Next Chapter
Artists: Jessica Raff, Krystal Read, Cassie Benzenberg
Dates: October 6, 2025 – November 29, 2025
Artist Reception: November 8th, 6-8pm
This exhibition brings together three women who offer a look toward their next chapter of work. Through bold colors and playful abstractions, each artist shares a recollection that feels both cathartic and deeply considered. The works include personal histories, inherited traditions, and lived experiences. Together, the pieces create a dialogue of transition, memory and patterns – an exploration of how art serves as a map and mirror.
About the Artists
Jessica Raff
Born and raised in the central valley of California, Jessica has a passion for making art, creating safe spaces, and traveling to National Parks. She has been featured in local gallery shows in Dallas, Texas, as well as nationally in juried and collaborative group shows. Her personal artwork is rooted in drawing. She is currently focusing on the unique potential of mark-making, processing, and storytelling.
She is passionate about making the arts accessible with humans of all ages. She has received over $83,500 in grant awards which have funded inclusive art projects for students and campus-wide programming for schools. She works full-time as a state of Texas Recognized Distinguished Art Educator, is a frequent presenter at the Texas Art Educators Association conference for her research in creativity and writing engaging art curricula.
Krystal Read
Krystal Read holds an MFA in printmaking from the University of Dallas and a BA from Smith College. She has been awarded grants and artist residencies to travel to Marfa, Taos, and Beverly, Massachusetts. Krystal has taught at local colleges, served on the Meadows Museum Teacher Advisory Council, and now teaches at St. John’s Episcopal School of Dallas.
Krystal uses various techniques like drawing, painting, and printmaking to create vibrant artworks layered with color, shapes, and patterns. She begins her process with sketches made on-site, capturing the lively essence of the environment. These moments of reflection inspire her to create pieces that deconstruct and reconstruct nature.
Cassie Benzenberg
Cassie Benzenberg is a creative arts educator with over 20 years of classroom experience. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Arts Studies at the University of North Texas in 2002 and Master of Arts in Art Education from The Art of Education University. She currently serves as the Visual Arts Assistant Director of Curriculum at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and teaches Foundation 2D Design, Fibers and AP2D Art & Design. She is a quilter with a focus on merging traditional squares and techniques with modern fabrics and compositions. As an artist-teacher, she believes in creative problem solving, products of play, and risk-taking.
Quilting was part of my childhood. Growing up, I watched my mother create beautiful pieces with an intricate process while learning the value of detail and tradition. Each scrap and stitch represented a time and place, creating a functional family story. My work honors the process of making parts into a whole while embracing modern fabrics and reimagined traditional quilt patterns.