Canada Goose Gallery offers the largest inventory of P. Buckley Moss art in the country. We feature Pat's art work exclusively in our gallery in Waynesville, Ohio. Please read a bit about Pat and her life.
Pat working in her Florida Studio Pat signing her work for collectors in Waynesville, Ohio
About the Artist:
Patricia Buckley was born on May 20th, 1933, in the Richmond Borough of New York City. She was the second of three children of an Irish American/Sicilian marriage. In grade school, young Patricia was perceived as a poor student, a circumstance probably attributable to dyslexia which is a generally misunderstood reading and perceptional "disorder". Nonetheless, one of her teachers determined that this little girl who was "Not Proficient In Anything" was artistically gifted. This outside opinion helped to convince Pat's mother to enroll her daughter in an extraordinary public school for girls in downtown Manhattan: the Washington Irving High School for the Fine Arts. It was there, in what obviously was a friendly learning environment, that Pat's artistic abilities were finally encouraged and seriously nourished.
In 1951 Pat received a scholarship to New York's Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. She studied at this prestigious art school for four years and specialized in fine arts and graphic design. Soon after leaving school she married Jack Moss, a chemical engineer.
In 1964, Pat's husband's work took his family, by then five children with a sixth child on the way to Waynesboro in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. It was here that she came to appreciate the quiet beauty of rural scenery and to know the picturesque and deeply religious Amish and Mennonite "plain" people. Soon, she was incorporating these new elements into her art creating an impetus that revitalized her artistic career and reignited her ambitions.
In 1967 she won her first major art show prize, a one-person museum exhibition. This exhibition was a "sellout", and the success encouraged her to start seriously marketing her work. The uniqueness of her style and the warmth generated by her subject matter quickly won her wide spread recognition.
Today, thousands of collectors in the United States, Europe, and Japan have come to recognize, appreciate, and treasure Pat Moss' art with its distinctive look and its great popular appeal. Although she now enjoys tremendous artistic success, Pat Moss has become almost equally well-known for her dedicated work with special education groups and her generous donations to children-related charities.
Pat Moss has become a role model for the learning impaired and frequently is asked to speak to special education classes. Donations of Moss' original works and prints to related children's charities have raised millions of dollars for their causes. In 1987, the P. Buckley Moss Society was established by a few zealous collectors to assist the artist and her husband in all of their charitable endeavors. This Society now has some 38 active chapters and a membership of approximately 15,000 members. P. Buckley Moss is both the Society's inspiration and its "battle cry" as it spreads the artist's messages of concern and optimism for what might otherwise be forgotten and misunderstood children and adults.
In 1989 the P. Buckley Moss Museum opened in Waynesboro, Virginia. Its stated purpose is to permanently record and illuminate the Moss phenomenon through educational exhibitions, lectures, permanent collections and archival files. Today the Museum attracts approximately 45,000 visitors per year. It has become a place for people to "rediscover" some of the traditional meanings and potential consequences of art. Pat Moss' story is told and illustrated over and over in the Museum's main gallery, as visitors are exposed to some of the best examples of her artistic creativity.
In 1995 the P. Buckley Moss Foundation for Children's Education was formed to help children with learning disabilities to succeed in school and in life. The Foundation encourages the use of the visual and performing arts in all educational programs, but especially those involving children who learn differently.
Pat Moss in her art and in her life seems to "speak" a language that ordinary folks are able to understand. Talent, determination, intelligibility, a little luck, and lots of caring are all parts of the Moss phenomenon. These are the attributes that constitute Moss' life and fill her art. For many who know her work and are familiar with her life and her upbeat philosophy, she truly is "THE PEOPLE'S ARTIST".
Awards and Honors
1976: American Mother Artist of the Year.
1976: 1st Place, National Arts & Crafts Exhibit, WN, D.C.
1984: Commendation from the House and the Senate of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
1985: Roanoke Museum of Fine Arts Retrospective Exhibition.
1985: Indianapolis Children's Museum Exhibition.
1986: American Artist of the Year, InternationalÁ Wildlife/Western and American Show, Chicago.
