The Bascom: A Center for the Visual Arts, in the Highlands, is bringing back its celebrated Clay Symposiums this spring and fall. The events at The Bascom in Highlands are an opportunity for ceramic artists, collectors, and enthusiasts to explore the transformative power of clay.
The clay symposium is one of the longest running, free community programs offered at the Bascom in Highlands, beginning in 2009. The symposium provides this small community with exposure to top tier ideas practiced in the ceramics world, ideas from nationally and internationally recognized artists. Moreover, it allows Highlands and The Bascom to become recognized as a hub for current trends in ceramic practices.
In 2024, the annual clay symposiums were postponed due to Hurricane Helene. This year, The Bascom will return with both a Spring and Fall symposium.
The Spring Symposium, April 11-12, represents the return of last fall’s postponed events. It will feature distinguished ceramic artists—Christine Kosiba, Andréa Keys Connell, and Taylor Robenalt—specializing in animal and figurative sculpture. The artists will highlight Animal and Figurative Ceramic Sculpture through sharing stories, inspirations, and techniques learned through the years.
Art in the Bascom
The 15th Annual Clay Symposium: Forms of Inspiration will take place on September 26–27. The symposium will coincide with The Bascom’s milestone 40th-anniversary celebrations.
The Fall Symposium will focus on figurative ceramic sculpture, showcasing the work of Kirsten Stingle, Natasha Dikareva, and Thaddeus Erdahl, each known for their innovative approaches to clay and mixed media. The keynote address will be delivered by Bethany Chaney, Executive Director of the John C. Campbell Folk School, followed by a public reception.
Finally, as The Bascom celebrates its 40th anniversary, the Clay Symposia exemplify the organization’s commitment to fostering creativity and building community through the visual arts.
The Bascom creates visual art experiences that inspire and empower individuals and communities through seeing, thinking, and doing.
Celebrating 40 years as a vital cultural resource for Western North Carolina, The Bascom continues to serve as a catalyst for creativity, learning, and community connection.
We had the chance to chat with Director of Ceramics Frank Vickery, who has spent 14 years at The Bascom.
How were the artists for this year’s symposium selected?
A committee selects artists based on a topic/theme and that theme changes each year. They are picked based on their working or personal relationships with the other artists, the style work they make based on the theme, and location. We are a regional art center and we want to support and highlight regional ceramic artists.
How is The Bascom in Highlands working to support local artists and the creative economy after Helene?
The Bascom has several initiatives we are working on or have completed. On the clay side, we created four short term residencies. These last 4-5 weeks. Artists must apply. Once accepted, they get a space inside of the studio to work. Plus, they get full use of our kilns (electric, Soda, and gas), mix glazes, clay, provide housing, artist talk, teach a workshop (paid). Lastly, if the artists wants, we provide a space for them to show/sell work. We had all four blocks of time booked, but only had two artists take advantage of the opportunity. The other two artists got their studios up and running before their residency started. Melissa Weiss is the artist currently here. The final artist starts in February.
What would you like a first time attendee to know?
The artists demonstrate throughout the day, each working at the same time, sharing stories, inspirations, techniques, “feeding” off one another, adding to their story, sharing personal histories, etc all while making work. The audience can ask questions, which keeps the dialogue going, and encourages other questions. At the end, the artists donate the piece or pieces they are working on to the studio’s “bone yard” and for future visitors and artists to admire and use as teaching tools, inspiration, etc. The artists will also have a month-long exhibition of their work in the Joel Gallery.
What is special or unique about this year’s events?
This year, we will host two events. Additionally, this year, both of the events and the artists use the human and animal figure to discuss broader topics.
Thanks to the generosity of Bascom sponsors, the symposium is free to all. It welcomes both drop-in visitors and those who wish to participate in the entire event.
