A grandmother and her granddaughter enjoy figuring out the evolution of an imagine in the Telephone Tag exhibit of art quilts recently in Step Up Gallery at Mesa Public Library. Photo by Katy Korkos

ART News:

Art quilts bursting with color and personality are part of the exhibition in Step Up Gallery at Mesa Public library. “Personality Plus” and “Telephone Tag” have enlivened the Gallery since opening Sept. 25. This is the public’s last chance to see these works as a group, since after this traveling show closes at end of day Nov. 7, the artworks will go back to the artists who created them.

“Personality Plus” showcases those beloved people and animals that add joy to all our lives, portrayed using quilting techniques such as collage quilting, pixelated images, screen printing and batik.

“Telephone Tag” shows the evolution of an image as it passes through the creative mind of four artists. Is the shape a petal, or a leaf, or a canoe? Is it a flower, or a firework? A building or a guitar? Only you can decide!

The dozens of artists who created these exhibits are all associated with the regional group of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA). SAQA members work together to make sure “that the art quilt is universally respected as a fine art medium.”

This exhibit has been a crowd favorite, with more than 1,000 people of all ages and interests walking through the doors. They have been “wowed” by this spectacular exhibition. A Gallery Talk given at the opening reception was videotaped and appears on Step Up Gallery’s YouTube Channel here https://youtu.be/p3EEvrR2Th4.

Step Up Gallery (https://stepupgallery.org) is on the top level of Mesa Public Library at 2400 Central Ave. The gallery is open the same hours as the library: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and 1-5 p.m., Sunday.