Posts Tagged ‘Charleston SC’

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Nina Liu and Friends Gallery in Charleston, SC, Receives Verner Award from SC Arts Commission/Foundation

Friday, February 18th, 2011


Nina Liu outside her gallery and friend Aggie Zed (r)

OK, this is meant to be a congratulation to Nina Liu – make no mistake about that, but it is also about the SC Arts Commission and SC Arts Foundation.

I think everyone would agree that in these days of cutbacks in funding for the arts it would have been better to make the announcement of who will receive these awards and let UPS deliver them, but instead the folks at the Arts Commission/Foundation decided to play their fiddle while Rome burns. And, they’re letting visual artists have the honor of helping them raise money to put on a party, through another art auction.

If you’re of my thinking on all of this – would we expect anything else? Yes, this is exactly what I’ve come to expect from them. But, like they say – even a broken clock gets it right twice a day.

So, congratulations to Nini Liu, the woman behind Nina Liu & Friends gallery in Charleston, SC. She has served artists and the art community in Charleston for 25 years as well as doing the same in Iowa, Louisiana, California, and Michigan, before landing here in South Carolina.

Liu has been a long-time supporter of Shoestring Publishing Company, including Charleston Arts, South Carolina Arts and now Carolina Arts. She helped start the French Quarter Gallery Association, providing coordinated art walks in Charleston. We worked with her and others to make it the largest art walk in the Carolinas. Now everyone has one.

And, I know she has done a lot to help other art organizations such as the Gibbes Museum of Art, College of Charleton School of the Arts, and Spoleto Festival USA, to name a few. But most importantly for me, she has been a regular sounding board – I rarely travel to Charleston without stopping to have a short or sometimes long conversation with her.

I’m glad she got her Verner before I told that to everyone.

So, Nina Liu and her gallery will share the spotlight at the 2011 Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Governor’s Awards for the Arts (Business Category) with Carolina First Bank of Greenville, SC – that’s if our new Governor doesn’t want to take back her title from the award. I doubt she’ll show up to hand the awards out – that would seem a little hypocritical, but maybe she will- it wouldn’t be the first time for her.

As far as the other Verner Award recipients – I don’t know who most of them are – which is the way I would guess others around SC would think when they read Nina Liu’s name. I’m sure they have had similar impacts on the communities where they live – or at least we would all expect that they do or did. It helps to think of these things as regional awards to folks who have had some impact on a regional basis. Yet, I can’t help but think that some awards over the years and this year (hopefully very few of them) are self-serving by the Arts Commission – rewards to a few good friends of theirs.

All I know is – we could all use a lot more Nina Lius as friends.

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Some Articles About Exhibits Taking Place in the Carolinas Which Came In After Our February Deadline

Monday, February 7th, 2011

Some of these came in late – after our Jan. 24 deadline and a few came from folks just discovering us. Some think we should just add them to the paper – after all it’s not printed – it’s electronic, but I say no. That’s what deadlines are for and I don’t want several editions of the paper out there and people hearing about items they missed after they first viewed the paper. And, we might not always give these late articles a second life at Carolina Arts Unleashed. So people need to make that deadline.

If you haven’t seen our Feb. 2011 edition of Carolina Arts, you can find it at this link (Warning – this download can take several minutes) (http://www.carolinaarts.com/211/211carolinaarts.pdf).

Coker College in Hartsville, SC, Features Works by Koichi Yamamoto

An exhibition of prints by Koichi Yamamoto, an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee School of Art, is on view through Feb. 25, 2011, in the Cecelia Coker Bell Gallery located in the Gladys C. Fort Art Building in Hartsville, SC.


Tochika Ni, by Koichi Yamamoto, a 12″ x 24″ intaglio print

Yamamoto’s show, 00 To 10, includes a selection of intaglio prints (a printing process wherein an image is engraved or acid etched into a metal plate, inked then printed) and prints made with a monotype process, a procedure that yields only a single impression from each plate.

Merging traditional and contemporary approaches to printmaking, Yamamoto has worked with meticulous metal engravings, large-scale relief and intaglio prints. His current work is in large-scale monotypes and exemplifies a contemporary, international aesthetic developed from his upbringing in Japan and his education in Europe and North America. His prints explore issues of the sublime, memory, atmosphere, light and history through various representations of landscape.

“Surface only provides a record from recent events,” Yamamoto said. “Making critical judgments requires an understanding of what lies underneath. Addressing the landscape as subject, my work attempts to describe cross sections of history. I seek to slow down and take time for a deep level of investigation.”

Yamamoto is a graduate of the University of Alberta and Pacific Northwest College of Art. He has also studied at the Bratislava Academy of Art and the Poznan Academy of Art. His work has been included in a number of recent juried print competitions including the Boston Printmakers, the 7th Bharat Bhavan International Biennial Print Art in India and the Lujubljana International Printmaking Exhibition in Slovania. Yamamoto’s prints are in the collections of University of Hawaii at Hilo, the Vivian and Gordon Gilkey Graphic Center in the Portland Art Museum and the University of Alberta Museum and Collection.

