If there is one thing I’ve learned in my 37 years of living in SC’s Lowcountry it is the fact that although I love where I live – it is good to get out from time to time to enjoy the offerings of other communities – just a few hours drive away. I wish more people in the Lowcountry would feel that way, but I guess when you are born with pluffmud between your toes you see things differently. I’m originally from Michigan.

So, within two hours of leaving the Carolina Arts headquarters in Bonneau, SC, I was pulling into a nice parking space at about 4:45pm right on Lady Street in the heart of this event which would close off Gervais Street from 5-8pm. I guess most folks in Columbia didn’t think they could get a parking space so close to the action.

I started my Vista Lights journey at Vista Studios, a group of artists’ studios and Gallery 80808, which was presenting the exhibit Legally Twenty-One, featuring works by the studio artists, on view through Nov. 29, 2011.

I took my first photo and pulled out my note pad and – where’s my pen? And, it hits me like a lead brick – I took it out to write down my beginning mileage and it’s sitting on the passenger car seat. Darn! I took a few more photos but not too many that I couldn’t remember the order and then went to call on Susan Lenz who has a studio at Vista Studios. She’s a highly organized individual and I just knew she would have a spare pen or pencil. And sure enough, she had a fishbowl full of pens and pencils on one of her work tables.

Talking Trash by Kirkland Smith

Talking Trash, the full image.

We had a good chat about various subjects ranging from upcoming shows, business deductions that don’t grow on trees, and the sad fact that she will be “forced” to attend an artist’s residency for the month of March 2012 in Key West, FL. Poor Susan. The things some artists are forced to go through to keep the creativity going is downright heartbreaking at times. This was not one of those times, but Lenz has had her fair share of struggles so I gave her a pass while I was thinking that I’ll still be cleaning up Winter’s mess left in our yard during the month of March.

Reliquary to All by Heidi Darr-Hope

White Trash by Kirkland Smith. Works by Stephen Chesley to the left, work by
Laura Spong to the right.

Bill and Nan in Their Prime by Pat Gilmartin

So with pen in hand, I returned to my photo path and recorded titles and took a few more photos. Once home reviewing my photos I realized I didn’t get any photos of Lenz’s works in the exhibit, but I’m sure I’ll make that up sometime in the future. After all, she saved me a trip back to the car.

I also has a chat with Laura Spong, which is a tradition going back to my first days of delivering Carolina Arts to Columbia – back in the days when it was a printed publication – so old hat. When I think about that I realize I’d still be on the road right now if I had to deliver the 77,000 plus papers people have downloaded so far this month. My back and feet would be killing me.

Spong will be having an exhibit opening at the Spartanburg Art Museum in Spartanburg, SC, next month. Her exhibition, Laura Spong: Early Works will open on Dec. 20 and continue through Feb. 18, 2012. Make sure you put that on your calendar.

Other folks meeting Bill and Nan

Vista Studios was beginning to fill up so I headed on to my next stop – City Art Gallery to see the exhibit, New Abstracts: Rodney Wimer, which will be on view through Dec. 23, 2011. The key word here is “abstracts”. I like abstracts – regular readers know that by now. I’d seen the photos that we presented in our Nov. issue of Wimer’s exhibit, but photos never do much for me when it comes to seeing abstracts up close, in person. Wimer had my attention and his works did not disappoint. Since red is a favorite of mine, it was a plus that the color red seems to show up in most of his works.

The photos I took of Wimer’s works at City Art have made the reds look too orange, but I’m including some of the images we received for the paper to show the true colors, but all computer screens show colors differently. Take my word – his reds are red.

People checking out Rodney Wimer’s works

St. George and the Dragon by Rodney Wimer. Photo from City Art

A detail of A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints to show the texture of Rodney
Wimer’s work.

Randy Hanna, one of the owners at City Art and the art supply guru, matched up with me as we declared our favorites. That just shows me what an eye for art he has.

I found some not too tall women by Harriet Marshall Goode. These paintings
were only 45″ tall compared to the 7′ tall paintings Goode presented a few
months ago.

Of course Vista Lights is more about visuals than words, so I’ll let these meager photos tell just a little of the story you need to experience for yourself.

These folks were entertaining the crowd on Gervais Street

These children are waiting for their turn to preform

These folks were checking out the windows at Carol Sanders Gallery

Folks were flowing in and out of The Gallery at Nonnah’s

Here you can see some of the art on display at The Gallery at Nonnah’s

Here folks are roasting marshmellows

To illustrate how different the crowd is for Vista Lights compared to Artista Vista I stood on the Blue Marlin side of Lady Street looking across at if ART Gallery and the Lewis + Clark’s work studio. Streams of people were flowing past if ART with one in ten going in the door, but everyone was stopping to check out what they were seeing at Lewis + Clark, which was an odd collection of robot lamps – at least that’s what seemed to be drawing people in. During Artista Vista the crowd is there for the arts, during Vista Lights, more families are on the street. I would guess that during Artista Vista no one would be passing by if Arts.

Various lamps at Lewis + Clark

A closer look at one of the lamps

Body of the Robot Lamp/Stooges by Clark Ellefson

This was Lenin Bot by Clark Ellefson

My last stop of the evening was at One Eared Cow Glass. No trip to Columbia is complete without a stop to see the cowboys who were be demonstrating their magic for Vista Lights. Tommy Lockart, Mark Woodham and their sidekick Ryan Crabtree were doing the dance of glass making with an entranced audience on hand. Nowhere better does the concept behind Vista Lights works better than at One Eared Cow Glass where light sparkles off the surfaces of the colorful glass creations. If you squint your eyes it’s as if your looking at one big Christmas tree.

View inside the showroom at One Eared Cow Glass

This lamp is one of my new favorites

Mark Woodham talks to a very interested crowd

One parting shot – just another wonderful creation

I’m telling you – if you’ve never been before, put the Thursday before Thanksgiving on your calendar for a trip to Vista Lights in Columbia, SC. And then mark that weekend in for a trip to Seagrove, NC – my next blog entry.

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I have no problem with these selections – I think they’re both great, but I’ve got a few problems with the process. First, I’m not sure if the problem is that so few artists are applying for these fellowships or if it’s the fact that the same people keep applying for it, but it’s a shame with so many talented artists in this state that we have repeat winners. Also, I don’t think the Arts Commission should have people with close ties to SC’s art community on the selection panel.

But, why beat a dead horse. Nothing will change while the same folks are in charge.

Here’s the press release – I added the images of work by each artist. I guess the Arts Commission thinks photos of the artists are more important than examples of their work.

The South Carolina Arts Commission Board in Columbia, SC, has awarded Individual Artist Fellowships to two South Carolina visual artists in the categories of visual arts and craft. Each artist receives $5,000.

