See a selection of original works that highlight the work and passion of artist and Moss Arts Center namesake P. Buckley Moss during the exhibition “Sowing Seeds.”

The exhibition will open with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. June 2 in the Moss Arts Center Grand Lobby, 190 Alumni Mall. Moss will give an artist talk at 6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

From the Moss family private collection, the pieces provide a glimpse at a long and prolific career through the lens of rural vistas and vignettes. This selection of watercolors and etchings presents a brief survey of Moss’s stylistic approach to landscape. The pastoral images offer glimpses of the comforting constancy of the land, as well as the promise of possibility in the unexplored, the unseen, and the renewed.

The exhibition will be featured June 2-Aug. 7 in the Moss Arts Center’s Sherwood Payne Quillen ’71 Reception Gallery and Miles C. Horton Jr. Gallery.

Many are familiar with the distinctive character of Moss’ work, which includes placid landscapes, stark and sinewy trees, spirited and expressive animals, and stylized renderings of the Amish and Mennonite communities. The artist is a household name, and her work has been sold and shown in over 200 galleries nationwide.

P. Buckley Moss painting "Peach in the Valley"
Image detail of “Peace in the Valley” by P. Buckley Moss, which will be included in the exhibition “Sowing Seeds.” 28 x 38 inches framed. Image courtesy of the artist.

While she has enjoyed significant commercial success, the foundation of her work is an unwavering commitment to art education, which is why the exhibition is being presented alongside the youth exhibition, “Young Artists: Home.” Both explore creativity and identity in relation to the land and how the rural landscape can inspire, obscure, and define. Together, the exhibitions explore what is possible in terms of education and the arts, especially in rural communities.

Moss has won numerous awards and is the namesake of a foundation that works with teachers to promote using the arts in teaching. In her advocacy work, Moss, who is dyslexic, has cited her personal story of struggling in school until an open-minded teacher recognized her artistic potential. Moss wound up enrolling in a high school for the fine arts and, later, in New York’s Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.

In 2013, Virginia Tech named its arts center building in Moss’ honor in recognition of her philanthropic support for the facility. She also serves as a Fellow of Virginia Tech’s outreach programs and the university’s Center for Organizational and Technological Advancement.

Meggin Hicklin, exhibition program manager for the Moss Arts Center, curated the exhibition.

The center’s galleries’ regular hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The galleries and all related events are free and open to the public.

Parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street. Virginia Tech faculty and staff possessing a valid Virginia Tech parking permit can enter and exit the garage free of charge. Limited street parking is also available. Parking on Alumni Mall is free on weekdays after 5 p.m. and on weekends.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Kacy McAllister at 540-231-5300 or email kmcallis@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to an event.

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