This natural photograph of sky and water is by local artist and author Amy McKay Butler.

A “Quirky Quarantine” show is the new exhibit at the Butler Art Center.

More than 180 pieces of art are part of the display.

“I actually came up with the idea in late April during a trip to Walmart,” said gallery director Stephen Haley.

He said that after he shopped for food he thought he’d peruse the arts and crafts aisle “to grab some small canvases and look for something new or exciting.”

He was shocked when he entered the aisle.

“For the first time ever the entire aisle was completely empty! That is no hyperbole or exaggeration at all,” he noted.

“If quarantine has done anything positive, it has given people new ways of expressing themselves, learning about art and more importantly themselves, and has given them a new way of combating the burden of boredom.”

So Haley wanted to exhibit all that art area residents were creating during the stay-at-home weeks of the pandemic, works done only during quarantine, he said.

Haley said the works “cover the entire spectrum of human emotion.”

The artwork will be displayed through the end of August.

Hours are noon to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays, noon to 6 p.m. Saturdays, and noon to 4 p.m. the first and third Sundays of every month.

Admission is free.

Restrictions because of the coronavirus include requesting that those attending wear masks.

The Art Center will have hand sanitizer available to use.

There will not, however, be a reception for the show.

“We don’t want to run the risk of serving snacks in a way that is not proper at this time,” Haley said.

The Art Center is at 344 S. Main St.

Call 724-283-6922 or visit ButlerArtCenter.org.