This year’s fellows are:
Visual Arts: Jonathan Brilliant, Richland County
Craft: Russell Biles, Greenville County

“The arts, and all the benefits they bring, depend on capable artists, who are central to the creative industries in our state,” said SC Arts Commission Executive Director Ken May. “The fellowships offer resources that artists can use to advance their careers. We’re fortunate to have funds to award thanks to a generous contribution from the South Carolina Arts Foundation.”

The SC Arts Commission board approves fellowships based on recommendations made by out-of-state review panelists, who select fellows based solely on a review of anonymous work samples. The visual arts and craft panelists were: Rene Barilleaux, chief curator/curator of art after 1945, McNay Art Museum, San Antonio; Lia Rose Newman, director of programs and exhibitions, Artspace, Inc, Raleigh, NC; and Miguel Gomez-Ibanez, president, North Bennet Street School, Boston.

The South Carolina Arts Foundation, a nonprofit organization supporting the education and arts development programs of the SC Arts Commission, funded three of the four fellowships awarded this year (two others in Music). Individual artists working in poetry, prose, dance performance and dance choreography can apply for the 2012-2013 fellowship awards. The deadline to apply is Nov. 1, 2011.

FY2012 SC Arts Commission Artist Fellows’ Biographies

Jonathan Brilliant, Richland County – Visual Arts Fellow

Jonathan Brilliant holds a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art from the College of Charleston and a Master of Fine Arts in Spatial Arts from San Jose State University. He has served as a visiting artist and artist-in-residence for numerous communities, schools and universities, including the Ox-Bow School of Art, the Penland School of Crafts, Redux Contemporary Art Center, University of Oklahoma, University of Memphis, and recently for the East/West Project in Berlin, Germany. In 2007, Brilliant was awarded a Joan Mitchell Foundation fellowship to attend the Vermont Studio Center. In 2009 he received the juror’s award at the National Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition and was named a South Carolina Arts Commission Visual Arts Fellow alternate. Brilliant creates compositional elements by weaving, welding and stacking various mediums, including such re-purposed coffee shop items as stirrers, lids and cups. From May 2009 – December 2010 he conducted his “Have Sticks Will Travel World Tour,” a series of site-specific installations in 13 galleries on two continents. In September 2010, Brilliant was named the winner of the Columbia Design League’s inaugural “Play With Your City” public art competition. In addition to site-specific installations, Brilliant works with drawing, sculpture and photography and lectures at universities across the country.

Russell Biles, Greenville County – Craft Fellow

Russell Biles received his Bachelor of Visual Arts in Sculpture from Winthrop University. His works have been displayed throughout the Southeast and are in collections from Arizona to the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. Described as a “sculptural satirist,” Biles focuses on culture’s obsession with celebrity to engage his audience. His works range from 1 to 10 feet in scale and have been featured in many national publications, including American Craft and The Ceramic Narrative. Biles received the Juror’s Choice Award for his work, “The Red Clay Survey,” at the Huntsville Museum of Art in 1994 and was named a South Carolina Arts Commission Visual Arts Fellow in 2001. He continues to serve the arts community by doing commissioned work and providing workshops, school residencies, master classes and other educational programs. In September, his work will be displayed in “Contradictions,” an exhibition at the Mindy Solomon Gallery in St. Petersburg, Fla.

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 works to increase 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, by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts and other sources.

For more information, visit (www.SouthCarolinaArts.com) or call 803/734-8696.

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Back on June 2, 2011, we received an e-mail from One Eared Cow Glass (OECG) in Columbia, SC, about one of their 20th Anniversary events or specials – a sort of take our T-shirt on vacation with you offer. The deal was that if you took a One Eared Cow Glass T-shirt on vacation with you and took a picture of someone wearing it at a monument, sign, or place, that is clearly recognizable – you would get $40 in “cow bucks” off your next purchase at OECG – just for showing your “cow pride” and letting them use the picture on Facebook and in the gallery.

For Linda and I, this was a deal we couldn’t pass up. We have three weddings to attend in the next four months and OECG is our official wedding gift retailer. And, believe me – no wedding takes place in our extended family without an invitation coming to us – whether we can attend or not as word has gotten around what kind of gift you will receive.

Of course the catch is that these e-mails telling about these great offers were only going to folks on OECG’s e-mail list and you had to own a OECG T-shirt, but how hard is it to get on someone’s e-mail list and Tommy Lockart (one of the cowboys) told me – any OECG T-shirt will do and they have sold plenty of them throughout their 20 years in business. And, they have plenty of new ones in stock. They say they can even mail you one or a dozen (803/254-2444).

This deal runs through Aug. 31, 2011, but it’s not the only deal they have in the works. But, I’m not telling you to do anything. I’m not suggesting that you do anything. I’m just telling you there is a deal out there – this is what it takes to complete the deal – I know it works – we got our $40 discount and here’s what they call in the biz – the money shot or shots in this case.

Now Linda and I are not taking a vacation this year – we had one last year. But we do live down the road from a very important SC monument – the grave of Francis Marion – the Swamp Fox – a true American Revolutionary hero. It’s one of the most important monuments in South Carolina. There is also a special prize for the T-shirt that travels the greatest distance, but I don’t think we’ll be winning that, but 40 “cow bucks” is $40 bucks. I’m just saying.

P.S. Get on “the” e-mail list, get “a” T-shirt, take a “picture” near a monument, get it to “them” before Aug. 31, 2011, and save $40.

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So, why exactly did the SC Legislature have to pass a law demanding that the SC Arts Commission spend 70% of its state funding on grants? Why did they have to write that stipulation into law? Could it be that the Arts Commission was spending more on themselves than they were giving out in grants to other arts organizations?

Over the years I have pointed out that the SC Arts Commission, the cat with nine lives, was one of the largest state arts agencies in the country – much bigger than state art agencies in our region. Yes, they may be a lot leaner today than they used to be, but the Arts Commission is still a bloated agency which carries an expensive overhead. I’m led to understand that this 70% restriction will mean some folks at the Arts Commission will lose their jobs, which I feel sorry for, especially in these times, but this agency has brought all their current problems down on themselves.

Over my 25 + years in following the arts in this state I have always wondered what all these people are doing when I can see so little results in the general art community that they contribute – other than handing out money to their friends. They can go on and on in reports they write themselves, about all they are doing and what they have accomplished each year, and their fans – mostly people who receive funding and awards from them, will back up those self-preformed pats on their back.

Look, I’m for government funded art. You don’t see me railing against the NC Arts Council or the NEA. My problem is with the SC Arts Commission and their version of what serving the arts community means – serve yourself first – then the art community.

The truth is in the numbers. And, these are the latest numbers available from the SC Comptroller General’s office. These are some of the expenses of the SC Arts Commission – mostly their overhead in distributing funding to the people who do the real arts in our state. These numbers are from FY 2009-2010, not that long ago. Current numbers are not available – I wonder why.

