Artistic Style (02:22)

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About her artistic style Anna Campbell Bliss says that she seeks to make connections between poetry and mathematics, and between nature and a constructed environment. Viewers see a selection of her work.

Husband/Artistic Collaborator (01:43)

Anna Campbell Bliss and her husband Robert have maintained a strong collaborative relationship in art and in life. A filmmaker recalls meeting Anna for the first time.

Early Years of Anna Campbell (01:57)

Early influences in Anna's life include a vast and verdant garden, a soldier of fortune uncle, an isolated upbringing, and her and her siblings' active imaginations. We see later works that were inspired by the garden and its light.

College (02:45)

It was in the basement stacks of a local library that Anna first discovered books on the Bauhaus and the modern movement in art. She showed a propensity for math. She attended Wellesley College where she discovered art and art history.

Graduate School/Bauhaus (02:16)

Anna graduated from Wellesley in 1946 and enrolled in the master's degree program in design at Harvard. We learn about the Bauhaus movement from an architecture professor. Robert Bliss was heavily influenced by this movement in his graduate school.

Bauhaus Designers (01:45)

Robert Bliss was heavily influenced by Bauhaus artists and designers at Black Mountain College. Bliss recalls his days there and especially his connection to Josef Albers.

Exposure to the Modern Movement in Art (03:38)

When Anna Campbell attended Harvard School of Design, it was headed by Walter Gropius, founder of Bauhaus design. Another Bauhaus exponent, Gyorgy Kepes, taught at M.I.T. where Campbell worked with him and where she met Robert Bliss.

South American Experiences (02:07)

Anna Campbell Bliss talks about her experiences in South America, particularly her time in and near Machu Picchu.

Importance of Color to Art (01:59)

Bob and Anna Bliss bring Annie and Josef Albers and Buckminster Fuller to the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Anna recalls her interest in Albers' work, and in particular in his book "Interaction of Color."

Art and Silk Screen (02:38)

The Minneapolis years marked the beginning of Anna's career as an artist. In 1963, Anna and Robert moved to Utah where she began painting and working with silk screens. We see work that explores color vibration called "Spectrum Squared."

Computer Technology and Art (03:24)

In Utah, Anna Campbell Bliss first began working with computers. She taught herself programming. Anna recalls her early computer artistic works, some of which viewers see.

Exploration of Technology and Color (04:30)

In 1984, Anna receives a 6-month fellowship at the American Academy in Rome. She studied the development of color in architecture in the Renaissance period. She discusses her project for the Utah State Capitol called "Windows." She says the project is pivotal to her art.

Commissioned Work: Stained Glass Windows (02:19)

We see Anna Campbell Bliss's 40' x 40' stained glass window for the St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Sandy, Utah. Called the "Light of Grace," this 1993 work uses colors to express the joy celebrated by the church.

Commissioned Work: "Discoverers" (01:58)

In 1996, Anna designed an 8' x 26' mural for the Salt Lake City Airport called "Discoverers." She describes part of the process of working on the mural and with public officials. We see her unusual book "Labyrinths of the Mind."

Commissioned Work: "Extended Vision" (05:39)

In a large work called "Extended Vision," Anna Campbell Bliss combined computer technology, mathematics, and art. It occupies three floors of a mathematics building. Viewers get a close-up of many parts of the work.

Blindness and Vision Restored (02:00)

In 2004, as Anna prepares to go to Italy to revisit the American Academy, she learns that she is nearly blind. She underwent a series of experimental injections in her eyes. After cataracts are removed, she can see again.

College of Nursing Installations (02:08)

Today, Anna continues to produce major works of art. She won a competition to create 10 works for the College of Nursing building at the University of Utah. We see a number of these installations.

Artist's Legacy (03:37)

Nearing the age of 90, Anna still pursues new directions in her work. We see portions of her 2011 work entitled "Experiments," which incorporates MRI scans of her head. People from many disciplines can find elements of her work to admire.

Credits: Arc of Light: A Portrait of Anna Campbell Bliss (02:01)

Credits: Arc of Light: A Portrait of Anna Campbell Bliss