By Bernie Petit

The personal art collection of Robert E. Bush, Jr. – a Hickory native, supporter of local, regional and national artists and past President of the Arts & Science Council (ASC) – will be auctioned online beginning Monday, July 15, 2024, 10 a.m. (EST) and ending Sunday, July 21, 2024, 11:45 p.m. (EST). Proceeds of the sale will benefit the Robert E. Bush, Jr. Endowment Fund for ASC, supporting community-based arts/culture neighborhood programs and projects.

Bush’s collection reveals his deep interest in hand-crafted, functional ceramics, sculptural objects, and wall reliefs. Acquired over approximately 40 years, from the 1980s to the 2020s, the collection includes acclaimed artists: Burlon Craig, Herb Jackson, Willie Little, Juan Logan, Wan Marsh, Ben Owen III, and Richard Stenhouse, among others. Five paintings have been exhibited at the Hickory Museum of Art, which enhances each painting’s value and provenance. Numerous teapots, vessels, and face jugs – a vernacular artform that flourishes in the South – are museum quality. Many of the face jug artists have artworks within the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Museum of American Art and other national museums.

“The overall condition of the collection is excellent and its greatest strength is its broad representation of ceramics, found object sculptures, and works on paper,” said consulting curator Carla Hanzal. “His generosity of spirit is reflected in the collection he built for his own enjoyment while also supporting artists.”

Bush joined ASC in 2000 and served as president from 2014 to 2019. His work to expand access to arts and culture experiences in Charlotte-Mecklenburg included establishing Culture Blocks to serve residents at the neighborhood level, transitioning ASC’s project grants to align with community priorities such as building community, bridging differences and increasing funding to support individual creatives across the spectrum of their careers.

Bush passed away in December 2022. 

“Robert believed that everyone should have equitable access to arts and culture experiences close to where they live – regardless of zip code, income, age, sexual orientation, and anything else,” said Marc Gustafson, friend and executor of Bush’s estate. “His endowment reflects his lifelong commitment to that belief and ensures ASC has the resources to continue investing in arts and culture programs at the neighborhood level across Charlotte-Mecklenburg.”

The value of the artworks range from $25 to $12,000.

Register to Bid on The Whimsical and Contemporary Art Collection of Robert Bush

The online auction begins Monday, July 15, 2024 at 10 a.m. and ends Sunday, July 21, 2024 at 11:45 p.m. To participate, visit https://givebutter.com/c/RobertBushArt, click on the “Auction” tab at the top, click “Register to Bid” and follow the instructions from there.  

Past ASC President Robert Bush’s personal art collection reveals his deep interest in hand-crafted, functional ceramics, sculptural objects, and wall reliefs.

Proceeds from the auction benefit the Robert E. Bush Jr. Endowment Fund for the Arts & Science Council supporting community-based arts/cultural neighborhood programs and/or projects.