P. Buckley Moss
Encyclopedia
P. Buckley Moss was born on May 20, 1933 on Staten Island
in New York City
. She attended Washington Irving High School for the Fine Arts in Manhattan
. In what turned out to be quite ironic in light of her later career, she was voted "Least Likely to Succeed" by the students of her high school. She continued on to study art at Cooper Union
. Soon after graduating in 1955, she married a chemical engineer named Jack Moss.
In 1964, Jack's work took Pat and her five-going-on-six children to Waynesboro, Virginia
in the Shenandoah Valley
. Appreciating the rural scenery, she began using it in her art. She was particularly drawn to the Amish
and Mennonite
people she observed across the countryside. Selling out a one-person museum exhibition in 1967, she started to market her work more seriously. The subtle stylings and calming nature of her work drew widespread acclaim, and her art garnered the interest of collectors across Europe
and Japan
.
The P. Buckley Moss Museum opened in Waynesboro, Virginia
in 1989. It has grown to attract roughly 45,000 visitors each year. In 1995, the P. Buckley Moss Foundation for Children's Education was created to aid children with learning disabilities. In the marketing of her artwork and her museum, Moss is called "The People's Artist."
The Library of Virginia
honored her as one of the eight Virginia Women in History for 2008.
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She attended Washington Irving High School for the Fine Arts in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. In what turned out to be quite ironic in light of her later career, she was voted "Least Likely to Succeed" by the students of her high school. She continued on to study art at Cooper Union
Cooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly referred to simply as Cooper Union, is a privately funded college in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States, located at Cooper Square and Astor Place...
. Soon after graduating in 1955, she married a chemical engineer named Jack Moss.
In 1964, Jack's work took Pat and her five-going-on-six children to Waynesboro, Virginia
Waynesboro, Virginia
Waynesboro, deriving its name from General Anthony Wayne, is an independent city surrounded by Augusta County in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 21,006 in 2010.....
in the Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...
. Appreciating the rural scenery, she began using it in her art. She was particularly drawn to the Amish
Amish
The Amish , sometimes referred to as Amish Mennonites, are a group of Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches...
and Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
people she observed across the countryside. Selling out a one-person museum exhibition in 1967, she started to market her work more seriously. The subtle stylings and calming nature of her work drew widespread acclaim, and her art garnered the interest of collectors across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
The P. Buckley Moss Museum opened in Waynesboro, Virginia
Waynesboro, Virginia
Waynesboro, deriving its name from General Anthony Wayne, is an independent city surrounded by Augusta County in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 21,006 in 2010.....
in 1989. It has grown to attract roughly 45,000 visitors each year. In 1995, the P. Buckley Moss Foundation for Children's Education was created to aid children with learning disabilities. In the marketing of her artwork and her museum, Moss is called "The People's Artist."
The Library of Virginia
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, is the library agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia, its archival agency, and the reference library at the seat of government. The Library moved into a new building in 1997 and is located at 800 East Broad Street, 2 blocks from the Virginia State...
honored her as one of the eight Virginia Women in History for 2008.
External links
- Official P. Buckley Moss Website
- http://www.readthehook.com/stories/2007/05/03/COVER-PBuckleyMoss-D.rtf.aspx"Horsing around: P. Buckley Moss and not-folk art" in the Hook weeklyThe Hook weeklyThe Hook is a weekly newspaper published in Charlottesville, Virginia and distributed throughout Central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. It was founded in 2002 by a number of former employees of another Charlottesville weekly, C-ville Weekly, including its co-founder and editor Hawes Spencer.In...
] - Virginia Women in History biography at the Library of Virginia