The Cecelia Coker Bell Gallery is located in the Gladys C. Fort Art Building on the Coker College campus. Gallery hours are from 10am to 4pm, Monday through Friday, while classes are in session.

Coker College upholds and defends the intellectual and artistic freedom of its faculty and students as they study and create art through which they explore the full spectrum of human experience. The college considers such pursuits central to the spirit of inquiry and thoughtful discussion, which are at the heart of a liberal arts education.

For more information, contact Barb Steadman by calling 843/857-4199.

UNC Asheville in Asheville, NC, Features Laura Hope-Gill’s Poetry and Photographs by John Fletcher Jr.

UNC Asheville’s Ramsey Library will present the collaborative work of poet Laura Hope-Gill and photographer John Fletcher Jr., on view in Ramsey Library’s Blowers Gallery from Feb.  1- 28, 2011. Hope-Gill and Fletcher will also present a slideshow and poetry reading at 12:30pm, Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2011, in the library’s Whitman Room.

Hope-Gill and Fletcher’s book, The Soul Tree, features photographs of uniquely beautiful southern Appalachian landscapes accompanied by lyric poems, which illuminate themes of vision, faith, healing and the sacredness of nature. The Blowers Gallery exhibit will feature some of the images and poems from the book as well as more recent work inspired by The Soul Tree.

The exhibit and the slideshow/poetry reading are free and open to the public.

Hope-Gill is the Poet Laureate of the Blue Ridge Parkway and a recipient of a North Carolina Arts Council fellowship. She is also the founder and director of WordFest Poetry Festival in Asheville, and an instructor in UNC Asheville’s Great Smokies Writing Program. Fletcher is a photographer for the Asheville Citizen-Times. His 20-year career has included clients such as USA Today, The Associated Press, The Washington Post, and The New York Times.

The gallery is free and open to the public daily and most evenings.

For more information, call 828/251-6336 or visit (http://bullpup.lib.unca.edu/library/exhibits/blowers/exhibits.html).

Greenville Technical College in Taylors, SC, Features Works by Faculty of SC Governor’s School

The Department of Visual and Performing Arts at the Greer campus of Greenville Technical College in Taylors, SC, is presenting an exhibit of works by members of the South Carolina Governor’s School of the Arts and Humanities, on view through Feb. 18, 2011.

Impressive for its scope, the show includes works by photographer Carlyn Tucker, sculptor Joseph Thompson, painter Paul Yanko, ceramists Alice Ballard and Sharon Campbell, printer Katya Cohen, metals artist Ben Gilliam, and graphic designer Neil Summerour. We are pleased to showcase the creative excellence that exemplifies the commitment of arts faculty at this unique Upstate program.

For further information check our SC Institutional Gallery listings call Lisa Smith at 864/848-2044 or e-mail to (lisa.smith@gvltec.edu).

Mesh Gallery in Morganton, NC, Features An Exhibit of Iron Works

Mesh Gallery in Morganton, NC, will present an exhibition showcasing the work of Oak Hill Iron that includes both fine art and utilitarian wares titled Ironology. The exhibit will be on view from Feb. 14 through Apr. 8, 2011, with a reception taking place on Friday, Feb. 18, 2011, from 6-9pm.

Oak Hill Iron was born out of necessity and driven by true talent and sheer determination to create beautiful products. Founded over a decade ago by Dean Curfman, Oak Hill Iron produces custom ironwork that meets the needs of countless utilitarian applications as well producing works of fine art that are at home in a gallery space. Both high art and craft are integral parts of a healthy arts community and with this exhibition Oak Hill Iron will demonstrate it’s ability to wear both those hats.

Oak Hill Iron is staffed by a team of highly trained artistic craftsmen and offers a wide selection of ironwork for both residential and commercial projects. There is no job that is considered too big or too small.

As always events at MESH Gallery are free and open to the public. Appetizers (hors d’oeuvres) for this event will be provided by Mountain Burrito of Morganton. Wine will be served by Sour Grapes Wine Distribution.

There will be a free concert starting at 8pm on Feb. 18, during the reception with a performance from Pimalia recording artists Moolah Temple $tringband hailing from Jackson County, NC. The duo of Johnny Favorite & Eden Moor co-pilot their goat-drawn deathcart, trailing the detritus of Old Time, Musique Concrète, Honky Tonk, IDM, Minstrelsy, songs of wounded affection, cautionary tales for our age, and the aesthetics of the Fraternal, Temperance, and Evangelical Movements. Moolah Temple $tringband rarely makes public appearances, but the duo is pleased to be invited by MESH. One clown is merely a clown, but two clowns make a circus.

Mesh Gallery is located at 114-B West Union Street, Morganton, NC.

For further information call 828/437-1957 or e-mail to (eliot@meshgallery.com).

