Emergence | Brooke Bartholomew

Emergence: Solo Exhibition by Brooke Bartholomew invites us through struggle, through rupture, through the promise of something new breaking ground.

In this series, Bartholomew constructs a visceral allegory of liberation: hands burst through the cracks of a concrete prison, dismantling its oppressive architecture piece by piece. The crumbling walls stand as a metaphor for capitalism, fascism, and ecological destruction forces that feel immovable until collective struggle chips away at their foundation.

The paintings capture the tension between entrapment and freedom. Some works show only hands, multiplying as they tear through concrete, pull others upward, or press against a dam holding back the river. Others reveal cropped or full nude figures raw and vulnerable emerging into light and air. While the series begins in darkness, its arc is one of resilience and rebirth. New roots push into the fractured stone; seeds of mutual aid and solidarity sprout where once there was only ruin.

At its heart, Emergence is a story of collective power: the act of breaking free not as an individual triumph, but as a shared uprising. Bartholomew reminds us that liberation is not only possible, it is already underway quietly, insistently, in the cracks beneath our feet.

About the Artist:
Brooke Bartholomew (b. Houston, TX) is a figurative oil painter whose work merges a classical approach to the human form with urgent socio political commentary. A pediatric cardiac ICU nurse for nearly a decade, Bartholomew’s perspective as both healer and community organizer permeates her practice. She earned her BS in Nursing from the University of Texas Medical Branch in 2015 and an MFA in Painting and Drawing from the Academy of Art University in 2023.

Her work has been exhibited in Minneapolis, Chicago, and New Orleans, engaging themes of ecological collapse, patriarchy, and systems of violence. In her own words: “If my anger at these injustices is expressed in the marks of paint on canvas, then my enduring hope is the brush which sets them in place. I believe change will happen, if only we act and lean on one another in solidarity.”

Gallery and Gift Shop Hours:
Thursday - Friday, 12pm - 6pm
Saturday 11am - 4pm.