Upcoming Exhibits
"Bodies at Rest" by Paige Stewart, 2024
Cy Baird Gallery:
"Decked Out"
Skateboard Art Fundraiser
September 5 - 27, 2025
Where skate culture meets the gallery walls — the GAC presents Decked Out, a unique fundraiser exhibition celebrating the creativity and spirit of our local skateboard community. All summer long, local skaters and artists have been transforming blank skateboard decks into one-of-a-kind works of art, blending street style with fine art flair.
Now, these custom decks take center stage in the Cy Baird Gallery this September, offering an exciting glimpse into the intersection of movement, culture, and creativity. Each piece will be available for purchase, with proceeds supporting the GAC’s mission to connect and inspire through the arts.
Join us for the opening reception on Friday, September 5th, during ArtWalk & Music, and experience the energy firsthand with live punk bands on the outdoor courtyard from 4:00–9:30 PM.
Celebrate art. Celebrate skate. Celebrate community.
Nancy Tredway Gallery:
"Through the lens of Hugh Smith"
A Black + White Photography Exhibit
September 5 - 27, 2025
The Hugh Smith Collection offers a rare glimpse into Colorado’s mining era through the lens of Hugh Gordon Smith, born in Pitkin in 1887. Hugh pursued photography while his brother George worked as a teamster, hauling heavy mining equipment. Their extended family’s story is interwoven with the region’s mining history, from Edward’s work as a mining engineer and livery stable owner to his ownership of the first Cadillac in Colorado - captured in Hugh’s photographs. The negatives passed through generations, entrusted first to George, then to Daisy, and later to Velma and her son Donald Gibbs, who would ultimately safeguard them.
Donald rediscovered the shoebox of forgotten negatives after his mother’s passing, and with the help of photographer Ted Kurihara, had them digitized. His efforts not only revived the images but reconnected him with family in Colorado, including cousin Sandra Dolak of La Veta. In a generous act of preservation, Donald donated the Hugh Smith Collection to the Gunnison Arts Center, where these photographs now live on as more than historic images - they are a testament to family, migration, mining, and the enduring bonds that shape community and heritage.
Cy Baird Gallery:
"Felt Odyssey"
by Cecilia Eager
October 3 - 30, 2025
Cecilia Eager is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area where she earned an MFA in Studio Art-Textiles. For almost 30 years Cecilia has lived in Gunnison, working as an artist and educator. Learning to make felt from wool fibers in 1996, Eager began incorporating a variety of other textile materials into her 2-dimensional fiber collages. This reflects her background in a full spectrum of textile processes, weaving, dyeing and sewing. Blending textile elements from recycled garments, yarns and fabrics with wool fibers has allowed Eager to draw from a wider palette of colors and textures to enliven the surface of her felt designs.
A traveler at heart, Eager enjoys using maps and photographs as the basis for her abstract handmade felt designs. She chronicles adventures both planned and unexpected. Inspired by impressions and photos taken where Eager lives in Western Colorado and other places she's explored, her designs incorporate some of the interesting lines, patterns, and textures she's seen along the way.
Nancy Tredway Gallery:
"Splatter with Love"
Six Points Annual Art Show + Silent Auction
October 3 - 31, 2025
This upcoming exhibition proudly showcases the vibrant and diverse artistic expressions of individuals with intellectual disabilities. The artworks on display reflect the unique perspectives, experiences, and imaginations of each artist, offering a powerful testament to the transformative power of art as a means of self-expression and communication. A significant contributor to this artistic journey is our dedicated art teacher, Pricilla Swanson. Her passion for art and commitment to fostering a nurturing environment have been instrumental in guiding these artists, helping them to develop their skills and find their unique artistic voices.
Join us on October 3rd as we celebrate our uniqueness and differences through art. The Silent Auction opens at 5:00 pm this day and runs throughout the exhibition closing on Friday, October 31st at 6:00 pm.
