Without having any formal training in the arts, Helen Dupré Moseley (1887-1984) made art for around fifty years of her life in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Utilizing different media and formal qualities, Moseley created fantastic works of art that forced viewers to use their imagination and make their own choices in interpretation.
In addition to works of art, she was also an avid writer and thinker, producing many short stories and unpublished children’s books. What makes her distinct is how she was formally untrained as an artist yet was not excluded from the art world, as she had the ability to visit many art institutions throughout the East Coast and in Europe, had a skilled portraitist as a sister, and was an important founding member of the Spartanburg Artists Guild. Wofford College holds 381 works of art by Moseley, including paintings, brush drawings, and sketches. Often offering the opinion that art was only a hobby for her, through this archival research it is apparent that Moseley did care about her artistic career and accomplishments far more.
This research culminated with an extended bibliography of the artist, a carefully curated exhibition of her pieces at Wofford College, and prompted an educational outreach program for kids in Spartanburg. The art of Southerners and of women is both under-studied and under-exhibited, however through this project, Moseley’s unique artistic story has been expanded.