Carolina Arts Unleashed

On Oct. 14, 2008, I posted comments wondering how the SC Arts Commission would make cuts to its budget as the State of SC was facing an almost half a billion dollar shortfall. At that time people were thinking 10% cuts were in line. In my comments, I doubted that the Commission would take much of the brunt of the cuts on themselves and made suggestions where some cuts could be made. But, I expected the real cuts to come in services to the arts and the public.

By Oct. 22, 2008, Jeffrey Day in The State newspaper in Columbia, SC, our capital city, offered an article where he used the 10% figure and offered quotes from a commission staff member that this figure might just represent the start of cuts. There wasn’t much offered in the article about any cuts the Arts Commission would make on itself.

Day often runs blocking plays for the Arts Commission so I expected as much from his article. Let’s see if he has a follow-up story on the real cuts.

Well, now I’ve heard from a source that those individuals and groups who received grants from the Arts Commission had their funds cut by 25% - 14.2% is an immediate cut and the other half will be held by the Commission - in case of further cuts down the road. If you don’t know - grantees never get all the money up front when they receive funding from the Arts Commission - so the Arts Commission always has control of the money.

This is kind of like a temporary tax issued to raise funds for a project and once the project is finished the tax is dropped, but the tax never seems to get dropped. The house never loses - they’re holding all the cards.

This same source said that the Commission for its part would be cutting its administrative budget 14.2% through a number of measures, including 4-day furloughs by all of their employees, reduction in leased vehicles, and staff reduction through attrition. They’re also going to suspend the Verner Awards for this year - one of my recommendations. More about that later.

I don’t like making comments on third party info - although I appreciate the heads up. I like to comment on public record - directly offered or in newspaper reports. So I had to wait to see if this info would become public - which isn’t always the case when it comes to the SC Arts Commission. Finally the information about the cuts was posted on the Arts Commission’s website. You can read the full details here (http://www.southcarolinaarts.com/about/fy09budgetcuts.shtml).

So let’s take a look at the cuts the Commission is making to itself.

Do you feel their pain? Four days off work without pay, but you still have your job and all the benefits that come with it. Let’s see that’s less than one week out of 52. That’s a 2% cut in salary - what a sacrifice. The length of the furloughs is not mentioned in the Arts Commission’s press release - probably for the calculation I just made, but I’ll go with my source on this one.

The Commission will reduce its leased vehicles from three to one. This means the staff will be sitting in Columbia most of the time - a plus for Columbia’s art community - not so good for the rest of the art community in SC. Of course they could drive their own cars to meet with people in the hinterlands, but we’ll see about that one. They say they are reducing most travel plans and will hold all commission meetings in Columbia. Oh no - no Commission board meeting in Charleston during the Spoleto Festival. Now there’s some real pain. So, the results here are further costs for others who have to deal with the Commission by traveling to Columbia.

They will outright cancel planned publications, other printing and mailings - meaning even less communications with the art community and public. This has to be seen as a benefit of the call for budget cuts by the Arts Commission, but didn’t their leader just win a national award from her peers for her communicating skills? Timing is everything.

And, if someone leaves their job - they won’t rehire to fill the position, but if no one leaves, they don’t do anything. Some temporary staff positions will be reduced. Who knows who they are - most people don’t know who all works for the Arts Commission to begin with. What do they all do? Remember, SC has one of the largest arts agency staffs in the region and nation.

The Commission will suspend State Art Collection purchases. That’s a big cut - I haven’t heard of any additions to the collection in years. And no Verner Awards this year! Another big sacrifice for the Commission board members.

Wait a minute - isn’t the funding for the Art Collection and the Verner Awards functions of the SC Arts Foundation - a totally separate group from the Arts Commission? What would cuts to the State agency have to do with those programs? Or are they really one in the same? What gives here? Did they fall for my little trap - trying to make people mad at me for recommending this cut, and by making it so - expose that there is no difference between the two. Why would they have to make this cut? Is the cost of the award statues and a press release posted on their website that much? Or is this a way to make the artists feel the Arts Commission’s pain. Announce the awards and give them the statue - without your party. Is the award just a product of the party?

In other words - the Arts Commission won’t be making much of a sacrifice itself, while all the people they serve will take a 25% cut - 14.2 right away and more to come if needed. I’m betting it will be needed to protect the Arts Commission from further sacrifices.

What they are doing is settling into their offices in Columbia and waiting for retirement - services be dammed.

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This was an interesting catch phrase to promote one of the seasons of the NBC TV show - Heroes. I’ve never watched that program, but I liked the phrase. I’ve used it before in commentary as it shows how interconnected we all are - one person to the next, one person to the environment, one person to the economy, etc.

