If you’re looking to get away from the winter snow and enjoy some intriguing and fascinating art the Marquette Arts and Culture Center has a few new artists in town this month.

Cigar boxes have a unique artistry all their own but one visual artist decided to use her skills and make them into visual art displays. Christine Saari from Austria has more than eighty–five Cigar Art boxes on display in the Smallworks Gallery. “Cigar Box Shrines” started with one cigar box she got as a gift from a friend, she didn’t immediately do anything with it but when she did get started the creativity rolled in. Everything from Mickey Mouse and Coca–Cola to wedding themes and of course the collection would not be complete without the king.

“It’s not preconceived, my inspiration comes from whatever I am working with. Sometimes it sits around for a while until an idea strikes me but often it comes together fairly quickly once I have a box that I would like to use or a little figure that I want to put in. I work with colors and shapes and it just sort of happens. They are close to my heart because they are memories from childhood or from special experiences that I have had,” said artist Christine Saari.

Saari says her goal right now is to round the collection off to an even one hundred and from there who knows how many more.

Also displaying at the MACC is an artist from Bulgaria with his unique take on traditional art.

Artist, georgi Tsenov explains his art this way, “I am a very traditional artist, my art looks a little bit nostalgic and a lot of my work is influenced by Native American Art with landscapes. I am very honest in my art.”

“Cigar Box Shrines” and “The Magic of My New Life” art exhibits will both be on display until the end of the month.