Pictured above: Waves, Oil on Canvas by Pattee Hipschen

By F. Lennox Campello

The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Maryland is one of those jewels that make the Greater DC area/Capital region one of the richest and most diverse cultural tapestries in the world.  The Center not only hosts workshops, events (including many free ones), lectures, and authors and poets, but also has a very nice art gallery in its spaces, which are conveniently located at 4508 Walsh St, Bethesda MD 20815 and right across from a very convenient parking lot!

Recently I went there to see “You Don’t Know Me,” a solo exhibition of photographs and stories by area photographer, Beatrice Hamblett. The exhibition was staged at the Joram Piatigorsky Gallery at the Center.

Ready for this? I was floored by this exhibition! In fact, this is easily one of the top, if not the best photography show that I have seen in a loooong time.

We are told by the show’s wall text that:

“‘You Don’t Know Me’ introduces viewers to a cross-section of people— fisherman, hunters, church-goers, people living in small towns and hollers—who reflect the spirit of Appalachia. With this five-year project, Hamblett hopes to bridge the gap between urban and rural people at a time when division runs deep throughout the US.”

This show did that and way more. The images are all memorable, and are all eye-opening to not only Americans, but to anyone who has never set foot in Appalachia and relies on Hollywood and politicians to describe and try to label a region and a beautiful people who are close to the heart beat of our nation.

In the show, Hamblett not only showcases her photographic skills – she’s a darkroom photographer who flexes her old-school skills and displays that enviable geekiness of the silver gelatin crowd when she tells me that “all photos are silver gelatin prints, developed and printed in my own darkroom. Film: Ilford HP 5 120 shot with a Hasselblad 501 CM camera. Paper: Ilford Multigrade Fiber-based paper,” but she also exposes her equally enviable ability to capture the essence, and soul, and presence of a special and important segment of our people in this great nation.

I came out of this exhibition immensely lucky to have been exposed (no pun intended) to a great photographer, but I also learned a lot about our fellow Americans from that fabled region; a beautiful and powerful presence in our nation, captured in intelligent and important photographs.

Beatrice Hamblett is also one of the artists selected for the Women Artists of the DMV survey show, which I am curating and which is coming later this September to nine DMV art venues, including The Writer’s Center.  Currently at nearly 300 women artists in the nine exhibition venues, this will be the largest ever-curated fine arts group show in the nation!

Now at The Writer Center’s Joram Piatigorsky Gallery is WITHIN THE PROCESS, an exhibition of visual storytelling by collaborators Ruth Lozner and Kenzie Raulin, on display through June 25, 2025. We are told that this is a “thought-provoking exhibition of visual storytelling. It is an exploration of issues of our time including climate change, artificial intelligence, constitutional threats and moral questioning.”

The artists will also be in the Gallery on Monday, May 5, 1-3pm to meet guests and answer questions about the work.

Lastly, I also recently visited the Art League in Alexandria where I enjoyed a wonderful show titled “Connections” by Pattee Hipschen, a superbly talented painter (who is also being surveyed in the Women Artists of the DMV show) which showcased twenty hand-crafted hinged diptychs as well as several large-scale, multi-paneled paintings, and while I was there, also quite a few red dots as many works made their way to the home of art collectors!

About the Author: F. Lennox Campello’s art news, information, gallery openings, commentary, criticism, happenings, opportunities, and everything associated with the global visual arts scene with a special focus on the Greater Washington, DC area has been a premier source for the art community for over 20 years. Since 2003, his blog has been the 11th highest ranked art blog on the planet with over SIX million visitors.