Equipment – $5,076

Membership fees, rentals and rent – $347,565
(of which $268,507 is for rent of their building) I would have thought they could have purchased a building in the Vista years ago with that kind of rent.

Utilities – $42,869

Personal Services – $1,115,415
(On this item I know fewer people are there now working at the Arts Commission since 2009-2010, but here are some of the latest figures on salaries of just six employees who make over $50,000 – the limit where the State has to tell you what they’re being paid. This does not include State benefits.)

Figures as of May 13, 2011

Ken May – $91,664.00
Harriett Green – $55,284.00
Charles “Rusty” Cox – $54,596.00
Susan Duplessis – $51,854.00
Clay Burnett – $51,560.00
Joy Young – $50,609.00
(These six salaries total $355,567 and there could be 20 more people who make around $40,000.00 each if not more.)

Supplies & Materials – $23,997
($3,020 of that was postage, but I can’t imagine what they are mailing with the invention of e-mail.)

Transportation – $68

Travel – $27,568
(Now here’s a category that should be totally gone after last year’s cut-backs where the agency said it would do no more travel, but let’s see where some of this was going: $1,995 for in-state lodging; $10,441 for non-state employee travel; $903 for out of state lodging; $8,982 for leasing of state-owned cars; etc.)

The total of these expenses I’ve listed is $1,562,558.00. And, I didn’t list all the categories offered as I didn’t totally understand them, but that’s $1.5 million in overhead already – just to say we have an arts agency.

Salaries, rents and utilities don’t go away – so depending on what their budget allocation is from year to year (FY 2012 – the state budget for them is $1.9 million) it makes a big difference what’s left over each year, even when you throw in Federal monies, when so much has to come off the top on July 1 – every year. And, what do we get – an agency who decides who gets the rest of the money in the arts community or more like who won’t.

I think the SC Arts Commission has been consuming close to 50% of its budget by just existing.

The Arts Commission was also telling the public that it will also lose $250,000 the state appropriated last year in one-time stimulus funds, for a total year-to-year reduction of 16% in state appropriations. Again – they don’t seem to understand what a one-time thing is. You only get it once – you don’t get to then say the next year that  money is being cut from your budget this year. It was a one-time deal, get over it.

So in summation, I think the 70% clause was written into the law to force the SC Arts Commission to get lean like the rest of us have had to and make them spend the bulk of their budget on money for artists and arts groups – not themselves.

Don’t feel sorry for them yet, the alternative was no agency at all and they will still get their hands on $1.3 million from the Feds, which I’m sure has less restrictions on it. We all know how well the Federal government keeps track of our money.

So, the real question of the day is: Does the law mean that the SC Arts Commission has to make sure 70% of its total budget (including Federal money) has to go to grants or does it just mean 70% of what the State of SC has given them? And, what restrictions does the Federal money have on it? Where was it intended to go and to whom?

Because 30% of $1.9 million is $570,000 and the top six employees are paid $355,567 – that doesn’t leave enough to pay the rent on the building ($268,507) those six people would be rattling around in. So unless there is some slight of hand at work here or they can use that Federal money for whatever – there is either going to be a caretaker staff at the Arts Commission outnumbered by the Commissioners or the real arts providers in SC are going to get screwed again by the Arts Commission skimming off that Federal money.

And as long as the State of SC allows the Arts Commission to report on themselves without any audits – who’s to know where that money really goes.

I’m glad I’m not part of a non-profit that is hoping for a decent piece of the pie. If the next time you see someone from the Arts Commission and they have cherry pie all over their face – well, oh my.

The link to the SC Comptroller General’s office for the SC Arts Commission’s 2009 – 2010 expenses – their overhead before grants are given are at (https://ssl.sc.gov/SpendingTransparency/CategorySearchResult.aspx). Then just click Annual Summary and then select the year and the SC Arts Commission. You may even want to look back over time to see where all its money has been going.

No pie for you!

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This is NOT a critical review! I can just see the Internet alive with chatter about Susan Lenz’s death after a few people see this headline. In reality, Lenz will just die for two and a half hours in one of the window displays at Tapp’s.

In collaboration with “radical evolutionary” artist Michael Krajewski and fine art photographer Heather Bauer, installation artist Susan Lenz will create a tableaux in a Main Street window at the Tapps Center for the Arts. The curtain will open at 5:30pm on Thursday, June 2, 2011, and the curtain will close at approximately 8pm.

Update: Eric Parton will also take part in this performance.

Please come by to see the Pre-Raphaelite inspired Ophelia laying in a tub of artificial flowers collected from cemetery dumpsters with a graffiti-inspired suicide note, “I LOVE YOU, HAMLET”. After the one-evening performance, Heather Bauer’s photo will be suspended above the “scene of the crime”.

For more information visit Lenz’s blog post at (http://artbysusanlenz.blogspot.com/2011/05/preparing-for-my-first-performance-art.html) or go to her Facebook page at (http://www.facebook.com/susan.lenz).

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I’ve been seeing some chatter on Facebook about International Museum Day – a day where apparently museums around the world are celebrating with reduced or free admission, but not many in the Carolinas. From what I’ve seen, about a handful of NC museums are offering free or reduced admission, but I haven’t seen any notices by museums in SC about this day.

I don’t blame them – it’s not much of a celebration when you’re giving up some of your revenue – even if it’s just for a day. Times are hard in the Carolinas as far as arts funding goes – especially in SC. Our Governor would like to cut all funding from the state budget for our museums. Shame on her.

We at Carolina Arts support our art museums in the Carolinas – every month. Our May 2011 issue of Carolina Arts (www.carolinaarts.com) features 10 articles about exhibits at Carolina museums. We listed info for 37 museums in our gallery listings and about a dozen more for facilities which just didn’t have museum in their name. Yet, we had one paid ad in that issue from the Spartanburg Art Museum.

In better times we had a lot more ads from these museums and we hope if better times return they’ll be supportive again, but we’re not going to leave them hanging in between.

Maybe International Museum Day should be a day when the public goes out of it’s way to visit museums – and pay full price admission. Now that would be something for the museums to celebrate.

Coming This Weekend

The inaugural Celadon Fine Arts Festival presents the highest caliber of fine art and crafts, for the knowledgeable and discriminating audience that resides, visits, and revels in the Lowcountry creative experience. Entry is $5 per car, and Saturday the 21st is Family Day, complete with entertainment and food.

The festival is located in the beautiful Celadon Community on Lady’s Island, across the bridge from historic Beaufort, SC. Artists, collectors, and visitors will be surrounded by oak trees, ponds, and the distinguished architecture that is Celadon, while enjoying concerts and other delights during the three-day event, May 20-22, 2011.

