Home EMU professor of art displays mixed-media at Bridgewater College
Local News

EMU professor of art displays mixed-media at Bridgewater College

Rebecca Barnabi
Bowman Hall exterior
Photo: Bridgewater College

Anna Westfall, associate professor of art at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, will exhibit installation artwork at Bridgewater College through Wednesday, Feb. 5.

The exhibition, “In Entropy,” is on display in the Beverly Perdue Art Gallery and explores the concept of entropy, which refers to a state of disorder and uncertainty.

The mixed-media art installation features sculptures made from materials like stoneware, porcelain, wire, foam and rubber and is augmented by light and sound, all of which are intended to instill a sense of chaos within viewers.

“The instinct to find order and stability in chaos, as an attempt to gain a sense of peace and control, often brings conflicting outcomes of serenity and anxiety. This installation explores how these experiences influence perceptions of life and challenges found in the mutable nature of existence,” Westfall said in her artist’s statement.

Westfall has previously exhibited her work in New Mexico, Missouri, Georgia, Massachusetts, Washington, D.C. and various locations in Virginia. She holds a bachelor’s of fine arts from JMU and a master’s from the University of New Mexico.

The art exhibition will have an opening reception in the gallery from 5 to 7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 13, with an artist’s talk at 5:30 p.m. The exhibition, opening reception and artist’s talk are free and open to the public.

The gallery is open from 7:30 a.m. to midnight Mondays through Thursdays; 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays; 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays; and noon to midnight on Sundays.

Founded in 1880, Bridgewater College is a private, four-year liberal arts college in the Central Shenandoah Valley. Bridgewater College is home to approximately 1,450 students pursuing degrees in more than 60 undergraduate majors and minors and four graduate programs housed within three distinct schools.

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca J. Barnabi is the national editor of Augusta Free Press. A graduate of the University of Mary Washington, she began her journalism career at The Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star. In 2013, she was awarded first place for feature writing in the Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia Awards Program, and was honored by the Virginia School Boards Association’s 2019 Media Honor Roll Program for her coverage of Waynesboro Schools. Her background in newspapers includes writing about features, local government, education and the arts.