Gourd art exhibit opens at Wild Hearts Gallery

The Wild Hearts Gallery in Placitas is spotlighting an unconventional medium this month: dried gourds.

The new exhibit, “Gourdeous Art,” features the work of 13 members of the New Mexico Gourd Society and runs through April 27. Visitors will find bowls, vases, spirit dolls and more, each made from hard-shell gourds.

“It’s kind of a new experience for us,” said Colleen Gregoire, a member of Wild Hearts Gallery. “These fantastical works of art come out of something as simple and benign as gourds. They’re so decorative and clever, and I think people are really going to enjoy seeing them.”

Gregoire said the collaboration was a natural fit, thanks in part to several active Gourd Society members living in Placitas. “We’re a tight-knit art community here, and we have opportunities in the community where artists of all sorts are showing together,” she said. “The Placitas Studio Tour, the holiday market, those events help bring us into each other’s orbit.”

Visitors will have the chance to speak with the artists from 1-3 p.m. at the Saturday, April 12, reception. All of the works on display will also be for sale.

According to Charmaine Cook, one of the participating artists and a member of the New Mexico Gourd Society, the appeal lies in the gourds’ organic individuality. “Gourds are organic, ensuring that each one is unique,” she said. “There are many varieties of gourds, with differing shapes and sizes. When gourds dry, they become like wood, and can then be carved, wood burned, textured and painted or dyed.”

Artists in the society create everything from Southwestern-inspired pieces to animal forms and whimsical objects, said Cook. During the ARTScrawl event on Sunday, April 6, Caryl Goodman, the society’s president, will lead a demonstration in pyrography, or wood burning, on gourds. “Intricate designs and patterns can be burned into the exterior of the gourd,” Cook said. “Also on display will be examples of dried gourds before they have been cleaned, the interior of the gourd with seeds, and a variety of gourd types.”

The show builds on a partnership forged last December, when the Gourd Society held a monthlong display at the Placitas Community Library. That event introduced gourd art to new audiences and sparked the conversation that led to this gallery exhibit.

At its heart, the exhibit hopes to inspire. “We hope visitors will see the endless possibilities of what can be created with a gourd,” Cook said. “It may inspire a creative spirit and a desire to learn more about the New Mexico Gourd Society and the world of gourds.”

For Gregoire, the hope is simple: that visitors take a fresh look at an overlooked medium. “I think they’re going to be really surprised by what they see,” she said. “And maybe they’ll go home with a new piece of art — and a new appreciation for what a gourd can become.”

Gourd art exhibit opens at Wild Hearts Gallery