The Celadon Fine Arts Festival is produced by the Celadon Community Arts Trust Association and ARTworks, the Arts Council of Beaufort, Port Royal & the Sea Islands of South Carolina.

For more info or to view a full list of participants visit (http://www.beaufortcountyarts.com/celadon1.htm#gallery); call 843-379-2787; visit (www.ArtWorksInBeaufort.org) or visit (www.CeladonFineArtsFestival.org).

The 701 Center for Contemporary Art in Columbia, SC, is presenting a free tour of Columbia area artist’s studios with the 701 CCA Columbia Open Studios weekend, Saturday, May 21, 10am-6pm and Sunday, May 22, noon-6pm, throughout Richland and Lexington Counties.

Participating on the tour are the following artists: Alicia Leeke, Amanda Ladymon, B. Alex Smith, Becky Hyatt Rickenbaker, Beth West, Cindy Alpert Saad, Clark Ellefson, David H. Yaghjian, Diane Gilbert, Eileen Blyth, Gail Cunningham, Grace L. Rockafellow, Howard Hunt, Jan Swanson, Jeff Donovan, Jefferson Jay Hubbell, Judy Bolton Jarrett, K. Page Morris, Karen Langley, Kathryn Van Aernum, Laura Spong, Letitia “Tish” Lowe, Linda Coleman, Lucinda Howe, Mallory Phillips, Mary Bentz Gilkerson, Mary Elliott Williams, Michel McNinch, Nini Ward, One Eared Cow Glass, Pamm Collins, Patrick Parise, Peggy Nunn, Porter O’Brien Dodd, Regina Moody, Richard Lund, Rob Shaw, Robert Clark, Suzy Shealy, Sylvia Ady-Potts, Tam Hicks, Tim Floyd, Tyrone Geter, Vicki Corley, and Whitney LeJeune.

For further info call 701 CCA at 803/238-2351 or visit (http://www.columbiaopenstudios.org).

And, of course if you’re heading to the Mountains or need an excuse to head to the hills, you could take in Michael Kline Pottery’s 3rd Annual Spring Kiln Opening on May 21 & 22, 9am-5pm, in Bakersville, NC.

Kline is one of the hottest potters in the Carolinas this month with several shows going on and he and his pottery are even being imported to Seagrove for an event next weekend. Imagine that – Seagrove bringing in a potter from the outside for an event.

Michael Klein Pottery is located at 4062 Snow Creek Road in Bakersville, NC. For info or directions call 828/675-4097 or e-mail to (michael@klinepottery.com). Or to get the latest update tune into (http://michaelklinepottery.blogspot.com/).

If none of these events tickle your fancy, check out our May issue of Carolina Arts at (www.carolinaarts.com) – there are 71 pages about exhibits and events going on throughout the Carolinas.

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OK, right off I want to make it clear that I take the power of Mother Nature seriously. Although, it may sound at times like I scoff at the predictions of weather experts – I spend a lot of time watching and listening to the folks at the Weather Channel, and on Thursday, April 28, 2011, that process lasted from 7:30am to 2pm. And by noon, they seemed to stop talking about South Carolina which gave me the sign that Linda and I were not taking that much of a risk traveling to Columbia, SC, for the 20th Anniversary of Artists Vista – the annual celebration of the visual arts in Columbia’s Vista area. The storm which had killed over 300 people had lost a lot of its punch by the time it got to the eastern coast. Believe me, after watching coverage of what the storm had done in Alabama, I wasn’t taking the weather lightly, but in the same breath – the weather can change in the blink of an eye.

On our two hour drive to Columbia, twice we were sprinkled on for a minute or two, but by the time we crossed the intersection of I-26 and I-95, it seems that we were on the other side of this fast moving storm, which was headed east and when we got to Columbia, the sun was shining, the winds were calm and there were few clouds in the sky. It was a perfect Spring evening in Columbia. A few hours this way or that way and things could have been a lot more challenging. We all lucked out.

So why were we going to Artista Vista anyway? First, it’s part of our job to get out and see some of the events we cover in the paper. Second, it was the 20th Anniversary and third, we like Columbia’s visual art community. We have a lot of good supporters there and we always enjoy the different kind of art scene Columbia presents – compared to Charleston, our own back yard.

Now what do I mean by that? Simply put, Charleston is a tourist destination and the art community is influenced by that, and Columbia is – not so much. Being the capital city, it is the business and political hub of South Carolina and the visual artists there hold on to their ties to university and college longer than if tourist were demanding images of the local scenes. Don’t get me wrong, you can find just as much tourist oriented art in Columbia and just as much non-tourist art in Charleston – if you look hard enough, but each city has a distinctively different approach to art making.

It’s not that unusual, all art communities are creatures of their environments. If you go to the mountains – you’ll find less images of beaches and more of mountains, waterfalls, and stands of forest. In the desert it’s coyotes and desert landscapes. Out west it’s cowboys and native Americans. The point is, Columbia’s art community is different than Charleston’s. A few more observations I can make in comparing the two cities is, Charleston has many more art galleries in a more compacted area and although over the years I have seen many folks from Columbia at art walks in Charleston, I have never seen anyone from Charleston in Columbia during one of their art walks, except for a few artists being featured in shows in Columbia, which is a shame.

Before we get into my observations on the 20th Anniversary of Artista Vista, I want to explain that most of my opinions are based from an insiders perspective. After all, I’m in the biz, and we’re part of the delivery system telling people about the different opportunities being presented to them and I have to say I didn’t get the feeling that this was a 20th Anniversary celebration at all. It was more the feeling of “We can’t believe we’ve made it to 20 years celebration”. Which is a sign of the times. The art community as a whole – both non-profit and commercial have been under siege during the last decade by a failing economy and social politics. In the words of former President Jimmy Carter – they’ve been suffering from a malaise. How else can you feel when your Governor says there is no value to the public in supporting the arts.

I’ve been to about a half dozen Artista Vista and Vista Lights events and I wouldn’t have been able to tell you the difference between the 10th, 13th, 15th or 20th. There were no signs that this Artista Vista was more special than the last. Funding, or lack of funding, could be the answer here but I wasn’t getting the impression that anything was different. The people promoting the event had little info to offer and it’s not my job to make up or fill in the blanks on what’s being offered. And, while covering events in two states I don’t have time to investigate it either. People are being paid to provide this information. And on the other hand, they can only pass on the info they are provide by presenters. And, Artista Vista has had a long history of being short and at the last minute on information. I am amazed these days at how little effort people are making to get people to attend their offerings – as if people don’t have any choices. There were a few exceptions I’ll mention later.

Linda had taken the afternoon off from her other job to go on this trip, so we were able to arrive a little early and we found a good central parking space on Lincoln Street in the heart of where most of the art galleries are located. The less walking we have to do for both of us the better. We were both taking a little time off from finishing the May 2011 issue of Carolina Arts – check it out at (www.carolinaarts.com).

