Arizona artists shouldn’t sleep on the Public Gallery at Civic Space.
Located at the center of Scottsdale Civic Center Library, the Public Gallery grew out of a partnership between @scottsdalearts and @scottsdalepubliclibrary to present exhibitions, strengthen awareness around art, and stimulate dialogue within the local community.
That’s a pretty neat concept.
The space itself is cozy and unobtrusive, but the recent group exhibition Open Spaces exceeded our expectations of what we thought could be possible within such an intimate setting.
Juried by artist and educator Erika Lynne Hanson, the exhibition featured fiber-based works focused on landscape, public lands, and the significance of our national parks.
At a moment when federal staffing cuts and renewed debates over the management and protection of public lands have placed their futures on the edge of uncertainty, the subject feels especially poignant. That uncertainty extends beyond policy, with climate change continuously transforming the natural world right before our eyes.
Landscape is a big and heavy subject, so to speak, and the artists included in Open Spaces excelled at stitching together works that carry both the timeless beauty of nature and the unease of watching it change.
Delicate Holding, a piece by Denise Yaghmourian (@denise.yaghmourian), features a small animal bone stitched onto wood with thread and yarn, pairing the harshness of survival with the fragility of life.
Another piece, Blue Branch by Jacey Coca (@jaceysphotodiary), incorporates icy blue beads woven around a tree branch, treating a weathered natural object with tenderness and elegance.
The sheer number of works and artists included was impressive, making the gallery feel full without ever becoming overwhelming.
One installation piece in particular left us marveling at the possibilities for future exhibitions that could transform the inside of a peaceful library into something entirely unexpected.
For such an intimate space, Open Spaces carried a surprising amount of weight. Well done to the artists, juror, and curator.