Like - save your environment - save the planet; save a hungry child - save the next world leader; and save one species - save mankind. Of course some people have been saying - save the banks - save the economy or save US automakers - save millions of jobs. It just goes to show that not all combinations make sense. With some things it’s save them once - save them again and again and once more for good measure.

I’m offering the phrase - save the NC Potter Center - save Seagrove potters too.

Not too long ago we told you how the financially strapped NC Pottery Center in Seagrove, NC, battled to raise $100,000 to keep its doors open. The Center with the help of potters around the Carolinas and pottery lovers raised almost $125,000 in three months during a downturned economy. This was hopefully a temporary situation as it is hoped that the State of NC will eventually take the NC Potter Center under its financial wing - much like it did the troubled Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem, NC, last year. But, we have all seen recently what a difference a few months can make.

A lot of that help came from local Seagrove area potters - donating pots for auctions, raffles, and for benefit sales - as well as blogging to get the word out and keeping people informed about the fundraising efforts. A lot of other people helped too.

But, now these same potters are preparing for their biggest financial event of the year - for themselves - the first annual Celebration of Seagrove Potters, taking place Nov. 21 - 23, 2008, at the historic Luck’s Beans cannery in Seagrove. The event starts off on Friday night with an opening Gala which will offer attendees a first chance at special auction items and first chance to purchase from participating potters - over 60 in all. Check out the website for complete details, there will be a lot of stuff going on. There is also a link on that site for accommodations in the area.

This will be a special weekend in Seagrove offering the beginning pottery collector a great introduction and the seasoned collector a chance to update their collections with the newest pots - straight from area kilns - still warm. Believe me, from what I have read about some of the preparations for this important weekend - some pots might be downright hot.

It will also be a great time to visit the recently saved Pottery Center. Admission is free this weekend, but you can still make a donation. And, from what I’ve heard - there may even be another pottery festival going on at the same time in Seagrove.

The important thing is that this holiday shopping season is going to be a critical time for all artists. It will determine how well the holidays and their future year will be. Support them if you can and end up with some beautiful art created by a Carolina artist.

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It’s been less than two weeks since election day, but wow has time flew by. The election which was supposed to go into the wee hours of Wednesday morning was over by 9pm when New Hampshire went blue and then shortly after - Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Florida and Virginia went blue - minutes before polls closed on the west coast. Bamm, the election was over - we have a new President-Elect.

That weekend we were in the Charlotte, NC area on a little business/pleasure trip - meeting with our tech consultants and attending the 15th Annual Carolina Renaissance Festival. Carolina Arts is one of the festival’s media sponsors. It was hard to spot an ailing economy there and I later learned that 24,000 attended the festival that weekend.

We then had a funeral to attend and before we knew it our deadline was on top of us for the December 08 issue.

Now that the paper is at the printer, I finally have time to catch up on my blogging duties - which are important these days. Since starting Carolina Arts Unleashed we have increased hits to our website by an extra 100,000 - going over 300,000 per month - in fact 325,932 hits in October. That’s good for everyone associated with our website. The search engines love us.

Our blog represents a new adventure in promoting the visual arts in the Carolinas - with a few other thoughts thrown in the mix. It’s a move toward the future - just part of our growth into other media venues to promote the visual arts. It’s part of our - Yes We Can Too - policy.

While our county moves in a new direction - we will too. It’s going to be hard going, but we’re moving forward. It may seem like we’re marching in place at times, and even in reverse sometimes, but our direction is forward.

We hope you’ll come along with us.

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That’s not a question, but there are plenty of answers if it was.

During the day I’m working on my computer - a lot. Most of that time I’m listening to a random selection from my iTunes playlist, listening to news/talk shows on public radio, or watching cable news - CNN and MSNBC - all the elite news media.

When it comes to the cable news - I’m amazed at who is paying for the coverage of this presidential campaign - energy companies, mortgage lenders, and tax avoidance firms.

I hear a lot about clean coal - that doesn’t exist yet. There are no power plants in America burning clean coal to create energy. They had plans of building a clean coal burning power plant, but the estimated costs were running so high that they scrapped the plans to build the test model. And, that said - it doesn’t matter how much coal we still have in the ground - we need cleaner alternative fuel sources - like wind and solar power. But the energy companies have lots of money to buy commercials to have a woman dressed in all black ( I can only figure she wears black due to all the coal dust in the air) walk around telling us lies about clean coal - the solution. Dig baby dig!