Charleston County Public Library in Charleston, SC, Features Works by Cheryl Baskins Butler

The Charleston County Public Library in Charleston, SC, will present the exhibit, A Day at the Zoo: Impressions of Riverbanks, featuring works by Cheryl Baskins Butler, on view in the Saul Alexander Foundation Gallery, located in the Main Branch of the CCPL system in downtown Charleston, SC, from Feb. 1 – 28, 2011.

Butler began her sketch “safaris” at the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC, when it first opened in the mid 70’s. Throughout the ensuing years, she has returned regularly to observe, sketch, paint and spend personal time with the Riverbanks residents. A Day at the Zoo: Impressions of Riverbanks is a compilation of paintings, collages and site sketches from her visits.
The Main Library is located at 68 Calhoun Street in downtown Charleston.

For further information call Frances Richardson at 843/805-6803 or visit (www.ccpl.org).

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Posted in Charleston SC Visual Arts, Greenville SC Visual Arts, NC Visual Arts, Pee Dee SC Area Visual Arts, SC Visual Arts, Upstate SC Visual Arts, WNC Visual Arts | Comments Off

Charleston Fine Art Dealers’ Association in Charleston, SC, Makes Major Donation to High School Art Programs in 2011

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011

I had to learn this info on Linda’s (my better half) Facebook page. The info came all the way from California by Facebook connections back in Charleston. My press release is probably still in the mail, but we won’t make you wait for this news and a little commentary.

It’s kind of timely news. Our new governor of SC has vowed to cut the budget of the SC Arts Commission – completely. It may take her four years due to all the crying which will be going on by those who receive some of those funds from the Arts Commission. Unfortunately, everyone else in the arts will just be silent – they don’t care one way or the other – the issue has never affected them. And, now the Arts Commission will spend most of their time defending their existence and pressing their friends/recipents to do the same.

I’m not sure how the taxpayers will see this crying up against the news that many programs supporting needed social services are also on the chopping block, but I guess it’s a matter of who makes the most noise to their legislative representatives.

You’ve heard my suggestion before. Give the same amount to the arts groups that they have been getting, based on population of each county – just cut the money the staff used to exist and sell their building and equipment. I’ve never been against public funding for the arts. I just don’t think we need the SC Arts Commission at all to administer that money – at least this one. Then the Arts Commission’s share can go toward saving some of those social services.

So, here’s an example of how private businesses in the art community are helping serve the non-profit art community – without public funds or any other help form the SC Arts Commission – or respect. The Arts Commission and their friends would like you to think that all art would stop without them. That’s not true.

Here’s the news:

The Charleston Fine Art Dealers’ Association (CFADA) once again will donate funds to art programs at local public high schools. The association will donate $22,000 worth of art supplies to schools in need that participated in its Twelfth Charleston Fine Art Annual in November 2010.

Each of the following schools will receive art supplies—Academic Magnet High School, Burke High School, Charleston County School of the Arts, Garrett Academy of Technology, James Island Charter High School, North Charleston High School, R.B. Stall High School, Septima P. Clark Academy, St. John High School, Wando High School and West Ashley High School.

“This is the only organization in Charleston I know of that helps out the art programs in the schools. With the generous donations provided by CFADA, we are able to provide all students, especially those who may be disadvantaged, with high-quality materials for creating art.  Students are truly benefiting from having a creative outlet through our art classes,” praises Cheryl Clair, art teacher at Wando High School in Mount Pleasant, SC. According to the National Arts Education Initiative, arts education strengthens students problem solving and critical thinking skills, which will help them in school and their professional careers. Students involved in the arts perform better in reading, social studies and math compared to their peers.

The donation is possible thanks to the generosity of CFADA artists whose creations from the Painting in the Park where auctioned off at the Charleston Art Auction (http://www.charlestonartauction.com/) on Saturday, November 6, 2010.

Since 2004, CFADA has donated more than $180,000 to local high schools, the Gibbes Museum of Art, Redux Art Center and the Studio Art Department at the College of Charleston. For more information on CFADA, please visit (www.cfada.com).

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A Trip to the Gibbes, Nina Liu and Friends, and Cone 10 Studios in Charleston, SC

Sunday, December 19th, 2010

On another bone chilling, rainy Saturday, I headed south toward Charleston, SC, this time bypassing North Charleston to head to one of the Gibbes Museum of Art’s free Community Days. Thank you, Junior League of Charleston.

You ask – don’t I have a membership at the Gibbes, or for that matter a membership at every art museum in the Carolinas? You might also ask – as a member of the press, can’t I get into every art museum in the Carolinas? – don’t they want you there? – don’t they want all the members of the media to come to their museums? Well, the answers are yes and no. You figure it out.

No, first off, getting something for free is one of the greatest feelings in the world. Most art museums in the Carolinas offer some free admission days. I like to see who comes on those days besides me. Secondly, yes, I probably could get into any art museum free, but that takes scheduling, which is hard to work out at times and I didn’t know I could make this trip until Friday evening. Thirdly, I think in our 23 years of covering the visual arts in the Carolinas I’ve earned the cost of any level of membership there is and some. And, finally, I just don’t get to go that much.

