DavidMcConvilleRecommendation7ap21

NC Awards Committee Members,

I am writing you to nominate Connie Bostic for the North Carolina Award.

It’d be hard to exagerate the significance of Connie’s contributions to our home state – and specifically to Asheville. But I’m going to try.

In the complex history of the evolution of the Land of the Sky’s art scene, Connie was the equivalent of the Great Oxidation Event. This was the time in Earth’s history when blue-green algae filled the atmosphere with oxygen. This bacteria obtained energy via photosynthesis, which was novel at the time. It was the first species to figure out how to metabolically convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. For the rest of life on Earth at the time, however, oxygen was toxic. Consequently, the discovery of photosynthesis killed off many species. But it also made way for the emergence of multi-cellular life – and the infinitude of beauty and complexity of today’s biosphere.

Similar to that key moment in the history of life on Earth, Connie transformed life in Asheville. Like the great oxidizers a couple of billion years ago, to some her contributions have been catastrophic. She has posed a profound threat to the retrograde forces of intolerance, particularly those prominent during the era of Jesse Helms. To these forces, the avant-garde has long been under deep suspicion as a threat to historic patterns of privilege and power.

For others, the gifts of her presence have also been revolutionary. Her deep commitment to revitalizing the spirit of Black Mountain College, her mischievous artistic explorations with Zone One Gallery, and seemingly full-time job as provocateur-in-residence has contributed more to the cultural life of our more-or-less sleepy mountain town than anyone I know.

Since first meeting her in the late 1980s, Connie has been a profound influence on my own life. She provided constant support and encouragement during my time as an undergraduate at UNC Asheville, assisting me in staging numerous installations and performances under the auspices of the Free Inquiry Association. She also opened her gallery to provide space for my early experimentation with immersive artworks. And she later welcomed me on the board of the Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center for many years (of which I remain an advisor).

Today, Connie remains an active and formidable force and influence in the North Carolina avant-garde. It is with great pleasure that I recommend her for the North Carolina award as someone who fully embodies the Great State’s motto Esse Quam Videri: "To be, rather than to seem."

David McConville, PhD