1986: Honorary Doctorate of Fine Art, Centenary College, New Jersey.
1986: Cultural Laureate of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
1987: Mammography Unit at Warren Memorial Hosp. (Virginia) named the P. Buckley Moss Ward.
1987: Appointed Honorary Tar Heel (North Carolina).
1988: Commendation from the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
1988: Commendation from the House of Representatives of the State of Michigan.
1988: Awarded The Sagamore of the Wabash (Indiana).
1988: Contributor of the Year Award, Straight - Tampa Bay.
1988: Conferred title of Special Honorary Citizen of Takamatsu, Japan.
1989: The Nittany Lion Award, Penn State University.
1989: Appointed Honorary Kentucky Colonel (Kentucky).
1989: Annual Business/Industry Award, Waynesboro/East Augusta Chamber of Commerce.
1989: Sight-Saving Chairman for The VA Affiliate of the National Society to Prevent Blindness.
1989: Autobiography published.
1990: Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Angel Award, Diocese of St. Petersburg, Florida.
1990: Winner, International Plate Award: "Family Reunion," So. Bend, IN, International...Expo.
1990: Marion Ohio: P.B. Moss Day, July 11th.
1990: Tokyo, Japan - Metropolitan Museum One Person Exhibition.
1991: Award - Learning Disabled Children in State of Ohio (LDA).
1991: Citation; White House Points of Light Office.
1991: "Woman of the Year" - Gamma Sigma Sigma National Service Sorority.
1992: Citation from 1st Lady Barbara Bush for Moss' charitable contributions towards learning disabled children.
1992: Louisville, Kentucky: P. Buckley Moss Day, March twenty-second.
1992: PBS documentary "Split the Wind" about P. Buckley Moss and her art.
1993: Learning Disabilities Association of America - documentary video, "A Picture of Success".
1993: Paul Harris Award, International Rotary.
1993: Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio.
1994: Designated Easter at the White House Artist.
1995: Second time, Easter at White House Artist; designed program & created theme.
1995: Outstanding Dyslexic Calendar Person (LDA), "JUNE".
1995: Kermezaar Keynote Artist, El Paso, Texas - October Arts Festival Honoree.
1996: Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Bridgewater College, Bridgewater, Virginia.
1996: Distinguished Virginian Award, Virginia Association of Broadcasters.
1997: Living Artist Exhibition, March-September, Staten Island Institute of Arts & Sciences.
1998: Golden Key Award, Daughters of the American Revolution.
1998: Chosen Artist, 50th Anniversary Celebration, Community Arts Center of Cambria County, PA
1999: Virginia Chamber of Commerce Diamond Award.
2002: International Dyslexia Association Pinnacle Award.
2002: Recognition by the Learning Disabilities Association of Virginia for her tireless efforts to raise awareness of learning disabilities.
2003: December 9th, Senator George Allen read Pat's biography on the Senate Floor, thereby making her history part of the Congressional Record.
2003: Received Woman of Distinction Award from Girl Scouts of Suncoast Council, Tampa, FL.
2003: Received Margaret Sue Copenhaver Contribution to Education Award from Roanoke Collge, Roanoke, VA.
2004: Received Honorary Doctorate for Public Service from Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA.
2007: Guest Artist, Puyallup Fair in Washington State.
2007: August, "Thursday's Child", a play inspired by Pat's life, debuted at the Greenbrier Valley Theatre in Lewisburg, WV.
2008: March 27th, Honored by The Library of Virginia as one of eight honorees selected for its 2008 Virginia Women in History award.
2008: March 27-30th, Guest Artist and Speaker, 21st. Annual Quilters' Heritage Celebration in Lancaster, PA
2008: May, WVPT documentary, "The Lady Behind the Brush" commemorating Pat's 75th birthday.
2008: June, Pat's donated 'painted violin' appeared in the Charlottesville and University Symphony Orchestra Art String auction
2008: November 13, Opening Doors Award from The Association for Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities (ACLD) of Greater Pittsburgh for her "tireless work in support of children and adults with specific learning disabilities.".
2008: November, Received Award from the Virginia Council for Exceptional Children for her Commitment to Special Education.