SC Writers Association 2024 STORYFEST Early Bird Registration Ends June15th

2024 STORYFEST EARLY BIRD PRICING ENDS JUNE 15

Early bird registration for SCWA’s 2024 Storyfest, set for Sept. 27 through 29 in Columbia, ends June 15.

Fees for the full three-day conference are $250 for members and $325 for nonmembers; those fees will increase by $30 on June 16, so register now and save! Student registration for the full conference is $140. A one-day ticket for Saturday-only sessions is available for $195. Masterclasses, manuscript critiques and query pitches are available for additional charges as add-ons to your registration.

Storyfest, SCWA’s biggest event of the year, will be held at The DoubleTree by Hilton in Columbia, with the added advantage of having the hotel and conference under one roof – and the rooms are less expensive this year, too!

In addition to amazing authors, editors, agents and screenwriters from outside of our state, some of South Carolina’s most prominent writers will be there to make this conference successful. We will have three pre-conference masterclasses and craft classes as well as the invaluable Queryfest, Slushfest, Speed Pitch Session and a “Publishing World Today” panel, which provides cutting-edge self-publishing assistance. Four keynote speakers will provide valuable insights, including information on artificial intelligence and how it will impact the writing world, and Storyfest has 20 other breakout and other presentations – something for every genre. A Saturday cocktail hour, open mic, exhibits, book signings and more also will be included.

We will highlight our keynote speakers and presenters in The Quill between now and September. We featured Lynn Cullen and Grady Hendrix in the May issue; see 2024 Storyfest Faculty bios on all of our fabulous speakers. Here are two more keynoters:

TIFFANY YATES MARTIN

Tiffany Yates Martin has spent nearly 30 years as an editor in the publishing industry, working with major publishers and New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling and award-winning authors as well as indie and newer writers. She is the founder of FoxPrint Editorial and author of Intuitive Editing: A Creative and Practical Guide to Revising Your Writing. She is a regular contributor to writers' outlets like Writer's Digest, Jane Friedman and Writer Unboxed, and a frequent presenter and keynote speaker for writers' organizations around the country. Under her pen name, Phoebe Fox, she is the author of six novels. Visit her at www.foxprinteditorial.com.

She will offer a masterclass, “Mastering the Holy Trinity of Story: Character, Stakes and Plot;” deliver a keynote, “The Happy, Harsh Truths of a Writing Career;” and present breakout sessions. We are thrilled to have her for 2024 Storyfest.

ALAN ROTH

Alan Roth graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey with degrees in history and English literature, then attended graduate school at Emerson College in Boston, where he received an MFA in creative writing. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and serves as an adjunct professor of screenwriting at Fairleigh Dickinson’s School of the Arts. He is a winner of the coveted Nicholl Fellowship Academy Award for best original screenplay (Jersey City Story) and works with producers on developing projects for both film and TV.

He will present a keynote, “AI and Current Trends in Writing,” and a breakout session on “Book to Screen.” We are so pleased to have him as part of 2024 Storyfest.

REGISTER FOR 2024 STORYFEST

MORE ABOUT 2024 STORYFEST

The hotel room rate is $169 (plus tax & fees) for one king or two queen beds. For the SCWA discounted rate, reserve at the DoubleTree by Hilton Columbia; book by Aug. 29 for the discount.

RESERVE YOUR ROOM FOR STORYFEST

If you are not a member of SCWA, join now to enjoy the member rate for Storyfest as well as other SCWA benefits. Membership is $75 annually; go to Join Us.

For more information email administrator@myscwa.org

News from Harbison Theatre -- Jazz with Chris Potter and the Art of Barbara Yongue

Saxophone Colossus: Chris Potter

Presented by SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble
Saturday, June 15 | 7:30 PM 

SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble is overjoyed to present one of the best Jazz Saxophonists of all time and Columbia native, Chris Potter. Since emerging on the scene as a sideman 30 years ago with Red Rodney, Chris has gone on to play with everybody from Pat Metheny to Steely Dan. Down Beat magazine called him “One of the most studied (and copied) saxophonists on the planet” and Jazz Times identified him as “a figure of international renown.” Potter’s impressive discography includes 18 albums as a leader, as well as sideman appearances on more than 100 albums. 

Join The Jasper Project and Barbara Yongue as we celebrate the opening of her exhibition in the gallery space at Harbison Theatre.

At 6:30 PM, Barbara will be available to speak and give you the opportunity to enjoy her work prior to the opening curtain for Saxophone Colossus: Chris Potter presented by SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble. During intermission, you’re invited to revisit the art. Her work will be available for purchase. Learn more about Barbara and her work below.

The exhibition is free and available for viewing from June through August 2024.

Barbara Alston Yongue, born in Memphis Tennessee and raised in Ohio, has studied and continues to study art for almost as long as she has been alive.  An art major in college she has continued her education with such well-known artists as Daniel Greene, Nelson Shanks, Janet Fish, Tony Ryder, Charlie Hunter.  She is a member of Oil Painters of America, Trenholm Art Guild and the art group known as About Face.  She enjoys Portraiture, Still Life painting and Plein Air.  

