Art at Altitude

The Bascom celebrates 40 years of creativity in Highlands 

In 1875, Kansas developers Samuel Kelsey and Clinton C. Hutchinson drew two lines on a map: one extending from New York to New Orleans and the other from Chicago to Savannah. They believed where these two lines intersected would one day mark the Southeast’s next great commercial center. 

They were wrong. 

Instead, the “X” on Kelsey and Clinton’s map became the quaint summer colony of Highlands, North Carolina — an hour and a half southwest of Asheville, reached by steep winding roads through the Cullasaja River Gorge, and two-and-a-half hours north of Atlanta. 

Located on a plateau at 4,118 feet, this high-elevation haven is a far cry from a bustling metropolis. However, what it lacks in industry, it more than makes up for in pristine mountain beauty and world-class art — The Bascom makes sure of it. 

Nestled on a former horse farm just outside downtown Highlands, The Bascom is a visual-art center and event venue where visitors can learn how to paint trees, listen to a sculptor discuss bronze casting, and even try their hand at throwing a pot. As the center’s mission statement reads, “The Bascom creates visual art experiences that inspire and empower individuals and communities through seeing, thinking, and doing.”

This vision dates back to Watson Barratt, a New York-based creative who spent summers sojourning in the mountains and was determined to create a permanent gallery in Highlands to showcase regional art. This dream became a reality in 1985 when Barratt’s estate provided funding for the creation of the Bascom-Louise Gallery at the Hudson Library. (Louise was Barratt’s wife, whose maiden name was Bascom.)

“We grew from very humble beginnings,” says Billy Love, The Bascom’s executive director. “From a single room in the public library, we have since expanded to a six-acre campus with a 27,500-square-foot main building.”

The Bascom has also greatly expanded its reach, connecting with more than 25,000 visitors each year. Thousands more in the region experience programming off site through community-outreach initiatives. 

Around 1,140 residents live here full time — but in the summer, the population of the resort town, with its cool upland temperatures, swells to 20,000. “Highlands is an anomaly,” says Love. “There’s a lot of affluence here, but you [also] have many of the socioeconomic issues you might expect in Southern Appalachia. We want to make sure people who might not otherwise be exposed to the arts are getting exposure, particularly young people.”

This season, The Bascom will celebrate 40 years of “doing the good work,” as Love puts it, with a series of special events. According to Zachary Rogers, director of exhibitions, the lineup will include a retrospective called Inspiring & Powering: A Journey Through The Bascom’s Exhibition Legacy. Previous artists-in-residence will also present work in a group exhibition titled Looking Back. Both shows open in May.     

Then, in August, the center will host Community Call: History of Highlands. The show will celebrate Highlands’ 150th anniversary, which happens to fall this year, by exploring the many narratives that define the town.

“This is a year of anniversaries,” says Rogers, “and we are excited to celebrate with everyone.”

As it reflects on its past, The Bascom is also focusing on its future.

“This is an exciting time at The Bascom,” says Love. “The organization is healthy and ready for the next phase. The question we’re asking now is, ‘How can we continue to grow our impact in the region?’”

The Bascom: A Center for the Visual Arts, 323 Franklin Road, Highlands. For a full schedule of anniversary events and exhibitions, visit thebascom.org.