Although many people still think as an editor/publisher of an arts newspaper I get to see everything – I don’t, there is not enough time in the world. I see more than most people, but a lot less than many. But, I think lots of other folks should have an art museum membership card on them at all times. In fact they should never leave home without it.

I arrived at the Gibbes Museum of Art, located at 135 Meeting Street in downtown Charleston, just as the Blessed Sacrament School Children’s Choir was finishing and little girls were “running” everywhere keeping the security people on their toes – no running! Beside parents trying to gather their children together there seemed to be lots of couples of all ages in the galleries. There must be something about a rainy day that attracts couples to art museums. Before long the children were doing art activities and that left the art galleries to the parents, the couples and me.

In the Main Gallery was the exhibit, Art of Our Time: Selections from the Ulrich Museum of Art, which was a collection of familiar names and not-so-familiar names. On one wall was a group of what I would call the who’s who of the modern art world – Alexander Calder, Andy Warhol, Robert Motherwell, Helen Frankenthaler, Joan Mitchell, Joan Miró, and Jacob Lawrence. Looking at the works I wondered what some of these parents might be thinking. A lot of the works looked like the kind of stuff you might see in a children’s art class with the exception of the Warhol. They may have works at home – on the refrigerator – that look a lot like these works. But, then I remembered something William Halsey once said in his later years (80′s) – that he was just getting back to painting child-like with no inhibitions.

Speaking of William Halsey, the Gibbes had a nice display of his works in an area which has been used as a sort of hands-on or education area. It’s now being used as an Artist Spotlight area. A lot of folks in Charleston need to be educated about who William Halsey was and the work he left us. One of the works in this display was once featured on a color cover of Carolina Arts.

On the other side of the main room were works that looked more like art you see being made today. My favorite work of the day was a set of nine large photographs hung 3 x 3 entitled, Family Tree, by Zhang Huan, a Chinese artist who did a self portrait where he had three traditional Chinese calligraphers make kanji characters on his face – all in one day. They told traditional stories – until his face was totally covered in ink – totally.

After the children’s choir cleared out of the area where they sang, I was able to view the exhibit, J. Henry Fair: Industrial Scars. This exhibit was depressing. It’s a photographic exhibit with bird’s eye views of industrial waste areas around the country and views of the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. They are of areas we would never see driving by these industrial sites. They keep this stuff hidden. Although the images themselves are interesting and often beautiful due to the unusual colors and patterns, they are disturbing and shocking when you discover that one you are looking at is in your own backyard. I mean it – one was about 20 miles from our house.

There is a coal burning power plant right across the lake from us and one of the images was of its ash spillway. It was ugly and frightening to think that this stuff was so close to the lake, but at the same time, I sure was glad that power plant had enough power to keep our home warm during the below-freezing temps of just a week ago. It’s like no one would eat meat if they visited a slaughter house every week. There are trade-offs for everything we do, but you would hope that one day we’d learn to do things better. That’s why this country needs to develop more wind and solar power – and fast.

On that note – I was out of there.

Next, I went over to Nina Liu and Friends gallery at 24 State Street. Nina Liu is celebrating her 25th anniversary in Charleston with an exhibit of her own work. They sent a press release about her exhibit which will be in our Jan. 2011 issue of Carolina Arts, but they didn’t have any images, so I wanted to see if I could get some to use.

Usually a rainy day is not the best day to do any photography, but I knew if she had a spot outside that wasn’t being rained on, the light would be nice and even – at least that was the theory. After the shooting, we talked about what’s going on in Charleston and how fast 25 years seemed to go by. She came to Charleston two years before Linda and I started our first arts newspaper. In fact, her gallery and Lowcountry Artists Ltd. in Charleston are our oldest continuous running advertisers – both since May 1988.

While I was at Nina Liu’s a man came in looking for a special kind of pottery cup, which Liu didn’t have. We both suggested he check out Charleston Crafts, just around the corner and Cone 10 Studios at 1080B Morrison Drive. But, while he was there he found a small sculpture by Aggie Zed that he liked and purchased it. Not bad for a cold rainy day in Charleston – in this economy.

On my way out of Charleston I thought I might stop by Cone 10 Studios myself. They moved during the summer from Meeting Street to this new location – twice the size of their old gallery/studio. I had not been to the new location since they opened – except very early in the morning – long before they would be open – dropping off papers, so while I was going that way – in the middle of the day – I stopped.

Their new gallery space is very airy. Good thing too – I got my best photos of the day there. I talked with Betsey Carter and got the 10 cent tour around all the artist’s stations and some of the common areas. I’m always amazed how much space and equipment it takes beyond a spinning wheel, which is all most people think it takes to make pottery. Like most forms of art, if people knew how much equipment and process is involved in making art – they would appreciate it more.

