Out Of The Darkness

June 13, 2026 - August 15, 2026

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Exhibiting Artists: Addyson Richard, AJ Johnson, Amy Kotel, Andre Rochester, Betsy Stone, Brianna Woodard, Bryan Aviles, Carol Addy, Charlie Gould, Chloe Torres, Damahya Mongroo, Damiona Reid, Danielle Winters, David Andrews, Daysia Wright, Deborah Yaffe, Denzel Chmiel, Edwina Polanco, Eva Pushkova, Gabriela Sepulveda, Glenn Yarnell, Hei-Ja Martin, Helen Ellis, Jankaleishka Burgos Cruz, Joalis Ayala, Jules Jones, Junie Haux, Karen Iglehart, Karla Dawson, Katie Cowden, Kendall Wallace, Kristine Crimmins, Larry Leibowitz, Liana Destin, Madison Menard, Mariamne Shin, Marianne Connolly, Muriel Johnson, Nancy Meagher, Ossie Jon-Nwakalo, Paige Quinn-Vasic, Paul Midura, Rebecca Herskovitz, Richard Johnson, Roger Duffy, Runer Ma, Saiss Cruz Santana, Scott Henderson, Teah Velazquez, Timothy Freeman, Tony Matteis, William Gibson, Wynne Dromey

---

Out Of The Darkness marks a milestone moment for the gallery — its first annual juried exhibition, and a bold statement about what art can do in the wake of hardship. The show brings together 50 artists from across the United States, each responding to a theme that feels both timely and timeless: positivity, rebirth, and renaissance.

Rather than looking only to the natural world for symbols of renewal, the artists in this exhibition turn their attention to community, creativity, and the quiet persistence of beauty in unexpected places. Together, their work traces a journey from shadow to light, from struggle to renewal, from darkness toward something more hopeful and alive.

Each piece in Out Of The Darkness was selected through a rigorous juried process that prioritized vision, intention, and emotional resonance over any single aesthetic. The result is a collection as varied as it is cohesive — interpretations of the theme range from the literal to the deeply abstract, from the intimate and personal to the sweeping and expansive. Some works speak to collective hardship and healing on a broad scale. Others find hope in the smallest, most overlooked corners of daily life. What unites them is not style, but journey — a shared belief that on the other side of darkness, there is something worth reaching for.

With 50 exhibiting artists, Out Of The Darkness stands as a testament to the vitality of the artistic community nationwide. Their collective talent, courage, and creative vision make this debut exhibition a truly extraordinary one — and a fitting first chapter for what the gallery hopes will become an annual tradition.

INhairITANCE

March 1, 2026- May 17, 2026 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Featured Artists: Sonya Clark, Jayoung Yoon, Louise Laplante, Nirmal Raja, Funlola Coker, Veronica Perez

AFTS Gallery is pleased to present INhairITANCE, a group exhibition that expands the global conversation around hair—not with a single narrative but instead offering a layered, collaborative exploration of personal adornment as it intersects with belief systems, gender, colonial histories, and cultural resistance. 

INhairITANCE invites viewers to consider hair not merely as an aesthetic choice, but as a living archive—one shaped by ancestry, survival, ritual, power, and self-definition. Through a range of contemporary works, the exhibition examines how hair functions as both an intimate marker of identity and a public site of regulation, projection, and meaning. 

By bringing together artists from diverse cultural backgrounds, INhairITANCE becomes a collaborative space rather than a singular story.”

“Hair, in some way, shape, or form, affects all of us,” says Gallery Manager Christina White. “It is deeply tied to how we see ourselves, how we present ourselves to the world, and how we are culturally perceived. This exhibition was important to me because it opens up space for hair as a shared experience across communities. One that carries memory, tension, pride, and resistance. By bringing together artists from diverse cultural backgrounds, INhairITANCE becomes a collaborative space rather than a singular story.”

“INhairITANCE is asking viewers to sit with complexity,” says Sierra Myers, Executive Director at AFTS Gallery. “Hair carries meaning that is personal, political, spiritual, and historical all at once. This exhibition resists simplification and instead invites reflection on how adornment becomes a conversation. The works presented here challenge us to think about what we inherit, what we reject, and what we choose to carry.” 

Through this exhibition, AFTS Gallery continues its commitment to presenting work that fosters critical dialogue while remaining deeply rooted in community experience. Inheritance is not intended to offer conclusions, but rather to open space—for conversation, recognition, and shared understanding.

Photography: Sophie Markham

CALL FOR MAKERS: MRKT. by AFTS

Art for the Soul Gallery is seeking hair-centered businesses and makers from across Massachusetts and New England to showcase and sell their work in MRKT. by AFTS Gallery alongside our upcoming hair exhibition, opening February 2026!

Requirements:

Participating businesses must be based in Massachusetts or surrounding areas. All submitted work must be handmade, original, and artist-designed. No mass produced or commercially manufactured items will be accepted.

Applicants must be 18 years of age or older.

Submission Form Link:

Click here to submit!