Anna Wagner- Ceramics, Social Anxiety, ADHD Inspired Artwork, and Graduating Art School During A Global Pandemic

Anna is a young and talented ceramics artist who just graduated from art school (DURING A PANDEMIC!). In this episode, we discuss Anna’s experiences with ADHD and the side effects of medication (the choice between one’s physical health and the ability to focus). We chat about managing social anxiety, what it feels like to work with clay, and many other fun things! Check it out!

 

Bio:
Anna Wagner was born in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and has lived most of her life in Wichita, Kansas. In
2014, she moved to Arkansas to receive her Associates of General Studies at Arkansas State University - Beebe.
From 2015 - 2020, she attended UCA and graduated with a BFA in emphasis in Ceramics. In undergrad, Anna
received Internship Scholarships for artist Jason Briggs (2020) and the Clay Art Center (2019). Other scholarships
include a one-week class scholarship for Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts (2019), UCA Performance
Scholarship (2018-2019), Wingate Foundation Scholarship (2018-2019), and Arkansas Academic Challenge
Scholarship (2015-2019). The artist was awarded The Student of the Year (Spring 2020), Senior Show Exhibition
Honors (Fall 2019), and Honorable Mention for the Annual Student Competitive (Spring 2019). She was
interviewed for UCA Artist Spotlight on ESPN (2019) and was interviewed for the UCA Vortex Podcast (2019).
Throughout academia, Anna was an active member of four of UCA’s fine art clubs: Vice President in Clay Club
(2018-2020); Sculpture Club (2017-2018); and BFA Critique Club (2018-2019). She and her peers brought multiple
arts and professional development opportunities at UCA, such as: reaching out to artists and bringing community
events like fundraisers, field trips, ceramic sales, pop-up shows, and public outreach. Anna volunteered and demoed
for art events around Conway such as the Empathy Project (2019), Eco Arts Fest (2018), and Female Foundry iron
pour (2018). She assisted and taught clay building and pottery throwing for her internship at the Clay Art Center in
NY (2019), Downtown Conway (2019), Clay Club’s Potluck (2018), and has taught a basic figurative drawing
session for her Study Abroad group in Spain (2018). She has also assisted artists, such as interning Jason Briggs
(2020), Adam Chau at the Clay Art Center gallery (2019), visiting artist Peter Pincus (2018), and visiting artist Ben
Butler (2017).

Artist Statement:
My body of work stems from the perspective of someone dealing with ADHD and draws
attention to the effects of taking Adderall mentally, socially, and physically. Since I began
discussing my experiences a few years ago, I have gathered inspiration from those who have
dealt with similar disabilities and medication side effects. With that I began illustrating these
narratives through portraiture and some text. The functional ceramic shapes signify my
personal struggles with medications that restrained my appetite. The looseness of the forms
juxtaposes against the detailed renderings of the portraits; a constant battle between who I
truly am verses who I wish to be. The individuals in my work are drained of color yet see and
experience world of gaiety and distractions.
Since childhood I have enjoyed the loud and vivid cartoons from comic books and television
shows. These vibrant hues find their way to the vessel forms. The translation results in bright,
colorful objects that seem to vibrate and hum with potential energy. Aiding in this perceived
movement, I created forms from pieced together shapes sometimes making no sense as
separate parts but finding their place as supports, feet, lids, or additions. This
discombobulation can be said as well for anyone with invisible mental disabilities, finding
their place and support in a community recognizing the struggles of those dealing with it.
If the vessels are used in a utilitarian sense, the imagery or discussion with these portraits
would be disrupted. Therefore, the function of these vessels is not the primary reason they are
vessels, but rather used as an esthetic, similar to the repeated “?!” speech bubble referencing
confusion. All to discuss the absence of a desire for food while taking Adderall. Some of the
portraits chosen are of those who have dealt with learning disabilities and felt ‘othered’ and
outcasted in some way. The work is physically structured and presented as portraits of those
who need a voice, filling the empty forms with stories, each one echoing my own.