The other nice thing about their new location is that they have lots of parking spaces. When they were on Meeting Street, you might get lucky if you could find an open space within blocks from their door. Carter says they’re calling this part of Charleston NoMo – North Morrison. A few other art related busineses are also located in the area.

If you haven’t been there yet – go by and see them. Besides being a working studio for over 20 artists, it’s a gallery and a learning center. They hold pottery classes. While I was there a few excited students came by to see works that had just come out of the kiln. What a wonderful feeling to see something you made for the first time – and it looked like work you could have found in the gallery. I’m sure they all don’t turn out that way, but what I saw looked very respectable.

Well, as with all my adventures – I needed to get back home. We have a Jan. 2011 issue to get ready.

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Cone 10 Studios & Gallery in Charleston, SC, Offers a Winter Wonderland Welcoming – Dec. 4, 2010

Sunday, November 14th, 2010

Betsey Carter of Cone 10 Studios, located at 1080-B Morrison Drive in Charleston, SC, (in the heart of NoMo) writes that the group has finished scraping, painting, hammering, and sawing. The wheels are turning, the kilns are firing, and the gallery is stocked with fresh new work. They’re ready to show off the fabulous new studio and gallery. So mark your calendars for Saturday, Dec. 4, 2010, from 5-9pm as a reminder to attend their Winter Wonderland Welcoming.

Cone 10 Studios & Gallery moved from Meeting Street over the summer to Morrison Street, which I’m told is the up and coming NoMo area of Charleston – North Morrison Street. At least that’s the hope as the developed area of Charleston moves into that “in-between” area known as the “neck” between North Charleston and Charleston. Out with the old industries of Charleston – In with the new residential and shopping districts. And, artist’s studios, art galleries, and artist’s colonies.


Work by Anne John


Work by Betsey Carter

Cone 10 Studios is a working studio and gallery of potters and sculptors featuring affordable and distinctive handcrafted pottery, sculpture, jewelry, handmade paper, and paintings. The gallery presents member and invitational exhibitions and the studio offers classes in wheelthrowing and clay sculpture as well as studio memberships to advanced ceramicists. Visitors are welcome to tour the studio.

Founded in 2000 by Susan Filley as Clay Works, the community gallery and work space has been home to hobbyists and professionals, those practicing forms and those nationally collected. It is a schoolhouse blend for the sharing of ideas and techniques and provides the ability for clay artists to combine the financial and physical responsibilities of firing in a gas reduction kiln. Cone 10 Studio offers memberships for studio space, classes in wheelthrowing and clay sculpture as well as exhibition events.


Work by Sally Burrell


Work by Susan Gregory

Artists with works featured at this event and on a regular basis include: Betsey Carter, Caroline Cercone, Fiorenzo Berardozzi, Susan Gregory, Anne John, Bev Ballow, Barbara Bergwerf, Arthur McDonald, Edwina Powell, Juliann Bannon, Pana Wilder, Sally Burrell and others.

For further information call 843/853-3345, e-mail at (info@cone10studios.com) or visit (www.cone10studios.com).

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5th Charleston Art Auction Takes Place in Charleston, SC – Nov. 6, 2010

Sunday, October 24th, 2010

This is the big event in Charleston for long-time or first-time art collectors. Charleston’s entire visual art community will be putting it’s best on display this weekend. The auction is an interesting event in itself. You can read what I’ve said about it in a previous posting at this link.

Read about this year’s event here:

The first weekend in November traditionally marks the Charleston Fine Art Annual hosted by the Charleston Fine Art Dealers’ Association (CFADA) in Charleston, SC’s Historic District. On Nov. 3, 5-6, 2010, CFADA welcomes once again avid art collectors and nationally renowned artists to celebrate the diverse fine art that the growing art market of Charleston has to offer. The weekend filled with art events features art openings at CFADA member galleries, plein air painting, an art auction and lectures. Proceeds will benefit Charleston County High Schools’ fine art programs.


Work by Elizabeth O’Neill Verner

Saturday evening, Nov. 6, 2010, is dedicated to the 5th Charleston Art Auction. This elegant evening presented by the Charleston Art Auction features a preview/reception at 6pm followed by an art auction at 7pm. The auction features historically significant paintings and drawings together with contemporary works by recognized American artists.


Work by Mary Whyte

“The Charleston Art Auction is privileged to participate in the Charleston Fine Art Dealers Association’s 12th Charleston Fine Art Annual, a premier weekend featuring over twenty-five leading artists, exhibiting at CFADA member galleries and painting in Washington Park,” said Jack A. Morris, Jr. of Morris & Whiteside Galleries. “Collectors are invited to watch the artists at work in Washington Park on Saturday morning from 9am until noon and make arrangements to leave Absentee Bids on works in progress at the park. All works will be framed and brought to the Marriott Renaissance Hotel, 68 Wentworth Street, for a cocktail preview on Saturday evening from 5-7 pm.”


