Bradbury Art Museum to Open Juried ‘Gathering’ and Two Solo Exhibitions
JONESBORO – “Gathering: At the Kitchen Table,” a juried exhibition of regional Arkansas artists, will open to the public on Saturday, June 28, at Bradbury Art Museum (BAM). Also opening will be “Breaking Binaries: Hybrid Processes” and “Bridging Geographies of Labor,” solo exhibitions from Hannah Keats and Ebenezer Nketsiah Mensah.
The opening reception for the shows will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Admission to both the reception and the exhibitions, which continue through July 30, is free.
All three exhibitions were set in motion by open call processes: one for artists living in 25 Arkansas counties in Northeast Arkansas (NEA) and the Delta and one for artists around the country who recently graduated from MFA degree programs. From the submissions, MFA studio art graduates Hannah Keats and Ebenezer Nketsiah Mensah were selected by BAM staff.
The 26 artists included in “Gathering: At the Kitchen Table” were selected by juror Andrew Fernandez, who serves as visiting professor of sculpture at Arkansas State University.
The June 28 reception will mark the inaugural opening for “Gathering,” which will be an annual juried exhibition of artists from NEA and the Delta. Each year, an individual from the regional arts community will be selected to serve as the juror for the exhibition; their task will be to closely examine the entries and select the pieces on exhibit –– along with the first, second, and third place, and juror’s merit awards.
The theme for the exhibition will be selected annually by a member of the BAM staff. This year’s theme, chosen by assistant director Madeline McMahan, was “at the kitchen table,” showcasing artwork the same size or smaller than a standard kitchen table.
“In speaking with community artists, so many of us are making work alongside full-time jobs and in our own homes. I wanted this year’s exhibition to honor the dedication and perseverance of these artists who are making their work even when it means working at the kitchen table,” said McMahan.
The selected artists are Matt E. Ball, artist couple Brad Benefield and Natausha Light, Jordan Blake, Deb Peregrine Callahan, Dylan Carter, Angela Castro, Tami Chandler, Aaron Conger, Danyelle Schwarz Hutton, Evka JG, Amber Jones, sister duo Nicole Jones and Marissa Russell, Irina Khramtsova, Shannon Lamb, Victoria Mantz, Jennifer Masley, Cheryl McMickle, Nathan Pietrykowski, Anna Rafalowski, Stephanie Ramirez, Tom Richard, Sara Sills, Sharline Vanpelt, and Michael Whiteside. Awards will be announced at the opening reception.
“On the BAM team, we talk a lot about using a ‘whole body approach’ to supporting the arts. We try to launch projects that support our artists from more than one angle. We want to be a platform for our community to experience contemporary art without having to leave the region, and we want to provide professional development opportunities for regional artists as well. We want to want to support arts engagement in the region, and we want to provide support for artists,” said McMahan.
On view alongside “Gathering” will be “Breaking Binaries: Hybrid Processes” and “Bridging Geographies of Labor” from recent MFA graduates Hannah Keats and Ebenezer Nketsiah Mensah. All three exhibitions were the result of discussions about how to use this ‘whole-body approach’ with the BAM exhibition schedule.
“Arkansas State University has an incredible BFA studio art program, of which I am a very proud alumna,” McMahan added. “Although we do not offer an MFA studio art degree, our hope was that this call would provide exhibition opportunities for graduating MFA students as they’re in the early stages of launching their creative careers, and we also want to give our own local emerging artists –– if they are interested in pursuing an MFA –– some insights into the programs that exist.”
Solo Exhibitions
Hannah Keats holds a BFA from the University of North Florida, and she received her MFA in studio art from Florida State University in May 2025. An interdisciplinary painter, she creates biomorphic artworks inspired by nature and science fiction using materials that range from paint to velvet flocking to digital and lenticular prints.
Ebenezer Nketsiah Mensah received a BFA in painting and sculpture from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and he was awarded his MFA in studio art from the University of Florida in May 2025. He is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores identity, labor, memory and power. His practice dwells on his experiences as a worker in Tarkwa, Ghana.
Artist Talk on June 28
Ebenezer will be present at Bradbury Art Museum for an artist talk on June 28 immediately before the opening reception. The talk will begin at 4:15 p.m. in the Grand Hall of Fowler Center.
Bradbury Art Museum is located in Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Drive, on campus at Arkansas State. The museum hours are noon until 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.
For more details about Bradbury Art Museum, one may call the museum at 870-972-3434 or visit bradburyartmuseum.org.
