Media Description: Fabricated Aluminum, Steel, Copper, Wood, and Found Objects
Trigger Magazine
January 16, 2005
Bates Wilson
The Art of Alchemy and Iconography by Liberation Iannillo
"Metal will never wear out, I like the way it ages, I like the patina. I enjoy exploring the medium, the process of discovery, and finding new ways to satisfy myself."
Whether our icons are being reinterpreted like Salvador Dali's 'Crucifixion' or purposely taken out of context as is the case with Andy Warhol's 'Campbell's Soup Can', with each new mutation we are reminded of something we often see and take for granted when it's presented to us in a fresh perspective. Our most famous icon, the American flag, is one of them. They fly outside of our Post Offices and groggy school children salute them each morning but it's not until we are attacked by terrorists or the government sends our families off to fight losing battles that we realize how much we take it for granted. It's also artists like Bates Wilson that remind us as well.
Bates Wilson moved from Atlanta to New York in the late 80's to further pursue his acting career. Out of necessity he began to furnish his apartment with pieces of furniture made from discarded metal. "Wood was too hard to work with, especially in my apartment. Originally what I was making was all from recycled materials. I'd use what I could find like sheet metal or drywall beams that I would flatten out. I made some really big pieces."
Visiting Wilson's studio in Dumbo I was surprised at how large some of his pieces actually are. One piece in particular, a gorgeous War Of The Worlds, pod-like TV cabinet, is about 9 feet long and stands about 5 feet high. Unfortunately it's the size of my apartment. "Furniture is hard to sell in New York, there's a market but I think I'd do better in LA. I think the West Coast would be more receptive to larger pieces. New York is conservative, it's a minimal town, the spaces are small and everyone gravitates toward minimalism."
Aside from furniture, the other standout pieces in Wilson's body of work are a series of American flags. "I like working with icons, taking something that people see every day and seeing how I can express something a little different with that idea. I like stars and stripes, it's a very powerful symbol especially in our society." Ranging in style from sleek, minimal and polished to deconstructed, involved weavings of copper shards, tubing and knurled strips of metal, they all radiate a sense of strength and power. And not unlike the original American flag, one of Wilson’s creations came to symbolize unity, strength and solidarity to a whole new generation.
During an artist's residency in Canada during 2001, Bates was commissioned to create an American flag. The 4' x 5' flag, made from aluminum and copper, was completed by the end of summer in 2001. Having lost a friend in the attacks on September 11th, Bates returned the money he was given for the commission and kept the flag. He brought it to Union Square and left it there for about a week. People visiting the makeshift memorial on 14th Street used ice picks to scribe their names and their thoughts on it. No easy feat, to some the aggressive carving may have been the only outlet they had to share their thoughts on the tragedy and vent their frustrations in a time when we all felt so helpless. After a brief trip to Chicago, Bates donated the flag to the New York Historical Society where it resides in their permanent collection.
EDUCATION
1983 M.F.A., East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina
1976 B.F.A., Stephens College, Columbia, Missouri
TEACHING
1997 - 2009 Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, NC, Instructor, Department of Art
1996 - 1998 Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier, VT (MFA program), Artist/Teacher
1988 - 1995 University of North Carolina at Asheville, Adjunct Instructor, Department of Art
1985 Eastern New Mexico University, Roswell, Lecturer, Department of Art
1981 - 1982 East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, Graduate Teaching Fellowship
AWARDS
1999 Artists Project Grant, Arts Alliance and North Carolina Arts Council
1997 North Carolina Arts Council Visual Artist Fellowship
1992 Finalist for SAF/NEA Regional Fellowship in Painting and Works on Paper
1987 First Place Juror’s Award. "18th National Fine Arts Exhibition," Greensboro Art League,
Greensboro, North Carolina - Juror: Susan Krane, Curator of 20th Century Art,
High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia
1986 Ucross Foundation Residency Grant, Ucross, Wyoming
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2008 "Warren Wilson College Faculty/Alumni Exhibit," Black Mountain Center for the Arts, Black
Mountain, North Carolina
2007 Solo Exhibition, "Eve Framed: Recent Drawings," Elizabeth Ross Gallery, Central Piedmont
Community College, Charlotte, North Carolina
"35
th
Annual Competition for North and South Carolina Artists," Fayetteville Museum of Art,
Fayetteville, NC - Juror: Barry Bailey, Prof. of Art, Tulane University, New Orleans.
