The Bascom Center for Visual Arts threw open its doors on Saturday, and the response was a packed house for an art-filled Community Day.
The overflow turnout was a welcome sight for event organizers and The Bascom staff.
“This is an incredible crowd, and we are so grateful that people are taking time out of their Saturday to come out and support the visual arts,” The Bascom Deputy Executive Director Billy Love said. “It’s always fun to see whole families come out and enjoy the day. There’s a lot for kids to do, with the Teddy Bear Clinic, the mural painting station, and other activities.”
The Bascom gallery was open to the public during the community day event and the entire facility was used during the exposition.
In the pottery barn, director of ceramics Frank Vickery led a group of potter in making “Empty Bowls” which are used in a local fundraiser each fall. Under the patio, representatives from the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust helped children create their own natural necklaces, while staff from Highlands-Cashiers Hospital conducted a “Teddy Bear Clinic” to teach children about basic health and wellness practices.
Margie Bauer led a group of youngsters in a Zentangle Doodle demonstration while Richard Tinich taught the art of quilting. Members of the Western NC Woodturners Club brought out their lathes and showed off their skills in making hand-crafted wood items. Connie Regan-Blake kept crowds entertained through storytelling throughout the day.
Perhaps the biggest draw of Community Day was the glassblowing demonstration put on by members of the Green Energy Park. With a glassblowing kiln in full orange glow, the artists took turns showcasing their skills in a very unique, and potentially dangerous, medium.
“If you haven’t seen a glass artist work up close, it’s a pretty awesome thing to watch,” Love said. “Those guys are incredibly talented. It’s no surprise so many people are drawn to their booth.”
The Community Day event also served as a perfect way to show off all The Bascom has to offer year-round in terms of visual arts programing and events. For over 30 years, The Bascom has been a vital cultural resource to Western North Carolina. What began in 1983 as a small exhibition space in one room of the Hudson Library now occupies a six-acre former horse farm near downtown Highlands.
The 28,000 square foot main building houses exhibition and event spaces, classrooms, offices, and a retail outlet. The adjacent Dave Drake Studio contains studio space for pottery and three-dimensional arts instruction and additional retail space. Entrance to the campus is through an early 19th Century, 87-foot-long covered bridge. Along with sizeable terraces, our outdoor spaces include meadows and forest land, streams and trails, unblemished mountain views and sculpture installations.
For more information about The Bascom, visit thebascom.org.