2025 City Hall Public Art Gallery Artists

Bonnie Alberts

An Arkansas transplant, Bonnie brings a unique perspective and a painterly eye to her photographic illustrations. Created through a digital process Bonnie has honed over the last several years, she transforms beloved landmarks into timeless art pieces that evoke strong emotional connections. Evocative of a watercolor over a pen and ink drawing, Bonnie uses a very 21st century approach to create images that that recall a simpler place and time. A U.S. Navy Veteran, Bonnie studied Historic Preservation at the University of Mary Washington and is the owner of She Studios.

Carley Brown

My name is Carley Brown, I’m a painter and an illustrator, dabbling in both traditional and digital media. I grew up in Lillington, North Carolina and moved to Little Rock for college. I attended the University of Arkansas in Little Rock and graduated in 2021 with a BFA emphasis in Illustration. I love to make work that is fun and conceptual combing my love for 2D graphic art alongside naturalistic subject matter.

Ally Cantrell

Ally Cantrell is an Arkansas native residing in downtown Little Rock. She has had an extensive career in the arts having gained recognition in her early years for her photorealistic graphite drawings. Over time she has transitioned away from realistic pencil renderings into abstract mixed media painting. Her work concentrates on the exploration of texture with consideration towards minimalism. It is an invitation to the viewer to step away from the overstimulation we so often experience in this modern world; to instead pause and exist in the granular detail of a moment in time.

Artist Statement 

When was the last time you just… paused? When was the last moment you held silent the thoughts that race, closed all the tabs and just held space for the here and now? When was the last time you allowed yourself to just be and breathe and observe this world that’s whirling around you? My art is an invitation to pause. Get lost in the granular details of your surroundings. Zoom so far into that place, that moment, until that is all there is. Silence the noise and feel. Living with OCD and chronic anxiety, my work enables me to hold space and honor breath. I strive to celebrate the simple essence of existence through minimalistic abstract paintings. I work with a limited color palette but a variety of texture, creating a calming moment that still allows the viewer to traverse a world of intricacies across the canvas. My early art career was centered around photorealism which involves constant analysis and hyper-precision. With age comes the courage to let go of expectation of outcome. I am learning to just be. My process is now intuitive, an exploration into an unfolding narrative as I allow each piece to decide its own direction. When I create, the noise of modern life draws silent. I invite anyone else who suffers from the noise to step away from the overstimulation, the stress and mess of life. Step away and… pause. Embrace this place. Allow a single instant to have a taste of eternity.

Emma Estelle Chambers

Emma Estelle Chambers is an artist based in her hometown, Little Rock, Arkansas. She earned a BFA in painting and a minor in ceramics from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. During her time in university, she received multiple grants to fund her research in refining Arkansas pigments. After graduating, she received the artLAUNCH grant sponsored by the Windgate Foundation which jump-started her research in local pigments. In 2025, she was awarded the Catalyze Grant from the Mid-America Art Alliance. She continues her research on Arkansas pigments with the goal of making ceramic work entirely out of materials found in Arkansas. She currently works as a ceramics instructor for youth and as a studio assistant at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. You can find her work at local art markets, her website, and at a few stores in Little Rock.

Nathan D. Cook

Nathan D. Cook is a Little Rock-based artist and U.S. Army veteran whose work explores identity, resilience, and our connection to the natural world. Currently pursuing a degree in Studio Art at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Nathan has actively practiced art for over 20 years, drawing inspiration from classical masters such as Van Gogh, Francis Bacon, and Lucian Freud, as well as contemporary visionaries like Russell Mills. His artistic practice spans oil painting, digital media, and mixed techniques, blending Impressionist and Expressionist traditions with abstract and psychological elements. Through bold colors, textures, and intuitive mark-making, Nathan’s work expresses both visible realities and the unseen emotional landscapes of human experience. Committed to artistic growth and community engagement, Nathan started Evolve Studio in 2018 to formally organize and share his creative journey. His art has been featured in regional and statewide exhibitions, including the Arkansas Arts Council’s Small Works on Paper tour. Nathan strives to create meaningful pieces that encourage viewers to reflect on their own experiences and their connections within the broader human narrative.

Jeremy Couch

Jeremy Couch was born in Austin, Texas to a military family. Throughout his childhood he moved around the world, which ultimately shaped the person and artist who he is today. In 2013, his father retired from the military in Arkansas, where he received his undergraduate degree. Jeremy graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2016 with his BFA in painting. In the spring of 2020 Jeremy graduated from Laguna College of Art + Design with his MFA in painting. He currently lives and works in Little Rock Arkansas.

