“I didn’t think I was an artist before.”

Brittany Murdock, Access Gallery Artist

When Brittany Murdock first came to Access Gallery, she knew she was creative. She loved shapes and colors. What she didn’t know yet was whether she could call herself an artist.

Years later, Brittany walked into Access Gallery’s main gallery where her work shared the space with fellow long-time artist Allie Gestner.

Duet: The Works of Brittany Murdock and Allie Gestner Nov 21 2025– Feb 6 2026 was the first exhibition the two artists shared together, giving each the opportunity to present an individual body of work within the same gallery.

For Brittany, the work represented years of discovery.

At Access Gallery, she found dot painting and became fascinated by the symbols and storytelling traditions found in Aboriginal art. She researched symbols, experimented with patterns and color, and developed a style distinctly her own.

“Every dot means something,” Brittany says. “It’s not just a picture - it’s a story.”

For Duet, Brittany’s signature dot paintings appeared alongside something new: felt sculptures she created for the exhibition.

Allie Gestner brought an entirely different artistic perspective to the other side of the gallery.

Allie has been drawing since she was young and works across markers, paint and digital media. Her work is personal, often inspired by the people, ideas and issues that matter to her.

“I like making art about what matters to me,” Allie says.

That difference was part of what made Duet work.

Brittany didn’t need to make art like Allie. Allie didn’t need to make art like Brittany. Each artist had the space to show who she was through her work.

And they did it together in Access Gallery’s main gallery.

The exhibition opened during Access Gallery’s 20th anniversary celebration in the Art District on Santa Fe in November 2025. On an evening that looked back at two decades of Access Gallery, the main gallery belonged to two artists who had spent years developing their work here.

For Brittany and Allie, creating together, while still expressing their own distinct perspectives is what made this collaboration so special.