September 2011

701 Center for Contemporary Arts in Columbia, SC, Revisits the Triennial

701 Center for Contemporary Arts in Columbia, SC, is presenting the exhibit, TRIENNIAL Revisited, featuring a selection from the five SC Triennial exhibitions organized by the SC Arts Commission and SC State Museum between 1992 and 2004 and shown at the museum, on view through Sept. 25, 2011.

Artists with works in the exhibit include: John Acorn (Pendleton), Aldwyth (Hilton Head Island), Michael Brodeur (Greenville), Clay Burnette (Columbia), Jocelyn Chateauvert (Charleston), Stephen Chesley (Columbia) Bruno Civitico (Charleston), Jim Connell (Rock Hill), Debbie Cooke (Greenville), Tyrone Geter (Elgin), Peter Lenzo (Columbia), Elizabeth Melton (Rock Hill), Phil Moody (Rock Hill), Jane Nodine (Spartanburg), Herb Parker (Charleston), Colin Quashie (Charleston), Lee Sipe (Columbia) and Tom Stanley (Rock Hill).

TRIENNIAL Revisited is a juried exhibition that provides a prelude and historical context for the inaugural 701 CCA South Carolina Biennial. That exhibition will open in October and will be shown in two parts through December.

The artists with works in the exhibit were selected by seven South Carolina curators who were involved with one or more of the five Triennials. Five of these curators were each assigned one Triennial year for which they served as a juror and asked to select three living artists from that year who still reside in South Carolina. Two other curators together made an additional three at-large selections. The 18 artists selected represent a broad range of styles and approaches for TRIENNIAL Revisited.

The curators include: Brad Collins, Ph.D., part time critic and curator and contemporary art history professor, University of South Carolina, Columbia; Sharon Campbell, artist and independent curator, Greenville; Polly Laffitte, former chief curator of art, South Carolina State Museum; Robin Waites, former chief curator of Art, South Carolina State Museum; Andrea Van Laer Feeser, Ph.D., associate professor of modern and contemporary art, theory and criticism, Clemson University; Harriett Green, director of visual arts, South Carolina Arts Commission; and Paul Matheny, chief curator of art, South Carolina State Museum.

The South Carolina State Museum and the South Carolina Arts Commission launched the first TRIENNIAL exhibition in 1992. The goals of the TRIENNIAL exhibitions were to provide a venue to showcase recent work reflecting local, regional and national trends and issues influencing contemporary artists living and working in South Carolina and to increase awareness and appreciation of the artistic contributions and accomplishments of the state’s visual artists.

The exhibition drew on the breadth of the visual arts community by providing a multi-media juried statewide exhibition opportunity in a major museum every three years. Artists were selected for the exhibition by curators with local, regional and national perspectives. The exhibition was considered South Carolina’s most prestigious survey of contemporary art during its run from 1992 -2004.

“We have played for a while with the idea of reinstating a regular overview of the best contemporary art in South Carolina,” says Wim Roefs, board chair and director of 701 CCA. “Inspired by the TRIENNIAL brand, 701 opted for a biennial model and we thought it would be important to provide some context. TRIENNIAL Revisited provides that context by examining the state’s art scene during the span of the five TRIENNIALS.”

The art scene has changed considerably since the last TRIENNIAL and some works included in the exhibition reveal the magnitude of those changes. Roefs states that it was “important to include as many works as possible from the original TRIENNIAL exhibitions to underscore change and continuity in South Carolina’s contemporary art scene.” Roefs sees the exhibition as an introduction for younger artists and audiences and an appetizer for all with respect to the upcoming Biennial.

TRIENNIAL Revisited is a partnership between 701 CCA, the South Carolina Arts Commission and the South Carolina State Museum.

701 CCA is a non-profit visual arts center that promotes understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of contemporary art, the creative process and the role of art and artists in the community. The center also encourages interaction between visual and other art forms.

The exhibition is presented by our sponsor, First Citizens Bank.

701 Center for Contemporary Art (701 CCA) is a visual art center that promotes understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of contemporary art, the creative process and the role of art and artists in the community. The center also encourages interaction between visual arts and other art forms.

For further information check our SC Institutional Gallery listings, call the Center at 803/238-2351 or visit (www.701cca.org).

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