Current Season

Paula W. Patterson: Still...Within

Bill Minschew: Coming Home

28th Annual Scholastic Art Awards Exhibition

Decorative Arts from the collection of Chris and Kathy Wilson

Eric Little: Paintings

Barton Senior Art Exhibition 2006

Paula W. Patterson: Still...Within

September 11-October 14
Opening reception, September 11, 2-4 p.m.

The Barton Museum will opened its 2005-2006 year with an exhibition of selected examples of the bequeathed works of Paula W. Patterson, the Barton art professor who died in November, 2004.

"Patterson's death last year was deeply felt by all who knew her," said Kathy Daughety, director of public relations at Barton. Patterson made a remarkable bequest to the Barton Art Museum, and her husband and friends have further supported her bequest.

Patterson's bequest to the Barton Museum included the contents of her studio: dozens of oil paintings on canvas, scores of framed and unframed silverpoint drawings, hundreds of framed and unframed watercolors on paper, thousands of unframed drawings, and tens of thousands of photographs and artifacts. This is the largest gift of art in the college's history.

Although the exhibition will be hung salon style, only a fraction of Patterson's works now in the museum's collection can be shown at one time.

Patterson's work has a tremendous effect on the viewer, Daughety said, invoking a spiritual connection beyond the physical manifestation of the work on paper or canvas.

Professor Chris Wilson captured her work's ethereal quality in a statement he authored for Patterson's solo exhibit in January 2004 at the Greenville Museum of Art. This would be her last solo exhibit prior to her death.

"To look at Patterson's work from a distance is to miss the drama and power of the marks and the superbly developed tonal surface," Wilson wrote. "The viewer is confronted by marks of astonishing vigor in a medium predisposed to atmospheric haze when viewed up close. To look at her work up close is to miss the sweeping space and cosmic landscape implied there. ... She uses the smallest dried twig as a metaphor for the largest Giant Sequoia, a dried pod as some long extinct species."

Prior to her relocation to Wilson, Patterson lived for 17 years in Cambridge, England, and Amsterdam. Patterson's works have been viewed in exhibitions across the country and abroad.

A graduate of Barton College in 1979, Patterson continued her studies at East Carolina University.

Bill Minschew: Coming Home

October 30-December 6
Opening reception, October 30, 2-4 p.m.

"Coming Home" is a long-awaited exhibition for the Barton Museum as this will be the first time in 45 years for many members of both the Wilson and Barton communities to have the pleasure and privilege of viewing firsthand the work of artist William E. Minschew.

A native of Wilson, Minschew completed undergraduate courses at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the School of Design at North Carolina State University and earned a bachelor of science degree in art in 1959 at Atlantic Christian College, now Barton. He continued his studies at the graduate level at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill completing a master of fine arts degree in 1961. Minschew then traveled to Rome as a Fulbright Scholar from 1961-1962.

He has been commissioned by a number of corporate sponsors for special projects including The Ansel Adams Trust, The Monon Inn, Mono Lake, Calif.; Fresno Art Museum Sculpture Garden and the Metropolitan Museum, both in Fresno, Calif.; and Giocobbi Square in Sun Valley, Idaho.

His works are held in numerous private collections across the United States and abroad. The Barton Museum is fortunate to have Minschew's work as part of its permanent collection. Minschew has participated in numerous one-man and group exhibitions in North Carolina, California, Virginia, Connecticut, Oregon, Washington, D.C., Florida, and New York, as well as abroad in Italy and Indonesia. His work has been published in magazines including Architectural Digest, Northern California House & Garden, Art Moderne (Paris, France), Interiors and Town & Country, as well as in two film scripts: "Pray for Him/Pray for Her" and "That Turnstile."

"His work highlights, for this generation of student, the importance of remaining current in the professional arena, especially incorporating the latest technologies as art tools; his work emphasizes that being an artist is a lifetime pursuit," said J. Chris Wilson, director of exhibitions at the Barton Museum.

"The exhibition showcases 60 digital prints with varying subjects, many inspired by Minschew's love and travels in Italy where he exhibits regularly. We are also very fortunate to have 10 bronze sculptures representing Minschew's elegant approach to space and form," Wilson said. "While we might be tempted to assign influence in the sculpture to modernism, what we get is pure, vintage Bill Minschew. We are delighted to showcase Bill 'Coming Home.'"

