LMC’s annual celebration of local art, The Art Guild of the Delta Annual Showcase 2025 opened Nov 13 in the Library gallery, offering students and guests alike the opportunity to wander through the world of art, discover local artists and celebrate creativity.
Curator Sarah Lee welcomed visitors and handed the microphone to the artists, giving each one a chance to talk about their respective pieces. The artists shared their creative visions for their work on display, enabling viewers to explore the inner message in every piece, and inspiring them to engage in conversations.
Local artist Rosalinda Grejsen explained that her chosen mode of expression is clay, a natural medium so sculpture, for her, is a further connection to Earth and its texture. As Grejsen presented her works “Slab Plate” and “Tall Vases,” she said her favorite part about working on the pieces was “allowing the clay to speak for itself,” through her technique that gave the art a rustic feel.
The next piece highlighted at the show was a photograph titled “Turbulent Waters” taken by Rick Haley while on a walk on the beach with his brother. Haley said technology is improving and the cameras on cellphones, making photography more accessible to everyone, and noted about his photograph, “My best images always come out by chance.”
Julee Richardson’s multi-media artworks span across sculptures and paintings, each with their own significance. Two of her Steampunk-inspired dolls named “Joan of Arc” and “Princess Verde” were made from trinkets such as cogs and springs, merging industrial materials with creative assembly.
Richardson also has an acrylic painting on vinyl named “She Guards the Maze,” and explained that culture is connected by maze, highlighting the importance in the protection of connection.
She also talked about a ceramic piece named “Collateral Damage,” a figure injured by gun violence during turf wars. The piece, she said, is a commentary on how thousands of innocent people are “killed for just being in the wrong place, and the wrong time,” adding how sad it is that people have become desensitized about it. In discussing her variety of artworks, Richardson reflected on her tactile connection with them.
“Once I begin with the process, I’m in tune with the piece,” she said.
Many artists who have shown their work in the gallery have combined different techniques to make something truly unique, like “Majestic Diablo” by Susan State, which is a blend of acrylic and alcohol ink. State noted the blend is difficult to work together, but that the works she likes best don’t end the way she originally planned.
Similarly, Marsha Mees cited her artistic inspiration based on Kintsugi, a Japanese artform in which broken pottery is repaired with a mixture of lacquer and metals such as gold or silver, highlighting the art of imperfections. With her mixed-media pieces, “Rebirth” and “The Two Sages,” she blends materials found in nature with man-made items.
This artistic method resonated with viewers. One of the guests, Tiera Pinkston, commented on the use of different material in the pieces.
“I really like the mix media,” she said. “They used a bunch of old things. I think it just shows how nature grows over everything, nothing can really stop nature. It’s constantly moving on, moving over, reclaiming its territory, and how roots find its way through.”
Moving from nature into nurture, Carol Ligon teaches artists how to find their unique artistic style. Her own style is impressionist painting and she explained “I’m not a person who draws a lot of detail,” and suggested would-be artists “think about how you would like to paint.”
Another artist who encourages creativity, Kathy Emerick, uses seashells, pearls, beads and corals to design necklaces with all types of ornamentation. Her piece “Heart of the Reef” represents the different materials pieced together from nature— and she noted humorously, that she’s a mermaid at heart. She has a background in textiles, and members of the audience asked where she finds unique materials and complimented her natural ability in choosing complementing color palettes.
One of the viewers, Jordan Castro, often helps put together the art shows, but was visiting as a guest, and said he “was able to really appreciate the photography.”
As the art show came to a close, Lee expressed pleasure with the turnout at The Art Guild of The Delta showcase, which will remain open through Dec. 10, Monday through Thursday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Pittsburg campus Library.
Below are some selected works from the gallery.
