Fragile Cities. Judson Guerard, artist
Western Carolina University (WCU) Fine Art Museum at Bardo Arts Center will open its fall season with two exhibitions that highlight the diversity and depth of North Carolina’s artistic community. No Ordinary Company: The Gifts of Connie Bostic honors the life and legacy of Fairview-based artist Connie Bostic, an alum of WCU who passed away in January 2024. The exhibition, on view through Friday, October 17, features 30 works Bostic donated to the WCU Fine Art Museum in 2010, and a single piece from her own Here and There series.
Fall of the Monarch. Hayden Wilson, artist
“The exhibition is primarily focused on artists that Bostic knew and respected,” says Carolyn Grosch, curator of collections and exhibitions at the museum. “Only one work is by Bostic herself, but it is a large-scale, tour de force painting from her Here and There series that is making its debut at our museum since its donation.”
Bostic’s career began in the 1970s, and she became known for connecting with artists who challenged convention and embraced authenticity. The exhibition features works by Porge Buck, Margaret Curtis, Teresa Prater and others whose subjects, like Bostic’s own, explore themes of memory, violence, feminism and human resilience.
Also open now and running through Friday, December 5, North Carolina Glass 2025 showcases the innovation of 30 artists working in glass, from handblown vessels to neon sculptures. “This is the most artists ever exhibited in the series’ history, up from 23 artists in 2012,” says Grosch. “This year features the series’ first neon bender, Danielle James (DJ), who practices a highly specialized skill, as she describes it, of ‘putting lightning in a tube.’ She handcrafts neon signs and forms, incorporating them into mixed media installations. The exhibition will also include an incredible sand-cast glass window by David Chatt, one of the largest glass works ever exhibited in the series.”
The North Carolina Glass series began in 1974. “North Carolina Glass 2025 recognizes the importance of the Studio Glass Movement in our state’s history and how it has paved the way for artists working in glass today,” says Grosch. “Artists like Rob Levin and William Bernstein, who have current work in this show, exhibited in some of the earliest North Carolina Glass exhibitions and were notable figures in the movement. Their work is celebrated alongside other key innovators taking glass to the next level in 2025.”
Receptions will take place at the museum on Thursday, September 18, from 5–7 p.m. for the Bostic exhibition and on Thursday, October 2, from 5–7 p.m. for the glass show.
Visit arts.wcu.edu/no-ordinary and arts.wcu.edu/nc-glass to learn more about the exhibitions and receptions. To see a full calendar of events, visit arts.wcu.edu/explore or call 828.227.ARTS. The WCU Fine Art Museum is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
