“Schwartzkopf, Steckler, & Pesta,” through October 29

Through Wednesday, October 29

Quad City Arts International Airport Gallery, 2200 69th Avenue, Moline IL

A trio of gifted artists, and a quartet of disparate artistic mediums, will be showcased in the latest exhibition at the Quad City Arts International Airport Gallery, the gallery's display cases, through October 29, housing new furniture and sculpture by John Schwartzkopf, fabric collages by Heather Steckler and paper collage by Lauren Pesta.

John Schwartzkopf is a woodworker from Cedar Rapids who builds sculptural forms and functional furniture. He explains, “While I respect traditional designs and use many traditional techniques, I am not interested in building reproductions. My usual approach is to design and build ‘on the fly,’ trusting my intuition and using the materials on hand in my shop. My goal is to keep my work looking fresh.” He goes on to say, “My furniture designs have always pushed craft past the purely functional into a more liberated aesthetic. The purely sculptural forms move even further in this direction. If all I do is create something that piques one’s interest, causes someone to stop and appreciate the materials used and how they fit together, and to share the enjoyment I had in building it, then I feel I have succeeded."

Heather Steckler is a printmaker, papermaker, and collage artist from New Jersey. Her work explores the way we preserve memories through the images and objects we hold dear to us. Inspired by her family’s history of scrapbooking and needlework, this body of work honors the relationship between handcraft and memory-keeping. In her multi-media collages, Steckler uses delicate, time-worn materials to revive faded memories and explore her role in her family’s archive. This exhibition features both sewn family photo collages on secondhand fabrics and embedded fiber clippings in handmade abaca paper.

In the textile works, Steckler cuts apart family photographs and stitches them back together, forming new compositions that explore how memories are revisited and reshaped over time. This process also honors the long history of women using sewing, quilting, and mending to pass stories forward. In the paper pieces, textile fragments are suspended beneath the surface, visible but untouchable. These two approaches reflect different instincts, one to keep the past close through touch and daily use, the other to archive it safely out of reach. Together, these works explore how memory-keeping can take many forms: stitching, holding, hiding, and saving, and Steckler is currently an MFA candidate at the University of Iowa.

Lauren Pesta is from Des Moines, Iowa. Her work is rooted in memory, connection, and storytelling. She uses vintage materials like old photographs, letters, and magazines to create layered pieces that explore how we hold onto moments, places, and relationships. Each element has a history, and through cutting, layering, and reassembling, I build new narratives that honor both personal and shared experiences.

Pesta explains that her “process is both intuitive and intentional; a way of reflecting on what we keep, what fades, and how our lives are shaped by connection. Through these quiet, textured works, I hope to invite others to pause and find meaning in the layers of their own story.”

While Heather Steckler and Lauren Pesta are both interested in preserving memories, they each take different approaches to creating artwork. John Schwartzkopf’s contemporary furniture and sculptures compliment both.

The Quad City Arts International Airport Gallery is located opposite the airport's gift shop and restaurant, there is a $2 fee for parking, and more information on the Schwartzkopf, Steckler, & Pesta exhibit on display through October 29 is available by calling (309)793-1213 and visiting QuadCityArts.com.