The Bascom: A Center for the Visual Arts

Jo Hill builds by hand, working from a fascination with texture: veins in a leaf, the grain of tree bark, the pattern in a piece of crochet or lace.

Some of that lace is her grandmother's, stitched in the 1920s and '30s and pressed into the clay itself, alongside actual leaves and botanical forms. Every piece is functional, made to be held and used.

Meet Jo and the rest of The Bascom's Studio Members at the 15th Annual Summer Pottery Show, July 17 and 18, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free admission.

Colette Clark has always dabbled in art, moving between painting, drawing, and sculpture over the years. But clay is what stayed with her, holding her focus for decades now.

Working in the Studio Barn, she shapes both functional and fanciful pieces, pottery built to be used every day with a little whimsy worked into the form.

Come meet Colette and the rest of The Bascom's Studio Members at the 15th Annual Summer Pottery Show, July 17 and 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free admission, and every piece is available for purchase.

This past Friday, The Bascom held two celebrations. The morning began with our fifth annual Benefactors' Breakfast in the Studio Barn, honoring the founders and supporters whose generosity makes our mission possible: to create visual art experiences that inspire and empower individuals and communities through seeing, thinking, and doing. Guests wore pins from The Bascom's Giving Societies, small symbols of the powerful relationship between generosity and community enrichment.

Following the breakfast, that mission was put into action. Community Day filled the six-acre campus with a free morning of live demonstrations, hands-on activities, and open galleries. Glassblowing by Annie Jacobsen. A quilt project with Richard Tichich. Empty Bowls at the Studio Barn breezeway. Face painting, crayon rubbings, a Teddy Bear Clinic for the youngest visitors, and popcorn for everyone.

If you'd like to support The Bascom, reach out to Jamie Raynor, Director of Development, at [email protected] or 828.787.2897.