There is also a lot of money being spent on commercials by mortgage companies - some, the same companies who got us into this economic mess to begin with. When the commercials are not on, the talking heads on the news are telling us there is no money for home loans - even if someone wanted to buy a home now that would be worth less - much less - the day after they purchased it - with what kind of loan? Probably some new kind of loan - designed to help homeowners. Right! And, why not buy a home you can’t afford now, from a company that is going broke - when Uncle Sam will pick up the tab? Are these companies trying to run up their debt to get a bigger piece of the bailout?

And, while I’m listening to the lies about taxes - who’s going to pay more and who’s going to get a rebate from Warren Buffet and Bill Gates during the great redistribution of wealth - I see these commercials about people who had huge delinquent tax bills, but they hired some ex-IRS employees and now they don’t have to pay anything. “We owed $100,000 in back taxes, but we hired (fill in the blank tax firm) and now we only need to pay $25″. And, they say this with a smile on their face. The whole commercial is a parade of couples who owe back taxes and end up paying nothing but pennies on the dollar - just because they hired these tax pros (or cons). I wonder what you have to pay these companies to save you that much money? And, how many lunches and beers do these guys have to buy for their old friends at the IRS to get such favorable rulings?

Why would people who make over $250,000 ever worry about being taxed, when all they have to do is not pay their taxes and then hire these wizards of tax loopholes.

But then there are a lot of people who seem to think they are making over $250,000 a year (even when they are not) and are going to have their wealth taken away and given to homeless people paying no taxes. Dang, those lucky homeless people! But then again isn’t that what our current President and Treasury Secretary are doing - taking our tax dollars - current and future - and giving it to people who bought houses they couldn’t afford, predator lenders, stock brokers, financial speculators, and hedge fund managers who blew it all on the product featured in my favorite commercial.

This one tops them all. A man is driving in this big pig of a car - almost the size of a tank. It’s got everything in it and can carry a dozen people - yet he’s the only one in the car and he’s wondering why they don’t use hybrid technology on this kind of car instead of those dinky little cars. Then he smiles and says - “Oh did I spoil the secret” - and he zooms off burning gallons of fuel a minute. In print across the screen we learn that this car now gets 50% more mpg. In small print it tells you that’s up to 14mpg from the 9mpg it used to get in the city - and now 20mpg on the highway. Wow, why wouldn’t you want to pay $40,000 to $50,000 for a car that can now get that kind of mileage a mini-van gets without hybrid technology. Gas prices are falling, so let’s buy big cars again! Why isn’t that auto maker putting hybrid technology in that mini-van? And, we just gave America’s automakers $25 billion to bail them out - what, so they could make bigger SUV with hybrid technology?

Are we stupid? Do they think we are that stupid? Don’t answer that - we don’t want to really know.

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I got a call the other day from a woman in North Carolina who was very upset with my recent comments (Oct. 08) in Carolina Arts on how the arts do better under Democratic leadership compared to Republican leadership.

Her complaint was that she had just spent two days visiting art galleries in North Carolina and had never been so ignored in her life. She couldn’t understand how these galleries could complain about the government and economic conditions when they themselves treated people so badly.

The caller kept going back and forth between these two subjects and even for me - it was hard to get a word in the conversation. Once I found out which commentary she was taking exception to I found my feet.

She explained that although not being a person of means, she has purchased a lot of art in her day, but was just amazed that upon entering these galleries she couldn’t get the time of day - even after explaining that she was new to the area and would like to know something about the artists and the work on display. She also couldn’t see how I could blame the Republicans for any of these galleries’ woes - being an Independent herself, she voted for the person - not the party - wishing there were more choices.

I had a hard time arguing my point on my recent commentary, since she mingled the two subjects together. Every time I pointed out that the Republican leadership has broken our economy, she would point out that the galleries were ruining their own business by treating visitors so bad. I would agree that this is a problem that I have talked about in other commentary and that even our writer from Australia, Judith McGrath, has also brought up this subject - she just kept going back and forth.

One of the reasons I travel under the radar in galleries is to see how people are treated in galleries and I have to say that at times I’m amazed at how much time I can spend in a gallery and not be approached once on whether I had a question or was interested in anything. This is not just a problem in North Carolina - my caller had also been to art communities in South Carolina and gotten the same treatment - as I have. But I’ll also add that in my experience this is the exception - not the norm. I’ve had wonderful experiences in our galleries.

On the other hand, I’ve also been trapped in galleries that made me feel like I was being held captive in a car dealership - where I couldn’t leave until they made a deal that would make me happy. Sometimes too much attention can be just as bad as too little.

On the subject of how the art community fairs under one party or another I would not yield. On the subject of how the average person is treated in art galleries I had to agree there is a problem, but also told my caller to make a complaint. Many times people attending galleries are not the owners of the art galleries. But, my caller was only interested in first impressions and was too busy to change the art world, who in her opinion was just interested in blaming someone else for their problems. She also thanked me for my time and said she would continue to read my paper.

