| WTT Displays Rare Machines at The Bascom Center for the Visual Arts |
 On August 7, 2010, a new exhibit is opening at The Bascom: A Center for the Visual Arts in Highlands, NC featuring several rare American motorcycles from Wheels Through Time. The exhibit, titled "Kick-Start! American Motorcycle Design" will showcase the progression of 20th century designs styles, as evidenced through the evolution of American motorcycles. The Bascom was created in 1983 as a permanent gallery in Highlands to display works of art created by regional artists. This creation of an exhibition space and permanent collection in a village of just a few hundred residents distinguished Highlands as a progressive community committed to nurturing its local talent and to celebrating its natural assets. In 1999, when The Bascom became an independent non-profit, the art center grew even more rapidly, quadrupling its exhibit schedule over a six-year period, bringing in exceptional two- and three-dimensional work from all over the Southeast. In May 2009, the art center officially opened its new location -- a six-acre, “green,” architect-designed pastoral campus including a 27,500 square foot main building for two-dimensional adult and children’s art, a separate reconstructed Studio Barn for three-dimensional art.  It was in April of 2010, that The Bascom contacted Wheels Through Time Museum curator and founder, Dale Walksler, about a proposed motorcycle exhibit at the new venue. "I was thrilled to hear about the idea of opening a unique motorcycle exhibit," said Walksler. "The changes in American style and design are highly reflected through motorcycle styling over the past century, and with such a wide array of outstanding machines here at the museum, we were honored to play a part.""Kick-Start! American Motorcycle Design" will exclusively display many rare and unique machines in the Wheels Through Time collection dating back to the earliest days of American motorcycling. Machines will range from the world's only 1908 Apache, to Harley-Davidsons spanning almost 50 years, to a brand-new, never-ridden 2009 Harley-Davidson XR1200. Many of the machines on display are so rare that they can only be seen at one or two locations throughout the world. Through this unique and original exhibit, visitors will gain a better understanding of the elegance and style of American design through the aesthetic evolution of American two-wheel history. The exhibit opens on August 7th, and will run through September 26, 2010. Admission to the exhibit is free, and a reception and gallery talk will be held from 5p.m.-7p.m. on opening day. For more information, visit The Bascom website, located at www.TheBascom.org. |
