Nearly 50 artists and 130+ pieces of art are being showcased in this small art exhibition! All pieces are less than 12" in any direction. Lots of affordable art, making great holiday gifts ideas!

Bio

Fiber artist Jan Friedman has been weaving since 1974. Jan received her M.A. in Textile Design at the University of Iowa in 1980. She has conducted workshops in weaving, color, and dyeing throughout the country. Her tapestries and framed collage pieces have been featured in numerous invitational and juried exhibits and have been commissioned for corporate collections across the United States.

Bio

I am a graduate of the WACO Community School District in SE Iowa and earned my B.A. in Art Education at Iowa Wesleyan. I was greatly influence by the illustrations of Garth Williams within my favorite author, Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House Books, Mary Cassatt's paintings, and my mom and sister who dabbled.

Ali Hval Bio

Ali Hval (she/her) (b. 1993, Sacramento, CA) is an artist currently living and working in Iowa City, Iowa. She earned her MFA from the University of Iowa in Painting and Drawing with honors, and BFA in Painting from the University of Alabama with honors. Her work is interdisciplinary, combining ceramic, fabric, installation, and painting. The forms and materials she uses reflect her interest in adornment and the relentless critique and politicization of the body.

Formerly, Ali was a Visiting Assistant Professor in Painting and Drawing at the University of Iowa. She has received grants from the Iowa Arts Council as well as the nationally competitive Windgate Fellowship by the Center of Craft, Creativity, and Design in Asheville, North Carolina. She has been published in New York Jewelry Week and was a resident at the Chautauqua School of Art. She has exhibited her work across the country, including at Ceysson y Bénétière in New York City, Site: Brooklyn in New York, and South Bay Contemporary in Los Angeles. She has had mentions in CultBytes and The New Yorker. Most recently, she was the Stuart Artist-in-Residence at South Dakota State University.

Also an avid muralist, Ali has completed over 30 public murals and projects in various communities across the US. These murals have ranged from large-scale projects for nonprofits and municipal entities, to projects which have directly involved community members in the painting and designing process.

Bio

Corrine Smith is an independent mixed media artist and educator.

She received her MFA from the University of Kentucky in 1983

A Rock Island native, she returned to Rock Island with her family in 1989. Upon her return, a stay-at-home Mom, Corrine became active and involved in many school and community art projects and programs working as a visiting artist/teacher. 

She was the co-director of “Kaleidoscope” (a children’s art program) 1996 - 2020.  She joined the faculty of Augustana College in 2004 and continues to teach as an Adjunct Assistant professor of Studio Art.  Her work can be found in Regional, National, and International Exhibits, as well as private and corporate collections. 

Artists Statement

The evolution of my art has been a natural additive progression.  My art is a reflection of my life.  I have yet to exhaust exploring the formal elements and principles of design. 

While some works take on a recognizable structural imagery, I enjoy creating nonrepresentational works as well.  My compositions are full of dimension, expression, texture and pattern.  Currently my choice of media is acrylic paint, handmade papers and mono-prints.

Each piece begins with several drawings combined; often one over another.  Rendering form and space guides the underlying structure and composition of my work.  I approach the work intuitively by laying in color choices, be it paint, papers or prints.  The process of making paper and mono-prints allows me to produce a unique unit to add to the composition; the papers and prints are selected for immediate color and texture.  As the composition develops, each piece is rotated, and shapes and lines get covered up and often new ones are created. For me, the evolution of the painting is an exciting, unknown journey that compels me to create.

My largest source of applicable information is from the preceding painting.  I am always striving for an aesthetic surprise.  My ongoing goal is to keep an open mind, expand my perception and continue to create.

My name is Jeremy Johnson. I am forty three years old. In 2009, I was diagnosed with an Pilocystic Astrocytoma. A brain tumor in my fourth ventricle of my brain and cerebellum, along the brainstem.

My story began back in my teen years. I suffered from balance issues and was told I had an inner ear issue. As the years past my balance continued to get worse and my nausea too. 

By the time I was thirty I started having eye issues from the tentacles embedding into the optical lobe and other parts of the brain. In October of 2009 I was sent to an ENT surgeon in Chicago, IL with intentions to remove loose crystals in my inner ear causing the balance and nausea, eye issues. After listening to my story and symptoms for about five minutes, the Dr told me it was not my inner ear but something in my brain touching the back of my head. He suggested I get it checked asap. After an MRI I was told about the tumor and was told to see a Neurosurgeon immediately.

The first surgeon I met with guaranteed me I would be in a wheelchair and probably for the rest of my life if he did a biopsy in that area of the brain. The second surgeon refused to perform the surgery do to where the tumor was located. By some miracle I found a surgeon. On February 11th, 2010 I had surgery for what was only supposed to be a biopsy that turned into an emergency removal. Dr. Fredrick Myer from Rochester, MN removed ninety percent of the tumor, not knowing what damage may have been done. Letting my mother know my coordination my resemble that of a fish out of water. Letting me know my recovery would be long and very tough. They told me I would always live with vertigo and other neurological issues. Most likely not able to do certain things ever again, like run. 

