ON VIEW - MARCH 23RD, 2025 - MAY 23RD, 2025

Curated & Installed by Natalia Martinez, DA Arts Gallery Manager

Travel is more than just movement—it is a sensation, a memory, a dream. Wanderlust brings together the creative voices of Southern New Mexico and El Paso’s quilting community, offering a rich tapestry of interpretations on what it means to journey. Whether inspired by the open roads of the American Southwest, the winding canals of European cities, or the quiet pull of imagination itself, each quilt in this exhibit is a window into the artist’s own exploration of place and experience.

Through careful stitching and vibrant fabric choices, these quilts tell stories of adventure, nostalgia, and discovery. Some capture the thrill of the unknown, evoking the joy of a spontaneous road trip down forgotten highways or the rush of a first airplane flight. Others take a more introspective path, weaving together dreamlike landscapes where travel is not bound by geography, but by the limitless nature of the human mind. Even in stillness, the desire to wander remains—whether through memories of past journeys, visions of destinations yet to be reached, or the simple act of tracing one’s fingers over a well-worn map.

A shared fabric connects each quilt in this collection, binding together these diverse interpretations of travel into a single, unified experience. As you walk through the exhibit, take a moment to pause and reflect. What does wanderlust mean to you? Where have you been, and where do you dream of going? Let these works spark your own stories, reminding you that the spirit of exploration lives not only in the places we visit, but in the journeys we carry within us.