Works in this exhibition are from the same editions that have been showcased in galleries in Italy and the United States where Minschew's work is represented.

28th Annual Scholastic Art Awards Exhibition

January 22-February 9

An air of creativity filled the room as middle school and high school students from across the piedmont and eastern regions of North Carolina, joined by their families and teachers, gathered in Barton College's Wilson Gymnasium Sunday for The National Scholastic Art Awards ceremony for the Eastern/Central North Carolina Region. Barton has served as host and regional sponsor for this prestigious event for the past 28 years.

One hundred and ninety pieces were selected as gold key finalists for the exhibition. These finalists will be sent to New York City for judging against other regional winners for the national exhibition held in June at the Corcoran Gallery, Washington, D.C. Also sent to New York will be the works of five American Vision Award (best of show) nominees. There also were 90 merit awards chosen from the works submitted. American Visions Award nominees were Carrie Peterson, Cardinal Gibbons High School; Jake Price, Western Guilford High School; Matthew Wilson, Massey Hill Classical High School; Cassandra Johnson, Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School; and Ryan Smith, Walter M. Williams High School. Peterson, Price and Wilson each received a gold key finalist award, and Johnson and Smith each received two gold key finalist awards.

Nicklaus Williams received a gold key finalist designation and was also honored with the Governor's Student Excellence Award. The Governor's Student Excellence Award was initiated in 2003 by North Carolina's first lady, Mary Easley, on behalf of the governor of North Carolina. The artwork of the Governor's Student Excellence Award recipients from the three districts of The Scholastic Art Awards program in North Carolina will be on exhibit in the Governor's Mansion, the State Capitol Building and the Legislative Office Building later this spring.

The awards presentation included five additional named awards. Paul Rouphail of Cardinal Gibbons received a gold key finalist award and the Emerging Vision Award.

Andrew Creswell from Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School was recognized with three gold key finalist awards and The Wilson Daily Times Award, and Kyleigh Anderson from Sanderson High School received a gold key finalist designation and the N.C. Art Education Association Award. Cam Floyd from W.G. Enloe Magnet High School was recognized with two gold key finalist awards and received the Edward C. Brown Award named in honor of the long-time director of the Barton Scholastics Program. Natalie Herbstritt from Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Career Center received both a gold key finalist designation and the Barton College Award.

The Wilson Daily Times and the Visual Arts Department of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools also provide support for the program. Contributors to the program included the Wilson Chamber of Commerce, Stan Corbett of Corbett Reproductions, and Framer's Ally of Elm City.

Betty R. McCain, former secretary of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, was the featured speaker for the ceremony.

Brief remarks were given by Norval C. Kneten, president of Barton College, Morgan P. Dickerman, publisher of The Wilson Daily Times, Jeanette M. Stephenson, chair of The Eastern/Central North Carolina Region of The Scholastic Art Awards Advisory Committee, and Mark F. Gordon, director of The Eastern/Central North Carolina Region of The Scholastic Art Awards Program.

Decorative Arts from the collection of Chris and Kathy Wilson

March 12-24

When Kathy and Chris Wilson began moving furniture out of their home en route to the Barton Museum, their 12-year-old daughter, Singleton, was reluctant to part with pieces from her bedroom.

She has fond memories of sitting in an early 20th century bent twig children's chair when she was younger and attending imaginary tea parties with her mother at a salesman's sample American drop-leaf table dated in the early 1800s.

Those two pieces are part of the Wilson's decorative arts exhibit on display in the Lula E. Rackley Gallery at Barton Museum. Included in the exhibit are American and Colonial furniture from the 1690s through the early 20th century.

"Although the pieces are being shown as they're museum objects, they're things we live with every day," said artist Chris Wilson, an art professor and exhibitions director at Barton Museum. "We continue to reverence the pieces through daily use."

The exhibit represents the bulk of the items that Chris and Kathy Wilson have collected together since they married 13 years ago. They travel places "far and wide" to find pieces to add to their collection.

The Wilsons found one of the exhibit pieces, an early 1700s South Carolina low-country side chair, during a visit to Myrtle Beach, S.C., for one of his gallery openings. They had only a couple hours to spare before the opening reception when they ambitiously embarked on what they called "sprint antique shopping."

When they bring an antique piece home, Kathy Wilson immediately cleans and waxes it. She loves to feel the wood, and to recall the hands that made the furniture. The Wilsons strip finish themselves to restore the piece to its original finish.