Our first stop was Vista Studios, which had recently celebrated its own 20th anniversary last year during Vista Lights – the fall event in the Vista. The exhibit here was, Prima Vista: Fresh Art at Vista Studios, featuring works by all 13 studio artists, on view through May 10, 2011. There was a time during my delivery days when Columbia was one of the few cities where I arrived during the daylight, although very early in the morning – but not too early to catch a few artists already at work at Vista Studios. Laura Spong was one of those early birds. We used to have some good discussions about the Columbia visual art scene.

From L to R, work by Pat Gilmartin, Ethel Brody, 2 by Laurie McIntosh and 2 by David Yaghjian

About half of the artists who called Vista Studios home in those days have moved on to other studios, but the quality of artists has always stayed high and diverse. Their shows are always interesting. And, on this day, all the studios seemed to be open – not always the case over the years.

We actually arrived slightly before 5pm, the official starting time, but there were also a few other early birds there with us and soon the place was filling up. We made some of the usual stops. I’m always amazed at the bargains Ethel Brody presents for these occasions. I looked at a nice print which was priced at $10. We have a number of these bargains in our collection. We talked with Laura Spong about how long it’s been since those old days of my early morning visits. We had been at Artista Vista two years ago, but a lot of stuff has happened in those two years. Spong was apologizing for not being so computer savvy and that she hadn’t seen our new version of the paper. Linda showed it to her on her iPhone. Spong will be in Charleston on May 6, for a reception at Smith Killian Fine Arts, during one of Charleston’s major art walks. She’s included in a group exhibit of some of SC’s leading contemporary artists. That will be another posting.

I’m always interested in seeing Pat Gilmartin’s new sculptural creations – which didn’t disappoint me. I’m still remembering a piece she had two years ago titled, Blooming Arms.

Blooming Arms, by Pat Gilmartin

We checked out a few of the new studio residents since last time, Michel McNinch and Kirkland Smith. McNinch is ready for her 17-day marathon during the annual Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibit in Marion Square in downtown Charleston, SC, starting May 27, 2011. The artists who do that show are made of steel – in my opinion.

Work by Kirkland Smith

Detail of Kirkland Smith’s work. Objects make the color.

We had hoped to meet Kirkland Smith, who is now our publicity contact with Vista Studios, but she was outside her studio while we checked it out – her work is amazing and I hope my photos do it justice. I also liked the drawings I saw in her studio.

Wall of Keys, by Susan Lenz

We would have also talked with Susan Lenz, but she was doing duty at her installation, I DO / I DON’T, over at 927-929 Gervais Street. This was a busy week for her. She was involved in art events all over Columbia, Charleston, and North Charleston.

Weight Lifter, 3-D art by David Yaghjian

The crowd was picking up here so we moved on up the hill to City Art, which was presenting the exhibit, Layers and Passages: A  Tribute to Seven Women of Courage and Compassion, featuring works by Stephen Nevitt, head of the art department at Columbia College.

As we walked in the door we saw Randy Hanna of City Art and Mary Gilkerson, who we ran into at City Art two years ago. That was a little strange. Gilkerson teaches art at Columbia College and writes reviews for the FreeTimes newspaper in Columbia. She also once wrote reviews for Carolina Arts – which now seems like a long, long time ago.

People viewing Stephen Nevitt’s exhibit.

Randy Hanna – making a sale! Yes, it happens even in the middle of such events.

Nevitt’s exhibit was a great look at a family tree in photos as well as a great example of how a creative artist can turn family photos into works of art. While looking at them I overheard someone say how brave Wendy Wells, the owner of City Art, was to present such an exhibit during an important event. I guess this was a reference to sales – like who would buy artworks of Nevitt’s family? I disagree.

Wells has never been one to shy away from doing the brave thing, but since when is it brave to exhibit good art? And, have you ever noticed all the artwork which includes people as the subject matter. And, for all the people who buy those works of people they do not know – it doesn’t seem to bother them – people are interesting and they make interesting subjects for artists. I’m sure Wells would tell you as a gallery owner, she’s taking a risk with every art exhibit she presents no matter what the subject or medium is. There are no sure things.

When I first saw Wells she was mopping up a spill on the floor. I missed that photo by seconds. When we actually got to talk with her she was filling punch glasses. It’s such a glamorous life owning and running an art gallery. Her first question was if we knew how other locations were doing?

There was a good crowd at City Art, more than you would think as it is a big space, and we were happy to report they had a good crowd at Vista Studios. Little did we know that might have been the peak of the evening. Of course in my opinion these two venues were two of the most popular stops in the Vista.

Sidebar: There were a lot of people on the streets, but they didn’t seem to be flowing in and out of the galleries. The Vista is not the same Vista of a few years ago. There was a time when there was an art walk down there – most of the people were there for the galleries – there wasn’t that much else to do down there, but today it has a lively nightlife scene.

A work by Jo Dean Bauknight that I liked – a paint makers dream kind of artist.

While at City Art we also ran into an old friend, Claire (Suzie) Farrell, who used to be part of the Waterfront Gallery in Charleston, which has now closed. She was one of the Columbia artists who had moved into the Charleston art market. We had seen her at many a Charleston art walk. We shared more talk about the good old days, which may be old, but we’re still enjoying good days, but it’s hard to not think of the 1990′s as the golden days for the art community in South Carolina.

So it was time to move on to see the installation art. I’ll admit up front, I’m not big on installation art. Many times it falls short of the written or verbal hype it is given and I have to say I’ve been spoiled by some people who do it very well. I’ve seen the site-specific exhibits that the Spoleto Festival USA presented in its heyday when it presented visual arts. I’ve seen some great installations during Piccolo Spoleto Festivals including works by Herb Parker, Patrick Dougherty and Jonathan Brilliant. So, I’ve seen some really good installation pieces and I’ve seen some bad ones. It’s like all art – some good – some bad and what I don’t like probably thrills others. I was mainly drawn to this show to see what Susan Lenz had come up with. She is slowly but surely building up to one day being an A level installation artist. She’s not bad now, but one day someone is going to give her the money to really do something spectacular.

Now here is where a lack of information hurt this event. This might cost me some advertising, but so be it. The first press release we received offered very little details. I could write one just like it right now for next year. The next one, came after our deadline for our April issue, but it had more details about an installation art component for this year’s Artista Vista. I posted it on our blog, but it still didn’t have some vital info – like there was an active blog (http://artistavistainstallit.blogspot.com/), which was started on Mar. 31, covering the progress of the installation project headed up by Jeffrey Day, former arts writer and art critic for The State newspaper in Columbia.

