March Barn Door Gallery 2026

I Got U

Ryan Murray and Sharona Color

March 6 - March 27

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Opening Reception on Arts Night Out

I Got U unites artistic collaborators Sharon Leshner and Ryan Murray—two distinct voices, each with their own style and way of moving through the world—who meet in the studio with a shared goal of togetherness.

The exhibition is grounded in a balance of optimism and reality—light and dark held side by side. It’s raw, open, and human—about the mess we all share and the beauty that comes from it. The work doesn't stand at a distance; it pulls you in, asking you to feel, reach out, and connect. The gritty texture of everyday life is expressed materially through torn layers of glued paper, textured paint, and freestyle brushstrokes.

Created in fascist times, I Got U centers common ground as a means of survival. The multimedia artworks include words drawn from intuition—subtle reminders and affirmations for getting through it. Mental health is not an abstract theme here, but a lived practice embedded in making, undoing, and remaking.

With figures moving and dancing, the work embodies togetherness as action rather than idea. In collaboration, in motion, and in care, I Got U offers connection as both resistance and refuge—an insistence that in creating together, we hold one another up.

• Ryan Murray

  Ryan Murray (he/him), spray paint stencil artist and muralist, received his Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from Carnegie Mellon University in 2014 and currently resides in western Massachusetts. He is currently represented by Art for the Soul Gallery. Through his work Ryan unearths and examines unsettling but important conversations about the stigma of mental illness, with the goal of normalizing the discussion and treatment of mental health in black communities. To examine Black mental health is to examine the effect of events in both the past and present, socioeconomic factors, how patterns of suffering repeat themselves, and the burden of certain societal expectations.

  Ryan utilizes repeated symbolism and autobiographical elements in order to address the reality and the reasons that people of color suffer in silence more than their white counterparts. Some of these works incorporate elements from photos taken during childhood, while others are derived from collages made during the artist’s therapy sessions.

  IG@rywandojones

  ryanamurray.com

• Sharona Color

  Sharon Leshner (aka Sharona Color, she/her) is an Easthampton, MA based artist and community activator. She uses mesmerizing colors to capture fleeting moments of awe from life. Sharon’s work begins with a process of deep listening, both to herself and her community. She dives into the confluence of our innermost thoughts and the playful nuances of our shared experiences in a way that challenges societal norms and makes way for healing. Sharon’s work draws from the spontaneity and improvisation of abstract expressionism. Like a symphony of poetic phrases and words, curved forms, and bold colors, her work evokes a sense of ever-present movement and a joyful acceptance of change for the viewer. Sharon is the Artistic Director and Founder at the non-profit mural organization, The Color Collaborative. Her murals can be found in cities around the country and internationally. 

  IG@sharona_color

  www.sharonacolor.com