I know what city this caller was talking about - I even know the gallery where she picked up our paper, but this is a general art gallery problem. And, I’ve only heard her side of this complaint. So no use in naming names.

My caller was contacting me to give me another side to consider, which I appreciated. And, I’ve responded about her concerns and complaints. Only problem is - most likely the people who read my commentary are not the ones treating visitors so badly. They are usually people who are working in a gallery because it’s just a job or an owner of a gallery who is just in business to make money. They don’t care about the art community the way I do, my caller does, and readers of this blog and our paper do. Apparently they don’t care about much - even people who take time to come see the art in their galleries. That’s too bad.

On the subject as to how you should vote in this election, I’ll ask readers the same question Sen. Barack Obama asked a restaurant owner in Ohio who sold him a slice of pie. The owner was a long time Republican. Obama asked him how his business was doing? The owner said terrible - people don’t have money to come in and eat. Sen. Obama said he should give the Democrats a try for once - it can’t hurt and it might get better. Well, he said a lot more than that, but you get the drift of his point.

How has your business been doing?

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Don’t mess with a North Carolina potter! Or their Pottery Center. At least that’s the word I have for anyone doubting the importance of the NC Pottery Center located in the small community of Seagrove, NC. I have just received word that $100,000 + has been raised to save the NC Pottery Center.

It was just three months ago when I decided to stop by the Pottery Center to see an exhibition of pottery by Native American Indians in hopes of doing a review for my new blog on my way to Greensboro, NC. It was an excellent show and while I was there almost an hour -  no where did I see or hear any indication that the Center was in the middle of an area-wide controversy or financial trouble. It wasn’t until I arrived in Greensboro that a friend asked me about the troubles at the Pottery Center based on a newspaper article he read there in Greensboro.

I went online and found his concerns were true. There was big trouble in Seagrove. And, as I researched the issue I learned that all of the fuss was being caused by a few individuals who were more interested in a power grab than what was good for Seagrove, the Pottery Center and the potters in the area. Based on some of the outlandish claims being made by these individuals - which I knew to be untrue from my own experience in dealing with the Pottery Center I decided to stand on the side of local potters in Seagrove and the Pottery Center. It was just a ridiculous notion that we could loose this marvelous ten year old center because of the back-room dealings of a few.

And, I wasn’t the only person who couldn’t imagine losing this wonderful center of pottery history and resource center for contemporary pottery in not just Seagrove, but North Carolina, and the Carolinas. In three months, during what could be easily termed as the worst economic time in the US - hundreds, and perhaps even thousands of people put their money in the kitty to help save the NC Pottery Center.

Leading the charge was the Board of the NC Pottery Center and local potters networking with potters in North Carolina and eventually potters everywhere. And, the public responded by sending in checks, making electronic donations, purchasing pots that were donated to help benefit the Center, buying raffle tickets and making auction bids.

There is no doubt that a few individuals did more in this effort. Dr. Everette James and his wife Nancy Farmer donated part of their pottery collection to be auctioned off to benefit the Pottery Center. Leland Little Auction and Estate Sales, Ltd. in Hillsborough, NC, donated their services for that auction which raised $35,000. An anonymous NC couple offered a $10,000 challenge contribution to cap the Pottery Center’s fund drive once the Center raised $90,000 in honor of Drs. Everette James and Nancy Farmer. I’m sure there where others who deserve mention, but I just don’t have their names at this time. But everyone who made a contribution - no matter how small or even if it was in just spreading the word - they made a difference. They saved the NC Pottery Center - for now.

The ultimate goal is for the State of North Carolina to take over operation of the NC Pottery Center under the North Carolina Arts Council - a state arts agency. But, under the current economy - that might take some time yet, so the fight might not be over just yet. A fundraising goal has been met, but the long-term future is still unknown, but it does look brighter today.

Another contributing factor in the fundraising effort was blogging potters around the Carolinas. When the call when out for help - the word spread fast and far. I had a hard time keeping up with all the things that were going on and I eventually came to rely on Meredith Heywood of Whynot Pottery in Seagrove, who was blogging on her own blog (http://whynotpotteryblog.blogspot.com/) and eventually set up another blog - Potters for the NC Pottery Center  (http://pottersforncpc.blogspot.com/). She had lots of help from others who were feeding her info or helping with the blog. And, what’s really amazing is that during all this mess - she and her husband, also a potter, were dealing with rebuilding their studio which burned down in July.

