July Issue 2009
Commentary
by Tom Starland

More Thanks To Contributors

We have received a few more contributions to our call for people to "just send us some money if you like what we've been doing and would like to see us continue." These came in as we were going to press in May or shortly after. We really appreciate all that people have done considering these are tough times for everyone. The latest Carolina Arts angels: Rhett Thurman and Harry Clark; Kristina Montvidas Kutkus; and Ralph and Sandra K. Starland. Thanks!

That last couple is my cousin and his wife from Michigan. We've been sending them a copy of the paper for years. As bad as things are in Michigan - they are sending us money. It's all very humbling, but also inspiring.

This summer is going to be rough, but there are signs that things are getting better - there were not any new gallery closings during my June deliveries.

The Spoleto and Piccolo Festivals in Charleston, SC, had reached or exceeded their projections for ticket sales and both should end the year in the black. The Columbia Museum of Art just saw 46,000 attend their latest exhibit, Turner to Cézanne: Masterpieces from the Davies Collection, National Museum Wales - in three months. They also set a new high for Museum memberships. (Read more about this on my blog Carolina Arts Unleashed.)

So people are still interested in the arts, even if state legislators in both North and South Carolina don't seem to know it. Budget cuts to the arts in both states are going to have a chilling effect this next year. Now the burden of supporting the arts falls directly on the shoulders of the public by purchasing tickets to performances and museum shows and buying art. Of course they could just outright contribute dollars, but we would prefer they get something in exchange for their money. Not everyone in the arts is looking for a free handout. We like to earn ours the old fashioned way - by offering a product people want and need in exchange for support. It's a bit more complicated than that, but that covers the basics of our business philosophy.

A Shout Out To An Advertiser

William Jameson has been a long time advertiser, but not being a gallery that presents exhibitions, he doesn't get many opportunities to get editorial coverage in Carolina Arts the way other advertisers do.

Jameson, a nationally known contemporary landscape painter who also conducts painting workshops in the Carolinas, Maine, Mexico and Italy, (see ad below) was featured in a recent issue of American Artist's Workshop Magazine. The summer issue details Jameson's recent plein air workshop at Seabrook Island, SC.
Jameson also offers one to one instruction for beginner to advanced and early registration is suggested for any of the workshops as these popular classes are limited in size.

Jameson's work is in the permanent collection of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans and other prominent collections. He is represented regionally by Gallery Minerva in Asheville, NC; Irene Morrah Fine Art in Greenville, SC; Shain Gallery in Charlotte, NC; and Collette Fine Art in Highlands, NC. Jameson and his wife, Anne, live and paint in Saluda, NC. If you're into painting workshops - you might give him a try. You can find details at (www.williamjameson.com). And, you can see some dates and locations for some of his workshops in his ad on Page 3. (You can see printed pages of the paper on a link on the front page of our website.)

Won't Get Fooled Again?

The Who said it best - "Meet the new boss - same as the old boss."

The Board of the South Carolina Arts Commission elected new officers during its June 3 meeting - in Columbia, SC. The board named Charles T. "Bud" Ferillo Jr. of Columbia, chairman and Sarah Lynn Hayes of Rock Hill, vice chairman. Board members also elected Henry Horowitz of Greenville, and immediate past chair Linda Stern of Columbia to the executive committee.

It does seem that Linda Stern is making a career of sitting on the Arts Commission's board. She just served a six year stretch as chairman and is apparently staying on at least another three year term. Why - I don't know. She also was appointed a three year term in 1994-96, but resigned in 1996, got on again in the last six years and apparently won't leave. She must be a very good friend of our Governor or the Governor is too busy running for President.

The Board has been operating one short of its nine members for at least a year or two, so when it came time for Stern's term to end - I guess the Board or the Governor thought it would just be easier for her to stay on instead of getting someone new to fill the ninth slot.

As it is, this statewide board has four members from the Columbia area, three from Charleston, and one each from Greenville and Rock Hill. I guess the other parts of the state don't matter.

So, will the new boss be the same as the old boss - don't know, but I hope something changes at the Arts Commission. We're still waiting to see who they will come up with for the new executive director. Or maybe we'll soon learn that the new/old Board will be asking Susie Surkamer to come back as a paid consultant.

Nothing surprises me about this Board.

Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc. Copyright© 2009 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts Online, Copyright© 2009 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.