Sarah Carlisle Towery, “Betrothed,” 1994. Mixed media on canvas. Collection of Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center. Gift of the Artist.
Sarah Carlisle Towery (b. 1911 Alexander City, AL – d. 2007 Alexander City, AL)
Sarah Carlisle Towery was a devoted teacher and painter. She attended Black Mountain College during the 1944 Summer Art Institute where she studied with Josef Albers and Jean Charlot. In 1972, Carlisle Towery helped found the World Art Workshop and traveled to Mexico, Greece, and Spain during the summer to work and create with other artists. She later taught art in her home when local schools did not provide art classes for children. The Alabama Art Colony on Lake Martin was founded in 1992 by her children as a gift for Carlisle Towery’s eightieth birthday. The Asheville-based painter, Onicas Gaddis, whose large painting entitled Black Mountain is also included in this exhibition, studied for two years with Carlisle Towery at The Alabama Art Colony.
Painter Onicas Gaddis speaks to his mentorship under Sarah Carlisle Towery at the Alabama Artist Colony