Also let’s don’t forget that there were a few victims during this battle to save the Pottery Center. First and foremost was the loss of the Center’s director, Denny Mecham. The Center’s board in an effort cut expensive had to cut Mecham’s position to a part-time level and then all together. Mecham was unable to wait and see how the fundraising effort would go, and  took a position as the new executive director of the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi, Mississippi. Talented people don’t have to wait too long for good job offers. The Potter Center’s exhibition schedule was also adjusted, putting major shows on the back burner. And, although some say all publicity is good - it’s not always good for everyone. The anxiety levels of area potters caught up in the controversy has taken its toll - causing some to take sides in a very small community.

What have I learned from all this? One - Potters have a strong network and sense of community. Two - If you work hard for something - a good cause - people will respond and help, even in tough times. Three - the power of the blog in spreading the word about issues. And, Four - just another reminder - the arts are important to people.

Although the $100,000 goal has been met - if you’re so inclined and have the funds - I would still advise anyone to make a contribution or participate in one of the still ongoing fundraisers. It won’t hurt and I’m sure it can be put to good use.

Now, go visit the Center you helped save. The doors are open.

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For any regular reader of Carolina Arts over the last eight years, commentary from Judith McGrath - all the way from Western Australia - has been a sort of sounding board as to what’s going on in the visual art community - around the world - or at least the other end of the world. Although Australia is 24 hours of flight travel away from us in the Carolinas, it seemed at times that McGrath was writing about the art community right here. I know there were times when I wondered if she had installed some kind of spyware in my computer to monitor my commentary. When her e-mail would arrive - out of the blue - it often mirrored what was on my mind. Believe me, it was spooky at times.

It all started when Scottie Hodge, owner of Tempo Gallery in Greenville, SC (now closed for some years) sent me an e-mail about an article she read that McGrath wrote for an online publication called, Art Thought Journal. After reading the piece I contacted the editor of that publication to see if I could run the article in our publication. He said I’d have to take that up with McGrath. I contacted McGrath and in our Nov. 2000 issue we offered a guest commentary entitled Visual Art vs Entertainment.

The reaction to that guest commentary was very favorable - mostly because of the article’s content and insight, and some as relief from my views. So, from that day on we have offered the occasional - View From Down Under. You can see that first article and all others she offered archived on our website at (http://www.carolinaarts.com/afewwordsfromdownunder.html).

Who was this voice from down under? We have posted this description after each installment: Judith McGrath lives in Kalamunda, Western Australia, 25 minutes east of Perth. She received a BA in Fine Art and History from the University of Western Australia. McGrath lectured in Art History and Visual Literacy at various colleges around the Perth area, and was an art reviewer for The Sunday Times and The Western Review both published in the Perth area. McGrath is currently a freelance writer and reviewer for various art magazines in Australia. She also co-ordinates the web site Art Seen in Western Australia found at (http://www.artseeninwa.com).

Well, as I mentioned in commentary in Carolina Arts a few months ago, McGrath was planning a trip to the east coast of these United States and was planning a trip to South Carolina. She was actually planning to visit Bonneau. When they asked about hotel info in Bonneau - when Linda (my better half) and I stopped laughing, we explained that we might have to direct them to another city close by.

Oh - how interesting that could be - Judith McGrath in SC - in Charleston! I didn’t get my hopes up as I know all the things that can happen to derail the best laid plans. Just look at John McCain. His “straight talk express” ran aground in Alaska - much like the Exxon Valdez did. They’re still cleaning up that mess.

But on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008, I was driving Judith and her husband Owen from Summerville, SC, to downtown Charleston for a look at what the visual art community had to offer.

I had made some plans as to what and where we would go, but like I said before - the best laid plans sometimes have to be adapted. We had to deal with what would be open on Sunday and Monday, and unfortunately, that took some galleries off my list. And, we found that some galleries are not going by the hours posted in Carolina Arts’s gallery listings. And, on the other hand, fortunately some galleries that should have been closed were open.

McGrath’s tour of South Carolina began in Spartanburg, SC, where her visit was front page news, but in Charleston we would be traveling under the radar - much like I do. If you have followed my commentary about the good Mayor of Charleston, I have to look twice - both ways - before I cross the streets in Charleston.

First off, the weather was great the two days they were in Charleston. It’s like we were actually having Fall weather in South Carolina. Our weather is the complete opposite of what they have at the same time in Australia - our summer is their winter.

After a short driving tour of Charleston, our first official stop was at the Gibbes Museum of Art. Although the couple was somewhat fatigued in visiting Art Museums up and down the east coast, McGrath did fall in love with Alice Huger Ravenel Smith’s watercolor landscapes - not her works with people, but the landscapes. But, what she really wanted to see was the commercial galleries. So we headed out to see who was open.

The great thing about Charleston’s commercial art community is that it is concentrated in a few areas of the city. You can park in one stop and visit dozens of galleries in just a few blocks of each other.