Day didn’t send us any info about this project, which is understandable since we have been at odds and he doesn’t think much of our publication. I did hear him at least twice on ETV radio programs plugging the event the week of the event, but I also know he didn’t approach other media venues to get the word out either. It’s what happens when you have strong opinions – you burn some bridges, but I got the impression he was trying. The problem may have been with the people being paid to promote this event – I don’t know. Knowing about the blog would have helped spread the word ahead of time – on the installation project.

Anyway, I liked Susan Lenz’s piece, but didn’t care for much of the others that I saw at the location on Gervais Street. She was there taking an active part in getting people to participate in her piece – it was almost like a performance piece. She was so busy that when we went to say hi, she gave Linda one of the markers to post a statement about marriage on a board that would later be added to one of the veils. This gal was working. Nice leggings, Susan. (Anyone who was there knows what I’m talking about.) She wouldn’t stay still long enough to get a photo. She was busy so we moved on.

I DO / I DON’T by Susan Lenz

People giving their input on marriage and divorce.

Anyway, maybe I’m just too simple to grasp the magnitude of the other installations, but in paraphrasing a Supreme Court judge’s attempts to explain what’s pornographic – I don’t know how to explain what is good installation art, but I know it when I see it.

Sticks and Stones by Bill Guess

You Are Here, by Kara Gunter

We received this photo, after our posting, of Eileen Blyth’s installation on Park Street.
Again, I wish we could have seen everything, but there is never time and energy to do it all.

It’s just my opinion, Day will be able to tell these artists it doesn’t mean much and it doesn’t. I don’t expect everyone to like what I’m doing or saying either – nor should they.

I do have to wonder how Day feels these days standing on the other side of the fence. He spent years nit-picking other people’s efforts in presenting art and now he’s on the front lines. I heard a lot of praise for the Vista art galleries during those public radio programs. I hope he really feels that way now. It wasn’t too long ago that he helped several artists question if Columbia really had any “real” art galleries in an article in The State. In fact, he is now getting a lot of support – for this project and a publication he is involved with these days from these same galleries.

Frankly, I’m glad Day is part of the art community now. He’s articulate, experienced, and I guess passionate about the art community. Now he’s learning what it’s like to try and present things with limited resources. No one expects anyone to hit a home run their first time at bat.

We wanted to make sure we hit One Eared Cow Glass before we ran out of gas, so our next stop was headed in the direction of the car to The Gallery at DuPRE, a gallery I have never been in before. Linda had already worked a six hour day, spent two hours in the car and we were in the middle of putting the May issue of Carolina Arts together.  We were running on borrowed time. I wish we could have gotten to the Gallery at Nonnah’s, but on this day – it was a bridge too far for us, although just across the street (four lanes of traffic). We’ll start there next time.

The Gallery at DuPRE had some nice works in it, but not many people looking. Their entrance is down an alley or you could come through the store it’s in back of, but there were not many people coming in from there either. At least while we were there. We don’t get many notices from this gallery about exhibits and if you’re not as active as other galleries, it many be hard to compete during events like this – people make choices, hardly anyone tries to visit all the stops in an art walk. There were a few other locations listed as part of Artista Vista which only seem to be mentioned during these events which would tell regulars in the visual art community that they might be a risk in visiting. People like to go places they know – not everyone wants an adventure.

When we got to One Eared Cow Glass, usually my first stop to any art walk in Columbia, we could see the fall off of the crowd on the fringes. And the cowboys, Tommy Lockart and Mark Woodham, confirmed that they were not seeing many people. They just had a wine tasting event which was part of their 20th anniversary on Apr. 21, which was wall to wall with people, so they were scratching their heads as to why so few people were coming their way this evening. They also confirmed that there were also a lot of competing art events going on in Columbia that same evening. Oh the wish for master calendars in the arts, but that’s another blog – I won’t be making.

Tommy Lockart and Mark Woodham

We looked around at all the new glass goodies and some old ones I’d love to have. We watched the demonstrations for a while – they’re always amazing. There’s a wall of history about One Eared Cow Glass in the studio which shows a lot of newspaper and magazine coverage from over the last 20 years which I found very interesting. Oh how we’ve all grown older. There’s nothing like old pictures to show that. There are some vintage issues of Carolina Arts there too. Check it out.

It was 8:30pm and we were about to head home when I remembered there was supposed to be a photography exhibit around the back at Lewis + Clark’s space at the rear of the building One Eared Cow Glass is in. So we went back to check it out.

This exhibit was, Instant Vista, featuring Polaroid images by Barry Wheeler and Heather Bauer recently taken in the Vista – of disappearing places. There’s nothing like looking at 3″ x 3″ images on outdated Polaroid film of areas of the Vista that very few will or would miss – beyond a few winos. Smart phone links or not, this wasn’t much of an art offering. Here’s the description of this event in the last press release we received: “Barry Wheeler and Heather Bauer will present a photography piece at Lewis + Clark, which will share the history of the Vista through photos.”

You can’t show the history of the Vista when you just spent two weeks taking the photos. Why would you promote such hype during a 20 year anniversary event? Again, the fault of having people write press release about events they knew little about.

At that point I was glad home was just two hours away.

Now we just saw about a four hour slice of a three-day event. For locals who maybe had the time to spend three days taking this all in – it may have been a whole other experience – if they knew about it to begin with.

I had a good time. I think Linda did too, and I can’t wait for the 21st anniversary and to see how it is promoted. Perhaps one day we’ll make it a weekend and party all night long in the Vista.

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Artista Vista, the Columbia, SC’s, Congaree Vista’s annual gallery crawl, will once again usher in spring in the Midlands from Thursday, Apr. 28 through Saturday, Apr. 30, 2011. The event features special exhibits at each of the participating galleries from 5-9pm on Thursday night and from 11am-5pm on Friday and Saturday.

In celebration of Artista Vista’s 20th anniversary this year, well-known arts writer and critic Jeffrey Day will curate a variety of installation art exhibits, original poetry readings, music performances and more in the streets of the Congaree Vista Thursday evening.

“Artista Vista’s founding grew out of the rise of installation art in the 1990s, so we wanted to embrace art outside the gallery to honor the 20th anniversary while recognizing that many of Artista Vista’s founding galleries are still thriving twenty years later,” said Day.

The three-day event will encompass all forms of art from visual to performing arts.

Thursday, Apr. 28, (5-9pm): Installation pieces by an assortment of artists will be on display at 927 to 929 Gervais Street and the fire-training tower on Park Street.

Fiber artist, Susan Lenz will unveil her public art project, Looking for a Mate. Lenz collected mate-less socks from the public during Vista Lights, last Fall, and used them to create an art quilt.

Barry Wheeler and Heather Bauer will present a photography piece at Lewis + Clark, which will share the history of the Vista through photos. Dr. Sketchy’s anti-art group will perform at Ellen Taylor Interiors and Design’s storefront window from 7:15-8:30pm.

