Arapahoe Libraries proudly hosts rotating art exhibits each month at Eloise May, Koelbel, and Smoky Hill libraries, with quarterly exhibits at The Space. Our galleries offer the community a place to view a variety of art at no cost while also providing visibility to local artists. A volunteer art selection committee selects exhibits based on artistic quality, variety of exhibits, and the suitability of format for each exhibit space.
Have a question about the galleries or interested in showcasing your art? Visit the Art Galleries page for more information.
Teen Art Show
The 2026 Arapahoe Libraries Teen Art show is a celebration of the teen artists across the district.
This was a juried exhibition. The jury was composed of members of our teen librarian staff and teen interns. This year, we awarded first, second, and third place prizes, along with 8 Honorable Mentions.
First Place: Annie H., 16
“Bittersweet Begrudge”
Painting
About the art:
I've come to realize that I miss my childhood more and more as I continue to grow older, and I long for the freedom of being a kid. Through this piece, I aimed to convey feelings of envy and bittersweet admiration I have towards younger children, as well as the social isolation that comes with age.
Second Place: Melat Z., 15
“The Tiara”
Charcoal drawing
About the art:
My artwork focuses on hands holding a tiara to represent the anticipation and longing of waiting to turn sixteen, when I can finally wear it.
Third Place: Elaine L., 16
“Bound Devotion”
Digital painting
About the art:
Red background with two individuals looking at each other; both wrapped in mummy bandages. On the left is a guy with blond hair in a suit and on the right is an Asian girl. Colors were used to create a tension between the two to implicate complications and still an attraction between them.
Ilissa Romero
Instagram: @froggy.the.pond, opens a new window
Contact info: email jay@dasworthamart.com For sale inquiries, text or call 719-501-3376
In this series, I’ve focused on these fleeting moments of beauty using daylight. As the series progresses, I move through the day, highlighting the waterlilies with the changing light. This is to explore the serenity and solitude that we find in different phases of our lives.
What is your favorite piece in the show, and why?
My favorite piece is Blossoms Illuminated III is because of how ethereal it feels with the soft glowing light at the sun beginning to set in the background. It’s not often that I find myself in these right subject right lighting conditions where the moment feels more fleeting.
What motivates you to create?
I find motivation to create simply by being a passive observer of the world around me. Having photography as my medium of choice permits me to create an artificial framing of nature. I seek to expose its truth and beauty and thereafter give its fleeting form permanence that I can carry with me always.
What message do you want your art to convey to viewers?
I want my art to convey emotions of impermanence that remind the viewers of their own mortality. The ebb and flow of the natural world around us is ever changing and even just hours apart it will never be the same as the last moment we had with it. By breaking up the landscape and focusing on its constituent parts, the viewers can find new meaning and relevance.
Omar Yáñez Cervantes
TikTok: omar_cervantes_art, opens a new window
Instagram: @omar_cervantes_art, opens a new window
Facebook: Omar Yanez-Cervantes, opens a new window
Omar Yañez Cervantes is a Mexican artist that specializes in realism and fantasy realism. His favorite artists are Gustav Klimt and Michael Angelo. Omar is a self-taught artist.
This art show is a mix of realistic portraits and fantasy realism situations, but they all try show the public the beauty behind a face, adversity or situation.
What is your favorite piece in the show?
“Ad astra per aspera” is my favorite piece in the exhibition because of its meaning. The work conveys that we must face our fears in order to reach the stars-in other words, to achieve our goals we must face adversity first.
What motivates you to create?
I love art that's the reason I create. I'm not trying to be remembered or anything | just want to create art pieces that I'm proud of ,that’s my only motivation.
What is your message to your viewers?
I just want them to feel an emotion when they see my work. That's the whole purpose of art I believe; to make us feel something.
Access Gallery: Alonzo Clemons
Website: accessgallery.org, opens a new window
Alonzo Clemons is recognized as one of the world’s prodigious savants and has been featured on programs such as 60 Minutes, Geraldo, and the Discovery Channel’s World of Wonder. This media exposure gave him the opportunity to gain worldwide recognition for his art. From his youth, Clemons had not only the genius for his art, but has shown an inner vision to become successful with it, and those dreams are truly continuing to unfold in his life.
His personal successes extend beyond his art, for he has a rich and active lifestyle in his community of Denver. He lives in his own home with some assistance and comes to Access Gallery’s Open Studio program once a week.
Alonzo is prolific to say the least. These works are just a fraction of what he has created in the last couple of years. While he is primarily known as a sculptor his painting work has evolved and changed over the years although his subject matter remains large mammals often in familial settings. A recent addition to his work is that he often puts the temperature at the top of his work. Alonzo is aware of his surroundings and tracks the seasons. His interests include power lifting, movies and oldies music. His radiant personality touches all who know him.
For more information about Access Gallery or Alonzo Clemons please visit accessgallery.org, opens a new window