4 Common Corners Presents: Cottonwood Opens at the Branigan Cultural Center

The Las Cruces Museum System is announcing the opening of its newest exhibit, “4 Common Corners Presents: Cottonwood,” at the Branigan Cultural Center from September 4, 2026, until January 2, 2027. The opening reception will be from 5 – 7 p.m. on Friday, September 4. Stop by the gallery to meet one of the featured artists, Lynn Welsch of the 4 Common Corners group, where you can hear about the inspiration for the exhibit and gain insight into the creative process behind each piece.

The featured group 4 Common Corners is composed of fiber artists drawn together by their shared sense of place, the Four Corners region of the Southwest United States. With wide-ranging artistic styles (realistic, narrative, and abstract) and a broad range of techniques (contemporary surface design, piecing and applique, digital imagery, and dimensionality) this group creates with an exciting diversity of ideas and approaches to fiber art. The exhibit features artwork from 12 of its members, all contributing a unique piece to the show: Shannon Conley, Vicki Conley, Nicole Dunn, Diana Fox, Debra Goley, Betty Hahn, Bev Haring, Michelle Jackson, Anne Moats, Frances Murphy, Lynn Welsch, and Rosanna Lynne Welter.

In this creative and diverse exhibit, you are presented with unique quilts inspired from one of the most recognizable symbols of the vibrant riparian ecosystem: the cottonwood. Growing along the riverbanks with a characteristic shape, season-defining colors, and broad branches protecting all that lives below, the cottonwood is an apt metaphor for life flourishing in a dry, harsh environment. The pieces in this exhibition serve as a call to action to protect the biodiversity found in our unique local ecosystems, as symbols of perseverance in the face of challenges of all kinds. It is also a reflection on our deep and abiding connections to the environments and communities of the desert southwest.

The Branigan Cultural Center is located at 501 N. Main St. and is open from from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday. There is no admission charge. The museum is accessible from Roadrunner Transit Route 1 Stop 1. For additional information, visit the website at https://www.lascruces.gov/museums or call (575) 541-2221, TTY 711.