observations
anna schenker
October 2 - November 21, 2026
Opening Reception October 2, 5-8pm
The rubbings, paintings, and sculptures included in Observations reflect the particular places where they were made. The works record the physical qualities of indoor and outdoor environments, creating impressions of time, surface, and touch. The works are made through durational processes over prolonged periods. These circumstances lead to a sustained, slow encounter with a site. Schenker comes to understand place through physical actions as she wraps, sculpts, traces, and stains to translate intricate details. It is through these tangible gestures that she is able to remember these places and most closely express both their complexity and her sentiment and affection for them.
The works in this show particularly focus on floors, the ground, and weather. They were made in Door County, Wisconsin; Rabun Gap, Georgia; Charlotte, Vermont; and St. Louis, Missouri.
About the Artist
Anna Schenker is an artist and educator based in St. Louis, MO. She received her BS in Art and Psychology from Skidmore College and her MFA from Washington University in St. Louis. Schenker creates rubbings, paintings, and sculptures that record direct interaction with her immediate surroundings. Through physical actions and systems for making, she uses touch as a tool to gain understanding and preserve a moment in time. These close investigations seek to slow down our initial perception of environments and create space for wonder and play.
Schenker’s work has been exhibited at NON STNDRD in Sauget, IL; the Ritz Gallery at South Dakota State University; Maryville University; Intersect Arts Center; and the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum in St. Louis, MO. She served as the Stuart Artist-in-Residence at South Dakota State University in 2025, and has participated in residencies at the Hambidge Center and Peninsula School of Art.
This exhibition is made possible with public support from the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.
Events & exhibitions at the Foundry Art Centre are free and open to the public. For more information, please email Jessica Mannisi, Director of Exhibitions, at jmannisi@foundryartcentre.org