Friday, Apr. 29 (11am-7pm): Installations will be on display at 927-929 Gervais Street.

Saturday, Apr. 30 (11am-7pm): Installations will be on display at 927-929 Gervais Street.

There will be a special performance by the USC percussion ensemble at 1pm at City Art Gallery.

From noon to 1:30pm, One-Eared Cow Glass artists will be collaborating with artists from the About Face art group at One-Eared Cow (1001 Huger Street).

USC’s art department painting studios (located in the Vista at the corner of Devine Street and Gadsden Street) will have an open house and the department’s new wood-fired kiln will be up and running from 11am to 4pm. Participants include: Kara Gunter, Susan Lenz, Amanda Ladymon, George Fenter, Billy Guess, Marius Valdes, Eileen Blyth, Barry Wheeler, and Heather Bauer.

As a special part of its 20th anniversary, Artista Vista is offering a social media contest at this year’s event with the chance to win a limited-edition, silk screened, signed 2011 Artista Vista poster and a $50 gift certificate to Motor Supply Company Bistro. All you have to do is search “Artista Vista” as the venue on Foursquare and check in as you come to each gallery during the event. Whoever becomes the mayor of Artista Vista by checking in at the most galleries the most often over the course of the three-day event wins the poster and gift certificate.

Artista Vista 2011 participating galleries include: Carol Saunders Gallery, 300 Senate, Vista Studios/Gallery 80808, The Gallery at Nonnah’s, Paul D. Sloan Interiors, if ART Gallery, Lewis + Clark, Gallery at DuPre, SC State Museum, SC Contemporary Dance Company, City Art Gallery, and One Eared Cow Glass.

Free parking will be available in the Vista’s parking decks located on Lincoln Street near Lady, Park Street near Pendleton, and Lady Street near Wayne Street. Many galleries will offer complimentary hors d’oeuvres and wine.

To learn more about the Congaree Vista, Columbia’s arts and entertainment district, visit (www.vistacolumbia.com) or follow the Vista on Twitter: (@vistaguild).

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I was surfing through The State newspaper (online version) in Columbia, SC, as I do many Carolina newspapers keeping up with what’s going on and I noticed a headline which has probably been there for months, but for some reason caught my eye today. The headline was, “How much do SC’s public workers get paid?”.

The State offers a date base (http://www.thestate.com/statesalaries/) of what some State employees make each year. This database contains names, positions and salaries of state government employees making $50,000 or more a year in base salary, as furnished by the agencies in response to SC Freedom of Information Act requests. I just had to look and then I wished I didn’t. And as far as I know, these salaries do not include the value of State benefits and other perks (use of cars, travel expenses, etc.) given to these employees.

Here’s the question. Should Ken May, head of the SC Arts Commission make $91,664.009 a year?

That’s almost as much money as our new Governor was paid to raise funds for a Columbia hospital – another headline story in The State (http://www.thestate.com/2011/03/16/1738514/hospital-no-one-here-filled-out.html). According to The State, the not yet Governor was hired as a fundraiser by Lexington Medical Center in August 2008, a position created for her at a $110,000-a-year salary, which she held until April 2010 – although the not yet Governor had no experience as a fundraiser – other than being a politician. But that’s no big deal – lots of people in SC government are given important jobs with no experience.

Now, I’m going on record here. Ken May thinks of me as his nemesis. So I guess wondering if the job he is doing is worth $91,664.009 – it could be considered another poke at him and the SC Arts Commission.

But, I’m also wondering if Harriett Green, visual arts coordinator, should make $55,284.009 a year? I’m not sure that’s the kind of money anyone should be paid for moving a few exhibits (the same exhibits) around the state from year to year. So, it’s not just about Ken May.

Of course I guess these salaries are based on the old SC Arts Commission – the one that had twice the budget a few years ago – compared to the new Commission which will get smaller and smaller over the next few years – it not disappearing all together. And, I wonder how they figure in the .9 cents?

And, folks don’t forget – a smaller budget at the SC Arts Commission means smaller grant funds to groups and artists and smaller services rendered – but it seems the salaries… Well, maybe they’re less than what they used to be? Isn’t that how it works – the less money you have (I can’t say make) the less money you get?

Well, anyway – I wish I hadn’t clicked that link at The State. I was much happier not knowing. How about you?

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On a cold Thursday afternoon when the weather people were calling for 80% rain, Linda and I headed to Columbia, SC, to visit One Eared Cow Glass and the First Thursday on Main event.

One Eared Cow Glass was having one of their 20th Anniversary celebration events introducing a new line of glass jewelry – just in time for Valentines’ day. That’s when Linda signed on for the trip to Columbia. I can’t say too much more about the One Eared Cow Glass anniversary events – all I can say is you need to go there and sign up to be on their e-mail list.

I’ve been wanting to go to one of the First Thursday on Main events for some time as it seemed like it was becoming quite an art event. I also wanted to see the inside of the Tapp’s Center for the Arts project and hopefully meet up with Susan Lenz, who had another window display there.

Activities on Main Street in downtown Columbia started a few years ago when Mark Plessinger of Frame of Mind started displaying area artists’ work in his shop on Main Street across from the Columbia Museum of Art. Info about those events kind of came and then fizzled. During that time other art related groups moved to Main Street and then by last fall we began to receive info about the First Thursday on Main events which seemed to be organized by the City Center Partnership, Inc., but we’re not hearing from them on a regular basis either. The only person I’m hearing from on a regular basis is Brenda Schwarz Miller who is spearheading up the effort to turn the old Tapp’s on Main department store at 1644 Main Street, at the corner of Main and Blanding, into the Tapp’s Center for the Arts.

I guess the City Center Partnership is interested more in having all parties on Main participate in trying to get folks in the Columbia area to come back to Main Street during the evening hours with the First Thursday events, but I’m more interested in the visual art groups there which now include Frame of Mind, S&S Art Supply, FreeTimes, Anastasia & Friends, Columbia Museum of Art, the Arcade Artists, and Tapp’s Center for the Arts.

From our front door at the headquarters of Shoestring Publishing in Bonneau, SC, we can be in downtown Columbia in two hours. It takes an hour to drive to Charleston, SC, so it’s not much of an effort to go to Columbia, but the two hour return trip does determine how long you can stay.

We spent almost two hours at One Eared Cow Glass, and again, all I’ll say besides I love watching the cowboys work, is that Linda and I got our 20th Anniversary T-Shirts while there, which will pay off throughout the year’s celebrations. My lips are sealed.

Once we weaved our way over to Main Street during Columbia’s rush hour traffic, we arrived at the Tapp’s building just about 5pm. We looked at a few of the outside window displays, but it didn’t take long for the damp 40 degree temps to rush us inside. No real rain yet.

