Melissa Borrelli

January & February 2026 Artist on Display

ARTIST STATEMENT:

“I create woven tapestries using secondhand yarn and yarn I spin from mostly scrap materials. I began weaving in 2020 during a period when we all had more time to slow down and focus inward. What started as a practical way to fill that time has become an essential, grounding practice. The physical rhythm of weaving helps clear my mind, and each piece becomes a record of time, attention, and quiet reflection.

My work is primarily abstract, although some pieces reference landscapes of places that hold significant meaning for me. Rather than aiming for literal representation, I use color, texture, and repetition to suggest place, memory, and atmosphere. I hang each tapestry from reclaimed wood, extending the idea of reuse beyond the woven surface itself. By working with overlooked materials, I transform what already exists into something more meaningful and intentional. “

SOCIALS: @barkandbee00

E-MAIL: [email protected]

Alicia Wilkinson, IIDA

November & December 2025 Artist on Display

Alicia is a mother, painter, mixed media artist, senior registered interior designer with her own practice, and educator in the Interior Design Department at Iowa State University. Alicia creates paintings with thick texture, fiber and other mediums while exploring beauty, texture, color and things she is processing internally. Alicia’s inspiration comes from her Creator as she processes through the pain and joy in life, experiences inner healing and brings truth and beauty to the world through her work. Her heart to end injustices drives her to create work that has the hope to bring restoration and renewal on the earth. Alicia’s passions are also poured into raising up artists of all ages in their giftings and leading workshops that use art to bring about inner healing locally and globally.

EMAIL: [email protected]

WEBSITE: aliciawilkinson.com

SOCIAL MEDIA: @ailciawilkinson_artist

Thank you for your interest in my art. It has been influenced by my love of nature, my childhood on the Navajo Reservation (my father was a curator for Native American art) and my experience as a yoga teacher.

Before moving to Ames, I lived in Arizona by a wash. I took walks there nearly every day for 23 years. As a result, I got to know many wild animals as individuals. They came close when I meditated by a spring under some cottonwood trees.

When I create art, I frequently take breaks to practice yoga or meditate. This practice puts me in a peaceful headspace.

Working in gray scale taught me the importance of seeing details to create a feeling of connection.

Please reach out if you are interested in commissioning a pet portrait; buying one of my artworks; or taking private drawing or yoga lessons.

I can be reached at (612) 361-7212
Visit my website: https://artfulyoga.wixsite.com/gallery

Janet McGillivray