2006 Faculty Exhibition, Holden Gallery, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, North Carolina
2005 Solo Exhibition, "Prints and Drawings," Rauch Gallery, Gaston College, Dallas, North Carolina
2004 Faculty Exhibition, Holden Gallery, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, North Carolina
2003 "Passage: Works by Warren Wilson College Faculty and Students," Black Mountain Center for
the Arts, Black Mountain, North Carolina
"Winter Show Invitational," Greenhill Center for North Carolina Art, Greensboro, North
Carolina2
2002 "Enriched by Diversity: The Art of Hawaii" The Inaugural Exhibition of the Hawaii State Art
Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii
2001 Warren Wilson Art Faculty Exhibit, Spiers Gallery, Brevard College, Brevard, North Carolina
2000 "Non-toxic Printmaking Exhibit," Kier Gallery, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Faculty Exhibition, Holden Gallery, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, North Carolina
1999 "Winter Show Invitational," Greenhill Center for North Carolina Art Greensboro, North Carolina
Faculty Exhibition, Holden Gallery, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, North Carolina
1998 "Women in Art: Bette Bates and Mia Tyson," Cone Center Gallery, University of North Carolina,
Charlotte
1997 North Carolina Arts Council Film/Video and Visual Artist Fellowships 1996-1997, traveling
exhibition, organized by the Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte
"Warren Wilson College Art Faculty," Hunt Gallery, Mary Baldwin College, Staunton, Virginia
"Current Work - Art Faculty," Holden Gallery, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, NC
1996 "On Line: Drawing," Greenhill Center for North Carolina Art, Greensboro, North Carolina
"A La Albers," Context Visual Arts Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
"Commonwealth Collects: Reaching Across Our Borders," Virginia Beach Center for the Arts,
Virginia Beach, Virginia
1995 "Drawing From Experience," Center of the Earth Gallery, Charlotte, North Carolina
1994 "Chiaroscuro: A Contemporary Study of Light and Dark," 1994 Biennial, Montgomery Museum
of Fine Arts, Montgomery, Alabama
Two Person Show, Sims Art Gallery, Brevard College, Brevard, North Carolina
"5 + 6," Group Exhibition, Center of the Earth Gallery, Charlotte, North Carolina
"1994 Art on Paper," Weatherspoon Art Gallery, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
1993 "Drawings II," C & A Gallery, New York, New York
Solo Exhibition, Lilly Library Gallery, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
Two Person Show, South Gallery, Florida Community College at Jacksonville, Florida
"Constructions, Drawings, Paintings," Fayetteville Museum of Art, Fayetteville, North Carolina
"Then and Now: UNCA Art Faculty Exhibition," University Gallery, UNCA, Asheville,
North Carolina
1992 Solo Exhibition, First Union Gallery, Spirit Square, Charlotte, North Carolina
"Fourth Annual Fine Arts Exhibition," Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, Alabama
Juror: Connie Butler, Curator of Artists Space Gallery, New York, New York
"Fifth Annual National Exhibition - Artstravaganza 1992," Miller Plaza, Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Cash Award. - Juror: Miriam Schapiro, Artist3
1992 "UNCA Faculty Exhibition," Broadway Arts Building, Asheville, North Carolina
1991 Group Exhibition, Blue Spiral Gallery, Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville Art Museum Art Auction Exhibition, Asheville, North Carolina
1990 Solo Exhibition, Holden Gallery, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, North Carolina
"Mountain Arts Consortium," Asheville Art Museum, Asheville, North Carolina
"UNCA Faculty Exhibition," Fridholm Fine Arts, Broadway Arts Building, Asheville
1989 Solo Exhibition, Asheville Art Museum, Asheville, North Carolina
"Drawing '89," Trenton State College, Trenton, New Jersey - Juror: Ann Percy, Curator of
Drawings, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania
"22nd Bradley National," Hartmann and Heuser Gallery, Bradley University, and Lakeview
Museum of Arts and Sciences, Peoria, Illinois. Juror: Ofelia Garcia, President, Atlanta
College of Art
Group Show: Bette Bates, Phil Garrett, Paul Baliker, Waterworks Visual Arts Center, Salisbury,
North Carolina
1988 Two Person Show, Davidson County Art Center, Lexington, North Carolina
UNC-Asheville Faculty Invitational, Creative Art Guild Gallery, Dalton, Georgia
1987 "Emerging Artists," Contemporary Arts Center, Honolulu, Hawaii
"18th National Fine Arts Exhibition," Greensboro Art League, Greensboro, North Carolina, and
Ward-Nasse Gallery, Soho, New York - Juror: Susan Krane, Curator of 20th Century Art,
High Museum of Art, Atlanta
1986 "Artists of Hawaii, 36th Annual Exhibition," Honolulu Academy of Arts, Hawaii.
Juror: Lee Mullican, Professor of Art, University of California at Los Angeles
Solo Exhibition, Commons Gallery, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii
"Close to the Border," University Art Gallery, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces,
New Mexico. Juror: David Turner, Director, New Mexico Museum of Fine Arts,
Santa Fe, New Mexico
1985 "All On Paper '85," AAO Gallery, Buffalo, New York. Juror: Berta Walker, Director,
Graham Modern, New York, New York
"West Coast Works On/Of Paper," Reese Bullen Gallery, Humboldt State University,
Arcata, California. Juror: Richard Shaw, Artist
