A sculptural basket made from gourds and wood branches by artist Don Weeke. The artwork is featured in the 12th annual National Gourd & Fiber Fine Art Show in Fallbrook.

Fallbrook will be the center of the national gourd art world in June when the hilltop community hosts not only the annual Welburn International Gourd Art Festival, but the ongoing gourd art exhibition that opened last week at the Fallbrook Art Center.

The 12th annual National Gourd & Fiber Fine Art Show, which opened May 18 and continues through June 22 at the Art Center, showcases the work of 24 gourd artists from throughout the West.

"Fine gourd art is finally coming into its own," Mary Perhacs, executive director of the Fallbrook Art Center, said in a statement. "It's amazing that simple gourds can be transformed into fascinating works of art as well as functional objects and jewelry."

When Fallbrook arts patron Helene Ross teamed with gourd artist Robert Rivera to help launch the first Gourd Fine Art Show in Fallbrook in 1997, the art form was still in its infancy. Today, gourd art pieces can be intricately designed and can sell for thousands of dollars.

And the show, one of eight or so the art center puts on each year, is one of its most popular. "We have really come around," said Ross, who has collected nearly two dozen gourd art pieces herself. "It's a very exciting show."

Gourd pieces in the show incorporate carving, coiling, decoupage, dyeing, lashing, painting, weaving, wood burning and polymer clay. Gourds are embellished with acrylic paints, gold leaf, dyes and waxes as well as accessories such as bone, cane, coins, eucalyptus pods, feathers, glass beads, hemp twine, leather, leaves, Pakistani grass, palm fronds, pine needles, raffia and shells.

This year's gourd show features a new addition ---- fiber art, such as basketry, weavings, quilts and large-scale wall hangings.

Another extra is a class to get aspiring gourd artists started. On June 7, the Fallbrook School of the Arts will offer a workshop on "Basic Gourds." To register, visit www.artcampusatfallbrook.com.

The final weekend of the art show coincides with the 12th annual Welburn International Gourd Art Festival on June 20-21 at the Welburn Gourd Farm, which is 12 miles north of the center. Organizers expect 12,000 to attend.

12th Annual National Gourd & Fiber Fine Art Show

When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays; noon to 3 p.m. Sundays; through June 22

Where: Fallbrook Art Center, 103 S. Main St., Fallbrook

Admission: $5

Phone: (760) 728-1414

Web: www.fallbrook art.org