Awards Include:
2023 - Facilitator Plein air competition ARTFIELDS 
2022 - Facilitator Plein air ArtField 
2023 - Second place and peoples choice TAG … Still Hopes 
2022 - Peoples choice TAG …BEST MATTRESS
2019 - 1st place  Trenholm art guild spring show
2018 - 3rd place Trenholm art guild
2017 - 1st Place Pawleys Island Seaside Palette- Plein Air
2017 - People’s Choice award- Arts on the Ridge
2016 - 2017 – 9 time winner of the Columbia Museum of Art monthly challenge
2017 - Merit Award – Trenholm Art Guild
2016 - 2nd Place Pawleys Island Seaside Palette- Plein Air
2014 - Merit Award – Trenholm Art Guild
2013 - Painting Award - Garden of Dreams, Magnolia Gardens
2011 - Judy Faye Moyer award- Crooked Creek art League
2010 - Merit Award – Crooked Creek Art League
2009 - Best in Show- Crooked Creek Art League
2009 - Merit Award- Trenholm Art Guild
2008 - Special Award- Crooked Creek Art League
2008 - Merit Award – Trenholm Art Guild
2004 - Merit Award- Crooked Creek
2004 - Carolina Gallery Award – Crooked Creek
2001 - Merit Award- Crooked Creek
Champion 2 Times – Columbia Museum of Art – Face Off event
2nd Runner up – Artfields portrait competition
2015 Judge for Arts on the Ridge Ridgeway, SC
President - Fairfield County Arts Council  2018

Artist Statement:
I paint primarily from life because it is my belief that what is created by doing that gives a certain touch of LIFE that cannot be achieved any other way. Most of all … I try to paint Beauty.

Battle of Musgrove Mill Poetry Reading & Contest - June 28th 10 am - noon

News from the Poetry Society of South Carolina —

Enter our contest by submitting a poem with the theme of revolution or victory to everycornereverycounty@gmail.com.

You can win a beautiful American themed guitar, thanks to our sponsor, Danny Sciortino!

New Brookland Tavern Welcomes THE WOGGLES and the Release of Their New Album

New Brookland Tavern welcomes The Woggles with special guests, Brandy and the Butcher, to help celebrate the release of their new LP, Time Has Come on June 12th. According to musician and Jam Room director, Jay Matheson, “The Woggles have been one of the best garage rock bands in the US since the mid 90s and put on a stage show that is beyond compare.”

Check out their new single as well as their new LP in its entirety.

According to Matheson, the show will be a 2 band affair with Matheson’s own local Rock and Roll band Brandy and the Butcher opening.

Cover tickets to the show are $10 in advance and $15 on the day of the show.

Doors are at 7:30 with music starting at 8:30.

See you there!

Read more about the Woggles from Jasper Magazine music editor Kevin Oliver here.

FREE ART & FUN at the KOGER CENTER FOR THE ARTS THIS SUMMER!

The Koger Center for the Arts is so much more than a ticketed venue featuring the best of both local and touring performing arts. In addition to being the home of the Jasper Project’s Nook Gallery space in the Second Tier Lobby, Koger boasts an impressive collection of rotating and permanent art and offers free performances on the Outside Stage directly in front of the building.

Recently, Koger hosted the multimedia arts troupe, Squonk, on the outside stage and the front lawn was filled with folks on blankets and in lawn chairs enjoying picnics and a free performance by the 30-year-old entertainment organization. And there’s more to come!

Read below for a quick look at some of the FREE ART offered by the Koger Center for the Arts this summer.

Jasper offers the work of new artists year-round (though we’re taking a breather while the Koger gets new carpet this summer), in our Nook Gallery space. Jasper shows run monthly with opening receptions on the First Thursday of every month in conjunction with the Vista Guild’s First Thursday celebrations.

In the Upstairs Gallery Space the Koger Center hosts exhibitions by local artists such as BEAT OF THE HEART through July 1st, featuring local artists Rodgers Boykins, Ryan McClendon, Jeffrey Miller, Keith Tolen and Fred Townsend

In addition to hosting the SOUTHEASTERN PIANA FESTIVAL, a ticketed event, the Koger will also host a FREE LUNCHTIME CONCERT at noon on Tuesday June 11th in the Grand Tier Lobby. (Check out Malik Greene’s visual art in the Nook while you’re up there!)

Make Music Day is a free celebration of music around the world on June 21st. Launched in 1982 in France, it is now held on the same day in more than 1,000 cities in 120 countries.

Completely different from a typical music festival, Make Music Day is open to anyone who wants to take part. Every kind of musician - young and old, amateur and professional, of every musical persuasion - pours onto streets, parks, plazas and porches to share their music with friends, neighbors and strangers. All of it is free and open to the public. Make Music Day Columbia is hosted in conjunction with Rice Music House and is funded through a grant given by the City of Columbia. 

