Animalia, an exhibit featuring the works of artists Katherine Maloney and Ryan Lytle, will open next Wednesday, July 22, at Arts on Main in Gloucester. An opening reception for the exhibit, with exclusive private viewings, will be held at 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 7. Reservations and masks will be required.

Both Maloney and Lytle use animal imagery, myth and archetype as vocabulary to communicate a work’s deeper meaning to the viewer, said a press release, whether the message be one of friendship and peace or a warning of danger.

Among the pieces by the two artists that will be on display beginning Wednesday, July 22, at Arts on Main in Gloucester.

Maloney is a ceramic artist who lives on her family’s organic farm in Cologne, Virginia. She works with porcelain and stoneware, creating her works on a potter’s wheel, then altering, sculpting and carving each piece by hand.

Lytle is a multimedia artist from Hampton Roads. He works in fiber, specifically the process of needle felt...