ALAMOSA — Bea Mansanarez, master quilter and artist of fiber art wall hangings, is this month’s featured Artist of the Month at the Alamosa Public Library.

Mansanarez, who started quilting more than 75 years ago and taught adult quilting classes in Monte Vista for years, first gained recognition across the state in 2005 when she was awarded “Best of Show” of a statewide competition for a sunflower quilt made from her original pattern. The award led to her being featured on the cover of an international quilting magazine and prompted hundreds of people to reach out to her for her work.

By that time, she was already gaining recognition for her fiber art wall hangings, which have been featured at numerous festivals and art shows. And now, at 91 years of age, expanding her vision and skills beyond the traditional patterns of quilts to creating art to hang on a wall allows her to recreate, in her own way, the beauty she sees in the San Luis Valley world that surrounds her every day.

“I look at the sunrise and the clouds and the colors and the shapes and I think, Oh, Lord, you love us so much. The waterfalls and the water and the animals and the birds and the trees…they are a gift from God, and I think that makes it spiritual. I don’t think you can make what I’ve made without that spirit. Your art shows who you are.” 

Mansanarez’s work can be viewed – and purchased – at the library through the end of June.

The Alamosa Public Library is located at 300 Hunt and is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. For more information, call 719-589-6592.