Tashiba Harris

Artist Statement 

Originally from the Caribbean, I mostly paint with acrylic and oil, producing vibrant imagery, landscapes, and expressive portraits that draw inspiration from fashion, family, culture, and the natural world. My artwork captures the depth of my Caribbean heritage and the introspective ideas that frequently influence my artistic process. My aesthetic is lively, expressive, and hospitable.

My creative process is intuitive, allowing each piece to develop organically. I rarely make sketches in advance because I think the initial expression is frequently the most accurate. I make adjustments along the way if something doesn't feel right, keeping the process honest and fluid. I find joy in art. It's how I give people a peek into my mind, allowing them to see the world inside my head. My purpose in creating, whether it be through writing, painting, or speaking, is to inspire, connect, and bring people into my emotional and imaginative world.

Virginia Osborne Kumpuris

Artist Statement 

I’m a portrait artist based in Little Rock, Arkansas, working with acrylic. I was born in Fort Smith but raised in Little Rock. Both sides of my family are from Arkansas, with my mother’s side having lived in Little Rock for generations. I continue to be drawn to Americana imagery found in faded family photos, imagined memories, and the quiet beauty in everyday life. I’m especially inspired by themes of motherhood and the quiet strength of women, as well as images that reflect different sides of American life across generations. I started painting after becoming a mom, searching for something more personal than the commercial art world I’d worked in. I’m mostly self-taught, and I let each painting shift and evolve until it finds its own rhythm. Each piece starts from a personal place, but my hope is that viewers see parts of their own stories in the work

Preston B. Lowe

Preston B. Lowe is a multidisciplinary visual artist and recent graduate of the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts, where he completed the Art (POD) Program of Distinction. He is an admitted member of the Rhode Island School of Design’s Class of 2029, one of the nation’s most prestigious art institutions. Preston’s work blends storytelling, emotion, and identity through mixed-media design.

A recipient of both Gold and Silver Keys from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and a two-time published artist in Celebrating Art’s National Anthology, Preston’s work reflects depth and intentionality. His pieces have been exhibited at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (2025) and in CALs River Market’s Imagining Black Futures: Young Artists Envision Afrofuturism exhibition (2024), where his work was purchased for permanent display.

Preston connects with others through fine art prints, commissions, and collaborative projects. With a strong foundation in traditional and experimental techniques, he is carving his own lane as a bold, emerging voice in contemporary art.

Carley Machen

Carly Machen is an artist and collector based in Little Rock, Arkansas. She received her BA in Media Production and MA in Visual Art from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Coming from a background in commercial photography, she has utilized studio lighting and theatrical elements in her fine art work reflecting on mental health and the surreal. Carly is currently teaching photography at the Windgate Center of Art + Design in Little Rock. Her work has been feature in F-stop, FAYN, and Photographer's Forum Magazine. Her work was exhibited in The Woman's View '24at the SE Center for Photography.

Artist Statement

This is What it Feels Like is a body of 16 photographs that are dramatized representations of emotions I’ve felt accompanied by my collected objects I’m inspired by. These theatrical scenes incorporate myself and the ephemera I am drawn to- old dolls, decaying nature, broken mannequins. Many of these items hold symbolic power seen throughout art history, particularly Baroque Dutch Vanitas.

It didn’t become clear until later in my work that I was fascinated with these objects because I saw pieces of myself in them- striving to be beautiful while also being damaged. It became important to me to showcase their worth in this moment, and in doing so also proving mine.

Curating these images in my home are intimate moments of reflection where I can acknowledge the dance within the human experience where lightness and darkness meet.

Thriving and rotting, hope and loss, isolation and connection, become integral for me in the life-long journey of self-exploration. Through my work, I am able to shine a light on the intricate web of emotions and complex layers experienced in tandem and foster a deeper understanding of my existence.

Chris Massingill

Artist Statement

I create with acrylic and oil paint, drawing inspiration from Caribbean culture, people, and everyday life. My work is about capturing the beauty in the ordinary the small, familiar moments that carry memory and meaning. I want my paintings to spark nostalgia and remind people of times, places, or feelings they may have tucked away, turning them into something lasting and shared.

When I paint, I usually have anime or YouTube playing in the background. It keeps me grounded and comfortable while I work, almost like having company in the studio. That sense of ease and flow allows me to be fully present in the process, turning pieces of my own culture and experience into something others can see themselves in. For me, painting is a way to honor everyday living and make it feel like home.

Monica “MoKasso” McGee

Monica “MoKasso” McGee creates vivid acrylic paintings that capture the human journey through figures seen from behind—symbolizing forward movement, healing, and hope. Inspired by her personal battle with depression and anxiety, her work is rooted in the belief that “your best life is in front of you—don’t look back.” Each brushstroke is both a release and a reminder: transformation begins by facing what’s next.

