Three distinct art exhibits will open next week at Quinlan Visual Arts Center in downtown Gainesville.

This spring’s exhibition will bring paintings and photography of Georgian islands and a number of small-scale collages to the walls of the arts center at 514 Green St. NE in Gainesville.

“Our spring exhibition opens April 14 through June 4,” Executive Director Amanda McClure said. “That includes the Ossabaw Artist Collective — a group of people (who) paint the barrier islands of Georgia — a photography and painting show of Sapelo Island and a National Collage Society exhibition, which is small scale collages we will be mounting on the wall.”

The Ossabaw Artist Collective “Coastal Light: Impressions of Georgia’s Barrier Islands” exhibit will include varied styles and techniques showing the character of Ossabaw Island.

The barrier island off the coast of Savannah comprises more than 26,000 acres of wooded uplands, freshwater ponds, beaches, marshes, tidal creeks and more, according to the arts center. It cannot be reached by any bridge, causeway or even a scheduled ferry service.

Another Georgian island showcased at the Quinlan this spring will be in the exhibit “Sapelo Island Revered: The Photography and Paintings of Charles and Nona Stephens.”

Charles Stephens’ interest in photography comes together with his wife’s painting abilities to create an exhibit showcasing the island.

According to the arts center, Nona Stephens visited the island for an art workshop in 2010. She had to take her husband back to experience Sapelo, and they have visited as often as possible since.

The barrier island is more than 17,000 acres in size and about 40 miles south of Savannah, just above St. Simons. It is only accessible by boat or airplane, and is a 7-mile, 20-minute commute on the State ferry, the Katie Underwood.

The third and final exhibit is a rather different medium from the barrier island works.

The National Collage Society’s “19th annual Postcard Exhibition,” is a small form show with 4-by-6-inch collages.

The motto of the exhibit is “Expansive Art can be Found in a Small Format,” and the goal of the collage society is to foster appreciation for collage. The medium became a fine art in 1912, when George Braque and Pablo Picasso created the first fine art collages in a studio they shared in southern France, according to the arts center.

For more information on the Quinlan Visual Arts Center and the spring exhibitions, visit www.quinlanartscenter.org.