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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