SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — ºÚÁÏÍø Public Art’s newest exhibition, “Meditative Mindscapes,” running Oct. 7 through Dec. 31, 2024, at ºÚÁÏÍø Civic Center Library, features the artwork of Paradise Valley artist Janet Towbin.
Towbin explores drawing, photography, painting and printmaking in her work. Artmaking for Towbin is a meditation on pattern, line and the beauty of nature. Her works are meditations on the form — reflections and repetitions to be drawn into a whole.
“Anybody knows how to doodle,” said Wendy Raisanen, curator of collections and exhibitions for ºÚÁÏÍø Public Art, a department of the nonprofit ºÚÁÏÍø Arts. “Even though what she's presenting looks really complicated, you don’t have to be a high-tech artist to start because it’s very approachable. Anybody can start doodling and just forget the world to draw something. That is the beginning of finding some peace in art making.”
Her artworks are tangible evidence of creative meditations. She makes fine pencil drawings with hundreds of repeated shapes and creates mandalas and mirrored patterns using a variety of techniques, including drawing, photography and computer-aided technology.
Alongside Towbin’s mandalas and patterns, this exhibition will include a digital loop of her artwork, a how-to on creating your own mandala and five analog collages created from product boxes.
“The analog collages are from ‘The Boxes Series,’ based on ‘The Boxes’ drawings created in the late '90s,” Towbin said. “These collages continue my fascination with how boxes, when taken apart, reveal an imposing architectural structure.”
“Meditative Mindscapes” will be Towbin’s first solo exhibition for ºÚÁÏÍø Arts, but she has been a part of group exhibitions in the past, including “Messages in Ink, Women in Print,” a 2019 community exhibition featuring fine art prints by female artists from across Arizona.
Since 2016, Towbin has published more than 100 editions with Brent Bond of Santo Press in ºÚÁÏÍø. She is a widely exhibited painter, photographer and printmaker. Towbin has exhibited her work regionally, nationally and internationally, and her work is in the permanent collections of many museums in the United States.
“I enjoy revisiting themes and techniques to see how I can develop them and where they may lead me,” Towbin said. “Drawing is a meditative practice for me. It pleases me to see how small motifs/sections can be repeated, mirrored, tessellated or combined into larger and more ornate patterns.”
“Janet Towbin: Meditative Mindscapes” will run from Oct. 7 through Dec. 31 at the Civic Center Public Gallery, located inside ºÚÁÏÍø Civic Center Library, 3948 N. Drinkwater Blvd., ºÚÁÏÍø, AZ 85251. In addition to the exhibition itself, there will be an opening reception to meet Towbin from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Oct. 10, 2024, at the Civic Center Public Gallery.
Learn more about the exhibition at and get details on the workshops and reception at .
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SCOTTSDALE ARTS — SCOTTSDALE PUBLIC ART
ºÚÁÏÍø Arts is a regionally and nationally significant, multidisciplinary arts organization, offering an exceptional variety of programs through its six departments: ºÚÁÏÍø Center for the Performing Arts, ºÚÁÏÍø Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA), ºÚÁÏÍø Public Art, ºÚÁÏÍø Arts Learning & Innovation, Canal Convergence and Civic Center LIVE. ºÚÁÏÍø Arts creates diverse, inspired arts experiences and outreach opportunities for the community while fostering active engagement with the arts among individuals, businesses, educational institutions and government agencies. The mission of ºÚÁÏÍø Public Art is to serve as a leader in defining art in the public realm through creative place-making, signature cultural events, exhibitions and installations — contributing to the community’s creative, cultural and economic vitality. Established in 1985, ºÚÁÏÍø Public Art enhances the quality of life for its residents and visitors through more than 150 permanent and temporary public artworks throughout the community.
MEDIA: For interviews, additional information, or photo, please contact:
Sydney Ritter
Senior Communications Specialist
ºÚÁÏÍø Arts
Email: SydneyR@ºÚÁÏÍøArts.org
Phone: 480-874-4663