After leaving the Gibbes we first ran into the sidewalk display by a few members of the Charleston Artist Guild - a Charleston Fall tradition. We next headed “by request” to Charleston’s Market area. McGrath had spotted the area on our driving tour around the city. At first I couldn’t think of what area she was describing - the Market is not usually on my tour itinerary for visitors, but I soon realized the McGraths were also interested in the full view of Charleston - including the Market and antique shops on King Street. I’m a flexible tour guide so we adapted some more.

The Market helped add to the McGraths’ worldwide collection of snowglobes.

From the Market we headed into the heart of the French Quarter Gallery Association’s district, but found few open galleries there. It’s a good thing we still had Monday for our tour. We then headed to Broad Street where we found more open doors. The couple’s favorite gallery of our first day of touring was the Mary Martin Gallery. They were really taken by some sculpture there of wooden violins made by Philippe Guillerm.

After walking and driving around one end of Charleston to the other in search of open galleries, we left Charleston heading to the promise lands of Berkeley County for some barbecued ribs and corn-on-the -cob at the headquarters of Carolina Arts in Bonneau, SC, on the shores of Lake Moultrie. The McGraths live at the edge of Australia’s OutBack and I explained that Linda and I lived in what most Charlestonians think of as Charleston’s OutBack - Berkeley County.

As it always happens - when it rains it pours. We didn’t know exactly what day the McGraths would arrive, but at the same time Linda’s sister arrived for a visit as well as some good friends from North Carolina who have a house at the lake, so Linda didn’t get to do the Charleston with us.

On our second day of touring Charleston art galleries we found more open doors, but there were still a few galleries that were supposed to be open but were not when we arrived at their door. And, we missed a few that don’t open until Tuesdays, but we visited 80 percent of the galleries in downtown Charleston in our two-day adventure. And, my feet were feeling it too. I’m used to trekking the streets of Charleston and many other cities in the Carolinas, but I usually don’t take in the antique shops too. But I learned some things in our travels that was well worth the effort.

Some galleries don’t seem to be displaying the copies of Carolina Arts we drop off every month. I made a list and will be checking this out and when we find that someone is not displaying the paper, we will stop leaving them there and take out the free gallery listing we have been giving them. Most galleries had them well displayed, a few had them hidden, but we made a game out of seeing who could spot the Carolina Arts first.

Highlights this day included a visit to Rhett Thurman’s studio where we were lucky to catch the artist at work, a visit to Nina Lui and Friends (all three floors), Plum Elements for a peek at some Japanese prints and what was hailed by McGrath as her favorite gallery in Charleston - the Eva Carter Gallery. It was a special moment of pride when I got to brag that we owned a work by each of the artists represented by the gallery. It was there that the couple almost purchased a work by Karin Olah - not having seen any work like it before. Now, that’s saying something from this world traveling couple.

Work by Karin Olah

But the joke of the two day tour was, “Owen, you’re gonna need another suitcase!” The McGraths were already going to have to purchase a very large suitcase to fit all their purchases made in the US while visiting. An extra suitcase on their 24 hour return flight home was going to be an expensive item. The thought of another one was an instant headache - for Owen.

The McGraths took lots of contact info from galleries we visited and they will let UPS do some deliveries for them once they get back home. After all, it is a small world these days.

After our second day of trekking we headed back to Summerville talking about some of the places we didn’t get to see, but I think Judith and Owen had an enjoyable tour and saw a lot of interesting art and got a small glimpse of Charleston. On the subject of the bad rap Charleston’s art scene often gets from some other areas of the Carolinas - the so called love Charleston artists have for painting the city and the surrounding environment - the two world travelers said that you see that everywhere you go around the world.

I don’t know if Judith McGrath will write anything about her visit to Charleston or what she will say. But, for me it was a great opportunity to have a give and take dialogue about what we were seeing, art in general, and various subjects covered in both our commentaries. It was also a great pleasure to meet the person who has contributed to Carolina Arts from afar for the last eight years and her husband. I hope the exchange will continue for many years.

Judith - Owen, thanks for coming to see us.

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The State of South Carolina is in financial trouble due to a reduction in projected revenue. Who isn’t? The Governor of SC is calling for the heads of State agencies to come up with ideas to reduce their budgets by 10 percent - before the State Legislature has to do it. I’m wondering what Suzette Surkamer, Executive Director of the South Carolina Arts Commission will do.

Will Surkamer cut 10 percent of programs and services or 10 percent of administration overhead - like staff? My guess is cuts will be in programing, grants and services. But she will feel really bad about it.

