Exhibition examines fragile spaces

By Andrea Lamarsaude

Art on Main invites the community to experience Umbrella Corpse: Retrospective + New Work, a solo exhibition by Emily Lamberty, on view now through September 26. Enjoy an Opening Reception this Saturday, Sept.12, from 6-9 p.m. for an evening of art, music and community. Light refreshments will be served, with DJ MISO curating the music for the evening. 

Lamberty brings together a powerful collection of photographs and mixed-media works that trace an evolving practice rooted in endurance, transformation and survival.

Spanning past and present, the exhibition examines the fragile spaces between loss and renewal, exposing the emotional and physical landscapes shaped by resilience. Through layered imagery and evocative compositions, the work confronts vulnerability while revealing unexpected strength.

Together, these pieces invite viewers to reflect on the ways people carry memory, adapt to adversity, and reclaim meaning from fractured experiences.

Umbrella Corpse offers a compelling meditation on persistence, identity and the enduring human capacity to emerge transformed.

“I’m excited to have partnered up with Genesis Women’s Shelter and invite you to bring an umbrella to donate to this amazing organization that has been offering free services to women experiencing domestic violence, no strings attached, since 1985,” Lamberty said.

When Lamberty first moved to New York in 2009, she noticed people walking in the rain with umbrellas beaten, battered and broken. It was something she had never seen before. She saw them discarded in puddles on the streets, sidewalks and stuffed in garbage cans. There was one oversized umbrella stuffed into a garbage can at the corner of Prince and Wooster that inspired a humorous story in her mind, and she began documenting them. During this time Lamberty describes as a character-building experience, umbrella corpses became her totem. She was fortunate to work with her mentor, William Spear, studying feng shui and vital design.

Locked into transformation and trauma healing, Lamberty left New York for the fresh mountain air of Salt Lake City. Without umbrella corpses to document regularly, she continued her studies adding yoga to her toolbox.

Under the umbrella of her small business, Ritual Relish, Lamberty focuses on providing healing tools through yoga and feng shui, spiritual jewelry and art.

Just a few years ago, on Groundhog Day, Lamberty moved back to Dallas where she currently resides.

She graduated from Elon University with a BA in Art with a concentration in photography.

Art on Main is located at 4428 Main Street, Suite 200 in Dallas.