The Kings at “Creative Democracy” – The Turchin Center for Visual Arts (2018)

Three vitrines display books and broadsides by Basil King and Martha King

To celebrate the legacy of Black Mountain College, the Turchin Center for Visual Arts at Appalachian State University has mounted a show called “Creative Democracy.”  It’ll be on view until June 2, 2018.   (See previous post, “Basil King in new BMC Exhibition” posted in January.)

Twelve of Basil King’s recent bird paintings are featured, along with other Black Mountain connected art and artifacts. Basil gave a one-hour talk on his art and life as did former BMC student Frank Hursh. Martha  is represented with some of her publications in vitrines. The Kings also visited poet Joe Bethanti’s class for a lively Q&A about Black Mountain and beyond. Books by Martha and by Basil are currently for sale in the Appalachian State University bookstore. (Look on the website www.basilking.net for purchase information elsewhere!)

Here are some highlights.

Two paintings by Frank Hursh who attended BMC in 1949; King’s “Perch #4 – The Three Graces” in the middle; Pots by Peter Voulkos in vitrine.
From the top: “Perch #16” – “Perch #3” – “Sketch for Perch” – and “Perch #12” — all Basil King, 2017.
Overview.  Wall in the back begins with King’s  “Bird & Company – Cousin Green” at left and ends with “Perch #11 – November 9, 2016” on right.  Wall on left full of Dawson collages, hung too high for easy viewing, alas.
From the left – paintings by Hursh, King, Susan Weil, King again.

 

Jacob Lawrence (left) Basil King (right)

Fielding Dawson collage.  This was a cover for Dawson’s chapbook “The Shell Game”
Logo for the exhibition and the University’s semester-long BMC celebration.

 

 

 

Desk for BMC students, designed by Joseph Albers