Vail Public Library proudly displays art featuring local artists from the Vail Valley and beyond. The library participates in Vail’s Art in Public Places program and is home to permanent pieces of Vail’s collection. You can learn more about Art in Vail here. Our community room also has a gallery hanging system which accommodates framed pieces and rotates monthly. Additional display space is available for 3D, sculpture, and mixed media in our display space in the Galleria.
Would you like to display your art in Vail Public Library? Please email Libinfo@vail.gov
FEATURED ARTISTS
JANUARY 2025
Theresa Rizzo (located in the display case in the Galleria through January 31, 2025)
Theresa is a native Michigander, but on a childhood Colorado vacation, she instantly fell in love with the mountains and the wildlife. In 2000 she and her family were blessed to be able to make Colorado their home.
Theresa has no formal arts training, but has always been creative. When trying her hand at mosaics, she found it much easier to use a wet tile saw to cut and carve pieces than using nippers. Repurposing stones, rocks and crystals scavenged from hikes or rescued from stone fabricators’ dumpsters delights her and ignites her imagination. A decade later, Theresa continues to hone her unique technique and expand her talents.Whether it be built-in backsplashes or fine art, she loves bringing out the beauty and energy in the natural materials, using them to give her art life and emotion.
Jessica Hawkins (located in the community room through January 31, 2025)
After graduating from Battle Mountain High School in Edwards, I was a student of Marist College in Poughkeepsie New York, focusing on fine art and philosophy as my disciplines. Some of the most notable figures that helped shape my perspective include Casteneda, Vonnegut, Nietzsche, Fanon, Freud, de Chirico, and Tooker, all of whom still lend their style and thoughts to my work and life. After college, I returned to the valley to work in the ski industry, and I spend my summers as an outdoor guide in Utah. This is my first public exhibit.
My works shown at Vail Public Library were produced with a heavy influence from popular culture, whether it be from the art of Giorgio de Chirico or Toulouse Lautrec, or the writings of American anthropologist Carlos Casteneda. A good deal of these works is about taking something that is already prevalent or recognizable in the social sphere and putting my own individual twist on it. Each of these paintings and prints is reminiscent of earlier, more well-known works, and it is my hope that if not recognized wholly, then at least my works will stir something deep in the viewer’s mind, the beginnings of a recollection that might never come to fruition.
February 2025
George Lamb
Throughout the years, I have been more or less self-taught through careful observation of both contemporary artists as well as past masters. I’ve learned to paint by painting. I typically will do plain air sketches coupled with some photography to memorialize a time and place and then complete a work in the studio. As my style has evolved, I find that I now present my vision through more simplified landscapes in which I attempt to capture and share with the viewer a specific time and emotion, the movement of light, air, and water.
I savor every opportunity to be alone in a high mountain meadow or beside a slow-flowing brook – feeling the warm mid-day sun or watching the ripples as the stream cascades around boulders and fallen logs – the power of the ocean and the majesty of the lofty peaks.
My goal is to use the brush stroke and the intensity or transparency of the paint to capture the moment and bring the viewer into a quieter place. I am very appreciative of the time you spend with me.
March 2025
Norm Vogel
April 2025
Vail Mountain School Student Art Show
Vail Mountain School proudly presents a vibrant selection of artwork created by our student artists. This exhibition showcases pieces from across various grade levels, including a number of works thoughtfully produced at home. Reflecting our commitment to nurturing creativity and artistic exploration, the Visual Arts Department introduces pupils to a diverse range of genres, artists, and media. In addition to traditional 2D practices, the curriculum includes dynamic 3D courses such as ceramics, design, sculpture, and fiber arts.
May 2025
Rick Spitzer Wildlife Photography
June 2025
Vail Valley Art Guild Artists
July 2025
Vail Valley Art Guild Veterans Art Show
Paintings, photography, sculpture, and more will be featured at the Veterans Art Show in the community room of the Vail Public Library during the month of July. The exhibit is a collaboration between the Vail Valley Art Guild (VVAG), the Vail Public Library, and Eagle County Veterans Services. The art will be for sale with the proceeds paid directly to the artists.
“Art has always been valued in my family,” said Assistant Veterans Service Officer Jackie Allen-Benson, who conceived of the idea for the art show. “As a veteran, my first art was landscape design for which I attended school on the GI Bill. Like many veterans, art is an incredible coping mechanism for dealing with the stresses of life.”
August 2025
Jona Siverly
My name is Jona Siverly. I embarked on my artistic journey in 2020 when I fell in love with glass. The many processes and techniques used in glass work inform and inspire my art and the mediums myriad possibilities create endless possibilities. I create a wide range of glass art, from traditional stained glass window panels and intricate 3-D sculptures to unique glass cups made from recycled bottles. I also create glass mosaics using guitars, surfboards, snowboards, and skis as my canvases and make resin encased glass fish.
September 2025
Jami Nix Rahn is a multidisciplinary artist whose career spans more than four decades and multiple continents. Her work blends traditional techniques with a contemporary eye, resulting in richly layered paintings that explore the space between realism and abstraction. Working primarily in oil, cold wax, and alkyd resin, Jami creates atmospheric compositions inspired by nature’s delicate patterns and rhythms. Each piece invites the viewer into a quiet meditation on our place within the natural world.
October 2025
Jonathon Kelly
I love wood-burning because there is no color involved, being color-blind this pulled me in right away. Also, you can always find free material if you are willing to look hard enough & maybe talk to some people. My materials come from all over, & since moving to Vail I have had no shortage of opportunities for Aspen wood. Some of my best conversations have started with me asking someone if they mind me taking the wood at the end of their driveway. I am inspired by my Aunt & Great-Uncle who are both amazing artists & have shown me how to capture what makes me happy & my Grandpa who taught me how to go up to people and ask for their wood. I use the same wood-burning pen that you can find in this library’s Mountain Makerspace so if you want to try to make your own piece I would love to give some pointers!
While the act of using the wood-burning pen takes me to my happy place, the world does not stop moving & there are many ways to get your image out to the people. The Laser Cutter is an amazing tool which allows for not only wood burning, but etching on a variety of surfaces. You are able to make an online picture come to life on a piece of wood, leather, metal, you name it. It is also a great way to get ideas for certain images when going back to the freehand pen. This is another fantastic machine that can be found in the library’s Mountain Makerspace. A place that showcases different items collaborating to put your imagination out to the world.
November 2025
SpeakUp ReachOut
Join us as we use art as a means of storytelling.
Exhibiting Strength illustrates the ties that bind us all, allowing each member of the public to explore the different ways that artists have been impacted by the themes of mental health and suicide prevention through their art and in their own words.
This juried art show featuring local artists gives space for attendees to contemplate the ways in which mental health, suicide, and suicide prevention have impacted their own lives, while providing resources and information from SpeakUp ReachOut. Attend Exhibiting Strength anytime that the Vail Public library is open during the month of November, and join in the conversation by sharing your experience. If a specific piece (or pieces) resonates with you, there may be an opportunity to purchase it with a percentage of the proceeds supporting the mission of SpeakUp ReachOut to prevent suicide in Eagle County through training, awareness and hope.
December 2025
Vail Valley Art Guild Artists
The Vail Valley Art Guild is dedicated to enriching lives by fostering and promoting artistic growth and building awareness of the visual arts in Eagle County.