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Blake Batten

Community Engagement Coordinator

bbatten@thejohnsoncollection.org

As the Community Engagement Coordinator, Blake Batten serves as a bridge between The Johnson Collection and the greater Spartanburg community. Her work in TJC focuses on public programming, graphic design, marketing, and assisting with the physical aspects of the Collection. Her curatorial focus explores themes within Illustration and the arts connected to the experimental enclave of Black Mountain College. She strives to bring TJC to the public in new ways and is always ready to welcome new visitors into the Gallery. Blake holds an undergraduate degree in Art History and Anthropology/Sociology from Wofford College and a certification in Graphic Design from RISD. Previously she interned at Walt Disney World and with TJC during her senior year of college, and has been with the Collection full-time since 2023. She loves exploring Spartanburg with her faithful pup, Poptart.

Favorite Piece from the Collection

Helen DuPré Moseley is an artist near to my heart because studying her artworks was my first foray into the professional art world. A Spartanburg local and self-taught artist, Moseley described herself as a “Painter, Author, Roller-Coaster Fan, and Air Stewardess on Flying Saucers.”

Never an artist to follow expectations, Moseley purposely left all of her works “Untitled” to let the viewers come to their own conclusions and to have her “creatures” speak for themselves. Her style has been compared to Dr. Seuss and his cast of characters, but she leans away from straight illustration and towards surreal exploration of the imagination (including both the creepy and beautiful). I love how each piece grants you access into a whimsical world that only Moseley could dream of.