Pattern & Place
Pattern & Place is a two-person exhibition featuring ceramic artist Maryamm Abdullah and print-focused artist and educator Gloria Ann Shows. The exhibition considers how pattern can summon memories, landscapes, and a sense of place through two distinct practices: ceramics and printmaking.
Abdullah’s ceramic work draws on the Moorish architecture and ornamentation of Spain, including patterned tile, carved plaster, and arches. Inspired in part by the flamenco dress and by her later encounters with sites such as the Mezquita of Córdoba and the Alhambra Palace, she developed a freehand approach she calls “gestured geometry.” Shows transforms fragments of memory and place into layered landscapes through printmaking and collage, examining the shifting boundary between the external landscape and the interior world.
When: June 25 through September 26, 2026.
Showtimes: The gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tickets: Free and open to the public.
Artists: Maryamm Abdullah and Gloria Ann Shows.
Mediums: Ceramics, printmaking, and collage.
About Maryamm Abdullah: Abdullah returned to ceramics after a 20-year absence, following an online pottery class during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her work reflects her longstanding interest in Spanish fashion, art, and architecture, translating Moorish visual elements into expressive, nontraditional geometric patterns.
About Gloria Ann Shows: Shows is a printmaker and educator whose work combines layered landscapes, printmaking, and collage. Her work has been exhibited nationally, including at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Maryland, Urban Arts Space in Ohio, ARTSPACE at Untitled in Oklahoma, and Flood Plain in Missouri. Her work is held by the Kohler Art Library, the Zuckerman Museum of Art, and the Southern Graphics Council International Archive. She has received support from the Ohio Arts Council and The Ohio State University, was recognized as a Momentum Spotlight Artist by the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition, and holds an MFA in Printmaking from The Ohio State University. Her community work includes teaching, collaborative print projects, and public commissions, including participatory projects for the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
Venue: Tephra ICA at Signature, located in the Signature apartment building at 11850 Freedom Drive, Reston, Virginia.
Logistics: Tephra ICA at Signature is a satellite gallery presenting year-round exhibitions selected by Tephra ICA’s curatorial staff. The space is provided in partnership with Sterling Investors and Simpson Housing and sponsored by Reston Community Center.