Tracing the threads of relationships and identity across memory, time, and experience.
The Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (AHCMC) is pleased to celebrate the opening of Familiar Threads with a public reception at the Betty Mae Kramer Gallery and Music Room on April 1, 2026, from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Familiar Threads features works by artists Aliana Grace Bailey, Michael Booker, and Katherine Knight, three artists whose practices engage with threads, both materially and metaphorically.
Curated by Stéphane Calvin Rosenberg, Public Art Program Assistant at AHCMC, this exhibition explores how family histories, personal relationships, and cultural identity are formed through networks and connections. Through textiles, drawing, and painting, the artists’ work reflects how threads of memory, time, and experience shape who we are. Familiar Threads invites viewers to look closely and consider these ties that bind us together.
“In her curatorial statement, Calvin Rosenberg notes that thread is one of the most fundamental tools for making and mending,” says Eleanor Choi, Chair of the Public Arts Trust Steering Committee. “The ways we connect with one another are changing in today’s current social and political climate. Familiar Threads offers space for reflection, inviting county residents to consider how these changes shape our relationships and identities. AHCMC hopes viewers will find moments of clarity, understanding, connection, and renewal in the gallery during this exhibition.”
Familiar Threads will be on view 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Monday – Friday from March 30, 2026 – June 12, 2026. The opening reception is free and open to the public. Tickets can be reserved at: https://familiarthreads.eventbrite.com
For more information about the artists and exhibition, click here.
** Please note: Outside food and beverages are not permitted in the gallery except for water. **
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ABOUT THE BETTY MAE KRAMER GALLERY AND MUSIC ROOM
The Betty Mae Kramer Gallery and Music Room (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. Located at 1 Veterans Place, Silver Spring Maryland, the Kramer Gallery is free and open to the public during standard operating hours in accordance with the Silver Spring Civic Building. For additional information, please visit us at https://www.creativemoco.com/experience-art-culture/kramer-gallery/.
ABOUT THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES COUNCIL OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Established in 1976, the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (AHCMC) is the county’s designated local arts agency. Our vision is to provide leadership that sustains arts and humanities organizations, artists, and scholars and inspires participation in Montgomery County’s rich cultural assets. The Public Arts Trust is AHCMC’s central program for managing, commissioning and conserving all public art on County-owned property, as well as supporting other public art projects throughout Montgomery County. Today, the County’s public art collection includes 258 outdoor sculptures and murals as well as more than 500 works on paper. For more information about AHCMC, visit www.creativemoco.com or connect with AHCMC on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.