Kathy Wilson has been refinishing antique furniture since she was a teenager, when her parents would pay her to clean up pieces they had purchased. The Wilsons will hire a professional to repair newly acquired pieces, when needed. Each original nail matters to the Wilsons, and they strive to preserve their furniture, not changing the pieces in any way.

Their passion for antiques began in their teen-age years. Kathy wilson made her first antique purchase of a pre-Columbian whistle with baby-sitting money. Her husband fondly remembers being "drug through junk stores" by his mother when he was a child. He began collecting antique Japanese porcelain when he was 15 years old.

The Wilsons chose for their exhibit pieces that had the most interesting sculptural forms combined with local interest. "I would want students to be exposed to the idea that these are works of art just like a painting or a sculpture is a work of art," said Chris Wilson.

Eric Little: Paintings

March 12-24

Eric Little's paintings will be on view in the Virginia Thompson Graves Gallery. Little, a native of Wilson earned a bachelor of fine arts degree with a concentration in painting from Barton. He continued his studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where he completed a master of fine arts degree. While pursuing his passion for painting, Little also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Art at Barton.

His paintings on exhibit include cityscapes, often with figural groups, and studio still lifes. Some of the cityscapes capture familiar scenes in Wilson including the "Corner of Hines and Tarboro Streets."

"When Little incorporates figures or figural groups from everyday life, the works connect with the great tradition of the ambitious figural compositions of the masters of the past," said Chris Wilson, director of the Barton Museum.

"Little, however, does not strive to impress by taking on the cloak of the grand manner, rather his work impresses by projecting a scene that is abjectly ordinary with as much attention to color and tone as if it is an allegory of important philosophic ideas."

Wilson describes Little's works as carefully composed with a painterly brushwork that emphasizes the atmosphere of the place.

Barton Senior Art Exhibition 2006

April 9-May 6
Opening reception, April 9, 8-10 p.m.

This year's exhibition showcases the artwork of 10 seniors, including local emerging artists from Bailey, Pikeville, Goldsboro and Zebulon.

Works on exhibit will include paintings, ceramics, drawings, photographs, graphic designs, video productions and mixed media.

Joshua Davis of Bailey plans to graduate in May with a bachelor of arts degree in studio art with a concentration in graphic design and a bachelor of science degree in mass communications, with a concentration in broadcast/video production. He plans to find a job in the broadcasting or graphic design field in eastern North Carolina.

Christopher J. McAllister of Pikeville also plans to graduate in May. He is pursuing a bachelor of fine arts degree in studio art. He has a concentration in photography and works in both photography and graphic art.

Robert Ingram of Goldsboro will receive a bachelor of fine arts degree with a concentration in painting in May. Ingram has a variety of subjects in the exhibition including portraits and Civil War reenactments.

Kim Potochney of Cranberry, N.J., has been around photography since her father became the owner of a photography and videography company 19 years ago. She will graduate in May with a bachelor of arts degree in studio art with a concentration in graphic design and photography.

Amy Carr of Denver will graduate in May with a bachelor of fine arts degree in studio art with a concentration in graphic design.

Malissa Vernon of Salem, Ohio, plans on pursuing a career in the forensic art field. Vernon will be exhibiting ceramic vessels, many of monumental size. She plans to graduate in December with a bachelor of arts degree in studio art with a concentration in photography and a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice and criminology.

Brian Shackelford of Zebulon works with advanced computer techniques. Most of his work is a mixture of original illustrations and layered digital graphics. Shackelford plans to graduate in December with a bachelor of fine arts degree in studio art with a concentration in graphic design.

Gordon Card of Centerville, Va., is a ceramic artist who creates sculptures and vessels with clay. He will graduate in December with a bachelor of science degree in art education.

Jennifer McKelvey of Hillsborough is a graphic design artist who often works in a very large format and incorporates images and text that address current cultural issues of women. She plans to graduate in May with a bachelor of fine arts degree in studio art with a concentration in graphic design.

Isaac Talley of Oxford is a painter who often portrays subjects that reflect Southern cultural artifacts such as pickled pigs' feet with astonishing sensitivity to color and light. Other subjects always focus on the beauty. Tally has been accepted into graduate school for advanced study in painting at East Carolina University. He plans to graduate in May with a bachelor of fine arts degree in studio art with a concentration in painting.