Kristijan Mitrovic

Zdravo! I’m a Serbian artist living in Arkansas since 2020. In Serbia, I grew up around family that were all creative and learned to express myself through different styles of painting, drawing, and crafting. My biggest inspiration was the Christmas season, but also nature and sketching people.

Now I use antique scrapbook paper for original art works and handmade greeting cards. Working as a floral designer, I was inspired to use flowers as a new method for painting. Combining flower petals with the vintage paper has created some unique pieces, with the remaining scraps or handwriting kept as details connecting you back to the past. As a floral designer, I spend a lot of time cleaning and preparing flowers for arrangements. The variety of colors and textures inspired me to try using flower petals, mixed with acrylic paint, colored pencils, and ink to give additional detail and final touches to the designs.

The pieces I’ve created range from petals laid out in a pattern to images like a bunch of wildflowers. I do all the framing on my own, picking through frames at antique stores and flea markets. Then I try to match the color and/or style of the frame to the perfect piece, hoping it makes a statement when you see the antique scrapbook paper, with original art inside different vintage and rustic frames.

Flowers have taken over my life, and I love it!

Paul W. Perkins

I moved to Chicago when I was 18, on a scholarship, to study at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago. After I earned a BFA from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago, I continued to live there. I took various jobs to pay the bills, and maintained an almost daily practice in my home studio. The best jobs I had were as a teaching artist for the Mexican Art Museum of Chicago as well as a teaching artist for two other programs. I completed commissioned artworks, including murals and sculptures. I did some artwork for Kellogg’s — famous for the ‘Let Go of My Eggo” campaign. In Chicago, I exhibited my work in group and solo shows and had gallery representation. My artwork remains a part of some private collections and my Murals can be seen in some Chicago Public Schools.

After living in Chicago a little over 20 years, I moved to Nashville. I showed my artwork in galleries in Nashville, Indianapolis, and Chicago. I then relocated to Philadelphia. After I started working at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and began to familiarize myself with the local art scene, COVID-19 hit and shut everything down, preventing me from showing my work in Philly. A saving grace during the pandemic was the opportunity to study a renowned art collection. While the pandemic brought so much uncertainty, I was fortunate enough to stay employed at the Museum, where I spent nearly every day in a large art museum that was closed to the public.

Since July of 2022, I’ve lived in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Once I got settled, I connected with the American Indian Center of Arkansas (AICA). Becoming involved with AICA has felt like coming full circle in my life as I have come back home. For me, being “home” is more than just a place — it’s about reconnecting with my People, other Natives, and my heritage. This has been truly rewarding as I’ve started a series of Native American-influenced drawings, alongside some new 3D artworks. I’ve also been writing Native-based short stories and poems.. These drawings and writings have been published in the AICA newsletters.

Additionally, I had the honor of appearing on live TV for a morning show called The Vine. I was there as the voice of a Native artist, promoting ‘The Resilience is Red’ Gala. During the Gala event, I created “live drawings” and donated art to the silent auction, all covered by the Arkansas Gazette. When asked what I would like to accomplish now, I’m currently working on an art installation and hope to create a book as a companion to the piece. Additionally, I’m going to continue writing Native-based work and look for publishing. I also need to focus on getting high-quality photos of my artwork. Lastly, I’d like to show my artworks in Arkansas and neighboring states, while seeking opportunities to work as a teaching artist.

Artist Statement 

I’ll never forget the day, when I was five or six years old, and I was given a box of crayons and a large sheet of paper. My mother looked at me and said, “With this piece of paper and this box of crayons, you can create your own world.” Those words remain one of the most empowering things anyone has ever said to me. Growing up, my mother’s work with Title 4, a federally funded Native American program for students in Oklahoma, shaped my early experiences with art. She taught Native students, in Oklahoma City Schools, about their heritage through arts and crafts. She also nurtured my own love for creating. I am proud to be Muscogee Creek, and my Native American heritage has been a constant source of inspiration in my life and in my work.

This connection to my roots is woven into every piece I create as my art is a way of honoring my heritage, “We are still Here”. As I continue on this journey, I strive to create works that speak to the universal, to moments of shared humanity, while always holding close the particularities of my own story. I believe art is a bridge — one that connects us not only to our own histories and identities, but to each other.

The work I produce is not only an exploration of my identity but a reflection of my worldview. It serves as a form of dialogue, an invitation for others to connect with the experiences and histories that have shaped me. For me, creating art is essential, like food for the soul. It is not merely a hobby or a form of expression, but a necessity or a lifeline. My studio is where I feel most grounded. I cannot imagine my life without art — it is both my purpose and my salvation.

