattered with artwork where, over coffee, she shared her story in a peaceful, unhurried conversation.
Roberta grew up in Minneapolis, one of five children in a neighborhood where community mattered. Her family later moved to the Chicago area when her father accepted a new job. She attended Concordia University, majoring in education with double minors in political science and art. Her love of making began early.
“I’d always loved art,” she recalled. “In my small Lutheran high school, art classes were only available if you had space in your schedule. I finally carved out time in my senior year, and I cherished every moment.”
Her mother, a seamstress and homemaker, profoundly influenced Roberta’s creative spirit. “She could combine different patterns in her own unique way,” Roberta said. “I still have the trench coat she made me in college with a really cool Catwoman-style back. She took a classic Vogue pattern and made it something totally new.”
Roberta’s mother brought creativity and initiative to everything she did, sewing dozens of tablecloths for church luncheons and crafting puppets for Christmas nativities. These stories brought Roberta to life as she spoke, revealing how deeply that fearless, hands-on spirit shaped her own work.
After college, Roberta began teaching at Chicago Uptown Ministry. She paused her career to raise her children, then returned as a full-time art educator with Chicago Public Schools. When not teaching, she freelanced as a communication designer. But the classroom, especially with young artists, remained her favorite place.
“They are fearless,” she said. “They experiment without the hang-ups adults often have. It’s beautiful to see the freshness they bring.”
At the Adler Center, Roberta’s teaching style is distinctive and deeply connected to the materials. She often shares the Japanese hand-building technique Kurinuki, where students start with a solid block of clay and carve into it, letting each mark guide their next choice. Roberta works on a turntable, constantly rotating the clay to view it from all angles before pausing to listen to what the clay “wants” next.
“I don’t want to be prescriptive,” she explained. “Everyone has the power to create and connect with materials—whether clay, paint, film, or words. My role is to support that power.”
Original ceramic work by Roberta.
Original ceramic work by Roberta.
The Adler Center’s visual arts classes, including the ceramic classes Roberta leads, create a space where creativity can flourish through both personal discovery and community connection. This nurturing environment mirrors the diverse artistic inspirations that inform Roberta’s own work. Drawing from a rich tapestry of influences like Lee Krasner’s emotive abstract expressionism, Louise Nevelson’s intricate wood assemblages, Betty Woodman’s playful ceramic deconstruction, and Viola Frey’s monumental colorful figures, Roberta weaves these elements into her teaching and creative process. As she speaks of these artists, her hands move thoughtfully, tracing invisible lines of inspiration.
When asked why clay became her primary medium, she smiled. “I just loved the way it felt—the idea that you could make something beautiful from mud, material dug from the earth.”
Roberta does not create for an audience. “If people like my work, that’s wonderful, but it’s not why I make. I want to put more beauty in the world and maybe inspire others to create for themselves.”
Circles and lines are recurring motifs in her work. Lines help define form, while circles symbolize cycles, community, and connection—shapes she associates with the sun, moon, and the continuity of renewal. She gives each piece time, stepping away to reflect before moving forward.
Roberta’s story and the vibrant arts programs at the Adler Center together paint a picture of a place where creativity is nurtured and celebrated. The Center is more than just a building; it is a welcoming community where artists and students find encouragement, inspiration, and the freedom to explore their unique voices. It’s a place where every mark made in clay or on canvas carries the possibility of growth, connection, and joy.
Through artists like Roberta and the shared experiences of those who walk through its doors, the Adler Arts Center continues to shine as a beacon of creativity and hope, reminding us of the power art has to uplift, unite, and transform lives.
Roberta, showcasing her work at the Festival of the Arts in Cook Park.
Roberta’s artwork on display at the Festival of the Arts in Cook Park.