Exhibitions and Shop:  Tue - Sat; 10 am - 5 pm | Studio Barn:  Mon - Sat 10 - 5; Sun noon - 5 pm |  828-526-4949 | Get Directions 

As one climbs to higher altitudes, the landscape transforms into a world in miniature, with buildings, roads, fields, and houses resembling a map or scale model. Pull back enough and one is struck by the overwhelming presence of human beings on the land. Our structures, pathways, and geometries stretch out over vast distances. Where there is space, we tend to fill it.

While humans exert great control over their surroundings, the bird's-eye view reveals how the topography influences, and often limits, our decisions. Landforms, bodies of water, and other natural features may determine the types of crops we grow in a given region, the placement of utilities and infrastructure, and the areas where we settle. We are as much at the mercy of the land that we inhabit as we are shapers of that environment.

To gain a better understanding of the human impact on the land in Western North Carolina (WNC), as well as the land's impact on us, the Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum commissioned renowned artist and pilot Alex S. MacLean to take aerial photographs of the region. Focusing on the seven westernmost counties of North Carolina, MacLean made three week-long visits to WNC in different seasons, flying his high wing airplane over the landscape while simultaneously photographing the scenery below. This exhibition brings together 28 images of the over 2,000 that he took during the project. Beautifully composed and sometimes abstract and enigmatic, these images capture the unique qualities of the region's built environment while also raising broader questions about humanity's impact on the land through agriculture, energy, industry, and housing.

  • GALLERY: Bunzl Gallery
  • ARTIST(S): Alex MacLean
  • ON DISPLAY: September 27, 2020
  • THROUGH: January 8, 2021
  • MEDIUM(S): Photography

Highlights from Past Exhibitions

They may be gone from our galleries, but the artistic impact of our past exhibitions are definitely not forgotten. Take a virtual tour of some of the stunning exhibitions that have graced The Bascom's walls, halls, and campus grounds.


Exhibition Highlight - Fuzed by Water, Ben Bookout

2020.04.01
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Installation Sneak Peak-Narrative/Abstraction/Iteration

2020.04.02
A behind the scenes look into the upcoming exhibition, Narrative/Abstraction/Iteration, curated by Jean McLaughlin. Stay tuned for the virtual tour!
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Three Potters Symposium 2009 - 2019 Slide Show

2020.04.06
As many pictures as I can find from the past 10 years of symposiums.
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Three Potters Retrospective - Alex Matisse

2020.04.08
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Three Potters Retrospective - Ben Owen III

2020.04.08
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Three Potters Retrospective - Chris Guston

2020.04.08
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Three Potters Retrospective - Cynthia Bringle

2020.04.08
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Three Potters Retrospective - Debra Fritts

2020.04.08
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Three Potters Retrospective - Jennifer Mecca

2020.04.08
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Three Potters Retrospective - Josh Copus

2020.04.08
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Three Potters Retrospective - Michael Kline

2020.04.08
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Three Potters Retrospective - Michael Sherrill

2020.04.08
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Three Potters Retrospective - Nancy Kubale

2020.04.08
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Three Potters Retrospective - Ron Meyers

2020.04.08
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Three Potters Retrospective - Shikamura Takeshita

2020.04.08
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Three Potters Retrospective - Amy Sanders

2020.04.08
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THE BASCOM WOULD LIKE TO THANK OUR 2024 EXHIBITION SPONSORS


Baton Rouge Area Foundation - The Alma Lee, Norman and Cary Saurage Fund
Jenny Lynn Bradley
Elva and Tom Brady
Hillary Cone
Claire and Alex Crumbley
Crumbley Family Fund
Margaret and Dallas Denny
Martha and Michael Dupuis
Ruthie and Berryman Edwards

Cathy and Bob Fisher
Lindy and Robert Harrison
Nancy and Charles Harrison
Jo and Jack Hill
Kathleen and Christopher Hohlstein
Jane Jerry
Sue Lewis
Dianne and Myron Mall
Heath Massey and John Mitchener
Heather McFarlin
Carol Misner and Ann Huckstep

Cary Saurage
Schulzman-Neri Foundation
Kurt Schulzman and Richard Neri
C. Marie Sharpe
Ann Sullivan
Susan and Charley Tarver
The Tom and Elva Brady Foundation
Elizabeth and Wright Turner
Vance and Willis Willey
Woodcrest Foundation
Ann Wrobleski

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For information about sponsorship opportunities, please call: 828.526.4949

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Opening Hours

Exhibitions & Shop:
Tuesday - Saturday; 10 am - 5 pm

Studio Barn Hours:
Monday - Saturday; 10 am - 5 pm
Sunday; Noon - 5 pm

Find Us Online:
      

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Visit: 323 Franklin Road
Highlands, NC 28741 (Map It)

Call: 828-526-4949 (Main)
828-787-2892 (Ceramics Studio)

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This project was supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Learn more at NCArts.org

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 Funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. Learn more at SouthArts.org.

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 Funding is due in part to a Tourism Grant with Visit Highlands, NC. Learn more HighlandsChamber.org