Your Ah Haa Moment: Affordable Art Show, Now ’til Christmas

04 Dec Your Ah Haa Moment: Affordable Art Show, Now ’til Christmas

Steel & tin heart By Jill Rikkers. Wall hanging measures 9 x 12 inches.

If Ah Haa was not in your line of march Noel Nite, it’s not too late to find a gift of art from the heart.

A gift of art can boast what few other gifts can lay claim to – it will likely be the only one-of-its-kind item under the tree. The Ah Haa School’s Affordable Art for the Holidays will be open in the Daniel Tucker Gallery until the end of December. The show features a colorful cornucopia of beautiful fine art, some that is purely decorative; some both decorative and useful.

The show’s 25 contributing artists have filled the art school’s West Gallery with a delightful array of everything from hand-dyed scarves and photography to paintings and mosaics. Local and regional artists include photographer Amy Levek, fabric artist Michele Foote, and Brittany Miller, whose artwork is fashioned from repurposed wood. Prices are capped at $600, with many pieces under $100, so there’s more room for art in your holiday budget.

Folded pitcher, Goedele Van Hille, 8 X 8 inches.

Ah Haa kicked off the exhibition on Noel Night, where gift-seekers took advantage of a 10 percent discount. The show will feature another reception as part of Holiday Prelude’s special Art Walk on Saturday, December 14, 5-8 p.m. Throughout the exhibition, Ah Haa gift certificates, Telluride Portrait Photography Prize books, Ah Haa cookbooks and more will be available at least through the end of the year. (The 10% off deal is available all day again during the Holiday Prelude reception, Saturday, December 14.)

Participating artists took great care into choosing which items to include in the show. Levek, whose camera is always nearby, has an affinity for the natural world. She photographed a chattering pair of magpies and printed the image on a swath of silk chiffon.

“It is one of my favorite images,” she said. “They were sitting outside my office window and I was drawn into their conversation. When I printed it on chiffon, it just looked so right – dreamy, comfortable and welcoming, which was what the magpies were being. Just sitting on the branch, shooting the breeze. A moment in life.”

For those who have yet to visit the Ah Haa, the school is located in the historic Depot Building, 300 South Townsend. The spacious Daniel Tucker Gallery affords good light all day long and on any given day, the building is vibrant with art students of all ages. Everyone on Ah Haa’s staff is friendly, knowledgeable and devoted to the school.

For more information please visit: www.ahhaa.org of call 970-728-3886.