Work by Rhett Thurman

The plein air works will then be incorporated in the live Charleston Art Auction, blended throughout the sale following lot #32 and lot #82. The entire proceeds from the sale of the plein air pieces, including Buyer’s Premium, will benefit the Charleston County High Schools’ fine art programs.

Works presented in the auction (except works created that day in Washington Park) can be previewed on Nov. 6, from 10am-7pm at the Marriott Renaissance Hotel.


Work by Shannon Smith

Reservations are highly recommended as seating is limited. Tickets are $50 per person (this includes a fully illustrated sales catalogue). The Marriott Renaissance Hotel offers a special group rate for the weekend. Call 800/605-1498 and ask for the Charleston Art Auction group rate.

If you can’t be there in person to make your bids, absentee and telephone bid arrangements can be made by calling 843/842-4433. You can view the auction catalogue online at this link.


Work by Alfred Hutty

The Charleston Art Auction was founded in 2006 by Morris & Whiteside Galleries located in Hilton Head Island, SC, and The Sylvan Gallery located in Charleston, as the premier Southern art auction. Please visit (www.charlestonartauction.com) for more information.

The Charleston Fine Art Annual raises funds that keep art alive in local high schools. Since 2004, CFADA has donated over $150,000 to art programs at eleven local high schools. “With each passing year, we receive less and less funding for art programs,” says Jim Braunreuther, fine arts coordinator for the Charleston County School District. “It concerns me greatly as art classes give students focus, discipline and a sense of belonging. They build motivation and empathy, teaching them to be self-starters and committed.”

Founded in 1999, the Charleston Fine Art Dealers’ Association is the source of fine art in the South and consists of the city’s prominent galleries. The association promotes Charleston as a fine art destination for avid collectors and passionate art enthusiasts and supports the artists of the future. CFADA has donated more than $170,000 to local high schools, the Gibbes Museum of Art, Redux Art Center and the Studio Art Department at the College of Charleston.

CFADA member galleries include: Ann Long Fine Art, Carolina Galleries, Charleston Renaissance Gallery, Corrigan Gallery, Ella Walton Richardson Fine Art, Horton Hayes Fine Art, Martin Gallery, Robert Lange Studios, Smith-Killian Fine Art, The Sylvan Gallery, and Wells Gallery.

For more information on CFADA, please visit (www.cfada.com) and for ticket reservations for the auction call 843/842-4433.

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Opportunity is Knocking for Artists Who Want an Exhibit in Charleston, SC in 2011

Friday, October 8th, 2010

I did an entry about this opportunity a few weeks ago and I’ve received a note that the folks at the Charleston County Public Library’s Main Branch in downtown Charleston, SC, have not yet received many applications to show at the Saul Alexander Foundation Gallery – so far.

The deadline for applications is Oct. 15, 2010. Here is a link to the information you need to apply (http://www.ccpl.org/content.asp?id=108084&action=detail&catID=5367&parentID=5368).

If you didn’t see that first notice – here’s the link to it (http://carolinaarts.com/wordpress/2010/08/28/saul-alexander-foundation-gallery-in-charleston-sc-calls-for-exhibit-proposals/).

This is an opportunity open to all artists living in South Carolina who can meet the requirements of the application process.

What are you waiting for?

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I Went to See PERSONAL GROUNDS by Susan Lenz at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park in Charleston, SC

Sunday, October 3rd, 2010

On a rainy day when they were talking about the streets of Charleston flooding from the tropical storm passing up the eastern coast of the US – I decided to go see Susan Lenz’s exhibit, PERSONAL GROUNDS, at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park in downtown Charleston – a place right next to the water, but one of the highest points in Charleston. I know this because I shared a space a half block away when Hurricane Hugo came a calling to Charleston in 1989. I thought I was going to lose everything, but when I finally was able to go check it out, the place was high and dry. That area is actually built on the foundations of the old wall that once surrounded Charles Towne. Comparing elevations in downtown Charleston – that was like being on a mountain top. So I wasn’t worried about flooding – except when I tried to leave Charleston, but no flood came while I was there.

Lenz is a business owner and artist from Columbia, SC. This was quite an honor for her to be the lead visual art exhibition to be offered during Charleston’s annual MOJA Arts Festival. The Festival is a celebration of African-American and Caribbean arts. Why her show was being offered at that time – I don’t have a clue, but I’m glad it was.

I’ve known Lenz for some time now, she is a supporter of Carolina Arts and one of the hardest working visual artists in South Carolina. It’s hard to imagine where she finds all the time to do what she does, but that hard work is beginning to pay off for her in big ways. Her works are being featured throughout South Carolina and across the country.

The exhibition is comprised of portraits of people as they are today or at least when Lenz photographed them, with stitched lettering stating a decision they made in their life that had an impact on their lives. Some might seem like normal decisions, some are the kind none of us want to make, and some are just personal choices made at the crossroads of life. The idea is that all through life we have to make decisions and most of us live with them – I know some people who don’t or never will. That’s the way some people are.

