The Blowing Rock Art & History Museum (BRAHM) along with Absolut Vodka are announcing a marketing collaboration for a multi-location promotion celebrating the work of esteemed North Carolina artist Maud Gatewood. The partnership will bring attention to an exhibition, titled “The Hard Edge & The Soft Line: A Retrospective of Maud Gatewood,” on view through January 5, 2025, in BRAHM’s Fort, Atwell, and Rankin West Galleries.
Local and statewide bars and restaurants featuring Absolut Vodka will showcase art by Gatewood throughout the exhibition. Participating venues will offer special drink menus inspired by Gatewood’s art. Additionally, promotional materials such as posters and coasters celebrating Maud Gatewood and the exhibition will be displayed in participating establishments. For more information and a list of participating venues, please visit blowingrockmuseum.org/absolut.
The relationship between Gatewood and the Absolut brand began back in 1991, when Carillon Importers, Ltd., the sole U.S. distributor of Absolut Vodka, commissioned 51 artists to create “state portraits” incorporating the iconic Absolut Vodka bottle. Maud Gatewood was chosen to represent North Carolina with her interpretation of “that big Carolina moon through the pines.” The successful campaign was featured in USA Today throughout 1992 and 1993, and each original painting was made available to collectors as a limited-edition print, raising money for AIDS research.
Maud Gatewood (1934–2004) remains a central figure in the art history of North Carolina and America. A painter of exacting technique with a keen eye for composition and cultural commentary, her pictures captured the Carolinas—and the world beyond—across much of the 20th century.
A native of Yanceyville in Caswell County, N.C., her paintings reveal rural landscapes and people in the midst of transformation while cleverly framing the experience of modern life with acerbic wit and a wealth of empathy.
Visitors to BRAHM can view Gatewood’s representation of her home state for Absolut Vodka with a featured signed and numbered lithograph on paper. This summer the original work is being featured in an exhibition showcasing the Absolut Statehood project, at the Sprit Museum in Stockholm, Sweden.
“We are excited to partner with Absolut Vodka to share the legacy of Maud Gatewood and her contributions,” said Stephan Dragisic, the Teresa and Don Caine Executive Director at BRAHM. “This collaborative promotion allows us to engage the community through art and culture while remembering Gatewood and her support for causes supporting those suffering with HIV/AIDS in the height of the crisis.”
The exhibition and promotion offer a unique opportunity to appreciate Gatewood’s artistic talent and her impact on the arts. For more information on the exhibition and promotion, please visit BlowingRockMuseum.org/see/gatewood and follow #AbsolutMaud.
“The Hard Edge & The Soft Line” is a major undertaking by BRAHM. The exhibition is a comprehensive examination of Gatewood’s career, showing the evolution of her work as well as her significant contributions, as an artist and educator, to art in North Carolina and the region.
All visitors to “The Hard Edge & The Soft Line” will receive a printed copy of an image from the exhibition and a QR code to take them to a digital guide. This supports BRAHM’s commitment to provide free admission to in-person visitors and free access to online resources.
With the collaboration of seven public institutions and six private collections, coupled with BRAHM’s Permanent Collection, the installation features 40 works that represent the breadth of Gatewood’s career. Included on the checklist are loans from the North Carolina Museum of Art (Raleigh, N.C.), Weatherspoon Art Museum (Greensboro, N.C.), Gregg Museum of Art & Design (Raleigh, N.C)., Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, N.C.), the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Charlotte, N.C.), Guilford College (Greensboro, N.C.) and The Duke Endowment (Charlotte, N.C.).
Memories of Maud
Saturday, October 19, 2024; 2–4pm
The revealing documentary, “Gatewood: Facing the White Canvas,” will be screened followed by a discussion with the co-directors of the film, David Kasper and Carlyle Poteat.
Free for Members; $8 General Admission
About BRAHM
BRAHM’s mission is to curate, preserve, educate, and inspire. Rooted in the creative cultures of Appalachia, BRAHM will cultivate a community that extends beyond its walls and region, positioning Western North Carolina as a leader in the arts. The 25,000-square-foot Blowing Rock Art and History Museum, known as BRAHM, opened its doors on October 1, 2011. Located off Main Street in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, BRAHM provides cultural enrichment by promoting the arts, and Southern Appalachian heritage and history, through educational programs, exhibitions, and activities. The permanent collection of more than 600 objects includes works by Elliott Daingerfield, Maud Gatewood, Elizabeth Bradford, Mark Hewitt, and other American impressionist and post-impressionist artists. Open year-round, 24,000 visitors are welcomed free of charge to experience 25 changing exhibitions. For more information, visit blowingrockmuseum.org.
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