The Julia C. Butridge Gallery is located in the heart of the arts district adjacent to the Long Center and Butler Park at the Dougherty Arts Center, a multi-cultural community arts center providing opportunities for creative expression to citizens for over 41 years. Visitors enjoy an exceptional 2,000 square feet of exhibit space in the main gallery, and an additional 480 square feet in newly renovated gallery space. The natural collision of creative activity at the arts center contributes to the gallery’s longstanding reputation among the arts community as an accessible and nurturing venue and incubator, ideal for emerging and established artists. The gallery is free and open to the public.
Now on Display
Rebecca Pugh, “Fence Posts (Texas)”, Acrylic paint, graphite, and paper on wood panel.
Fences and Fields
Rebecca Pugh
June 28 – August 9, 2025
Artist Reception: Wednesday, July 9, 2025, 7-9pm
Artist Talk: Wednesday, August 6, 2025, 7-9pm
Rebecca Pugh’s “Fences & Fields” explores the visual rhythm of fenced Texas landscapes through a series of mixed media paintings and sculptures. Her freestanding and wall-mounted works combine painting, drawing, and sculptural form to evoke the experience of moving through open fields lined with fences. Using materials like bed linens and acrylic paint, Pugh transforms everyday textures into vibrant abstractions that reflect her connection to place and the evolving nature of her practice.
Website: www.rebecca-pugh.com
Instagram: @Rebecca_pugh
Leila Ali, “Tillandsia Recurvata (Ball Moss)”, Colored pencil and watercolor on vellum paper
Plants Consumed
Leila Ali
June 28 – August 9, 2025
Artist Reception: Wednesday, July 9, 2025, 7-9pm
Artist Talk: Wednesday, August 6, 2025, 7-9pm
Leila Ali's exhibition “Plants Consumed” explores the evolving relationship between humans and plants through botanical illustration, photography, and collected objects. Her work highlights the ecological importance of plant life in the face of habitat loss, climate change, and environmental degradation. By focusing on both wild and cultivated species, she invites viewers to reflect on the visibility, value, and future of the plants that shape our everyday lives.
Website: www.leilaali.com
Instagram: @leila_ali_artstudio
Heidi Lowell, “Much Bigger Than Us”, Watercolor on Clayboard
Dust to Dust
Heidi Lowell
July 1 – August 9, 2025
Artist Reception: Wednesday, July 9, 2025, 7-9pm
Artist Talk: Wednesday, August 6, 2025, 7-9pm
Heidi Lowell’s “Dust to Dust” reminds us that the soil beneath our feet is both our foundation and our future. Using natural pigments made from Texas soils, plants, and insects, Lowell creates work that highlights the fragility and resilience of our ecosystems. This exhibition invites viewers to consider how environmental care and Texas pride can coexist in powerful, restorative ways.
Website: www.heidilowell.art
Instagram: @heidilowell.art
Upcoming Exhibits
Somnium
MetaCaustics
August 16 – September 27, 2025
Artist Reception: Wednesday, August 20, 2025, 7-9pm
Artist Talk: Wednesday, September 17, 2025, 7-9pm
“Somnium” is a multimedia exhibition by MetaCaustics, a collaborative new media art duo composed of camera artist Jasna Boudard and 3D artist Topher Sipes, that explores the visual language of the subconscious. Drawing from the Latin word somnium, meaning “dream,” “vision,” or “daydream,” the exhibition weaves together digital works, projection-based installation, paintings, and 3D prints to evoke the layered, nonlinear space of inner experience.
Tuklasan: Discovering Traditions of the Cordilleras
Beverly Demafiles Schulze
August 16 – September 27, 2025
Artist Reception: Wednesday, August 20, 2025, 7-9pm
Artist Talk: Wednesday, September 17, 2025, 7-9pm
“Tuklasan: Discovering Traditions of the Cordilleras” is a photographic journey into the people and traditions of the Cordillera region in the northern Philippines. Documented just before the world shut down in 2020, Beverly Demafiles Schulze’s images reflect an intimate exploration of cultural identity, connection, and heritage. Through her photography, Schulze honors the rich diversity of the Philippines and her own path of discovery.