keeping art in our everday lives!
See this unique art quilt exhibit at the Platte Valley Community Center on July 3 through 5, 2026. The traveling exhibit is part of the Cherrywood Hand-Dyed Fabrics annual Cherrywood Challenge. Over forty quilts will be on display from 10 am to 4 pm each day of Independence Day weekend. This showcase of vibrant masterpieces comes to life, so do not miss the chance to engross yourself in this vivid display.
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The Platte Valley Arts Council is bringing a unique art quilt exhibit to the Platte Valley Community Center on July 3 through 5, 2026. The traveling exhibit is part of the Cherrywood Hand-Dyed Fabrics annual Cherrywood Challenge. Over forty quilts will be on display from 10 am to 4 pm each day of Independence Day weekend. This showcase of vibrant masterpieces comes to life, so do not miss the chance to engross yourself in this vivid display. The Platte Valley Arts Council hosted a collection from the “POPPY” and “MONARCH” Cherrywood Challenges in the past, and viewers agreed that the exhibit is a must-see!
Prepare to be drawn in as artists push the boundaries of fabric, weaving threads, paint, pencil, ink, and beads into a rich symphony of color that transcends imagination. Join us as we revisit the beloved books of childhood and rediscover the warmth and nostalgia of the stories that have shaped our lives.
Cherrywood Hand-Dyed Fabrics is a small, woman-owned business in Baxter, Minnesota. They manufacture hand-dyed fabrics made specifically for home quilters and sewers and sell through a network of premier quilt shops, their website, and by attending several in-person quilt shows across the nation and globally. Cherrywood Fabrics produces high quality hand-dyed fabrics and is known worldwide within the quilting industry.
Every year, Cherrywood chooses a theme and color palette and presents a challenge to quilters from all over the world. The challenge is to see what you can create using a limited number of colors, and showcase the beautiful suede look of their hand-dyed fabrics. This year’s theme is “STORY TIME” and the fabrics are a gorgeous collection of subtle hues. Quilts must be 20-inches square and use these designated Cherrywood fabrics. Quilts must take inspiration from the theme and can use any technique or embellishment, as long as the focus is on the theme colors.
A panel of jurors selects 225 quilts from the 450-some digital submissions for the Traveling Exhibit. These award-winning quilts are displayed at over 25 quilt shows and galleries nationally. After the tour, the quilts are returned to the artists.
The Platte Valley lost two legends in the last few years: “Teense” Willford and his larger-than-life personality, and Jerry Palen the world-renowned artist and humorist. Fortunately, the two teamed up together several years ago when Jerry decided to carve a statue of Teense singing and playing guitar.
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Platte Valley Arts Council moved two murals into the Platte Valley Community Center.
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The Platte Valley Arts Council is happy to announce that the family of artist Jerry Palen has donated a special bronze statue for benefit of the PVAC scholarship fund. The bronze, “Desert Dust” depicts the famous wild mustang from the Red Desert.
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Local artist Lori Kostur selected to create a bronze sculpture and mural for the Platte Valley Arts Council's public art display. Kostur's fascination with native wildlife and the historical west inspires her work.
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Saratoga native Jamie Waugh has been selected to create a piece of art for the PVAC public art display project. Waugh's mural will feature a cowboy’s torso and arms leaning against a barbed wire fence with an old hat hanging further along the fence line.
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Sierra Smith is selected to create a piece of art as part of the Platte Valley Arts Council's public art display project. Smith will design a metal sculpture as a memorial in honor of Sergeant Tyler Pickett, a Saratoga veteran who lost his life in Iraq.
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Jerry Palen's cartoon characters “Flo and Elmo" will be “paint-by-number” mural is to be completed by anyone who would like to help. Students at the local schools will help by mixing colors and labeling the spaces. Everyone is invited to participate.
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Pairing art and repurposed materials is not foreign to Rawlins–born artist John Perue. Perue’s piece for the PVAC public art display project, “Wyoming Wind Flowers,” incorporates his skill of repurposing items and stain glass work.
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The Platte Valley Arts Council is pleased to present “Two’s the Limit,” a sculpture selected for the public art displays to be revealed in the valley this fall. This work includes a 20-by-15-by-11-inch sculpture of trout leaping into the air by local artist Jerry Wood.
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