The Art in the Heart Downtown Sculpture exhibit was born three years ago from the idea that “art fosters a community connection” through the sharing of cultures and economic development, Farmington City Councilor Linda Rodgers said.
It grew out of the City Council’s decision to invest in the historic downtown, making it a “destination,” Rodger said, adding art became “essential” to that concept.
“This event has grown exponentially, and we are very happy to have it here,” Rodgers said.
It began with nine sculptures from regional artists and has grown to 17 pieces from artists in New Mexico, Colorado and Utah. The pieces were installed May 8, and a reception for the artists was May 10 at Artifacts Gallery.
“We’re trying to grow this program so much,” said Bev Taylor, owner of Artifacts. “We would love to have 200 entries in a year.”
There were 35 entries for the 2025-2026 exhibit with one coming from an artist in New York, but the show is limited to artists living in the states making up the Four Corners region, said Warren Unsicker, economic development director for the city of Farmington.
“This is from the Four Corners,” Unsicker said. “We include all four states to embody the cultural connectivity of our region here. It gives a great cross section of different artistic styles.”
“We definitely have a more diverse swath of art.,” he added. “It’s a really a unique cross section this year. We are excited to have it.”
Each year a different artist is selected to choose the works that will placed along Main Street in downtown. This year the artist is Don Ellis, who teaches ceramics at San Juan College.
“I was very impressed with what we got,” Ellis said, adding, in selecting the works he considered the “processes” used in creating the art.
Ellis also considered the “scale” of each piece. “If you have a small piece put on the street, no one will be able to see it,” he said.
He said the selection process was not an easy one, and a lot of it reflected his “personal taste” in art.
Three artists had more than one piece selected.
Cheryl Carlstrom of Lindon, Utah, has two pieces exhibited on Main Street. They are the bronze statues “In the Garden” and “Secret Keepers.”
“I’m proud to be part of this beautiful project you are doing,” she said.
Ahnesah Jo Clark, of Shiprock, has three steel pieces in the exhibit. They are “Longevity Turtle,” “Shush” and “Cloud People,” all of which reflect Native American symbolism and culture.
“I’m very excited, and I extend my appreciation to Tamie (Cottrell), who encouraged me to be a part of the program.”
Cottrell, of La Plata has one piece in the exhibit. It is titled “The Dreamer,” made of metal and sandstone. The Farmington City Council purchased her “Warrior Protector” piece from last year’s exhibit to become part of the city’s permanent art collection.
Christopher Thomson of Ribera has two works in the exhibit – “Chinlone Garden Orb” and “Eyes to the Skies No. 2.”
Returning artist Jerry Severns of Denver brought “Out for a Twirl.” “This is a great program, a great opportunity,” he said.
Fellow Coloradan Charlotte Zinc of Berthoud added, “It’s wonderful to celebrate; art is a great connector.” Her piece is titled “Lift.”
The other artists featured in the exhibit are Bill Bunting of Springfield, Colorado; Justin Deister of Louisville, Colorado; Sean Flanagan of Taos; Nathan Johansen of Provo, Utah; Robin Price of Farmington; Bobbi Rubing of Wheat Ridge, Colorado; and Reven Swanson of Denver.
The sculptures, all of which are for sale, will be in downtown Farmington until April.
