It’s said that birds of a feather flock together, and that certainly seems to be the case for Raven Mavens.

For more than 14 years, the textile and mixed media artists in the small, closed group have gathered to critique each other’s work, to share ideas and techniques and to encourage and challenge each other, said Nancy Dobson, one of the Raven Mavens.

For many of those years, Raven Mavens’ artists have submitted pieces to The Art Center of Western Colorado’s annual Ron Beckman Art Center Members’ Exhibition. The Raven Mavens pick their own theme, and the resulting pieces are showcased together in the exhibition, Dobson said.

This year, the group settled on “birds” as its theme with open interpretation, she said.

On Wednesday, seven pieces from the Raven Mavens were installed together on a gallery wall by Matt Jones, The Art Center’s curator.

They were among the more than 300 pieces Jones has hung or placed in recent days in preparation for today’s (Feb. 7) opening of the Members’ Exhibition.

It is one of the center’s biggest exhibitions of the year, and “It’s a real dynamic show,” Jones said.

While most exhibitions fill a single gallery with the stylistically cohesive work of one or two artists, the Members’ Exhibition has no overall theme and fills nearly the entire center with a variety of styles and mediums, he said.

There are impressionistic pieces, realism, sculpture, photography, ceramics and more, listed Jones as he worked.

One of his biggest tasks is to make sure each piece is highlighted to best advantage while also complementing the artwork around it, he said.

Since the exhibition can be entered by anyone who is an Art Center member, there are submissions by people known locally as “artists” as well as people whose names may be recognized for another career.

“I like to see the whole show. There are so many creative people in the valley,” Dobson said.

Of course, she will be looking for the grouped Raven Mavens’ artwork.

Her piece, titled “Moon Song,” features a raven with red rocks in the background. Another piece in the grouping is a play on kachina dolls. There are pieces with feathers and cowgirls with ravens and a couple pieces Dobson hasn’t even seen yet.

There is variety and yet, all seven pieces go together, said Dobson, a comment that in a way could be applied to the exhibition as a whole.

For anyone seeing the exhibition for the first time, “I’m sure they’re surprised,” she said.