Join us on Friday April 17th from 6-9pm for the opening reception of Nurturing Nature: An Afrolachian Prayer, a collaborative exhibition by Ty Murray & Jazmin Witherspoon. Come celebrate this new show in the gallery with us!

Nurturing Nature: An Afrolachian Prayer is an ekphrastic exploration rooted in Appalachian landscape and Black Femme identity. This duo exhibition by Ty Murray and Jazmin Witherspoon is a photopoetry interpretation of the nature we inherit and the nature we cultivate within ourselves. A dance between what is seen and what is felt, this exhibit reminds us that we are all animals, sharing many survival and environmental concerns. 

The installation moves the audience from exterior landscape into intimate interior, reflecting nature’s imprint on the artists. It is a curious offering, where handwoven textiles, ceramics, and wearable art become detours into the wandering mind of an artist.  

Birthed from a decade-long friendship, this creative kinship reflects a journey from girlhood into self-defined womanhood through image, poem, and object. Murray and Witherspoon cultivate an environment where Blackness is not peripheral to Appalachian narratives, but central to them, and where the act of nurturing both embraces and liberates.

What if we emphasized the sacredness of Black womanhood, like the animals for whom we build sanctuaries?

PLUS, in the printshop, we’ll have a book release party for our Resident Artist Anika Toro‘s newly published book project Finding Joy

PLUS we’ll have Open Artist Studios featuring the RR Resident Artists and the RR Printshop Members throughout the studio.