Noted artist Connie Bostic to exhibit at the Flood Gallery

It's an expression etched in the minds of many children: Sugar and spice and everything nice.

It's cute, but does it tell the real story?

Western North Carolina artist Connie Bostic explores the theme in her exhibit, "What Are Little Girls Made Of?"

The exhibit opens with a reception from 6-9 p.m. Aug. 29 at Flood Gallery

"This work has to do with growing up and the expectations one learns to deal with as a young girl," Bostic said. "Bombarded with examples of glamour and sexuality, she is told to 'act like a lady.' She learns early that it is not acceptable to resist male authority and to wait for male advice or even permission before striking out on her own.

"She is vulnerable in so many ways in this society filled with mixed messages. If she’s smart she will be warned that 'boys don’t like smart girls.' If she feels that her body doesn’t live up to the images of the happy, fulfilled-looking girls she sees in commercials, she gets the message that she’s 'just not good enough.'

"These messages are no longer as prevalent as they were a few generations ago, but they still lurk beneath the surface of our political and religious landscape. Little girls may be made of sugar and spice and everything nice, but they are learning that well-behaved women seldom make history!"

Bostic was born in 1936 in Spindale and was raised by her maternal grandparents. Always drawing, she wanted to become an artist. She was in her mid-30s before she had the opportunity to study art. She attended classes at UNC Asheville and eventually received a master's degree in studio art from Western Carolina University, where department head Robert Godfrey encouraged her to find her own voice.

Bostic's work, for the most part, is concerned with issues of inclusion, justice and equality, and is part of the collections of the State of North Carolina, the Asheville Art Museum, The Fine Arts Museum at WCU, the YMI Cultural Center and many private collections. She maintains a studio near her home in Fairview.

Flood Gallery exhibitions are free and open to the public. The gallery is located at 850 Blue Ridge Road in Black Mountain. Please bring a mask and practice social distancing. For more information, call 828-273-3332.