Opening: A Moment in Time January 8, 2010

Las Cruces, NM – Two quilt shows will open at Branigan Cultural Center on Friday, January 8, 2010 during the First Friday Ramble from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. “A Moment in Time” is the President’s Challenge from the Las Colcheras Quilt Guild and will be shown in the Richardson Gallery. A traveling exhibit from the Association of Pacific West Quilters titled “Living Colour” will be shown in the Shannon Gallery. Both exhibits remain on display through Saturday, January 30th.

Each retiring president of the Las Colcheras Quilt Guild issues a quilt challenge to the membership. She creates the rules for the challenge, chooses a theme, and she may include one or more fabrics that must be used. Quilters have a year to complete their quilt. Eight of the quilts are chosen by viewers to be juried into the Guild Challenge at the American Quilters Society Quilt Show in Knoxville, Tennessee. Past President Minnie Vickrey's theme is “A Moment in Time.” Participants have the opportunity to incorporate many different past or present events, objects or concerns, such as the Presidential election or a movie like 2010 Space Odyssey, into their quilt. For more information on the Las Colcheras Quilt Guild visit www.lcqg.org.

The Association of Pacific West Quilters (APWQ) has been organizing traveling quilt exhibits for seven years. The exhibit highlights the imaginative potential of the quilt as an art medium, while being inspired by the “Living Colour” theme. Forty-eight APWQ members from all over the region were invited to create, in fabric, their interpretation of the theme. Artistic expressions and construction techniques of unlimited variety were used. For more information about APWQ and their traveling exhibits visit http://apwq.org.

The Branigan Cultural Center, 501 N. Main Street, is located at the north end of the Downtown Mall in Las Cruces. The exhibit and reception is free and open to the public. Galleries are open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information about exhibits, contact the Branigan Cultural Center at (575) 541-2154 or visit the Center’s web site at las-cruces.org/museums.