County Employee Art Showcase Brings Local Creativity to Mesa Library

The Step Up Gallery at Mesa Public Library will open the second biennial Los Alamos County Employee Art Showcase on Thursday, Dec. 4. Community members are invited to an opening reception from 4 to 6 p.m. in the upper level rotunda outside the gallery, where light refreshments will be served. The exhibit will remain on view through Jan. 7, 2026.

The show gathers an artistically diverse group of current and retired county employees. Works on display include large carved wooden bowls, end tables, and a carved crucifixion by Raul Manzanares, LAFD Captain, and a carving by Ramon Trujillo, Transit Dispatcher. Photographs by Leslie Bucklin, Assistant Public Information Officer, Wendy Parker, Parks Superintendent, and Camille Chavez, Senior Office Specialist, will be exhibited alongside quilts and fiber collages by Katy Korkos, retired Library Program Specialist. Pastels and block prints by Ken Nebel, Library Associate, and oil and pastel paintings by Rachel Pearson, Library Associate, will also be featured.

Visitors will find watercolor paintings by Sara Canfield, Senior Visual Information Specialist, wooden bowls and vases by Mindy Gray, Payroll Specialist, and an ink drawing and fiber quilt by Abbey Hayward, Water and Energy Conservation Coordinator. Crocheted fiber art by Chelsea Ashcraft, CSD Senior Management Analyst, torn paper collages by Rashal McElderry, Senior Librarian Digital Services, digital collages by Oliver Pruitt, Library Student Associate, and wooden crosses by Ronald Martinez complete the range of media on view.

Much of the art will be available for sale by contacting the artists directly, and all contact information will be provided at the gallery. Step Up Gallery is on the upper level of Mesa Public Library at 2400 Central Ave. The gallery is open during regular library hours. For more information visit stepupgallery.org.

Beyond showcasing local talent, the exhibit supports community connection and accessible cultural programming. Public libraries offer low barrier spaces for arts engagement, which can strengthen social ties and contribute to well being. Highlighting current and retired county employees also broadens representation of who creates and shares art in Los Alamos, making civic life more inclusive and reinforcing the value of arts programs in community health and civic life.