Perspective Gallery

Perspective Gallery Winter Exhibition

Amy Reader: Joy Rediscovered

Amy Reader is an Asheville-based fiber artist and educator who lost most of her work in Hurricane Helene and is slowly rebuilding her artistic practice. As an autistic artist Amy states, “the world is typically overwhelming to me. It bombards all my senses…In the forest I can breathe fully…I feel deeply connected to the natural world and seek respite there.” Amy’s artwork interprets colors and textures found in nature and connects them to her experiences of joy. In this exhibition you will find that Amy’s peaceful work translates joyful moments into a vivid sensory experience using wool, yarn, felt, and thread, inviting the viewer to share her memory of place and time.

• On campus visiting artist: February 26-March 2, 2026
• Closing reception: Friday, February 27, 2026, 4-6 p.m.
• Artist’s Talk: Friday February 27, 2026, 4:30 p.m.

Exhibit, reception and artist’s talk are free and open to the public.

Flex Gallery Current Exhibit

(Located on the 2^nd floor hallway adjacent to the Perspective Gallery)

Mx Zaleski

Artist statement

While I have been creating art, particularly drawings, for over 12 years at this point I have found a deep love for creating narrative work over the last 5. I have developed a passion for telling stories and my work has expanded beyond just realism or character illustrations into works with both character and environmental storytelling. I also don’t just love creating narrative work, I also love to view narrative work. Something with a story behind it, that sparks my curiosity and causes me to read into what was going on behind the scenes of the piece.

This love for narrative work has also been supported by my growing interest in writing my own stories and worlds. Addressing themes of self-identity, loyalty, morality, anti-war, what a good government should be, and questioning what comes after death. I hope that as others view my art and read my work they have an emotional response to it. I strive to create work that makes people want to ask me more about my characters, worlds, stories, and themes. As I create more narrative work I get more in touch with my own curiosity and creativity.

Artist Bio

Art has always been a key part of my life; I started taking art lessons at the age of 6 and continued at that same art school until shortly before I turned 18. I’m incredibly grateful that throughout all of that time my family was extremely supportive of me creating art especially because the town I am from in New Jersey is very sport-centric and so my peers often judged me for prioritizing art over anything athletic. I never allowed the judgement to hurt my attitude towards art and by the time I reached high school I was confident enough in my relationship with art and skill level that I wound up becoming a volunteer art teacher for children ages 6-11. I unfortunately had to stop teaching in order to come here to Virginia Tech, studying Creative Technologies with a minor in Creative Writing. Now I’m working on expanding all of the skills I learned and built back in New Jersey while learning new technologies, mediums, and techniques in both art and writing.