Micanopy-based painter Blake Harrison was the first local artist to decorate the lobby of Hotel Indigo at Celebration Pointe three years ago.

“It’s a lobby with a 12-foot ceiling and wonderful white walls,” Harrison said about what has become known as the Gather Gallery, a space where once a month on the first Friday a new local artist gets a reception from 6 to 9 p.m.

Harrison became a volunteer gallery liaison and manages the space with the encouragement of the hotel’s general manager Allyson Hoyer.

It was Hoyer who asked Harrison if he was interested in curating the lobby space and, since that first exhibit, the walls have been decorated with a range of mediums from small sculpture to photography, printing, and paintings.

“They even put out wine and hors d’oeuvres,” Harrison said about the hotel hosting the art receptions.

This Friday a new Modern Quilt Show exhibit opens featuring more than 20 quilts crafted by members of the Gainesville Modern Quilters.

Gainesville Modern Quilters is the local chapter of the international Modern Quilt Guild (MQG) and the show will feature quilts made by members of the guild, according to President Brigit Dermott.

Some of the quilts on display will be for sale and during the wine and cheese reception many of the artists will be in attendance to meet and talk about their quilts.

Dermott, who is an award-winning quilter, said the guild is excited to display their art and celebrate during the reception.

“Modern quilting is quilting with a different esthetic,” Dermott said. “A lot of younger people are getting into quilting.”

According to the MQG website, the characteristics that define what Modern Quilting are, “the use of bold colors and prints, high contrast and graphic areas of solid color, improvisational piecing, minimalism, expansive negative space, and alternate grid work.”

Dermott will start hanging the show quilts in the next few days to be ready for the show opening on Dec. 3.

Harrison said he is leaving the quilt show up for an extra month.

“During Christmas I wanted to leave the show up for two months and go back to month-to-month after that,” he said.

Local artists interested in having their work featured at the hotel located at 5020 SW 30th Lane can contact Harrison at sirblakeproductions@gmail.com or by messaging him via Facebook.