The portraits are not identified except for the self portrait of Lenz, but I knew who some of the people are and that added something different to those portraits as it told me something I might not have known about that person. It didn’t take anything away from the portraits of the people I didn’t know – it just added a different twist.

Each portrait was also decorated with objects, often related in some way or another to the decision these folks made.

While viewing each portrait and reading the decisions, I kept thinking – glad I haven’t had to make that decision or it was – been there, made that one.

There is a group of hanging banners in the center of the gallery space that go from the ceiling to the floor which contain what I felt were the kinds of daily decisions we make which determine what kind of person we’re going to be – are we going to be lured to the dark side or will we be strong with the force kind of stuff.

Lenz just doesn’t point out the obvious on decision making, she also offers visitors to the exhibit a chance at hope or to change your luck, fate, destiny, etc. For $15 you can buy a key. On one wall there are hundreds of keys with a word or phrase attached to the key like – Happiness, Health, Wealth, as in key to happiness, key to health and key to wealth. So, for $15 you can buy a key to what you want in life. Not a bad deal.

If you know Lenz’s work, you know she is a collector of objects – objects which end up in her works or objects that become her works, but one thing is true, Lenz doesn’t often offer a view of one object when she can offer that same object in a hundred different views as shown in two displays of doors with items usually associated with doors and some not attached to the doors. In fact, during the upcoming Vista Lights event taking place in Columbia, SC, on Nov. 18, 2010, from 5-10pm, Lenz is asking people to bring her “mateless” socks for a public art project she is working on called Looking For A Mate that will be finished later and be presented during Columbia’s Artista Vista event in the Spring of 2011.

On this rainy Wednesday morning I was the only person visiting the exhibit while I was there, but I felt like I was sharing life with all these people in the portraits – at least they were sharing with me. I don’t know most of them and most of them don’t know me, but we share the decision making process and the results of those decisions. There is no decision we make that doesn’t affect someone else – we are not alone on this big blue ball. The question we live with most of the time is did we make the right decision and who’s to know? Like I said before – most of us live with our decisions – some don’t.

The exhibition ends at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park on Oct. 10, 2010, but I’m sure this exhibit will be showing around the Carolinas and beyond for some time. I know it’s scheduled to be on view at the Waterworks Visual Arts Center in Salisbury, NC, from Feb. 19 through May 14, 2011.

I didn’t bother taking photos as I knew Lenz had posted many images of the exhibit after she installed it on her blog and you can see them at this link. The ones we do offer here are what we received when we got the press release about this exhibit.

Go see this exhibit and see how many decision you’ve made in common with these folks. If you can’t see it in Charleston keep an eye and an ear out for it in a gallery space near you.

While I was in Charleston I also went over to Nina Liu and Friends Gallery, at 24 State Street, to see some other works Lenz has in a group exhibit, The Angel Show, featuring works by artists who use angels as subject matter in their work on a regular basis. The exhibition which includes works by Phillip Chan, Jeff Kopish, Janet Kozachek, Susie Miller Simon, Eric Longo, Susan Lenz, Aggie Zed, and Michael Farrar, will be on view through Nov. 30, 2010.

These works are also multi-media works, but are mainly images of angels from cemeteries. The two shows worked well together.

Make a decision to go see PERSONAL GROUNDS.

Susan Lenz is also part of Vista Studios at 808 Lady Street, in Columbia, SC, where you can see more of her work and perhaps sometime catch her working in her studio. Vista Studios will be celebrating their 20 year anniversary during this year’s Vista Lights by offering a historical exhibit  in Gallery 80808 at the studios featuring works by current and former studio members. The exhibit kicks off on Nov. 18, 2010, at 5pm.

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Saul Alexander Foundation Gallery in Charleston, SC, Calls for Exhibit Proposals

Saturday, August 28th, 2010

I know I said I wasn’t going to put just general press releases here, but I’m posting this here and at Carolina Arts News because I’m a big supporter of the library. Like life – there are always exceptions.

Attention SC Visual Artist: The first thing you need to know is that you have to get your act together between Sept. 1 – Oct. 15, 2010, to have a shot at an opportunity to have an exhibit at the Saul Alexander Foundation Gallery, located in the Main Branch of the Charleston County Public Library in downtown Charleston, SC.

Those dates are the important thing to remember. Now you can read the rest of the information.

The Saul Alexander Foundation Gallery announces a call for entries for juried art exhibitions, solo or group, for the calendar year 2011 at the Main Library. Preference is given to work reflecting experiences and viewpoints of South Carolina residents. Deadline for completed applications is October 15, 2010. Applications are available at the Administrative Office of the Main Library or on our web at this link. Applications are also available by calling Mallery Manning at 843/805-6949.

