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Gratitude: The Bascom
Issue: 2021/11 – November
The Bascom’s new executive director enumerates all the blessings for which she’s grateful, every day.
Karin Peterson
Every morning, I have the privilege of driving down highway 64, amidst the still abundant Rhododendron and the turning leaves revealing an ever-bluer sky, through the Mirror Lake district, and across the Will Henry Stevens covered bridge to arrive at my workplace, The Bascom.
For me, our grounds and facilities resonate perfectly with the natural beauty of the Plateau and when I enter the Greehey Atrium and look up at the high-ceiling, I feel as if I am in a kind of sanctuary – a place that calls out to the visitor; come in, look, experience!
As the new Executive Director of The Bascom, I have come with anticipation for what is possible for arts on the Plateau. I have been welcomed by people who have expressed their own passions, dreams, and hopes for our shared future as a community. I have also learned about the legacies of this place, and of the vision shared among passionate artists and benefactors who have made the dream of a center for visual art a reality.
And so, I approach this Thanksgiving with gratitude – for the people, present and past, who have shepherded The Bascom through its ups and downs. So many individuals are responsible for what we are able to do – devoted and generous donors; a Board of Directors with drive and dedication; a mission-oriented staff; and our community partners.
And then there are the artists – young and old – who engage on a daily basis with the process of seeing, thinking and doing. I am impressed with them all; from pottery studio members who work their hands in clay, to the artists who display their work in our galleries and shop, to the adults who take art classes all year long.
And perhaps, especially, I am grateful to have witnessed the impact of art on children – a lasting memory of this summer is the image of a squirmy four-year old coming for an art lesson, discovering the ability to focus, and parting with a beaming sense of pride for what he accomplished.
To all who give to the arts in this community, to all who’ve poured their artistic souls into curating, creating, performing, exhibiting, and to all who’ve come as passionate art observers, Thank you.
