Robin Rice Gallery announces its upcoming exhibition titled "HOME," featuring the collaborative works of John Dolan, Jack Dolan, and Michele O'Hana. The exhibition represents a deeply personal and immersive exploration of what home means through the diverse yet interconnected practices of three family members: John Dolan, an art photographer; Michele O'Hana, an interior designer, textile artist, ceramicist, and weaver; and Jack Dolan, a blacksmith and handcrafted knife maker.
The concept for this unique family collaboration emerged in spring 2025 when Robin Rice visited the studio of John Dolan and Michele O'Hana and experienced a revelation. She envisioned bringing together these three artists – two parents and one son – in a celebration of craftsmanship, memory, and place. The exhibition transforms the gallery space into an evocative and intimate environment inspired by the family workshop located in a barn in Chatham, New York.
The gallery installation features a recreation of the barn's interior, designed by Michele, with hand-stained wooden planks covering the walls to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Framed art photographs rest on picture rails above a knitted wool quilt and porcelain lighting fixtures that cast soft, gentle light throughout the space. Handforged steel-bladed knives with Hudson Valley wooden handles are displayed as heirloom objects passed down through generations, alongside porcelain sculptures created by Michele.
O'Hana's contributions to the installation include knitted textiles, basketry, and porcelain pieces, all emanating warmth and tactility. The exhibition poses fundamental questions about the definition of home: Is it a structure, a memory, a handmade object, or the hands that create it? For the Dolan-O'Hana family, home encompasses all of these elements – a place shaped over time through departures and returns, creation and collaboration.
This exhibition blurs the boundaries between domestic space and gallery, between art object and daily ritual. Through art photography, textiles, ceramics, and metalwork, "HOME" presents a multisensory portrait of a family rooted in craftsmanship and place. At the heart of the exhibition lies a common creative language expressed through light, form, texture, and the timeless beauty of handmade objects.
Michele O'Hana brings her expertise working with diverse materials including wool, willow, porcelain, and hand-spun threads, while also serving as an interior designer. Her practice reflects a longstanding relationship with natural materials and artisanal processes, often collaborating with craftspeople for custom creations. Born in Paris and raised in England and Ireland, O'Hana studied archaeology and art history at University College Dublin before attending the New York School of Interior Design. Her creative life has always balanced rural heritage with urban sophistication, and her design sensibility is both eclectic and deeply grounded, celebrating simplicity and functionality. Today, she lives in Chatham, New York, surrounded by sheep, goats, and horses, where her work continues to draw inspiration from the land and seasonal rhythms.
John Dolan, a renowned photographer and educator with more than thirty years of experience, captures the quiet moments that define a life. Known for his work with prestigious clients including Gwyneth Paltrow, Michelle Williams, and Jerry Seinfeld, Dolan operates at the intersection of fine art, editorial, and commercial photography. He taught at New York's International Center of Photography (ICP) for 15 years and continues to conduct workshops in the Berkshires. His 2021 monograph, "The Perfect Imperfect: The Wedding Photographs of John Dolan" (Damiani Books), demonstrates his constant fascination with human relationships, beauty, and the ephemeral nature of time. In "HOME," his photographs taken in Ireland, the Hudson Valley, and elsewhere bring a sense of calm and contemplation, serving both as documentation and dreamscape. This marks Dolan's third exhibition at Robin Rice Gallery.
Jack Dolan, the youngest of three siblings, contributes the elements of fire and steel to the exhibition. A knife maker and fisherman currently based in Portland, Maine, Jack was born in Ireland and grew up in Chatham. He studied music and environmental studies at St. Lawrence University and obtained his captain's license, sailing and transporting boats around the world. He began his blacksmith training in Ireland under master knife maker Fingal Ferguson. Jack's work combines traditional techniques with contemporary forms, utilizing local woods and recycled materials from the Hudson Valley. His knives function not merely as tools but as sculptural objects that bear witness to time, labor, and craftsmanship, serving as symbolic links to artisanship and permanence.
The exhibition represents more than just a display – it serves as an invitation to embrace a slower, more grounded, and intentional way of life. "HOME" runs from September 13, 2025, through November 7, 2025, at The Robin Rice Gallery, located at 234 Warren Street, Hudson, NY 12534.