The Saul Alexander Foundation Gallery is a small intimate exhibit space – when entering the gallery, the left wall is 17′ 8″, the rear wall is 14′ 6″ and the right wall is 19′ 2″. The room height is slightly more than 8′. But, it is in a location that sees high traffic by people who are knowledge seekers – folks with expanded horizons. These are the kind of people you might like to see your art. Although the space is small, I have seen creative artists use it with unlimited imagination. If you understand that – you know what I mean.

For some reason Charleston’s artists don’t seem to be as interested in this exhibit space as I think they should. How do I know this? By the lack of applications submitted by Charleston area artists. And, the fact that more and more shows presented there are by artists from outside of the Charleston area. I guess they prefer places where they can have receptions – booze. You see, some artists think people will only like and buy their art when they are boozed up. I hope you have more confidence in your art.

What you get out of the space depends on what you put in it – meaning I’ve seen exhibits where the artists didn’t even leave any info about the exhibit or how to get in touch with them – even if someone was interested in learning more, getting them to exhibit somewhere else, much less buy something. While others have placed sign-in books for people’s reactions to the exhibit, price lists, business cards, an artist’s statement about the exhibit, and anything else that will help them make a connection with viewers. These artists also send out press releases by deadline to the media to make sure their exhibit has a chance at being promoted to the public. You get out what you put in.

So, here’s an opportunity for any SC visual artists to show their work in Charleston – the place some people call the cultural capital of the South.

Once More: Applications will only be accepted during the Calls for Submissions period from Sept. 1 until Oct. 15, 2010. The works of each selected artist or group will be exhibited for one month beginning in February of 2011.

For further information, please call 843/805-6949 or visit (www.ccpl.org).

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Step Inside the Art World of Charleston, SC, Become a Roadie

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

I recently received this press release at Carolina Arts. If you’ve been wondering what the Charleston Arts Coalition has been up to for such a long silence – here it is. Click on their name to see their new redesigned website.

Here it is:

Is it okay to clap every time the symphony stops playing? Making an “art faux pas” may be intimidating for young adults, attending their first symphony. That’s why the South Carolina Arts Commission is teaming up with Charleston Arts Coalition to present the Charleston Road Show. This already successful program that launched some years ago in Columbia, SC, will give a behind-the-scenes look at what’s involved in creating and presenting art for the stage, screen and wall to 20 Charleston residents, aged 23-39.

Participating organizations include Redux Contemporary Art Center, PURE Theatre, Charleston Ballet Theatre, Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, Chamber Music Charleston and Charleston Symphony Orchestra. New Audience Road Show members will visit each of the participating arts organizations three times. During the first two visits, participants will learn about the art form, from the basics of musical composition to the mood-altering effects of stage lighting and the production of a visual art show. Participants will talk with artists, staff, and board members, try their hand at each art form and take backstage tours. The third visit will include a performance or opening, and each “Roadie”, will be encouraged to invite friends and share what they’ve learned.

“This program gives the ‘Roadies’ the confidence to take their relationship with art to the next level,” says Stacy Huggins, program coordinator for Charleston.

The participating art organizations get a chance to listen more closely and design programs and experiences that really welcome the young and eager audiences in the community.

“The most shocking thing that we learned from the Road Show was that there was a certain intimidation factor for those young audiences with no previous art experience to even come into the building,” says Leslie Pierce of the Columbia Museum of Art. “It made us rethink what we were doing, made us look at the museum with fresh eyes and approach it in a different way that we have not done before,” continues Pierce.

The Charleston Road Show is based on the SCAC’s pilot program New Audience Road Show that is now in its third season. Through participation grants, the SCAC, Charleston Arts Coalition and Charleston Road Show aim to increase knowledge of local arts organizations and young adult participation and patronage in them. Each organization was carefully selected based on their commitment to making quality experiences for the “Roadies”.

Charleston-area residents ages 23-39 are invited to apply for the Road Show, which runs from Sept. 2010 to May 2011. Applications are available online by visiting (www.CharlestonArtsCoalition.com); application deadline is Aug. 26, 2010. There is a nominal fee of $25.

For further information contact Stacy Huggins by calling 843/364-8333 or e-mailing to (charlestonroadshow@hotmail.com). More information is also available on the Road Show’s Facebook page.

Charleston Arts Coalition provides a forum and virtual gateway for creative individuals, organizations and businesses to collaborate on projects, exchange ideas, host special events and promote creativity.  The CAC is open to anyone and everyone who wants to be involved. Major projects include (www.CharlestonCulture.com), a website free and open to all people, where artists of all disciplines can create profiles, post events, discuss issues and connect with others in the community, and the Charleston Road Show.

The South Carolina Arts Commission is the state agency charged with creating a thriving arts environment that benefits all South Carolinians, regardless of their location or circumstances.  Created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967, the Arts Commission focuses on increasing public participation in the arts by providing services, grants and leadership initiatives in three areas: arts education, community arts development and artist development. Headquartered in Columbia, SC, the Arts Commission is funded by the state of South Carolina and by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, visit (www.SouthCarolinaArts.com) or call 803/734-8696.

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