They let me know I truly am a walking miracle.

I was determined to get back to what I was and do whatever it took to get there. I had to file for bankruptcy and move back home with my parents. Since I could not drive and also had to wear an eye patch do to sever double vision plus the vertigo, I got bored.

I decided to try painting again since my childhood dream was to be an artist. I loved art and in high school got straight A’s but was told there is no money in art and I needed to find a skill I could bring a paycheck home weekly. So I became a welder, which I found to be an art in itself. I found do to my lack of coordination I could not draw as well as I once could, but noticed when I played with paint I could create art through energy, creating contemporary abstract art through the spirits guiding me. Contemporary abstract has always been something I loved but could never do until after the surgery. This was when my life changed! Everything I had been through was a blessing in disguise. It renewed my love for art. I found it truly made me happy and feel I found my true calling. Creating is so therapeutic, such great outlet for ones energy for the artist and the beholder. 

In 2013 I was in Chicago, IL and doing very well with my art. I also started having seizures after a bad fall separating my shoulder. Do to the location of the tumor I could not take prescription meds and my seizures got worse causing amnesia and setting me backwards. 

Without creating art through my emotions I don’t know if I would have been capable of keeping my head up to get through another day. I have been seizure free for four years and going strong! Regaining my memory and abilities. Art is a stepping stone with the ability to pave new paths in ones life. I realize I have so much to share through my art and story and so much to give. This is my dream! 

Rose Waldrup:

Artist statement: 

These photographs encapsulate the very essence of downtown Burlington. They are timeless pieces of art that represent the character + culture of the past and current eras. 

Bio: 

Rose Waldrup, age 24, of West Burlington, is a professional photographer/graphic designer who has been behind a camera most her life. Landscapes and nature are her primary focus. She enjoys an adventurous lifestyle with her husband, one year old daughter, and two dogs.

Brandy Swartz

Photography is my best friend, my protector, my teacher and my passion. Travel is in my blood and forms all of my dreams. Together, photography and travel is the backbone of my existence that carries creativity and fire with me into every single wedding I capture

Abigail Costanza

I’m a photographer (+ equestrian, former rodeo trick rider, avid traveler, nature lover, lifetime adventure seeker, and wifey to Sean) and I’m here to tell your story. I found photography at a young age, posing my sisters for backyard shoots under blossoming fruit trees. After lots of disposables and a Polaroid Mini, I got my first Canon Rebel in Highschool and began taking Seniors' portraits (all on film!). I have loved capturing all of life's beauty ever since. The ability to freeze moments in time documenting love and life in all of its wild and wonderful forms is something that I am truly thankful for and passionate about.

John Gaines 

Artist Statement:

As a child we would travel across the country in our station wagon and my mom plotted the journey on a large USA map. That sparked a love of travel and later I combined my profession of photography to create images from future journeys. Here is a selection of images from my travels around the world and in our own backyard.

Bio:

I began my photography career working at the school newspaper at Valley High School in West Des Moines. I was lucky to win some awards and then attended Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky and earn my degree in photojournalism. I returned to Iowa and began my newspaper career in Fairfield, where I was awarded Iowa Division II Photographer of the Year in 1987. I then came to Burlington in 1989 and worked at the paper as photographer, photo editor, newsroom coordinator and managing editor before ending my time in 2020. Once in Burlington I also paid off my student loans and got a credit card and bought a plane ticket to Spain to begin my overseas travel. I would use my camera as an extension of my journey for memories and moments.

Molly Koenig

My name is Molly Koenig.  I'm a gal born and raised in the Midwest, and blossomed in the Wild West.  After five years living and working in the Denver, Colorado and Portland, Oregon metropolitan areas, I've relocated back home to Moline, Illinois to rediscover the Heartland, spend time with my family, and try to make a living rocking non-profit accounting and making photographs.

I like honest, imperfect visual storytelling.  Photographs help me understand and celebrate where I am and who I am.  Which means, this is a place for my professional work and also my personal work.  And why, everything you see here is a pictorial testament in journeying to find my spot. 

Artist Statement
"My subject matter tends to vary. I am influenced by color, texture, and reflected light. If an image attracts my attention, I want to draw it. It’s my way of capturing a moment of joy I’ve had while viewing an image. Some of the art I create has a story that goes with it. In other cases, I was mesmerized by something I felt when I saw it. My work tends to be detail-oriented and realistic. Currently my favorite medium is primarily pastel."

