Galleries Transform at ArtReach with new Exhibition and annual Holiday Gift Gallery

STILLWATER, MN – ArtReach St. Croix opens the holiday season on November 22 with a new gallery exhibition and Holiday Gift Gallery. Virginia Averill and Alana Cuellar join for Symbols of Joy, an exhibition of iconography work and pottery that will fill the north gallery spaces.

An artist from Marine on St Croix, Averill’s work is created by digging into dry and hardened media, painting, digging and re-painting. Emerging from this “excavation” is ‘religious art’ and icons, reminiscent of Christian images from her childhood. 

Cuellar, a Venezuelan-American potter living in St Croix Falls, believes that handmade objects contain a quiet magic that cultivates pleasure, joy, and connection. Her functional pottery is inspired by ancient pots, cooking, textiles, the natural world, and the community of potters around her.

Opening alongside Symbols of Joy is ArtReach’s annual Holiday Gift Gallery. This year’s gift gallery will feature work by more than 30 local artists, fine handcrafters and authors. From paintings and jewelry to printmaking, pottery, woodworking and fiber arts, the artful shop provides a season-long opportunity for those looking for unique, handmade gifts for their friends, loved ones and for themselves.
“Averill and Cuellar’s show complements the Holiday Gift Gallery,” says Heather Rutledge, executive director of ArtReach St. Croix. “This is a great time of year to see a thoughtful show alongside a vibrant shop filled with handmade and unique gifts!”

Symbols of Joy and the Holiday Gift Gallery open on Saturday, November 22 from 12-4pm with an artist reception 12-2pm in ArtReach St. Croix’s Royal Credit Union Foundation Gallery. The Holiday Gift Gallery and the exhibition will be on view through December 30. ArtReach St. Croix is located at 224 N. 4th Street in Stillwater, MN. The gallery is free and open to everyone.
Extended Gallery hours for Symbols of Joy and the Holiday Gift Gallery are Tuesday and Friday, 10am-4pm; Wednesday and Thursday, 10am-7pm; and Saturday and Sunday, 12-4pm. Hours will vary around the holidays so check artreachstcroix.org for more information.
 
ArtReach St. Croix is a non-profit regional arts organization committed to the mission of connecting communities to the arts throughout the St. Croix Valley. ArtReach supports the work of artists and arts organizations through events, marketing initiatives and education opportunities that foster and celebrate the visual, literary and performing arts in the St. Croix Valley. The work of ArtReach St. Croix is made possible through generous donations from individuals and grants from foundations. Visit artreachstcroix.org to learn more.