A special readers theatre performance will take place in the Blue Box Theatre at 5:30 pm on the First Friday ArtWalk.
CY BAIRD GALLERY:
"Kinetica"
By PATRICIA AMLIN
November 7 - 29, 2025
In Kenetica, acclaimed artist and educator Patricia Amlin presents a dynamic blend of new oil paintings alongside select earlier works, capturing a lifetime of creative exploration. Now in her mid 80s, Amlin brings decades of experience as a painter, animator, filmmaker, and professor - spanning leadership roles at San Francisco State University’s Department of Cinema to award-winning independent projects. The exhibition’s title, Kenetica, reflects her fascination with movement, transformation, and the energy that propels both art and life forward. With her first presentation in the newly renovated Cy Baird Main Gallery, Amlin invites viewers into a world where bold imagery and masterful technique honor the beauty of change, vitality, and enduring creative spirit.
Nancy Tredway Gallery:
"Fresh & Giddy"
By Laura Jane Wrzesinski
November 7 - 29, 2025
The Fresh and Giddy collection by Joy Warrior celebrates over 35 years of joyful, vibrant art that the Gunnison Valley has come to know and love, now infused with fresh inspiration and giddy gratitude for the gift of life. In this new collection, Laura Jane continues to explore her signature themes—dogs, wild women on adventures in classic cars, and whimsical journeys through the universe—expressed in her playful, bold, cartoonish pop style, while incorporating new twists of collage and wordplay, even noting hints of Basquiat’s influence in some works. Since arriving in the Gunnison Valley in 1990 as an untrained but imaginative artist, her work has evolved from bright pen-and-ink drawings and greeting cards into dynamic acrylic paintings on a wide range of surfaces following an inspiring trip to New Zealand in 1993.
Her art can be found throughout Crested Butte and Gunnison—from photo-op cutouts like the beloved butterfly wings at Gunnison Gallery and the Gothic Visitor Center piece to public art on signs, garbage cans, and even a skid loader—as well as in fine homes, businesses, and institutions like KBUT and the local laundromat, where a mid-90s piece still hangs. Laura Jane is grateful to have sold thousands of original works in her lifetime, with her largest collections residing in Nashville, TN, and Shawnee, KS, and her paintings gracing walls across the globe. Above all, she hopes her art continues to bring joy to your day!
Cy Baird Gallery:
Annual Holiday Market
December 5 - 24, 2025
The Gunnison Arts Center is decking the halls for our Annual Holiday Market in the Cy Baird Main Gallery, and we want YOU to be part of it! Showcase your handmade gifts, art, and holiday treasures in this beloved community shopping event. Booth fees are just $25 or $20 for GAC members.
The market kicks off Friday, December 5th during ArtWalk & Music and the magical Night of Lights celebration, and runs through December 24th — perfect for last-minute holiday shoppers! Support local artists and your community arts center this holiday season.
CALL FOR ARTIST BOOTHS:
Application Deadline: Friday, November 21.
* Our gallery space is limited to 25 booths. Booth fees are due during set-up. Artists must provide their own table and decor. GAC takes 35% commission on all art sales. Artists must price and label their own works accordingly and provide the GAC with correct inventory list.
APPLICATION AVAILABLE COMING SOON!
Nancy Tredway Gallery:
Teddy Bear Wonderland Fundraiser
December 5 - 24, 2025
Step into a magical world of cuddly charm at the Teddy Bear Wonderland fundraiser exhibit in the Nancy Tredway Gallery this December! Featuring a delightful collection of vintage and handmade teddy bears of all sizes, generously donated by Debby Phelps and Ralph Kwiatkoski, this whimsical display is perfect for stuffed animal lovers of all ages.
All teddy bears will be available for purchase, making for heartfelt gifts this holiday season, with proceeds directly supporting the GAC galleries. Don’t miss this cozy and creative way to celebrate the season and give back to the arts in our community!