Artist Bio - Linda Ross

Born a maker in Burlington, Iowa, I learned to use tools at an early age.  My parents encouraged the never-ending question, “What if?”.  They bought my first pottery wheel at the age of 16 and I have never looked back.  I graduated with a BA from Iowa State University College of Design.  Shortly after graduation I found the love of my life and we built on a farm near Wever, Iowa.  We constructed a studio in the barn and I raised two children on my hip, as I worked the clay.  Fast forward to 2021, as we near the completion of a new studio.  I will begin to answer the age-old question all over again, in new surroundings.

Artist Statement - Mary Ilmberger Scott

It doesn’t matter what path your life is on it is vital for every individual to maintain some level of activity in what brings serenity and gratification. Creating art, my art…does that for me.

My creative process is simplistic with solitude being the key ingredient. More often than not, I gravitate to a palette of muted tones, textures, and colors that bring a soft, calmer color experience. Drawing and scratching into layers of wet paint on wood is a must. For me, wood lends itself to the process far better than canvas.

Much of my work time and space is in my home and studio in SE Iowa near a cornfield. It is here that I can let my creations pass through mind and hands. It is also a refuge for my husband and faithful studio dog, Ted. This is where, for me, life is very good.

Artist Bio - Mary Ilmberger Scott

A native of Lee County, Iowa I dabbled in art my entire life. A first love, I finally got serious in 2010-2011. While my children were still young I had a wonderful opportunity for creative outlets. Working in my art and sharing in retail stores with good friends and fellow artists at The Wild Pear and The Artisans Next Door in Fort Madison, Iowa my creative juices truly
began to flow.

A self-taught acrylic and mixed mediums artist I find inspiration from my surroundings and numerous online art classes/workshops. I love exploring new mediums with
 the latest being oil & cold wax.

The life of an artist can be creative in so many ways. My work is extremely gratifying but great relationships is the refining touch.

A signature member of the Iowa Watercolor Society, Nash works from his studio and gallery located in Chariton, Iowa where he lives with his wife, Terry, and their two dogs.

Biography

Mary Zeran grew up in a family of women artists. Textiles, embroidery, and woodcarving, were their visual language. Abstracted shapes and forms were their words.  Each time Zeran picks up a brush or scissors, she immerses herself in the language of her family. As she abstracts flowers, trees, and all the colors of nature, she speaks her mother tongue. This language brings her closer to her family’s traditions, histories, and stories. 

Zeran has exhibited nationally and internationally in New York, Seattle, and Chang Mai, Thailand. Zeran’s work is currently featured in a solo exhibit for the CRMA 125th anniversary.

Museum permanent collections include The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, and Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Cedar Rapids IA.

Corporate collections include Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, EMC, Des Moines, IA, First Bancorp, Southern Pines, NC, Grafix Corporate Collection; Cleveland, OH, Grant Thorton, Chicago, IL, Human Services Building, Cedar Rapids, IA, Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids, IA, Newton Wellesley Hospital, Newton, MA, Raining Rose Corporate Collection, Cedar Rapids, IA, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, The Fallon Companies, Boston, MA, United Fire Group, Cedar Rapids, IA/ Los Angeles, CA.

Zeran is the recipient of numerous awards and honors. She received an Oregon College of Arts and Crafts Residency, and a 2% for the Arts Purchase Prize from the Visual Arts Commission in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Mary Zeran was born in Iowa City, Iowa in 1964. She received her B.F.A. and M.F.A. from University of Iowa. She currently lives and works in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

At an early age I formed a deep respect for nature, a respect I transfer to canvas. I am also a musician and my love of music compels me to paint portraits of musicians too.  I begin the process with priming the surface black then using an impressionist palette I create my work. Capturing through the Artist eye vibrant colors which evokes emotion, causing the viewer to pause, to think and to enjoy in the now.

I consider my work to be "Renewable Energy". The viewer is renewed with each viewing, much like listening to your favorite music. 

Thank you for allowing me to share my art with you.
Ken Reif

www.kenreif.com

From late 1990’s through 2010 Carol has been photographing industrial interiors of Iowa factories that have closed or are in the process of closing.  Most have been demolished. This series is called “Artifacts of Industry”.

Some of the Iowa industry that Carter has photographed are: Dubuque meat packing plant and slaughter house (most recently owned by Farmland), Burlington Basket Factory, Borden Dairy in Des Moines, Blaul’s and Sons wholesale grocery (circa early 1900’s) and Sheaffer Pen of Fort Madison.

Carter’s photographs take cues from documentary photography but use a more painterly approach to maximize the storytelling element of her work.  Her saturated colors and attention to lighting capture the poignant beauty and stories of these discarded places.

Artist, Carol Jean Carter, is an Iowa native currently living in Des Moines.

One of her previous long-term projects, Artifacts of Industry, explored the industrial interiors of Iowa factories that had been closed or demolished.

“The content of my work is somewhat documentary, my concepts are in line with a social commentary, but my printing style and interpretation takes a more painterly approach.  I consider my work to be a memoriam to Iowa’s industrial past.”

caroljeancarter.com