Bianca Mitchell, Director of Marketing, The Bascom: A Center for the Visual Arts

Juried exhibition brings 20 craft makers from across Western North Carolina to Highlands, May 16–July 25

Emerging Designer Elena Rizek brings her layered, expressive style to new projects at The Bascom this summer.

The Bascom: A Center for the Visual Arts will open a new exhibition by Photography Resident Dean Kessmann on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in the Joel Gallery, with a free public artist talk at 3:00 p.m. Kessmann is a Professor of Photography at The George Washington University’s Corcoran School of the Arts and Design who spent his spring 2026 sabbatical in residence at The Bascom, his first formal artist residency in nearly two decades.

The Bascom’s spring–summer exhibition showcases Photography Resident Dean Kessmann’s quietly transformative images, works that blur the line between representation and abstraction while inviting viewers into a slower, more attentive way of seeing.

Celebrate creativity this spring at The Bascom with three dynamic exhibitions highlighting art, mentorship, and innovation.

Sculptor and educator Casey Schachner, The Bascom’s 2026 Winter Resident Artist, brings a site‑specific installation exploring place, identity, and material experience to the Thompson Gallery.

The Bascom reflects on a year of creative outreach, expressing gratitude to the donors, artists, and community members who make its mission of accessible, empowering art possible.

The Bascom’s Holiday Market returns with artful gifts and creative traditions.

This fall, The Bascom unveils three dynamic exhibitions that celebrate legacy, local history, and the art of contemporary ceramics—inviting all to connect through creativity.