Scottsdale Public Art Opens New Civic Center Public Gallery

Scottsdale Public Art has opened a new exhibition space inside the Scottsdale Civic Center Library and will celebrate with a grand opening on Oct. 4.

The Civic Center Public Gallery replaces a former exhibition space, the Gallery @ the Library, where Scottsdale Public Art curated shows for more than a decade, including popular summer exhibitions geared toward families. Scottsdale Public Art will continue to organize four exhibitions per year in the new space.

"Civic Center Public Gallery is a jewel of an exhibition space that allows patrons to experience art where they might not otherwise see it," said Kim Curry-Evans, director of Scottsdale Public Art. "With a focus on local artists, the space will provide great opportunities for everyone to see what tremendous talent exists in Arizona."

Wendy Raisanen, curator of collections and exhibitions for Scottsdale Public Art, said the new space will give her the opportunity to bring in focused exhibitions, like the current show, "Scottsdale Collects Art," which includes rarely seen pieces from the City of Scottsdale's Fine Art Collection. Some items have never been shown before, including antique glass pieces donated by Bullock's department store in the 1980s and a multi-panel fiber piece by Rowen Schussheim-Anderson that the City received in the 1970s.

The "Scottsdale Collects Art" exhibition will only last through Sept. 15. Then the items will return to the vault to make way for the new gallery's grand opening exhibition: "Messages in Ink, Women in Print." As the inaugural exhibition, "Messages in Ink" will feature works made by women from Arizona, using a variety of printmaking techniques.

"There are a lot of women print artists in Arizona, and I'm super-excited to showcase the work of these talented artists," Raisanen said.

"Messages in Ink, Women in Print" will open Oct. 1 and run through Dec. 31. The opening reception for the exhibition will be held in conjunction with the grand opening event from 6:30-8 p.m. Oct. 4. In addition to light refreshments, some of the artists from "Messages in Ink, Women in Print" will be in attendance, and Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation (formerly Scottsdale Arts Education & Outreach) has organized free, hands-on, all-ages activities for the celebration.

In the spirit of Halloween, attendees can practice their printmaking skills by creating spooky shadow figures with Styrofoam relief prints. Or, in celebration of autumn, attendees can create artistic leaves with papercutting and inkblot string art. The activities will be in the lobby of Scottsdale Civic Center Library, 3839 N. Drinkwater Blvd., Scottsdale, Arizona.

While the Civic Center Library has a new exhibition space, Scottsdale Public Art also continues to maintain gallery space in north Scottsdale at the Appaloosa Library. The next show opening there is "Dudes and Dudettes-Fiber Arts by Marla Hattabaugh."

"Dudes and Dudettes" depicts abstracted, patched-together human forms. Awash in bright colors, they appear to dance, pulsate and float, thanks to their rich and multilayered patterns. Hattabaugh, a Scottsdale resident, spends about one month creating each figure, using her own hand-dyed fabrics for the process.

"Marla Hattabaugh's quilting and fabric-dying - and her personality - are so colorful, joyful and happy," said Raisanen, who also curates the Appaloosa Public Gallery. "I'm thrilled to show fiber artworks in Appaloosa for the first time."

Hattabaugh's show will open Sept. 2 and run through Nov. 29. She will have an artist reception from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Sept. 12 at the Appaloosa Library, 7377 E. Silverstone Drive, Scottsdale, Arizona.

For more information about these exhibitions and special events associated with each, visit ScottsdalePublicArt.org.