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April Issue 2006
Accessibility Expands to Columbia, SC
Accessibility Columbia: Making History on Main Street, is a collaborative exhibit that tells the story of a progressive southern city through the lens of contemporary art. Sites and historic buildings located on and near Columbia, SC's Main Street (between the 1200 and 1700 blocks) will serve as fodder for twelve noted installation artists from South Carolina, New York and Pennsylvania who will create works that connect to and help define the city's history from Apr. 6 through May 7, 2006.
In concert with the exhibit, project participants will provide guided tours of Main Street incorporating interpretations of the installations with historic tours. Additionally a series of speakers will address aspects of the project from the definition of installation art to the evolution of design on Main Street at a weekly lecture hosted by the Columbia Museum of Art.
Accessibility Columbia will bring together humanities scholars and artists in dialogue with the community. It also is a project in which local cultural and educational institutions collaborate. Organized by a coalition of partners representing: Benedict College, City Center Partnership, Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia College and Historic Columbia Foundation, Accessibility Columbia is the expansion of the renowned Sumter Accessibility (in Sumter, SC) exhibition which is in its seventh year. Booth and Peggy Chilcutt who led Sumter Accessibility will coordinate the Columbia project.
The goals for Accessibility Columbia include: Raise the level of awareness of Columbia's history and the medium of installation art for a broad range of audiences; Develop a dialogue between the disciplines of history and art; and Produce a collaboration between local cultural and educational institutions.
Exhibition Curator, Professor Mary Gilkerson states, "Place and space are integral to all installation art, the newest face on public art. The specific character of a location is formed not only by the physical parameters of the space, but also by its cultural and historical associations. These associations leave a residual mark or memory on the place that resonates with the larger issues of identity that are part of the discourse in contemporary art. This is the curatorial premise for the exhibition, Accessibility Columbia: Making History on Main."
Gilkerson further explains "These installations will be dialogues between contemporary art and the city's multi-layered history through their unique interweaving of art and history. The participating artists will work in areas of historical significance producing art that is site specific, that connects to and defines the rich history of Columbia's Main Street. Sites along Main Street have been selected ranging from some of the oldest like the Arcade, to some of the newest. These sites encapsulate in one area the cultural history of this Southern regional center."
Participating artists include: Shaun Cassidy, Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC; Mike Lavine, Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC; Eric Miller, USC Columbia, Columbia, SC; Leslie Rech, SC State College, Orangeburg, SC; Janet Orselli, Columbia, SC; Phil Moody, Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC; Eileen Blyth, Columbia, SC; Candice Ivy, Coker College, Hartsville, SC; John Wright, Benedict College, Columbia, SC; Napoleon Jones-Henderson, Benedict College, Columbia, SC; Marcelo Novo, Columbia, SC; Jeffrey Mongrain, Hunter College, New York; and Nick Kripal, Tyler School of Art, Elkins Park, PA.
A website tracking artists' progress and promoting the exhibition and programs has been setup at (www.AccessibilityColumbia.org).
For further info
contact Booth Chilcutt, Cultural Director-City of Sumter by calling
803/436-2616 or e-mail at (bchilcutt@sumter-sc.com).
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