Emma Presley

Emma Presley is a Chinese-American adoptee making work in her hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas. With a background in sculpture and ceramics, she creates multi-disciplinary work including zines, works on paper, poetry, calligraphy, radio shows, shrines, and jewelry. While her medium is ever changing, Presley interprets traditional Asian aesthetics with the honesty of being raised in the American South.

Aneesah Rahmaan

Aneesah Rahmaan is a multidisciplinary artist based in Arkansas with a bachelor’s and master’s degree. Her work focuses on themes within African American culture. Using alcohol inks on canvas, she creates expressive portraits and compositions inspired by her family, heritage, and community. Her art explores deeply rooted cultural elements such as hair, streetball, hip hop, and pop culture—offering a vibrant narrative grounded in both personal experience and shared identity. Rahmaan has exhibited across Arkansas and is represented by ARTSpace on Main, where she was featured in March 2025. She is a 2024 Artist INC Fellow and a registered artist with the Arkansas Arts Council and the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Her work has been spotlighted in Women United ART Magazine and the YouTube series Delta Trues with Epiphany Morrow.

Terrance Richardson

Donated to the City of Little Rock by the T. Rich Foundation, Inc. in Memory of Terrance Richardson, a former City of Little Rock HR Employee.

Scarlet Sims

Artist Statement

Scarlet Sims, of Little Rock, is an interdisciplinary artist and storyteller who travels with a sketchbook everywhere she goes. She captures moments, people, places and light in Central Arkansas through abstract realism and poetic structures. Her portraiture work, which often uses watercolor, focuses on limited and cohesive color palettes in multiple mediums and showcases the layered complexity of people around her.

CC Mercer Watson

CC Mercer Watson is a magnetic gem from The Natural State. She has a kaleidoscope of talent that includes being a Textile Artist, Actor, Activist, Poet, Playwright, Published Author (A Love Story Waiting To Happen, Butterfly Typeface Publishing, 2018, and From Cotton to Silk: The Magic of Black Hair, Et Alia Press, 2021), Found(her) and Executive Director of A BLACK SPACE, a nonprofit that serves and liberates Black folks through culture bearing, oral tradition, ancestral craft, design and consultation, and Lead Designer and Merchant of Mercer Textile Mercantile, a fiber business that merges farm-to-fashion and fine art which expresses current and evolving Black culture… those passions being a conduit for uplifting voices of color and making marginalized populations visible.

She holds a BA in Theatre Arts and Dance from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and is a graduate of the Clinton School with a Master’s in Public Service. She has performed on international stages in theatre houses and reciting poetry and she has exhibited work at The Studio Accra (Accra, Ghana), UCA Downtown (Conway, AR), SOO Visual Arts Center (Minneapolis, MN), the Thea Foundation (North Little Rock, AR), Her Set Her Sound Festival (Fayetteville, AR), Mosaic Templars Cultural Center (Little Rock, AR), and at M2 Gallery (Little Rock, AR) where visual art career is represented.

A dedicated public servant, a woman of many creative talents, and the daughter of legendary late civil rights lawyer, Attorney Christopher C. Mercer, Jr., she honors the legacy of her father by using artistic mediums as a tool for empowerment, education, and radical justice. Her maiden name, Mercer, means “a merchant in textiles” and she is a textile maven, stitching by hand thousands of hours a year. Watson, at her core, is a storyteller and keeper of culture. She is holding the belief that Arkansas can be a cultural Mecca of The South, universally unifying our history and healing, and that she can be a keeper of that story, too. In every thread of her being, she is weaving a tapestry of her ancestors, draped in Afro-futurism. Follow the odyssey across social media platforms @ccmercertoo.

Artist Statement 

Southern Black womanhood is the lens that I conjure and create from. I utilize theatre, poetry, and textiles to communicate cultural messages geared towards justice led work to be an example of survival, liberation, and healing for any who bear witness. I make beautiful things because I am a beautiful thing. The core of my work explores the origins of Pan African textiles, in their raw and processed forms, and how each cord connects to the historical context of African peoples and peoples of African descent.

When stitching, I prefer to work by hand, gestating a garment or quilt in real time. When writing, poems, books, or for the stage, I like to use rhyme, free verse, and various literary structures to generate labyrinths of curiosity about the characters and their world … which is most often my own, paralleled to my lived experience, or an empathic call and response to the lived experiences of others. In every facet of my existence, my craft plays a critical role in relationships and how I document the epic history of humanity through my art.

Identity is a key factor in my storytelling, too. My mediums translate my draw to culture, activism, and narratives of class, gender, and color. My work is radical, raw, painful, provocative, while simultaneously appealing and inviting to the senses. My joy is resistance, too. Every iota of my being honors current and evolving Black culture, and the long spiritual memory of my ancestors. I am a dream preferred.