DICKINSON — The Southwest Art Gallery & Science Center (SWAGSC) is offering a temporary place of meditation — and inspiration — to local art enthusiasts.
On Thursday evening, SWAGSC hosted the opening reception of its Fiber Arts & Quilt Exhibition, which runs through April 23. The event came after a call for artists in February and the official opening of the exhibition on March 12. With dozens of quilts featured and visitors having arrived to admire the artwork, the Art and Science Center’s board members called it a success.
“It’s exciting,” organization treasurer Mary Massad said. “It’s important to bring some culture to our region … art comes in many forms and this is just one of them.”
Cherie Roshau, the vice president for SWAGSC, came up with the idea for the exhibition. Although she has no background in fiber art herself, Roshau was motivated to showcase the art form because her mother was a talented seamstress and she has friends who are quilters. So three months ago, while yearning for warmth in the middle of winter, Roshau began organizing the exhibition to showcase the type of art, something she felt was under-appreciated.
“It’s a part of our culture and heritage,” she said. “People here are amazed by the diversity and quality of the quilting and the artwork.”
The exhibition is made up of not just quilts but a diverse collection of needle felting, doilies and even some clothing items.
Dorvall Bedford / The Dickinson Press
The exhibition is made up of not just quilts but a diverse collection of fiber art, including needle felting pieces made to depict bison and other animals, intricately patterned doilies and even some clothing items. According to featured artist Carol Krause, a member of a local guild called Quilters on the Prairie, fiber art is anything made with cloth or fiber.
A majority of the work at the exhibition are quilts, but every single quilt is unique and showcases the many different forms of quilting. Some of the work were pieced quilts, which involve cutting fabric into small pieces and sewing them back together to make a design. Others were appliqué quilts, which involve stitching fabric designs onto a larger background fabric. From collage to cross-stitching and modern-art inspired patterns to more traditional ones, the amount of creativity that can go into quilting is on full display.
“There’s a whole variety of different techniques and quilting,” Krause said. “There’s so much variety of fabrics, styles and patterns that you can do it your whole lifetime and never do the same thing twice.”
Krause said that while most quilters and fiber artists are often middle-aged or older, she’s noticed many younger people have started practicing the art form and some of the work at the exhibition were made by high school students and young adults. She believes the appeal of this type of art is its calming and social aspect. Quilting and fiber art is something that can bring people together and is more productive than other activities such as going out to a bar, according to Krause.
“You create something beautiful and you create something functional,” she said. “It’s meditative and creative.”
The SWAGSC board members see the exhibition as a milestone for the growing gallery. This is the first time it has showcased fiber art, and they believe the event is bringing the community together. Not only have they brought the attention of local residents to the region’s quilters, but they also have brought together artists who were not aware of each other. When SWAGSC put out their call for artists, over 100 entries came in.
“We need to share our stories, and these quilts share stories,” Roshau said. “I continue to encourage other people to tell their stories in ways they know how.”
Massad said those who haven’t seen the exhibition yet should make a visit to SWAGSC. She believes it can provide a chance for people to see the artistry of a hobby few even think of as art and recommends people take a seat in the gallery to enjoy it.
“It’s good for your soul,” Massad said. “You can come in here and get away from the outside world and get a new perspective.”
“We want to make people aware that we have this art in our community,” she continued. “It’s unique and worthwhile and beautiful.”
Previously a freelance reporter based in Washington, D.C., Dorvall Bedford is from northern Maryland and studied journalism at the University of Maryland. He joined The Dickinson Press in March 2026.
Dorvall’s prior reporting involved covering arts and entertainment in and around Washington, including local music, photography and art exhibitions. He likes to cover events and stories not only because they’re interesting but also to show that oftentimes the least discussed topics can be some of the most important. At The Dickinson Press, he hopes to serve his community by continuing to find the stories that aren’t being told.
Even outside of work, you can always find Dorvall documenting the world around him with a camera in his hands.
Readers can reach Dorvall at (701) 456-1213 or dbedford@thedickinsonpress.com.
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