Anna Westfall’s ”Bright Field” places identity under the microscope
August 15, 2022
On Monday, Aug. 1, artist and University of New Mexico graduate Anna Westfall’s “Bright Field” installation opened at the Spectra Gallery housed in the UNM Honors College. Westfall is an associate professor at Eastern Mennonite University, as well as a Master of Fine Arts recipient from UNM. Prior to this, she has exhibited her work in Virginia, Georgia, Washington D.C., Massachusetts and New Mexico.
“Bright Field” is a series of ceramic sculptures arranged in a radiating formation from the center wire piece. Each form was either thrown on a pottery wheel with added handmade additions or was entirely handmade, according to Westfall.
This installation marks the gallery’s first ever solo artist exhibition, according to Megan Jacobs, an associate professor at UNM who runs the Spectra Gallery alongside colleague Amaris Ketcham.
Much of Westfall’s art incorporates scientific elements that push the audience to deeply reflect on what we are unable to see. Westfall believes that the work of artists and the work of scientists are similar in that both fields emphasize the necessity of creativity, exploration and questioning the world.
