Thalia Doukas and Laurel B. Jensen: Impossible Dream House

Thalia Doukas and Laurel B. Jensen present “Impossible Dream House,” a dual exhibition curated by Carol Rhodes Dyson at Artists & Makers Studios in Rockville, Maryland. The show brings together two complementary artistic perspectives: Doukas’s mixed-media collages that reimagine the American Dream through vintage imagery, and Jensen’s documentary photographs and writings capturing protest signs and free-speech activism on the National Mall. Together, the works explore aspiration and reality, memory and current events, offering a nuanced dialogue between imagined alternatives and lived experience.

Exhibit: Thalia Doukas and Laurel B. Jensen – “Impossible Dream House,” curated by Carol Rhodes Dyson.
Venue: Artists & Makers Studios, 11810 Parklawn Drive, Suite 210, Rockville, MD 20852.
Dates: July 2 through July 23, 2026.
Opening Reception: Friday, July 11, 2026, from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The reception includes light fare and drinks sponsored by The Chesapeake Framing Company, as well as violin music, a pop-up with Naan Pocen, and the opportunity to explore open studios throughout the building.
Viewing Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM; Sundays by chance or appointment.
Artists and Works: Thalia Doukas contributes collages from her “Impossible Dream House” series, transporting viewers to an alternative reality. Seemingly simple compositions become deeply personal commentaries that layer memory with current events. Her source materials span decades, drawn from publications such as *Architectural Digest*, *Bon Appétit*, and *Dick and Jane* readers, collectively documenting an idealized path toward the American Dream while transcending race and cultural assumptions. Doukas is known for creating installations that incorporate found and recycled materials, with the intention to repurpose, rethink, and reveal inner truths that transform consciousness. Laurel B. Jensen presents photographs and written accounts taken from a single protest on the National Mall in Washington, DC, on March 14, 2025, when hundreds of veterans, active‑duty service members, and civil servants gathered to exercise their First Amendment rights. Her images focus on the eloquent messages displayed on handheld signs. Doukas and Jensen are partners who see their projects as two sides of the same aspirational coin: documenting the world here and now versus imagined alternatives.
Price: Not specified.
Ages: No age restrictions indicated.
Accessibility: The venue is located on the second floor, accessible from the upper‑level parking area behind the building. Artists & Makers Studios states that it is LGBTQIA+ friendly and a transgender safe space. Specific accessibility accommodations are not detailed.
Additional Note: The exhibition is part of a larger building‑wide open‑studio event during the reception, featuring other resident artists, a mini‑solo by Melinda Lowy in the Lounge Gallery, sculptural work by Francis Maduka Uduh in studio 11, and works by nineteen Gallery 209 Member Artists.