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
What Lingers in Our Bones
Vy Ngo
October 4 - November 15, 2025
Opening Reception: Wednesday, October 8, 2025, 7-9 pm
Artist Talk with Dr Han Ren: Thursday, October 23, 6-8 pm
Austin Studio Tour: November 8-9, 15-16, 12-6pm
Sound Healing Session: Monday, November 10, 6-8 pm
Closing Reception: Sunday, November 16, 4-6 pm
Fifty years after the Fall of Saigon, “What Lingers in Our Bones” reflects on the enduring damage of war, displacement, and intergenerational trauma while opening pathways toward empathy, healing, and collective catharsis. As a first-generation American and child of Vietnamese refugees, Vy Ngo carries the imprint of forced migration, having crossed the Pacific both by boat and by womb. She synthesizes this formative, epigenetic experience into her latest body of work, visualizing the magnitude of a humanitarian crisis that for many is only a vague and impassive section in history textbooks, yet is still relevant today.
Meeting at the Edges
Gary Anderson, Sam Elkins, and Diane Sandlin
October 4 - November 15, 2025
Artist Reception: Wednesday, October 8, 2025, 7-9pm
Austin Studio Tour: November 8-9, 15-16, 12-6pm
“Meeting at the Edges” brings together artists Gary Anderson, Sam Elkins, and Diane Sandlin in a multidisciplinary exploration of physical, emotional, and spiritual boundaries. Through mixed media, weaving, and painting, the artists create a shared dialogue that reflects on change, connection, and the balance between structure and openness. Their collaborative approach invites viewers to linger with the work and consider the beauty found at the edges of experience.
DAC Staff Exhibition
October 4 - November 15, 2025
Artist Reception: Wednesday, October 8, 2025, 7-9pm
Austin Studio Tour: November 8-9, 15-16, 12-6pm
The DAC Staff Exhibition highlights the creativity of the artists and professionals who keep the Dougherty Arts Center thriving. Featuring a range of media and styles, the show offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the personal practices of the talented staff who support the center’s programs year-round.
Upcoming Exhibits
Austin modern Quilt Guild, Collaborative Member Quilt
Connecting Threads
Austin Modern Quilt Guild
November 22, 2025 – January 10, 2026
Artist Reception: Wednesday, December 3, 2025, 7-9pm
Artist Talk: Wednesday, December 10, 2025, 7-9pm
The Austin Modern Quilt Guild presents Connecting Threads, where each quilt tells a unique story of interconnectedness. From traditional motifs to bold contemporary designs, witness the diverse ways in which threads weave together narratives, cultures, and communities. The Austin Modern Quilt Guild is a vibrant community of quilters in Austin, Texas, dedicated to exploring and promoting modern quilting techniques and aesthetics.
Instagram: @austinmqg
Website: https://austinmodernquiltguild.wildapricot.org
Lara Clay, Willow House
Windows of the World
Laura Clay
November 22, 2025 – January 10, 2026
Artist Reception: Wednesday, December 3, 2025, 7-9pm
Artist Talk: Wednesday, December 10, 2025, 7-9pm
Drawing from her experience as a Mexican-American artist, Laura Clay's latest body of work invites viewers to peer through metaphorical windows into multifaceted worlds. Each piece acts as a portal, framing the complex interplay of bicultural identity, memory, and the search for balance between chaos and order. The exhibition explores how our internal landscapes are shaped by the cultural and traditional windows we look through.
Instagram: @lauraclayart
Website: www.lauraclayart.com
Of Mind and Hand: Visual Artists in Residence Showcase
Anna Gadzhikurbanova, Jamie Lerman, Chance Ramirez, Gargi Sharma, and Diane Sung
November 22, 2025 – January 10, 2026
Artist Reception: Wednesday, December 3, 7-9pm
Artist Talk: Thursday, December 4, 7-9pm
Of Mind and Hand showcases the work of Dougherty Arts Center’s 2025 Resident Artists, Anna Gadzhikurbanova, Jamie Lerman, Chance Ramirez, Gargi Sharma, and Diane Sung.
Anna Gadzhikurbanova explores the parallels of how natural forms and human emotions emerge, develop, and expand into their environment, translating her observations into biomorphic clay forms and glaze patterns. Diane Sung uses sculpture and claymation to visualize her fascination with different forms of communication and reflect how moments of distortion and innate desire can shape how people process and convey experiences. Gargi Sharma reconstructs rusted, weathered textures on hand-built forms, drawing on everyday objects and a deep connection to cultural memory rooted in her Indian origins. Chance Ramirez works with the clay body to express how their own body moves through the world, building vessels that integrate themes of repetition, personal narrative, and embodied awareness. Jamie Lerman’s work pulls inspiration from familial folklore, sanctuary design, Judaica pottery, and glaze chemistry forms, where each tile serves as a diary of tethered stories with recurring figures and motifs throughout.