Whiz Kid: Anna Eckard Illustrates Her Artistic, International Experiences

Anna Eckard has been involved with the Carroll County Arts Council since it was a small organization operating out of a basement.

She has worked at the Arts Council for years, designing and building sets for children's shows, applying makeup, and working as a counselor for the kids in the camp.

"I stayed with it because of all the friends I know and the great sense of community it gives to artists who really don't always have that," she said. "I worked in the theater there because it was less pressure than school theater, and I'm pretty shy. It's nice to have a place outside of school to help you with art and theater, and meet new friends and connections."

She decided to take that experience one step further by traveling to Japan via the People to People Program, which, according to Eckard, mainly focuses on promoting peace through communication and building friendships around the world.

"I had wanted to go all my life, but was reluctant at first because I didn't think I'd be able to go because of finances and medical issues," she said. "But in a stroke of luck and a very helpful family I was able to go."

Though Eckard's Japanese was rather sparse, she said her foreign exchange mother Sayako and sister Ayaka were helpful, though both ends required a lot of assistance from a dictionary and a translator.

Eckard explored a vast part of the country with the family. They visited Kyoto, located in central Japan, and the government seat of Tokyo, among other well-known places.

She said she explored all the classical sites: the memorials of Hiroshima, markets, museums and Akihabara, the anime capital of the world, which she said was exciting given her dream career path as an animator.

"My [artistic] style is admittingly very cartoony and influenced by anime, since I was so into Manga and the comics in the papers when I was little," she said. "Now I do a lot of graphic novels, so I really like to use my art to tell a story." 

Eckard is entering her junior year at Winters Mill High School, where she said she will concentrate mainly on her AP Studio work, as well as participate in Art Club, National Art Honors Society and Academic Challenge.

"I feel really lucky to be having all the opportunities I have as of late and for anyone trying to break into the business, just keep making art and get to know people who like art, and soon things just take off somehow," she said.