Elaine Estes, a Drake alum who graduated in 1953, was back on campus Thursday. That could only mean one thing: a new exhibit was opening at the Anderson Gallery.

At its entrance, gazing across the gallery, Estes’ eyes widened.

“I was startled to see this wall,” Estes said.

Five ceramic spheres emerge from it. Each is a vignette with an orange border, sunny peak and rosy hues. The rounds are decorated with solid bubbles, as is the white space between them. A nearby label reads “Bubble Garden.”

Estes’ shock turned into wonder.

“I’m anxious to hear [the artist] speak about whether she uses molds, and if she makes her own molds, or if it’s hand-done,” Estes said.

Estes received answers on Thursday, when the wider Drake community learned about Nikki Renee Anderson’s “Unfurling Garden.” It’s the new exhibit of abstract ceramics in the Anderson Gallery, aiming to inspire viewers to reach for their full potential.

Anderson conceptualized “Bubble Garden” from a fidget toy: an elastic ball wrapped in a mesh net. When she gripped it, bubbles squeezed through the net.

“That kind of explosive bubbling form felt very connected to the idea of childhood to me,” Anderson said. “You have this sort of playful, expansive, very fun kind of energy, which can also be very intense.”

The shapes that make up “Bubble Garden” represent growth — a theme that carries throughout “Unfurling Garden.”

“One of the things that I think a lot about in my work is identity, and the way that I’ve developed as a person,” Anderson said. “I’m thinking through the roles that I play in my life.”

She utilizes botanical symbolism to express her thoughts on development.

“I have ferns in my backyard and I love to watch the ferns unfurl — that moment where the leaves grow up and they start [to] unroll,” Anderson said. “And I think about how that’s connected to human experience, to our psychological experience.”

Anderson said the unfurling can be interpreted in different ways: a person unraveling, a person opening up — or a person blossoming.

The latter interpretation relates to Anderson’s journey. Having once been a Drake student, and now being featured in the Anderson Gallery, Anderson models what happens when people unfurl and reach for their full potential.

“I hope that there’s space for students to visualize what they might want for their future,” Anderson said.

“Unfurling Garden” stays at the Anderson Gallery through Oct. 17.

Lilah Anderson, the director of the Anderson Gallery, is excited to share this project with the Drake community.

“I really want to emphasize that it’s a space for students, for our community, and I want students to feel like they can come here and are welcome here,” Lilah Anderson said.

Anderson Gallery is open from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday in the Fine Arts Center. On Thursdays, it stays open until 8 p.m.

As a former Drake student, Estes gets it. Students don’t feel like they can fit a visit to the gallery in their schedule.

Still, she encourages them to see “Unfurling Garden” — for their growth.

“Whether it’s somebody lecturing in Olmsted, in one of the lecture series,” Estes said. “Or whether it’s an artist here, or whether it’s an author coming to visit, I think it increases your education to take in the various opportunities at Drake.”