Our newest gallery, housed in the Arts and Humanities Hall (AHUM), the Essex Gallery showcases student work, faculty exhibitions and curated shows that explore diverse themes and media. Its renovation in 2014 added projection capabilities that support digital and time-based art.
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Exhibit Dates: September 29–November 7
Curator: Joy Davis
Artists Featured: Sam Green, Ajee Hassan, Shannon Pyles, Tyler Sanville, Jessica Walton, Ania Wilton, and Phyllis Zhu
Threads of Connection: Diverse Voices in Contemporary Fiber brings together diverse voices in contemporary fiber art, creating a space where traditional craft techniques engage in conversation with varying artistic practices. This exhibition supports artists working across the spectrum of fiber arts: challenging the spatial boundaries of personal, imagined, and cultural narratives. Each piece serves as both individual expression and collective voice, demonstrating how fiber art transcends disciplines to connect communities, preserve stories, and explore new territories of making.
Image Credit:
Detail of "Fissure", 2025. Rope and yarn. Artist: Jessica Walton
Design Credit:
Showcard design by Jason Austin
Jan. 27–Feb. 21, 2025
Reception and Awards Night: Jan. 31, 6–8 p.m.
Artists: Aaron Corson, Trevon Crawford, Monique Fletcher, Angela Gavino, Kaylah Jackson, Allie Lewis, Hailey Lipsey, Diago Beltran Martinez, Emmett Hubbard-Poling, Justin Prudent, Matt Valenti, and Destany Whitehead
Take a 3D Tour of the Exhibit.
Oct. 14–Nov. 15, 2024
Curator: Derek Pentz
Artists: Artists: Studio 5 Baltimore (Nicholas Rudolf & Richard Henneberry), Zenobia Darling, Jessi Hardesty, Alexa Hauck, Alisa Kleckner, Brixx Minguez, Megan Plummer, Ashley Reinhardt, and Linnea Tobert
In The Paranormal Realm: Beyond the Lore at The Gallery at CCBC Essex, curator Derek Pentz (aka Zenobia Darling) has invited a select group of talented artists and creatives to explore the question: is the paranormal realm more than just mythology and folklore?
March 18 - May 19, 2024
Curator: Mallory Kimmel
I don’t dream of labor is a collection of work by women artists and healing practitioners that undermines hustle culture through satire and provides space and resources to foster community around well-being.
Artists and Healers: Ama BE, Ama Chandra, Kathryn Cornelius, Nancy Daly, Chiara Francesca, Michelle Dubreuil Macek, Maria Porges, Shirin Towfiq, and Christine Wang
June 17 - September 13, 2024
1sqft: a small works show features a collection of CCBC student artworks, each confined to a one-square-foot space or, in the case of sculptural pieces, 1 cubic foot of space. This exhibit emphasizes the power of storytelling within the constraints of a small size, showing that compelling narratives can unfold on even the tiniest of spaces. The curation highlights the students' ability to convey deep and meaningful stories through their art, challenging viewers to look closer and discover the richness contained within these miniature pieces. 1sqft: a small works show invites visitors to explore and appreciate the creativity and ingenuity of the next generation of artists.
This year marks the inaugural 1sqft exhibit, which is set to become an annual event. By establishing this tradition, these exhibits aim to continuously provide a platform for CCBC students of all majors to express their artistic visions.
We're excited to announce Derek Pentz as the guest juror!
Artists: Emilyann Craighead, Kye Fothergill, Daniel Fuchs, David Jackson, Ama Liza, Bella Hernandez Lopez, Rolin Lopez, Conner Meyer, Jeremy Naclia, Emmett Poling-Hubbard, Isabel Rodriguez, Matthew Valenti, and Jessica Wagner.
September 18 - December 1, 2023
Curator: Sharon Trumbull
underCurrent showcases artwork focused on the Chesapeake Bay and its surrounding waterways. Each artist explores the ecology of the area with a mix of celebration and fear for its continued health.
Artists: Vian Borchert, Kristine DeNinno, Peggy Fox, Nic Galloro, Shawn Humes, Bonnie Kennedy, Catherine Kleeman, Corrie Francis Parks and Kelly Bell, Roz Racanello, Lisa Scarbath, Rhonda Smith, Elizabeth Steel, and Ann Stoddard.
June 17 - September 9, 2022
For centuries, art and object making has served as a tool of resistance. Through song, dance, and hand-made objects, ancient cultures gave praise, asked for strength, and mobilized their peoples in order to fight against evils both physical and metaphysical. In modern history, artists have used their practice to provide social commentary and critiques against injustices affecting humans worldwide. Unveiling Resistance is a snapshot of the broad scope of issues concerning artists based in the mid-Atlantic region and beyond. This exhibition hosts a captivating group of artworks regarding issues including the prison industrial complex, refugee crises, racialized violence, and other oppressive systems inflicted on marginalized groups.
Artists in this exhibition use well-known figures such as Kwame Ture (otherwise known as Stockley Carmichael), Sam Sharpe, and the “Founding Fathers” of the United States to draw attention to important historical accounts as well as propagandas that force us to question the information we’ve been indoctrinated with. Other artworks depicting scenes of dilapidated neighborhoods, protests and marches, and refugee migrations portray communities currently under siege. Controversial objects such as the American flag, ropes, fire hoses, and African masks illustrate the intricacies of oppression - they each invoke complex thoughts and emotions that are determined by one’s own life experiences.
Selected Artists: Chukwudumebi Amadi-Emina, Rowan Bathurst, Autumn Breon, Theresa-Xuan Bui, Ainsley Burrows, Allen Golder Carpenter, Ailish Hopper, Charles Jean Pierre, Christopher Johnson, Sagar Kamath, Jeffrey Kent, Denese King-Ashley, George Lorio, Paula Mans, Tonisha Hope McCorkle, Elizabeth Ann Miller, Lydia Moore, Amuri Morris, Kim Rice, Laura Sligh, Fahimeh Vahdat, McKinley Wallace, Esteban Whiteside, and Helen Zughaib.
Jowita Wyszomirska Solo Exhibition
April 4 - May 21, 2022
“The shore had a dual nature, changing with the swing of the tides, belonging now to the land, now to the sea.” - Rachel Carson
Working at the intersection of installation and drawing, I contemplate nature and our relationship with the environment. My work evolves from the context of observing moments at the periphery of our experience: A cloud casting shadow as it crosses the sun, the ever-changing shoreline as land and water meet, the sensory experience of wind, the warmth of shimmering light touching the skin.
Based on the imagery of the Atlantic coast, Nearshore Light is a drawing installation that reflects my interest in creating dynamic compositions. Its layout encourages physical movement by continuing across several large Mylar panels suspended from the ceiling. It functions as an extended drawing that viewers experience by walking around, defining their perceptions of space. This experience resembles how we see the world; the perspective framed by constant motion and shifting points of view represents a reality that remains incomplete.
