Relic: Kathleen O’Hara & Meaghan Elyse

We are pleased to present Relic, an inaugural exhibition of new ceramic works by SAMPLER curators Kathleen O’Hara and Meaghan Elyse.

Opening / September 26, 2026
Dates / September 26-November 7, 2026

Kathleen O’Hara, Etruscan Love, 2026, Ceramic
Meaghan Elyse, The wave, learning she is the ocean, 2026, Stoneware

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Elyse and O’Hara embrace the shadow box nature of this unique sidewalk space with an installation of Elyse’s rune-like ceramic figurines suspended amongst O’Hara’s faux Etruscan vessels.

As our first curatorial project, Relic presents a conversation between Elyse and O’Hara that looks to the ancient past. Together, they evoke the forms and symbols of earlier civilizations and ask enduring questions that continue to resonate in the present.

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" -George Santayana

Kathleen O’Hara: Statement

As a multi-media artist, I construct installations that begin on the wall and move gradually into the exhibition space. During the past few years, I have begun to introduce clay and textiles into my methodology. All my work speaks to history as I explore the concepts of time and memory, as well as my interest in the uncanny or unheimlich as defined by Sigmund Freud. My imagery is often based on historically researched objects, persons, art forms, and crafts.

Recently, I have begun a series including ceramics, watercolors, and textile works that honor women pioneers in the arts, humanities and sciences.

“O’Hara’s work asks us to look below the surface to the psychological or parallel universe lurking behind the veil. These unseen forces are conceptually knit between object and mind, real or perceived, both creating the anxiety of the unknown, the familiar beast of our times.” - Kate James, Director, Concord Art, Concord, MA

Meaghan Elyse: Statement

I create paintings, architectural sculptures, masks and sounds, exploring themes of magic and connection to the non- and more-than human world—particularly birds. My work is deeply intuitive and collaborative. As I ask questions about where my body ends and the world begins, I understand myself as part of a vast web of beings, often through a character I call the Birdwoman. 

The architectures and sculptures I create—nests, domes, and scaffolds—feel alive and porous, connected and entangled with their surroundings. In this time of ecological and spiritual loss, I hope my artwork and designs can offer a space for reimagining, dreaming of new perspectives and alternative ways of living, echoing Cherríe Moraga’s words: “of other planets I am dreaming, of other ways of seeing this life.”