VVAA Holiday Boutique Offers Final Gifts On The Go

By JIM LUKSIC

The Progress

The Mesquite Fine Arts Center Christmas Boutique, which has provided a chance to buy distinctive gifts crafted by local artists and artisans, will continue on past the Christmas holiday and finally wrap up on Friday, Dec. 29.

Although the annual event – which has been a holiday cornerstone since 2006 – serves as a showcase for members of the Virgin Valley Artists Association to peddle their wares, it isn’t only for art’s sake.

Just ask watercolor enthusiast Karlynn Jones, whose second husband recently passed away.
“The art gallery has been a life-saver for me,” said Jones, one of the 40 artists displaying their work at the Christmas Boutique at 15 W Mesquite Blvd. “This has been a way of meeting people since I moved here in 2001.”

Although she has a beloved dog at home, the arts center has gone a long way toward helping her heart to heal, Jones said.
“The gallery and boutique have been a major, positive part of my life,” she said. “I love watercolor, and displaying my work has helped pull me back into the community.”

Among the other artists on hand for the holiday exhibition is Pam Jacobson, who happens to serve as president of the boutique, which welcomes artists from Overton all the way to St. George, Utah.
“We sell artwork year-round and have a similar bazaar in April, but this is more of a holiday-themed event,” said Jacobson, a retired teacher and an artist in her own right for more than three decades.

She helped contact the artists, coordinate logistics, and set up the assigned tables for the creations and gifts. Jacobson explained the boutique’s prospective artists must apply to participate and, once approved, serve a couple of shifts as “elves” at the gallery.

A percentage of the artists’ profits go to the museum, she pointed out, “but this gives them a venue for learning and selling.”

Jacobson has been part of the Fine Arts Center for seven years and coordinates the Christmas showcase. “I love the creative process and being with like-minded people,” she said.
She specializes in fused glass for her Etsy business PJ’s Glass Creations and also teaches fused-glass classes in Sun City. What’s more, she provides instructional videos on YouTube.

As always, the gallery offers weekly courses for anyone interested in learning and practicing art – a benefit that Jones appreciates.
“You mention the classes, and people get excited,” she said.