​The city of Binghamton has always been known for its arts community, but from the start of the pandemic, most galleries have been shut down.

While 2020 has been a unique year, the one constant for Anna Warfield has been her art.

She's what's known as a fiber artist, and uses soft sculpture to craft words and messages. It's a craft she's honed for years.

"They're technically sculptures. They're meant to be suspended in space, and they're quite literally soft," said Warfield.

Like many of her fellow artists, Warfield looked at the positives at the start of the pandemic.

More time in quarantine meant more time to work on her art. But let's be honest, sometimes we all need a bit of a distraction.

"But then I hit this wall where I was a bit sad, as everyone was, and when is this going to end? It was fun for two weeks possibly, and then we're like, 'OK, this is actually horrible,' " said Warfield.

In the city of Binghamton, the first Friday of every month is highlighted by an art walk. Galleries open their doors to the public and artists are able to show off their work. But 2020 was a much different story.

Most galleries were shut down and those who did open were only allowed a handful of visitors.

For Warfield though, that first show with the public was a refreshing feeling.

"I was very, very fortunate to have people come out, but it was a different energy; very distanced in the space. Usually it's lots of hugs and congratulations, but it was just a different tone," said Warfield.

Despite the uncertainties, she still comes to work and does what she loves every day. And if anything, it's forced her to get more creative.

"A lot of people don't want to be in galleries right now, so I was thinking and what I am doing actually is doing work for outdoors at this point, to kind of go where people are comfortable," said Warfield.