As we entered a side door on Blanding, right off we see a little window display of jewelry by Susan Shrader, which stops Linda in her tracks. We’ve dealt with Shrader throughout the years as she was helping to promote a Columbia gem show. She’s one of the hundreds of people we have talked to over the years but never met.

Jewelry and fused glass works by Susan Shrader

We got to scratch her off our never met list once we set foot inside the massive Tapp’s building. Right away I was reminded of my recent visit to the Art Trail Gallery in Florence, SC, which was another massive building in a city which is now used to show off art – helping to revise a once thriving downtown shopping district.

Linda said she used to come to Tapp’s when she was visiting her older sister who attended USC – a long time ago, back when her family would travel from small Myrtle Beach to SC’s capital city.

While Linda talked with Shrader and looked at jewelry, I looked around the building’s maze of rooms on two levels. Downstairs I saw John Sharpe giving a demonstration on a pottery wheel. The building has a lot of potential for many things.

Once upstairs again, Linda and I enjoyed a bit of food and drink, I took a few photos and then we asked someone to point out Brenda Schwarz Miller. She is another person we have talked on the phone with and exchanged many e-mails with over activities and events of the Artist Round Table group in Columbia and now Tapp’s.

Listening by Sandra Carr

Inside Out by Sandra Carr

Detail of Inside Out by Sandra Carr

It is my experience that projects like this are usually the dream of one dynamic individual with the help of a few others. Tapp’s is definitely Miller’s baby. Again, I was reminded of the Art Trail Gallery in Florence where Jane Madden has made the project happen by sheer will and persistence in dealing with red tape – in both cases, business and city leaders.

Columbia has already had some experience with similar projects like Vista Studios and 701 Center for the Arts, but it has also had experience with fellows like Jack Gerstner – who first had a strangle hold on the 701 building and used it for personal gain. Miller is 180 degrees on the opposite end of Gerstner. So, I hope city leaders in Columbia soon help her make her dream and that of many artists in Columbia – come true. It will be good for Main Street in the long run.

Miller told us she has received lots of help from the building’s owner who also hopes for success of the Tapp’s project as he owns other buildings in downtown Columbia. There’s no problem in working in your own self interest while benefiting others. Too bad the SC Arts Commission doesn’t see that – unless they are dealing with folks shopping for Verner Awards through donations to the SC Arts Foundation. Otherwise we’re all greedy commercial enterprises – unworthy of a seat at the big arts table. They prefer creating a system of art welfare where arts groups become dependent on them for continued existence. How’s that working?

Burnt Offerings by Kara M. Gunter

Detail of Burnt Offerings by Kara M. Gunter

A real close detail of Burnt Offerings by Kara M. Gunter

I was hoping to run into Susan Lenz at Tapp’s but she never showed while we were there so we decided to go explore some of the other locations.

Outside we got a look at the window displays at the front of the building – which are very interesting, but hard to photograph as there was still some daylight lingering causing reflections.

One complaint or suggestion I have for First Thursday on Main organizers – whoever they are or will be is – they need a map of participating locations on Main Street available at all locations. If you’re hoping to attract people back to a downtown area they haven’t been to in years – don’t expect them to know where everything is – especially if they’re coming from out of town. I know the area pretty well, but not everything.

We went up Main toward the Capital building looking for a parking space – apparently the event was working. We saw where a few of the participating places were (except the Arcade), but no parking spaces were opening up – so we did the Charleston shuffle – driving around and around hoping someone would leave their space. On one of the rounds I spotted Susan Lenz in the window talking with folks at FreeTimes. And as luck would have it after a few trips around the block a space opened up.

Once we squeezed into the building and got close to Lenz we had managed to scratch another person off our never-met list. The place was packed with the who’s who of Columbia’s art community, very noisy, but there wasn’t really that many people there compared to the folks at the Tapp’s building. The illusion of a small packed room can throw you off, but it was a case of who was there. And as in many situations like this I saw folks I would have liked to say hey to, but never got the chance. Toni Elkins was working the room like a humming bird, and Jeffrey Day was there – not sure what that conversation would have been like. But, I did have a few friendly words with Ken May – head of the SC Arts Commission.

May called me his nemesis – which I thought was a little over-blown. He might have meant it as a compliment, but I later thought it didn’t really fit. It would be like calling Cuba America’s nemesis. A nemesis is usually an unbeatable rival or a source of harm or destruction. I don’t think I’m having that effect and his label gives me too much credit. I fit the description of a gadfly – which I was called once by an Arts Commission supporter. As May asked – “what would I write about without the Arts Commission?” I flashed back to a scene from Richard Nixon stating that we (the media) wouldn’t have him to kick around anymore. But then there was George W. Bush, Sarah Palin and Fox News. There’s always someone being unfair or doing and saying silly things. So I’m not worried about losing the Arts Commission – one way or another. It may be a case of the last man standing in both our cases.

Ding on a Dong by Diane Gilbert – shot from the hip at FreeTimes

But, all in all, I was happy to talk with Susan Lenz, a human dynamo of the art world about a few of her current projects and past issues. But before long she needed to move on to Tapp’s  and said she still had work to do that night. We made a slow circle of the room – not able to see much of the art and headed for the door. It was now raining. (It hasn’t stopped raining since.)

Back at Tapp’s Linda had heard a few folks talking about sleet and not knowing what the temps were going down to we decided to get out of Columbia while the getting was good. Besides, this is an event which is taking place every month and is just picking up steam. We can always come back.

I highly recommend the trip, especially for folks from the Lowcountry. Columbia’s visual art community is much different from that of Charleston’s. I’ve always enjoyed going to Columbia to visit Artista Vista or Vista Lights to get a different view of what artists are creating in South Carolina.

But, I think Columbia planners have a basic problem in attracting out of town visitors to come on Thursday evenings. It asks travelers to take a day off of work or make extended return travel plans. A four hour round trip is nothing for me, but others don’t see that as attractive. If these events were moved to a Friday or even a Saturday – they might attract more out of town visitors even though it would compete with other cities which present first Friday art walks, but what’s wrong with a little competition?

But, if the plan is to just attract locals to the downtown on a weekday – this just might work and before long it could include the Vista and Five Points area too. Why not have all of the city’s artists putting on a show. That’s what happened in Charleston.

As far as the Tapp’s Center for the Arts goes – here’s some of the plans. The space could supply 16 juried studios on the main level and 20 non-juried single and shared studios in the lower level. There are plans for three galleries, including a Cafe Gallery in the lower level. The facility would also include a frame shop, photography studio, print shop, wood workshop and clay studio. And, the good  part of the plan is that it is planned to be self-supporting. All they need is some start-up support to get the project going. If you would like more info about this project contact Brenda Schwarz Miller at 803/609-3479 or e-mail her at (brenda@realworldartisans.com).

After looking at the photos I took – at least those usable – I seemed to be interested in sculptural works at the First Thursday event.

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