Ygnacio Valley Lane Closures Set as Bedford Shows Tufting Art

Motorists traveling through Walnut Creek later this week should plan for daytime delays on Thursday, Oct. 29, and Friday, Oct. 30, when City of Walnut Creek Public Works crews close westbound lanes of Ygnacio Valley Road between the city limits and Oak Grove Road from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., according to a City of Walnut Creek news flash issued by Public Information Officer Elizabeth Sheets Orcutt. Meanwhile in downtown Walnut Creek, Bedford Gallery at the Lesher Center for the Arts is spotlighting 20 contemporary fiber artists in High Pile: Concepts in Tufting through Dec. 13, according to the East Bay Express.

Westbound Ygnacio Valley Road Lane Closures Scheduled Oct. 29 and Oct. 30

According to the city’s traffic advisory, the two-day westbound lane closures between the Walnut Creek city limits and Oak Grove Road are scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on both Thursday, Oct. 29, and Friday, Oct. 30, so Public Works crews can complete mandatory work required by the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.

City officials advised drivers to expect delays along the Ygnacio Valley corridor during the six-hour work windows and to use alternate routes if possible. Residents with questions can contact Public Information Officer Elizabeth Sheets Orcutt at orcutt@walnutcreekca.gov.

Bedford Gallery Elevates Tufting in High Pile Through Dec. 13

At the Lesher Center for the Arts at 1601 Civic Drive, Bedford Gallery curator Emilee Enders has assembled works by 20 artists—18 of them women—for High Pile: Concepts in Tufting, running through Sunday, Dec. 13, 2026. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m. (closed Thanksgiving week, Nov. 25–29), with general admission tickets priced at $3 to $5.

Once associated with early-20th-century Georgia Chenille bedspreads and mid-century commercial carpets after Catherine Evans Whitener revived the craft during the Great Depression, hand and electric-gun tufting experienced a global resurgence during the 2020 pandemic. As reported by Janis Hashe in the East Bay Express, the Bedford Gallery exhibition features sculptural wall hangings, rugs, mirrors, and furniture:

• Trish Anderson (Atlanta, Georgia): Trained in installation art at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Anderson turned to an electric tufting gun during the 2020 shutdowns and creates vibrant, dripping abstract fiber compositions on the floor and wall.
• Mychaelyn Michalec (Dayton, Ohio): Drawing on domestic life, Michalec’s hand-tufted tapestry All my geese are swans 2 depicts kitchen scenes and laundry piles, while Knock on Wood frames the view from the top of a spiral staircase.
• Melissa Monroe (Oregon): A self-taught painter who transitioned to rug hooking and tufting in 2019, Monroe contributes colorful figurative works including Cape of Faces and Believable Rumor.

Bedford Gallery will also host an evening program, “Cocktails & Conversations,” on Thursday, Nov. 5, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. ($30 admission), featuring light refreshments and a discussion on the contemporary resurgence of craft with curator Emilee Enders and participating artist Erica Schultz.