Blowing Rock Art and History Museum

Art and History meet at the

Blowing Rock Art and History Museum

COMPILED BY ANDREW COLE

THE BLOWING ROCK ART AND HISTORY MUSEUM:

Since 2011 the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum has been a must see for anyone interested in the High Country arts scene. The museum showcases the history of Blowing Rock and has on display a fine selection of regional art relating to the Appalachians. The Museum was organized in 1999 in response to a Charlotte art collector’s desire to find a permanent home for his collection of works by North Carolina native and seasonal Blowing Rock resident Elliott Daingerfield, who was a significant figure in the American art scene at the turn of the 20th century. On the grounds of the BRAHM stands a statue of Daingerfield facing Edgewood Cottage, his Blowing Rock home.

UPCOMING EXPEDITIONS: TRANSFORMATION:

Guest Curated by Larry Wheeler, Carlos Garcia-Velez and Allen Thomas, Transformation explores photography as an artistic medium. This exciting exhibition will take place in the BRAHM’s Fort Gallery from March 20 to Aug. 21, 2001. Noting that photography is no longer just a pretty picture or a document, Transformation explores the evolution of photography and how that its mastery can be many things at once, integrating many materials and media.

THE JANET H. WILSON COLLECTION:

Though born in New York, Janet H. Wilson, lived most of her life in Lenoir. An admirer of beauty and an educator and an advocate for women, Wilson

PHOTO BY ABBY WHITT

traveled extensively with the BRAHM and would frequently shop for art while on trips. Wilson would particularly seek out works by women, stating that they were just as talented as their male counterparts and their work, more affordable. Narrowing down her focus to “female painters,” she decided to more specifically concentrate on those. The Janet H. Wilson Collection will be on display in the BRAHM’s Rankin East Gallery from April 3 to August 1.

DRAWN TO DETAIL: METALSMITHS OF NORTH CAROLINA:

Exploring a wide range of metal art and design, the Drawn to Detail: Metalsmiths of North Carolina exhibition features metal art ranging from jewelry to functional housewares and sculptures. The exhibition, which is guest curated by Adam Whitney, will be on display in the BRAHM’s Atwell Gallery from April 24 — Sept. 19, 2021. Whitney is from Vermont and currently lives in Penland, NC, where he is a Resident Artist at Penland School of Craft. He has lived and worked throughout the United States and abroad, obtaining experience from a range of projects and teaching. Whitney received his bachelors in fine arts in Crafts and Materials Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he concentrated in Metalsmithing. These metal works portray an array of color through different metals and patinas, along with paint, enamel, and stone settings. The diversity of work exhibited strains the nomenclature “Metalsmith” to encompass all of the participating artists.

THE ALEXANDER COLLECTION:

Patty and Welborn Alexander bought

EVENTS

Transformation: Until Aug. 21

The Janet H. Wilson Collection:

Until to Aug. 1

Drawn to Detail: Metalsmiths of

North Carolina: Until Sept. 19 The Alexander Collection: Until Aug. 1

their first American Impressionist painting in 1992, little did they know that this simple purchase would completely change their lifestyle and alter the rest of their lives. Though they had simply bought their art for their home, they eventually found that the more they learned, the more deeply they could appreciate the art itself and the artists who had created it. They would go on to become serious, passionate art collectors of primarily American Impressionist art produced in the period from 1880 until 1930. The Alexander Collection will be on display in the BRAHM’s Rankin West Gallery from April 3 until Aug. 1.