Julia C. Butridge Gallery
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.
On Display
Aileen Chen, If We Make It Bloom, installation of upcycled materials
Metamorphosis: The Alchemy of Waste
Aileen Chen
March 7 – May 9, 2026
Artist Reception: Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 7-9pm
Artist Talk: Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 7-9pm
RSVP for the Artist Talk
“Metamorphosis” is a collection of works by artist Aileen Chen that explores the beauty and possibilities in giving new life to "waste." Reclaimed fabrics are sculpted into vibrant blooms. Unwanted objects transform into striking compositions. Chen’s work reminds us of our collective responsibility to preserve our planet, and our own ability to undergo renewals and contribute to a more resilient, harmonious world.
Instagram: @nowasteinnature
Sara Hannon, We’ve been taught to listen, acrylic on canvas, 2023
Connective Tissue
Sara Kate Hannon
March 7 – May 9, 2026
Artist Reception: Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 7-9pm
Artist Talk: Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 7-9pm
RSVP for the Artist Talk
Connective Tissue is an exhibition that explores the unseen threads that bind us to one another and to ourselves. Through layered paintings and drawings, this body of work examines themes of identity, relationships, and the emotional landscapes we navigate daily. The abstracted forms—fragmented faces, reaching hands, and overlapping bodies—become metaphors for the complex and often fragile connections that hold us together. The show invites viewers to reflect on these invisible bonds, offering a moment of introspection into how we connect, disconnect, and seek understanding.
Website: www.sarakatehannon.com
Instagram: @sally_juniper
Upcoming Exhibits
Totally Cool Totally Art
End of Year Showcase
On Display: April 25 – May 7, 2026
Awards Ceremony: Thursday, May 7, 6-8pm
Totally Cool Totally Art’s annual Teen Art Exhibition showcases over 200 works made by Austin’s teen community. Part of the City of Austin Parks & Recreation Department, Totally Cool Totally Art (TCTA) is a unique enrichment program providing free classes where Teens learn various art techniques by working directly alongside professional artists.
To learn more about TCTA, visit their website: https://www.austintexas.gov/department/totally-cool-totally-art
Left: Jamie Spinello, Proteanopsis, 2024, Fabric and steel
Right: Kristen Van Patten, Analagous Signals, 2023, Stoneware
Morphology & Modularity
Jamie Spinello and Kristen Van Patten
On Display: May 16 – June 27, 2026
Artist Reception: May 20, 2026, 7-9pm
Artist Talk: June 24, 2026
“Morphology and Modularity” is a dual exhibition of sculptures, paintings, and ceramics by Jamie Spinello and Kristen Van Patten. Both artists create abstract works, which draw inspiration from their separate interests but related working methods. Spinello is inspired by the relationships between structures of plants, insects, and geological structures, and Van Patten from relationships between architecture, mechanics, and landscape.
Many of their works contain modular structures, shapes, and patterns that can be reconfigured or interchanged. Together, the two explore morphology and modularity, creating two cohesive bodies of work.
Website: www.JamieSpinello.com, www.KristenVanPatten.com
Instagram: @jamiespinello, @kristenvanpatten
Victoria Majesta Marquez, Inkblot, 2025, Acrylic on canvas
Realms
Victoria Majesta Marquez
On Display: May 16 – June 27, 2026
Artist Reception: May 20, 2026 7-9pm
Artist Talk: June 24, 2026
“Realms” presents a vibrant exploration of nature and surrealism, drawing inspiration from oceans, animals, and microscopic life, to create imagined realms filled with fluid, ever-shifting patterns and textures. Through spontaneous processes like decalcomania and layered collage, Marquez allows textures to unfold and evolve, developing intricate compositions inspired by both macro and micro forms in nature. Using a bold, polychromatic palette and a maximalist approach, the work invites viewers into psychedelic, dreamlike environments where imagination and reality merge into immersive worlds to explore, play, and engage with.
Website: www.victoriamajestamarquez.com
Instagram: @tori.majesta
Left: Anita Horton, State Highway 71, 2024, Acrylic on Stonehenge Paper
Right: Charlotte Seifert, Sunset, 2025, Monotype
Land and Sea
Anita Horton and Charlotte Seifert
On Display: May 16 – June 27, 2026
Artist Reception: May 20, 2026, 7-9pm
Artist Talk: June 24, 2026
“Land and Sea” features the work of Anita Horton and Charlotte Seifert, whose practices engage deeply with natural realms from complementary perspectives. Their combined work demonstrates a love for Texas, its people, and their activities, on both land and sea, as it explores the dynamic relationship between terrestrial and aquatic environments.
Website: www.charlotteseifert.com
Instagram: @anitajohorton