The Valley is pleased to share Simple Gifts, a presentation of new works by Sarah Esme Harrison, Henry Harper, and Tim Johnson for NADA New York. Bringing together works which rely on repurposed materials from domestic spaces as their source material, we wish to highlight practices rooted in craft and connection to place, two of the core themes in The Valley’s programming. 

This selection of works was loosely inspired by the aesthetics of The Shakers, a religious community whose membership peaked in the mid-19th century. They were were known for their ecstatic worship, communal and celibate lifestyle, and a belief in simplicity as a path to divine perfection. Shaker society was radically egalitarian for its time, with men and women sharing leadership and labor. Humility and devotion to order shaped their creative output: furniture, architecture, and household objects stripped of ornament and built with almost obsessive precision. The Shakers also produced “gift drawings,” translations of visions and spiritual messages into delicate, symbolic works on paper. 

Sarah Esme Harrison’s paintings are typically applied to wedge-shaped wood panels. These forms cannot be seen in their entirety from a single angle, and therefore the paintings cannot be viewed in their entirety at once. Harrison's paintings encourage viewers to move around them in an exploratory way, and to interpret them as both an object and an image. Born and raised in New York City, Harrison’s works often demonstrate a view of the landscape mediated by architectural framing devices - such as gates, screens, and mirrors. Her playing card collages, improvisational tools for moving stuck energy in the studio, playfully compliment the studio paintings and reveal a longstanding part of her practice that has rarely been shared. 

Henry Harper is a self-taught artist who primarily works with chain stitch embroidery on found textiles, often incorporating wooden sculptural elements into installations containing multiple components. Drawing from a background in music and songwriting, Harper creates texts that read as poems and parables. Inspired by American folk art, Mission School art and graffiti, and the DIY ethos of punk in New York City; he developed his distinct visual and poetic style throughout years of trainhopping, making zines, playing house shows, collaborating with other artists, and raising funds for mutual aid. Harper prefers worn and weathered surfaces that hold time and labor in their threads, a tactile memory that joins with his gestures, whether scrawled with paint or meticulously sewn. 

Tim Johnson’s latest body of work expands on his explorations of nostalgia, working with materials sourced from thrift stores, estate sales, and architectural salvage in his home city of Detroit. His sculptures recontextualize remnants of vernacular architecture, design, and regional craft practices into forms that vibrate with tactile familiarity. Working in a palette of industrial greys and blues, contrasted with earthy browns, reds, and greens, Johnson’s sculptures reflect the duality of the Midwestern landscape, lush farmland set against the grit of post- industrial cities. 

The Valley has previously exhibited two solo exhibitions of Sarah Esme Harrison’s work, as well as a two-person presentation at NADA Miami in 2023, alongside Sarah M. Rodriguez. Neither Henry Harper nor Tim Johnson have had the opportunity to exhibit at a NADA art fair, though they have both previously exhibited with NADA Member galleries. Harper most recently held a solo exhibition with The Valley in 2025, and Johnson held a solo exhibition with No Place (Columbus, OH) in 2025.