Off the Page Exhibition Opening Reception at Dairy Arts Center

Free and Open to the Public

Join us for the opening reception of Off the Page: Language as Material, a group exhibition exploring how contemporary artists engage with language, literature, media, and storytelling. Through photography, sculpture, installation, textiles, and mixed media, the exhibition examines language as both subject and material, asking how words shape our identities, transmit knowledge, and connect us to one another.

Meet the exhibiting artists, experience the exhibition across the Dairy’s gallery spaces, and enjoy an evening celebrating the power of language, creative expression, and the stories that bind communities together.

Participating artists include Mariel Reed, Nathan Storey Freeman, Bug, Josh Hughes, Dagny Rayn Chika, Dawn Siebel, Leona Lazar, Sarah Tenney, Samuel Austin, Lisa Berley, Jacqueline Moulton, Austin Baskett, and Russell Schnell.

About the Exhibition

The OFF THE PAGE group exhibition explores how contemporary artists are engaging with storytelling and the written word in creative thinking today. Examining language as both subject and material, the exhibition brings together artists working across photography, sculpture, installation, and mixed media to ask: What does the “word” mean today, and how are artists using language as a creative tool, a source of inspiration, or a physical presence within their work?

OFF THE PAGE considers the power of words to shape identity, transmit knowledge, preserve memory, and build community, while also reflecting on the evolving role of language in an increasingly media-saturated world. Through diverse approaches to text, narrative, and written communication, the artists highlight the enduring importance of literature, freedom of expression, archive, and storytelling as vital forces that connect people across generations, cultures, and backgrounds.

Accompanying the exhibition is a rich slate of educational and public programming. Programs include author talks, workshops, book swap events, open mics, and more, providing audiences of all ages with opportunities to engage with language, ideas, and creative writing in meaningful and accessible ways.

Learn more