Contemplations

Join the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (AHCMC) as we celebrate the opening of Contemplations with a public reception at the Betty Mae Kramer Gallery and Music Room on Wednesday, October 15, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. This event is free and open to the public. We are also excited to share that the Gallery is now opened to the public Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Contemplations brings together the artwork of Joy-Jayne Bassey, Karen Y. Buster, Emmanuel Fisher, Dinah Myers Schroeder, Levi Robinson, and Luther Wright, six artists whose practices invite us to pause and reflect on the past and present, and to turn inward within ourselves. While portraiture anchors much of the exhibition, the collection also extends beyond appearances: through symbols, expressive styles, and thought-provoking layers, the artworks explore themes of dignity and resilience. They look inward and outward at once, holding the viewer in stillness while evoking questions of justice, belonging, and the unfinished work of reconciliation. In dialogue with the visual arts, the spoken words of visual artist and poet Joy-Jayne Bassey add a powerful lyrical layer that amplifies and deepens the visual experience.

Presented at the Betty Mae Kramer Gallery from September 29, 2025, through January 02, 2026, Contemplations is an exhibition curated by Stéphane Calvin Rosenberg and Dinah Myers Shroeder. The exhibition coincides with Montgomery County’s Remembrance and Reconciliation Month in November. Within this context, Contemplations offers a space to honor the past while acknowledging the continuing work of healing that lies ahead. It is both a remembrance and an invitation to imagine a future shaped by empathy, respect, and change. It asks us to sit with the weight of history while nurturing the seed of possibility within the human soul, holding fast to hope and to the enduring strength of the human spirit.

This reception is free and open to the public. For more information on the exhibition and the artists, click here.

About Kramer Gallery

Kramer Gallery is the first and only art gallery dedicated specifically to showcasing Montgomery County's emerging and mid-career visual artists. The gallery is managed and operated by the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, in collaboration with the Montgomery County Government.

One Veterans Place, Silver Spring, Maryland
New Gallery Hours: Mondays to Fridays from 9:00 am - 6:00 pm

https://www.creativemoco.com/experience-art-culture/kramer-gallery/

Host or Publisher Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County