I have a few suggestions. First Surkamer could retire. She’s been working for the Arts Commission for over 30 years. She could move on and others could move up the ladder and leave a vacancy at the bottom of the chain. Surkamer has been at the top long enough and that would put a big dent in that 10 percent figure.

Surkamer could cut the position of Visual Arts Coordinator. We’re not getting much out of that person anyway. I’m not sure too many would even notice the difference. A very few would, but not many.

Surkamer could cut the Arts Commission’s Regional Media Arts Center. The Center provides resource and network information for film/video exhibitions in ten southeastern states. Let a richer state handle this service. Our state has a separate film office anyway. She might argue that the center brings in revenue from those other states, but we are picking up the overhead.

Surkamer could also tell the SC Arts Foundation that they would have to get their own office, phone number and staff. But that wouldn’t really save much, since both organizations are one in the same. The Foundation is just a shadow organization which acts as a slush fund for the Arts Commission. If the Foundation is real - what a good time for them to get to work and bring in some money to make up for the loss of that 10 percent. The Foundation could cut the party surrounding the Verner Awards, but then without the party - why give awards?

Well it’s going to be a hard job. But she’ll probably just tell everyone to take a 10 percent cut across the board - as if that’s the fair thing to do - even though it’s not - staff salaries and benefits are probably protected by contracts, but programs, grants and services are not.

We’ll soon see what happens.

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On my recent delivery trip - what we now call - The Search For Gas In The Carolinas - I got to see two exhibitions by Columbia, SC, area photographers. One of the exhibits was in Columbia and the other was in North Charleston, SC. Both exhibits fell into what seems to be a developing trend in photography - as least in recent exhibits I’ve seen - a move toward abstraction or near abstraction in the imagery offered. Both artists demonstrated that the camera is but a tool in the creative process - not a machine that takes pictures. The artist using the camera is the creative force.

Don’t get me wrong, I love straight photography, whether it be nature photography, portrait photography, journalistic photography, architectural photography, etc. Good photography takes skill and creativity. Otherwise anyone could do it. And believe me - everyone can’t.

With the invention of digital cameras and computer programs like Photoshop - photographic imagery can be manipulated in numerous ways - even creatively in some people’s hands, but they are only tools.

You can put a paintbrush in my hands and it is the same tool an artist uses, but the results will never be the same.

“Overflow” by Todd Oelze

While delivering papers in Columbia on a Sunday, I ran into an unexpected - open door - at Gallery 80808 at Vista Studios, at 808 Lady Street in the Vista. The exhibition was, Strokes of Light, featuring abstract photography by Todd Oelze (Blythewood, SC), on view from Sept. 26 - 30, 2008.

It’s not that I don’t read my own paper - I process a lot of information and usually by the time I’m delivering one paper, I’ve been working on the next month’s calendar of exhibitions. It’s hard to keep it all straight. What’s not a problem for me, but still seems to be for a lot of people in Columbia, is the fact that I know that Gallery 80808 is open when exhibits are taking place - even on the weekends. Not many galleries are open on Sunday in Columbia.

It was not too long ago that I did a review of another photography exhibit at the Saul Alexander Foundation Gallery at the main branch of the Charleston County Public Library in downtown Charleston, SC, It was abstract photography too. So here was another very interesting exhibit of more abstract photography.

“Cosmic Sneeze” by Todd Oelze

When I later checked the Vista Studios/Gallery 80808 web blog (http://www.gallery80808.blogspot.com/) I found this statement offered by Oelze. “Strokes of Light is a result of my recent endeavor to produce digital photographs that convey movement, while accentuating color and displaying the illusion of depth. I achieve this look by employing uncommon camera and lighting techniques, while keeping post-production effects to a minimum. My ultimate goal is to establish a recognizable style that I believe is extremely difficult to accomplish in photography. This collection of photographs is my first step in achieving this vision.”

I believe Oelze was very successful in pulling off his stated goal and look forward to seeing where his work goes in the future. I got him to send us a couple of images (another post exhibit review) and you can see more work on his website at (www.toddophotos.com).

My drive on Sunday started Saturday night and lasted well into the afternoon, but the short break in viewing Oelze’s works stayed with me a long time.

James Cheatum

On Monday, I was roaming from Calabash, NC, through Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand, eventually making my way down the coast to Mt. Pleasant and Charleston, SC. Some of my last stops were in North Charleston where I ran into the exhibition, Lens Paintings, Flower Photography by Jim Cheatham, from Columbia, at the North Charleston City Gallery at the Charleston Area Convention Center Complex, 5001 Coliseum Drive. This exhibit started on Oct. 1 (put up just hours before I arrived there) and will be up through Oct. 31, 2008.

