A visit to Mesa Art Center by Jean Judd and her art quilt Scribble #2

The Mesa Arts Center 31^st Annual Contemporary Crafts exhibition is currently displayed in the South Gallery and runs through March 14 in Mesa, Arizona. Jean’s textile artwork, Scribble #2 (Black Pathways) was juried into this prestigious exhibition. This piece was one of three art quilts selected for the exhibition.

 Eligible work included ceramics, fibers, basketry, metals, wood, glass, jewelry, papermaking and book art. 42 artists from 18 states were selected to be included in the exhibition by gallery owner, Jane Sauer of Santa Fe, New Mexico. 

In Ms Sauer’s juror’s statement, she is quoted as saying: “From a field of 425 objects submitted I had the task of selecting 45-52 pieces depending on size. After six rounds of elimination, there was an exhibit of 118 objects. It was such a rich field of entrees that the reduction of pieces was very, very difficult.” The final exhibition included 48 pieces.

by Jean Judd

Textile artwork by Gillette, WY artist Joan Sowada entitled Mainstream USA and Dominie Nash’s (Bethesda, MD) piece Stills from a Life 29 were the other two art quilts featured. Note Dominie’s piece behind me in this photo on the left.

My husband, Danny, and I were able to attend the Artist Reception (6-8pm) as well as the Members Only reception (5-6pm) on January 22. 

In spite of the heavy rain and flooding that was occurring that day, more than 500 people attended the receptions that evening. Many artists were on hand for discussions with patrons about their artwork.

I was impressed with the selection of artworks included. It was a diverse and exciting display. Plenty of white space between artworks on the wall and items on pedestals were not crowded or not properly lit. The three art quilts were all on separate walls and I thought displayed beautifully. That is me (center) in the “blend into the background” bright orange dress. Not sure what I was thinking when I packed that dress for the reception.

A four piece Latin Jazz band provided musical entertainment during the reception, and there were three other exhibitions happening in the other gallery spaces for collectors and patrons to view. One of the exhibitions included a photo exhibition by internationally known photographer Paul Nicklen, entitled Polar Obsession funded by National Geographic. An exhibition by bead artist Teresa Sullivan was in the adjacent gallery room and included a video and some very interesting installation pieces.

The time just flew by and as the evening progresses, I became more comfortable. Not many of the artists in attendance stood by their artwork. My husband herded me over by mine a few times, but I felt a bit uncomfortable doing that. For me, it felt better to circulate and I had more opportunity to talk to patrons and other artists this way.

I met a wonderful fiber artist, Dona Anderson (back to camera), from Seattle, Washington who uses reeds wrapped in pattern paper to make abstract sculptures. (see photo) 

I talked to her about gallery representation (she is represented by GrottaBrown in Wilton, CT) and how successful that has been for her. 


Note: Mesa Contemporary Arts' Annual Contemporary Crafts exhibition has become a benchmark for innovation and quality. Representative of traditional craft mediums including ceramics, fibers, basketry, metals, wood, glass, jewelry, papermaking and book arts, this exhibition showcases 52 artworks by 42 artists from 18 states.

Artists Include:

Dona Anderson (Seattle, WA)

Lynette Andreasen (Mesa, AZ)

Heather Bayless (Kihei, HI)

Nicholas Bivins (Red Lodge, MT)

Edda Blume (Pittsburgh, PA)

Jocelyn Braxton-Armstrong (Westport, CT)

Jonathan L. Brown (Chandler, AZ)

Tom Budzak (Chandler, AZ)

Holly Carter (Phoenix, AZ)

Mary Chuduk (Tempe, AZ)

Michele Collier (Oakland, CA)

Angela Cunningham (Somerville, MA)

Sheila Ferri (Middletown, NY)

Arti Goulatia (Peoria, AZ)

Carol Gouthro (Seattle, WA)

Kazu Ikegami (Tempe, AZ)

Jean Judd (Cushing, WI)

Thomas Kerrigan (Tucson, AZ)

Connie Lippert (Seneca, SC)

C.A. Michel (Seattle, WA)

Julie Mikelson (Tempe, AZ)

Carol Milne (Seattle, WA)

Ann Morton (Phoenix, AZ)

Susan Murphy (Rio Verde, AZ)

Don Nakamura (Philadelphia, PA)

Dominie Nash (Bethesda, MD)

Farraday Newsome (Mesa, AZ)

Zachary Noble (Bakersville, NC)

Kathy Pallie (San Rafael, CA)

Sarah Perkins (Springfield, MO)

Jeff Reich (Mesa, AZ)

Kathleen Ryall (Oxford, NC)

Patricia Sannit (Phoenix, AZ)

Chuck Sharbaugh (Holly, MI)

Dana Smith (Tucson, AZ)

Joan Sowada (Gillette, WY)

L. Sue Szabo (Toledo, OH)

Christopher Torrez (Phoenix, AZ)

Stephanie Trenchard (Sturgen Bay, WI)

Peggy Wiedemann (Huntington Beach, CA)

Kimberly Winkle (Smithville, TN)

Peggy Wyman (Macomb, MO)

Guest juror for the 31^st Annual Contemporary Crafts exhibition is Jane Sauer, owner of Jane Sauer Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. With over 34 years of experience as an artist and arts activist, Sauer is considered an expert in the craft community.