Freddie Bell – All The Time & Everywhere
The EMD Gallery is pleased to present All The Time & Everywhere, an exhibition of collages & paintings by Freddie Bell, the artist’s first solo presentation with our gallery. The exhibition brings together vibrant abstract works that explore interconnectedness, consciousness, & the unseen structures that shape our lives.
Working across painting & collage, Bell creates colorful compositions that act as meditations on both the physical & spiritual dimensions of existence. As the artist writes, “We are connected not only physically, but through a collective consciousness.” Layered grids, repeating shapes, & fields of color become visual landscapes that attempt to render the invisible: networks of thought, emotion, & shared experience.
Recurring symbols carry particular weight throughout the exhibition. The cone, for example, reflects Bell’s belief that “life & death exist in the same circle,” challenging the idea that they are separate states. Similarly, the grid appears as a structural motif representing both individual & universal systems, reminding viewers that “all things are connected & interrelated.”
Bell’s collage process mirrors this philosophy of connection. Beginning with handmade Gelli plate monoprints rich in color & texture, the artist cuts the prints into strips & arranges them through a randomized process inspired by the Dada movement. The resulting compositions embrace chance & unpredictable patterns, reflecting what Bell describes as “all the surprising & wonderful ways we can connect with & support each other.”
Based in Hillsborough, NC, Bell is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice is informed by community, mutual aid, & lived experience. A muralist & exhibiting artist across NC & Los Angeles, Bell’s work often reflects on identity, the body, grief, & the communal networks that sustain us. Through color, repetition, & layered abstraction, All The Time & Everywhere invites viewers to consider the invisible ties: the spiritual, the emotional, & the shared that bind us together.
Collage Collective – Erin Lockamy, Rakīa Jackson, Gail Ritzer, and Karen Warren.
our artists. Four voices. One powerful way of making sense of the world.
Collage Collective, a group exhibit, explores transformation, connection, and storytelling through layered works by Erin Lockamy, Rakīa Jackson, Gail Ritzer, and Karen Warren.
Amelia Bennett – Evolution of a Quilter
The EMD Gallery is pleased to present Evolution of a Quilter, an exhibition of textile works by local Farmville resident and lifelong maker, Amelia Bennett.
This marks the artist’s first solo presentation with our gallery. The exhibition traces Bennett’s artistic journey through fabric, each quilt a reflection of her enduring love for design, color, and craft, and her belief that “every quilt has its own lessons… every quilt is an opportunity to be creative in some new way.”
Bennett’s practice began at the age of six, when she “made clothes for [her] dolls out of fabric scraps,” and continued through years of hand and machine sewing, home décor fabrication, and handbag design. What began as childhood play evolved into a professional craft and, ultimately, a lifelong calling. After decades of working with textiles, Bennett returned to quilting, first as gifts for family milestones, then as a form of personal expression rooted in both tradition and innovation.
Her quilts reveal a love of batik fabrics, bold pattern-making, and reinterpretations of classic designs. Through her creative process, defined by “precision sewing, patience, planning, determination, and vision,” Bennett transforms fabric into functional objects that provide warmth and connection.
Now, quilting is not only Bennett’s occupation of choice but also her way of giving back, as she shares her skills through quilt groups and classes. As she reminds us, “If you are privileged enough to receive a quilt from someone, cherish it. It is made with love.”
Evolution of a Quilter invites viewers to experience that love, dedication, and artistry stitched into every thread.