In this exhibit, the images were sort of straight photographs, but taken so close in that they were abstracts of the real thing. They are images of objects, in this case flowers, that can’t be seen by normal vision - well maybe if you get real close and squint your eyes.

In a handout offered at the exhibit, Cheatham offered the following statement about his work. “My photography of flowers attempts to give expression to what might be called the spiritual dimension present in all living things - to the reality ‘behind’ the reality. In doing so, I am not concerned with presenting images that are photographically ‘correct’, but images that are ‘painterly’ as well as beautiful from a textural standpoint. I also strive for a strong graphic quality. Particularly in the collage mosaics.”

The results is a presentation of “sort of” straight photographs of flowers with the abstraction being offered by the closeness to the subject. In the photography world this might be considered “macro” photography - using lenses which are designed to take crisp images - real close in on subjects, but focus in not a goal here by Cheatham - delivering that “painterly” look - which is soft and sensuous.

You can see more images of Cheatham’s at (www.lenspaintings.com), but the exhibit will still be up through Oct. - so you can go see this one.

Both results seen in both of these exhibitions are nothing new in photography, the techniques have been seen before, but these two artists are taking the techniques to different levels - using their cameras and subjects as just tools to achieve abstracted imagery which reach beyond traditional photography.

I know some people in the art community don’t respect photography too much - they think it’s easy. Photography is an evolving fine art medium. If you’re not threatened by it, you might be able to see the possibilities and recognize that in the hands of the right people it can be as creative as any art medium.

Keep an eye out for further exhibits by Todd Oelze and Jim Cheatham - I know I will.

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It is sometimes hard to imagine the level of generosity that has been going on in the effort to keep the doors open to the North Carolina Pottery Center in Seagrove, NC. It moves so fast at times that it is hard to keep up with the figures, which is now over $80,000 - according to my last report $80,549. But, I’m sure that figure has been surpassed by now.

The latest infusion of funds arrived after last Sunday (Sept. 28, 2008) at Leland Little Auction and Estate Sales, Ltd. in Hillsborough, NC. The auction raised over $34,000 for the North Carolina Pottery Center. The auction featured 191 fine examples of NC pottery donated by several prominent collectors throughout the state. The sale centered on a substantial collection of Art Ware pottery generously given by Dr. Everette James. Leland Little also donated their services to the Pottery Center.

The fundraising campaign is now in the homestretch, raising the final $10,000 to reach the $90,000 mark where another generous donor will chip in $10,000 to cap off the campaign effort.

Many other fundraising efforts are still scheduled, check in with the blog, Potters For The North Carolina Pottery Center (http://pottersforncpc.blogspot.com/) for full details.

One such fundraiser will take place at the upcoming Spruce Pine Potters Market taking place on Oct. 11-12, 2008, from 10am to 5pm, at the historic Cross Street Building, 31 Cross Street, Spruce Pine, NC. For further info on this event visit (www.sprucepinepottersmarket.com).

Potters participating in this event include: Shane Mickey, Will Baker, Lisa Bruns, Stan Andersen, Nick Joerling, Gay Smith, Claudia Dunaway, Jim and Shirl Parmentier, Terry Gess, Becky Gray, Michael Kline, Jon Ellenbogen & Becky Plummer, Michael Hunt & Naomi Dalglish, Lindsay Rogers, Melisa Cadel, David Ross, Norm Schulman, Linda McFarling, Courtney Martin, Ken Sedberry, Jenny Lou Sherburne, Jane Peiser, Mark Peters, Ron Slagle, Cynthia Bringle, Mark Tomczak, Joy Tanner, Michael Rutkowsky, Tzadi Turrou, Liz Zlot Summerfield, Pam Brewer, and Peter Rose.

Many of these potters will have designated pieces in their spaces at the Market where the proceeds will be donated to the North Carolina Pottery Center. This is just another example of one of the many opportunities where you can buy a beautiful piece of pottery - for yourself - and at the same time help keep the doors of the NC Pottery Center open and help continue the story that the Center tells of the history of pottery and history of North Carolina and regional pottery and potters.

Linda and I just added a piece made by Courtney Martin to our pottery collection when we were at last year’s fall crafts fair of the Southern Highlands Craft Guild in Asheville, NC. It’s nice to know she is one of the potters who will offer work to benefit the Pottery Center. I guess what goes around does come back around.

How many opportunities will you have in your lifetime where a $25 electronic donation made on the Pottery Center’s website (http://ncpotterycenter.com) can make a difference? Where buying pottery you wanted can help keep a great facility open and continue to be a great asset in the greater Carolina art community. If everyone reading this does just a little on their part, the Center will be saved. There are many ways to participate, just make sure you do. And, I’ll thank you in advance.

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