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Petcha Kucha is an informal Japanese lecture format that allows one presenter 20 images and 20 seconds to discuss each. With as many as dozen lecturers, the idea is to bring myriad ideas and subject matter together without getting bogged down.

The “2009 Artists of the Mohawk Hudson Region” is much the same way: condensed and diverse. In the 76th annual survey of recent art made within a 100-mile radius of Albany, no single artwork dominates the two-floor gallery at the University Art Museum. A sparseness envelopes the 35-artist exhibit that’s usually jammed with well-known artists whose works tend to muscle out others. Though Petcha Kucha is roughly translated as chatter, the exhibit is quiet and understated.

That can be attributed to juror Mathew Higgs’ keen sense of tone, texture and form. Director of White Columns, an alternative arts space in Manhattan, Higgs chose “idiosyncratic” examples from 1,200 images submitted that display a strong identity on their own terms.

He’s included more new faces than in recent memory, a refreshing development for a show that has become predictable.

The weathered paintings of Marje Derrick, the quirky paper-mache snow globe of Gail Kort, the South Park-like drawings by Brian Cirmo, the whimsical fabric of Barbara Todd and the suspended burlap sachet by Georgia Wohnsen join sculptures, drawings and photographs by more established artists such as Sharon Bates, Harold Lohner and Jim Florsdorf.

For the most part, absent is hard-edged social realism, the heavily conceptual art so common today, and, except for Abe Ferrarro’s massive light switch in “One Morning I Woke Up with a Bright Idea,” there are not any elaborate multimedia installations.

What’s left is an exhibit that blurs the line between fine arts and traditional crafts in a homespun kind of way. More than a quarter of them take fabric, string, thread, construction paper — things more associated with home than a studio — and turn them into quirky objects with humor. It’s a lighthearted exhibit that revels in design for design’s sake.

The paper relief “Direction” by Laura Cannamela finds an eloquent depth of field through indentions in its plaster like substance, while the Persian wool “Fugue #19″ by Mark Olshansky uses stitches to illustrate geometric abstractions like rings on a tree.

Mocking the German tradition of figurines, Joan McKeon’s series of four clay statuettes add looks of exasperation, consternation, and downright suffering. All of them are achingly trapped in their bodies and roles, crying to get on with something different.

Lori Lupe Pellish’s “”Boy Dreams II” captures innocent’s lost in a decorative tapestry. Made with intricate weaves of fiber and dark, rich colors, it hangs like a canvass with deeply etched brushstrokes sensually conveying the coming of age. “Portable Forest Floor” by Dorene Quinn employs leaves, muslin, cotton and thread to contrast nicely with the spotted concrete floor at the entrance. Lying flat on the ground, it blends in so well; don’t be surprised if you find yourself sidestepping it.

Like “Portable Forest Floor,” the exhibit pleasantly catches you off guard through its hushed tones, subtle humor and homey designs. It is a gentle challenge to the notion that contemporary art has to be pushy and bombastic to succeed.

Tim Kane is a freelance writer from Albany and a frequent contributor to the Times Union.

Fast Talk

What: Slide show and lecture with artists from the Mohawk Hudson regional: Sharon Bates, Brian Cirmo, Richard Garrison, Kelly Jones, Harold Lohner and Dorene Quinn.
Where: University Art Museum, University at Albany. 1400 Washington Ave., Albany
When: 7-9 tonight
Cost: Free
Exhibit hours: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, through Aug. 8
Contact: 442-4035; www.albany.edu/museum