“When I closed my eyes, I could see it clearly: a continuum of colorful art quilts traveling around the walls following the flow of a color wheel, with no beginning and no end, pulling the viewer in from every point in the room.” These opening remarks from artist/curator Cara Gulati sum up the new exhibition at the Carnegie Arts Center almost perfectly. Prism Play: A Full Spectrum of Art Quilts will open to the public on Tuesday.
“We’ve done something really exciting with this show, and we think the public will be amazed at the art and with the way it is displayed,” said CAC Director Lisa McDermott.
The exhibition includes 62 art quilts, each focused on a single color.
“Using a monochrome color scheme as the basis for a work of art makes it a very challenging assignment,” said McDermott.
Works submitted by artists had to conform to a strict size format and be designed within a very limited color palette, but artists had no limits on theme, subject, or construction.
The juror for Prism Play, Joen Wolfrom, is the creator of the Ultimate 3-in-1 Color Tool and author of many books on color. From the wide array of works submitted, she selected the exhibition’s 62 panels embracing a wide range of techniques, styles, and aesthetic approaches to the art quilt.
McDermott wants to draw attention to the unique format the CAC devised to show the quilts as a literal color wheel, surrounding viewers inside the gallery.
“Our team got creative and have arranged the works in a circle in the center of the gallery – not on the walls as you might expect,” she said.
Presented this way, the quilts create a vibrant spectrum, revealing the world of color that artists throughout the ages have explored.
“These artists have truly risen to the challenge of the exhibition’s theme, and we have an incredible display to share as a result,” McDermott continued.
The CAC anticipates that more than 1,500 students from elementary, middle, and high schools will visit the show this semester.
“We are excited to bring students from our region’s schools to see this unique presentation. The lessons we can teach about color are important building blocks in both art and science,” said CAC Education Director Megan Hennes. “Field trip time slots are still available. If you are a teacher, you’ll want your students to have this one-of-a-kind experience.”
RELATED PROGRAMS
— Members’ Event: Conversation with the Curator: Preview & Gallery Talk, 5:30 p.m. Sept. 18. Free for CAC members.
— Public Reception: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 18. Free and open to the public.
— Film Screening: “King of Color,” 6 p.m. Oct. 1. This is a 2025 documentary profiling Larry Herbert, inventor of the Pantone Matching System, which established a universal worldwide language for color.
— Gallery Talk: 6 p.m. Oct. 22. The talk will be with quilt artist and exhibition curator Cara Gulati. Free.
— Saturday Studio: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 26. Creative Color studio session drop-in. Free youth and family art activity. Sponsored by Off Center Thrift & Gift.
Prism Play: A Full Spectrum of Art Quilts was organized and traveled by the Northern California/Northern Nevada region of Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. and curated by Cara Gulati. It will be on view at the CAC from Tuesday to Jan. 2, 2027.
The Carnegie is located at 250 N. Broadway, Turlock. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, visit: carnegieartsturlock.org.
