Fused glass artist Rocky Dunne has two pieces in the City Hall exhibit. Photo by Raquel Hendrickson

Maricopa Arts Council announces the first Mixed-Media Gallery at City Hall with an opening reception from 5:45 to 7 p.m. on March 21 in conjunction with the City Council meeting. Access to the gallery and the opening reception is free and open to all.

"Enchantment," a quilling piece by Deb Jay.
“Enchantment,” a quilling piece by Deb Jay.

Genuine fruit of MAC’s continuing three-season, all-arts expo, “Got Arts, Maricopa,” the Mixed-Media Gallery idea arose out of the success of February’s two-day Studio Crawl  No. 1.

Cynthia Portrey, participating artisan in the February Crawl and a central member of the organizing committee for Art on the Veranda, conferred with other Maricopa fiber artists to gauge interest in assembling a core of works for display. She then approached the Arts Council with the idea, and ensuing discussions broadened the reach to other types of Maricopa artisans who also work in shallow three-dimensions.

The art corridor at City Hall does not yet have the capacity to showcase sculpture or other fully three-dimensional pieces, but shallow-depth pieces will be displayed on a wall.

Participating artisans include creators specializing in fiber art (rugs, wall-hangings, quilts, wearables); a quilling specialist (curved-paper art); a fused-glass master;  and examples of works created by scratch-out on scratchboard, embossing on tin plates, and molded from chalk.  Among the artisans in this gallery are a Navajo weaver now living in Maricopa and a quilter whose paintings have also been seen in earlier City Hall galleries.

The full roster of creators included in this gallery is:

Beth Soucie – rugs
Nelda Mullins – embossed tin
Cynthia Portrey – weaving
Pam Sutton  – quilts
Crystal Dennis – quilts and jewelry
Rocky Dunne -fused glass
Deb Jay- quilling
Susan Adams – rugs
Malies Belksma – fused glass
Tiffany Yazzie – rug

Weaver Tiffany Yazzie
Weaver Tiffany Yazzie with one of her pieces in the show. Photo by Raquel Hendrickson

The City Hall Mixed-Media Gallery continues the gradual shift in MAC’s Expo from Fall and Winter’s focus on the performing arts to the visual realm for spring.  More expo special events will continue in April and May.

Rug artist Beth Soucie with three of her pieces. Photo by Raquel Hendrickson
Rug artist Beth Soucie with three of her pieces. Photo by Raquel Hendrickson
Artists busily hanging art for the gallery at City Hall. Photo by Raquel Hendrickson
Artists busily hanging art for the gallery at City Hall. Photo by Raquel Hendrickson