Her entire life’s work, decades of fine art, fashion, materials and personal items, was locked away in a Dallas storage unit she could no longer afford.
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- Sierra Leone-born textile artist Elizabeth Anyaa will have her first major exhibition since the COVID-19 pandemic this fall at the Petersburg Area Art League.
- Anyaa, a globally recognized artist, experienced career setbacks during the pandemic, leading her to relocate to Petersburg, Virginia.
- PAAL President Bill Nicholson helped Anyaa retrieve her artwork from storage in Dallas, Texas.
- The upcoming exhibition at PAAL represents Anyaa’s artistic resurgence and the community’s support in her journey.
In a quiet corner of Petersburg, surrounded by bolts of hand-dyed silk, reclaimed wool and sculptural textile pieces, Elizabeth Anyaa, an African artist, is preparing for a creative homecoming, years in the making. Soon, she will experience a full-circle moment, born from vision, perseverance and the quiet power of community.
This fall, at Petersburg Area Art League [PAAL] in Old Towne, Anyaa will unveil her first major exhibition since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“My pieces—ethereal, elegant and richly textured—are created using ancient felting techniques, fabric manipulation and natural fibers, resulting in immersive installations and ‘Art You Wear’ garments that blur the boundaries between fine art and function,” Anyaa shared.
“Anyaa’s work is impossible to pin down: equal parts sculpture, fashion and spiritual meditation. She describes herself as a visionary artist and designer, whose creations are inspired by ‘the myriad languages spoken by nature’ and shaped by a deep curiosity about the interplay between culture, environment and the human spirit,” PAAL President Bill Nicholson stated.
Elizabeth Anyaa : Global artist rerouted
Born in Sierra Leone, Anyaa’s path to Petersburg has been anything but ordinary.
Anyaa’s creative gifts emerged early. At age 17, she received a scholarship to the Rovaniemi Institute of Industrial Art and Craft in Finland. Anyaa’s work caught the attention of American patrons, Herb Sherman and Dr. Wanda Neely, while she earned a Bachelor of Fine Art in Textile Design and Manufacturing.
The couple encouraged Anyaa to move to Dallas. Her bold, sculptural textile designs quickly gained recognition in the Dallas fashion scene. She soon became known for her intricate, eco-conscious fashion and art installations and worked with select Neiman-Marcus Stores, the exclusive 4510 Boutique, and celebrities like singer Erykah Badu. In 2019, she was personally selected by Jean-Paul Gaultier as one of only three local designers invited to participate in his exhibition at the Dallas Museum of Art, a prestigious recognition that was unfortunately sidelined by the pandemic.
African artist: From momentum to survival
Anyaa traveled to Africa to care for her mother who had developed dementia. Things were looking up when she returned to Dallas. Then, the pandemic hit. Commissions vanished and galleries closed. She moved into an old Sears building converted into artist lofts, but the thriving career she had spent decades building had collapsed.
In 2024, unable to pay for her studio, storage or basic needs, Anyaa made the difficult decision to move in with her sister Anne-Marie Oppong in Petersburg. Her entire life’s work, decades of fine art, fashion, materials and personal items, was locked away in a Dallas storage unit she could no longer afford.
Reluctant introduction becomes artist’s lifeline
Nicholson, a seasoned art collector, kept hearing about a new artist in town. A neighbor mentioned Anyaa to him in August 2024, encouraging him to look at her work. But Nicholson, no stranger to unsolicited art suggestions, tuned it out.
“I get a lot of those kinds of recommendations,” Nicholson said. “I brushed it off for six months.”
In late 2024, Anyaa took matters into her own hands. She approached Nicholson at a PAAL opening, introduced herself, and showed him photos of her work.
“I was floored,” Nicholson said. “Her pieces were stunning. They weren’t just beautiful—they were meaningful. I knew instantly she was the real thing.”
Anyaa shared her situation with Nicholson. She was 10 days away from foreclosure by the storage facility in Dallas where all of her work and everything she owned was stored. Without hesitation, Nicholson called the facility and negotiated a short extension. Then, he booked a flight to Texas.
In Dallas, Nicholson rented two 26-foot moving trucks. Anyaa arranged for laborers to assist with loading her possessions, however, none of them showed up. The two scrambled to find replacement drivers and movers. Together, they worked well into the night to save Anyaa’s life’s work. After the unfortunate fiasco, Nicholson still had to get to Petersburg, a 1,200-mile drive.
With no official plan for what to do next, Nicholson reached out to a local developer, who generously offered space in an empty downtown building to store Anyaa’s materials. It took six people 72-man hours to unload the trucks.
As he looked around, Nicholson knew they had saved something special but recalls saying, “What now?”
Grateful beyond words, Anyaa offered to repay Nicholson in the only way she could—through her art and her retail experience. “I didn’t have money, but I had my work,” Anyaa shared. “So, I offered him art as a way to pay him back for the enormous blessing Bill has bestowed upon me. He is my guardian angel.”
In the coming weeks, Anyaa will use her retail savvy to put together a gift shop for PAAL. She will use fixtures purchased by Nicholson from a Macy’s going out of business sale.
Petersburg: African artist joins art scene
Since that extraordinary rescue, Anyaa has slowly been rebuilding her creative world. Her practice—rich with influences from her African heritage, ritual, architecture and nature—combines natural fibers and reclaimed materials to create multi-dimensional textile art, clothing, installations, vessels and home décor.
“I explore the interaction between nature and human environments,” Anyaa said. “And I use traditional techniques—felting, fusion, weaving—to build pieces that speak to culture, movement, memory.”
“Her work is timeless and forward-looking at once. Elegant. Sculptural. Wearable. Thought-provoking. Whether it’s a floor rug, a silk shawl or a public art installation, everything she makes is infused with history and reverence,” Nicholson said.
Petersburg Area Art League: Creative homecoming
Anyaa, with the support of PAAL and Nicholson, will present her first solo exhibition since the pandemic. Exact dates and details are still to come for the fall show. “It promises to be one of the most anticipated arts events in the region—showcasing not only Anyaa’s remarkable textile vision, but also the resilience of an artist who refused to disappear,” Nicholson said.
According to Anyaa, she is planning an exhibition of fiber art pieces centered around interactions of people – family, friends, etc. The show will also include custom costume pieces she created for the Dallas Opera over the years.
“This exhibition is a resurrection,” Nicholson said. “It’s not just about her comeback. It’s about what happens when a community lifts someone back into the light.”
PAAL will announce exhibition details soon. PAAL is located at 7 E. Old Street in Petersburg. For more information, visit paalart.org or call 804-861-4611.
“Make no mistake. When the doors open, you’ll want to be there,” Nicholson stated. “Because in a small Virginia city, one extraordinary artist is weaving her way back, and taking the rest of us with her.”
Kristi K. Higgins aka The Social Butterfly, an award-winning columnist, is the trending topics and food Q&A reporter at The Progress-Index voted the 2022 Tri-Cities Best of the Best Social Media Personality. Have a news tip on local trends or businesses? Contact Kristi (she, her) at khiggins@progress-index.com, follow @KHiggins_PI on X and @socialbutterflykristi on Instagram.
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