Ceramic Artist to Exhibit at EMU

Ceramic works by local artist Anna Westfall will go on display Sunday, Jan. 14 in the Hartzler Library gallery at Eastern Mennonite University.

A reception for the artist will be held 2:30-4 p.m. that day in the third floor art gallery.

In her work, Westfall says she "strives to capture the essence and energy found in the natural world while investigating the perception of the world around us."

Her forms reference growth, movement and a quiet energy found in nature through the repetition of simple forms.

"The investigation of perception guides me to explore various disciplines such as cosmology, psychology and DNA analysis as a means to understand the many facets of our experiences," she says.

She frequently uses images from the scientific world as a way "to see the balance, order and patterns that exist around us."

'Blueprints: The Self' by Anna Westfall
‘Blueprints: The Self’ by Anna Westfall

Unique Perspective

"Through my sculptures, I hope to provide the viewer with an opportunity to respond with a unique perspective through the use of the familiar yet unrecognizable," she states.

"My personal experiences dictate my perception of the world around me. Intentionally or otherwise, my work reflects that perception. I don’t want to impose my ideas on the viewer but rather invoke a feeling or a sense of an experiential environment and create an exchange of energy between the viewer and my work," she added.

The artist earned a bachelor of fine arts degree with a concentration in ceramics and sculpture from James Madison University in 1999 and went on to receive a master of fine arts degree with a concentration in ceramics and sculpture from the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque.

She has had solo and collaborative exhibits of her work displayed in several locations in New Mexico, the Sawhill Gallery at JMU, the Franklin Street Gallery and will exhibit at the Flashpoint Gallery in Washington, DC, in May 2007. She has worked as a potters assistant at Hawksbill Pottery in Harrisonburg.

The gallery will be open for viewing daily during regular library hours through Feb. 2. Admission is free.

Hartzler Library hours:

  • Mon.-Thur. 7:45 a.m.-11 p.m.
  • Fri. 7:45 a.m.-6 p.m.
  • Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
  • Sun. 2 p.m.-11 p.m.