As I’ve mentioned before, while I live in what many regard as a small town, it’s amazing to see the wealth of talent that I continually encounter. I recently had the privilege of visiting the most recent exhibition at the Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center. If you haven’t ever been to this center, you simply must come and enjoy at some point.
At the moment, there are featuring an exhibition called Pat Passlof: Selections 1948-2011. Pat Passlof was an abstract expressionist, and the exhibition includes a wide range of Passlof’s paintings from her early days as a student at Willem de Kooning at BMC to her last paintings which were made in 2011.
Apparently, there is a companion show at the Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University. Together, the two exhibitions have a 64 page catalogue that includes an amazing essay by art critic Eleanor Heartney and also had Passlof’s writings and correspondences.
The show was lovely, featuring 43 paintings that showed her growth and development during her 60 year career. In addition to the exhibit, the Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center has a number of intriguing programs planned. I’m hoping to return on March 6th when they have Eleanor Heartney talk about Pat Passlof and the changing role of women in the arts.