Works by six local women sculptors opens Feb. 20 at Maude Kerns Art Center:

Edited by Randi Bjornstad

Bird of Paradise by longtime sculptor and teacher, Ellen Tykeson

A new show opening on Feb. 20 at the Maude Kerns Art Center has an interesting twist: As We See It: Six Sculptors features work by Nadya Geras-Carson, Anna Golden, Mary Maggs Warren, Karen Myers, Christine Paige, and Ellen Tykeson, all of whom met decades ago in a figure-sculpting class taught by Tykeson at Lane Community College.

This exhibit is a celebration of their work since, as well as the fact that they have maintained connection during the intervening time.The exhibit will open with an artists’ reception from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. There also will be an hour-long artists’ talk starting at 1 p.m. on March 7.

Here’s a rundown of the artists and their careers, provided by the art center:

Nadya Geras-Carson — trained initially in theater arts and illustration, plus a stint as trainer-keeper of wild animals before turning to sculpture as a career; draws on earlier experiences to create for this show 15 sculpted animal heads that evoke “tongue-in-cheek portraits.”

Anna Golden — earned a master of fine arts degree from the University of Oregon and “loves sculpting the beauty of the female form and depicting women as goddesses moving through the world with grace, spirituality, and creative energy,” a dozen of which are included in this exhibit.

Mary Maggs Warren — depicts her sculptures in clay as “a medium that has a life of its own,” out of which emerges a sculpture “telling of experiences I have known, or a moment that has captured my imagination,” including nine in this show.

Our Lady of Forest Fire, by Karen Myers

Karen Myers — follows various art paths, from calligraphy to watercolor to terracotta clay, with special inspiration from creatures adorning Japanese Banko ceramics, including here 13 pieces representing clay sculptures, watercolors, and hand-bound, mixed-media artist books relating to the natural world.

Christine Paige — started with figurative pieces in clay ad bronze before expanding to carving abstract stone and wood sculptures, including nine creations in this show that she hopes express her emotion in their creation and that “they evoke curiosity or emotion in the viewer.”

Ellen Tykeson — longtime sculpture and drawing instructor at Lane Community College who acknowledges figure sculptor Paul Buckner at the University of Oregon as a major influence on her development as an important influence on her own career, which has included national and international exhibits as well as many public and private commissions, many which can be scene locally including on the University of Oregon campus; this show includes nine of her creations.