WCU Fine Art Museum marks 20 years
‘Adoduhisodiyi Sakonige Ugitsisgv (Remaking Blue Dawn)’ by America Meredith.
WCU Photo Services photo
In celebration of its 20th anniversary, the Fine Art Museum within the Bardo Arts Center (BAC) is currently hosting an exhibition of artwork highlighting the long history of art collecting by the museum at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.
To note, the museum holds four galleries, a growing permanent collection of contemporary art and rotating exhibitions highlighting regional, national and international artists.
In terms of the anniversary exhibition, step into a visual timeline, one which features a dynamic display showcasing decades of WCU’s dedication to collecting and curating contemporary art, with countless artists represented throughout.
This special exhibition honors the museum’s roots in the Belk and Chelsea Galleries, highlighting key moments from its early focus on studio glass and women artists to its evolving commitment to contemporary Native American voices.
Visitors will encounter artwork from each chapter of the museum’s history, reflecting the people, places and priorities that shaped its collection. The exhibition also commemorates the museum’s national accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums, an honor held by only a select 3% of U.S. museums. With each work on view, the exhibition invites you to experience the legacy and future of art at WCU.
The Fine Art Museum grew out of WCU’s longstanding commitment to contemporary art through two earlier exhibition spaces: the Belk Gallery and the Chelsea Gallery.
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Launched in 1972 within the newly constructed Belk Building as part of the Department of Art, the Belk Gallery showcased contemporary artists across media and developed a notable focus on studio glass under Joan Falconer Byrd’s curatorial leadership. Around 1978, the Chelsea Gallery opened in the University Center under Student Affairs leadership, presenting a robust schedule of exhibitions and producing scholarly catalogues.
Both galleries operated for decades until 2003, before their programs were sunset when the Fine Art Museum opened in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center in 2005.
At that time, the museum became part of the College of Fine and Performing Arts and assumed stewardship of the Belk Gallery’s Collection. This exhibition commemorates the current anniversary of the museum and celebrates WCU’s 54-year legacy of collecting and presenting art.
The museum’s collection of over 2,100 works of contemporary art by artists of the Americas continues to grow each year. This collection supports the museum’s dynamic exhibition program, enhances student learning through object-based experiences and provides a catalyst for interdisciplinary dialogue across the campus community and the Western North Carolina region.
Visitors to this exhibition will experience artwork in a wide variety of mediums that fall within the museum’s collecting focus including paintings, drawings, prints and photography, as well as ceramics, glass and artist books.
Making up over half of these holdings is the museum’s vitreograph collection. Donated by Harvey K. and Bess Littleton and members of the Littleton family, the vitreograph collection is the largest in the world and includes the complete archive of vitreograph prints produced at Harvey Littleton Studios between 1976 and 2008.
The exhibition will be available for viewing through July 2. It is free and open to the public. Museum hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday.
To note, the BAC serves as the cultural catalyst for the creative arts in the Western North Carolina region. It’s home to the museum and BAC Performance Hall, with the latter providing the campus and community access to internationally acclaimed artists and regional favorites.
For more information, visit arts.wcu.edu/20-anniversary.