This year's Make Music Day schedule includes: 

10 – 11:30am Petting Zoo & Ruckus Hour 

12 – 1pm Music Lessons with Columbia Arts Academy (Ukelele & Voice)

1-5pm Recitals (Rice Music House and Freeway Music)

5:30-6:30 Drum Circle 

Don’t want to leave the house? Check out the Center’s Virtual Tour of Columbia-based artist Philip Mullen’s work from the comfort of your own home.

Philip Mullen came to South Carolina in 1969 and is one of the most renowned artists in the state. His works have been hanging in the Koger Center for the Arts since 1990, filling the space with his pieces that examine light and air. Throughout his art displayed in the Koger Center, Mullen explores the juxtaposition of light and how light touches everything around it. He has been described as creating works with even distribution of thought-out technique and carefree fluidity. From the Whitney Museum to the San Francisco Museum of Art, Mullen’s pieces have showcased his abilities all across America and the Koger Center is proud to house a permanent exhibit.  

Philip Mullen Art at the Koger Center is located on all three levels throughout the building.

You may take a virtual tour here for FREE! 

~~~~~

Visit the Koger Center for the Arts’ website for more exciting info on both FREE and ticketed events coming up this summer!

Harriet Hancock Center Announces QUEER PROM MURDER MYSTERY - A PROM TO DIE FOR!

The Jasper Project was excited to learn about the upcoming Midlands Youth Queer Prom, a free event dedicated to providing a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQ+ middle and high school-aged youth in our community. This prom is not just a celebration but a statement of empowerment and solidarity, where young individuals can express themselves authentically and without fear of judgment.

According to the good folks at the Harriet Hancock Center, an organization committed to supporting and advocating for the LGBTQ+ community, they are honored to be hosting this event. “We believe that promoting visibility and embracing diversity are essential steps towards building a more inclusive society, and the Midlands Youth Queer Prom embodies these principles,” sources at the center say. 

“Set in the 80s, our version of Queer Prom features drag Kings and Queens and a murder mystery. Come together with other Midlands queer youth to solve the murder and figure out if this was truly a prom to die for,” sources say. 

Midlands Queer Prom aims to be an inclusive and affirming event specifically designed for LGBTQ+ youth to celebrate their identities in a safe and supportive environment. Unlike traditional proms, which may not always cater to the diverse needs of LGBTQ+ individuals, Midlands Queer Prom provides a space where attendees can express themselves authentically, free from judgment or discrimination.

This event includes elements such as gender-neutral dress codes, same-sex couples being welcomed and celebrated, and a focus on LGBTQ+ artists and performers. Queer Prom is not only a celebration but also a statement of solidarity and empowerment, fostering a sense of belonging and community among LGBTQ+ youth who may face challenges or isolation in other social settings. It serves as a reminder that everyone deserves to feel valued and accepted for who they are.

Please mark your calendars for Friday, June 14th from 7:00 to 10:00pm at the Hampton-Preston Gardens in Historic Columbia. 

Registration for attendance is mandatory by June 7th and the link to do so can be found here.

Don’t Call It A Comeback: The Redemption of Shekeese Tha Beast

by Kevin Oliver

On Fat Rat Da Czar’s classic 2009 release Cold War 2, “Do Whud I Do” opens with DJ Shekeese The Beast shouting “Can you hear me out there? We back!” before Fat Rat intones, “If you knew what I knew, then you could do what I do.” The partnership between the two Columbia, South Carolina hip-hop artists made them a marquee act and flag-bearers for the genre across the southeast for nearly twenty years, before Shekeese, in his own words, “went dormant” and focused on other business pursuits. Last year, as Fat Rat Da Czar readied a new campaign of hip-hop shows and productions, he re-enlisted his former DJ to appear on stage with him again and just like that, Shekeese Tha Beast was back as hype man extraordinaire and hip-hop ambassador. In a recent conversation with Jasper, Sherard Shekeese Duvall opened up about his entry point into hip-hop, the other pursuits that have occupied his time, and how he has come full circle to reconcile his disparate, multiple pasts into a unified future with a mission to bring South Carolina hip-hop into a new generation. 

Before he was Shekeese Tha Beast, he was just a kid named Sherard, growing up in the neighborhood–but it was the formative experience of his life, he says now in retrospect.

“I grew up in Ridgewood behind Eau Claire High School, so it was a super, super black experience,” Duvall says. “The only time we saw white folks was when we went downtown.” It was a childhood surrounded by family, who shaped his worldview from an early age.

“My family was huge, and there were relatives on both my mom and dad’s sides who were into music, art, sports, politics, it was all there. I had an uncle who was political but also into Stevie Wonder, he gave me Malcolm X books when I was a kid. I had another uncle who played guitar, my grandfather played piano, so art, music, and all this stuff was all around me.”

It was a specific moment that led directly to hip-hop for Duvall, however, a purchase his mother made.

 “She bought me a 45 of LL Cool J’s ‘Candy’ and on the back side was ‘Go Cut Creator Go’ and it blew my mind, I didn’t know how they were making those sounds,” He says. “Prior to that it was seeing the video for Run DMC’s ‘Rock Box’, and I couldn’t figure it out, like was the band the DJ on top of the car? That’s what made me want to be a DJ.”

As an entry point into hip-hop, it turned out to be the right one for Duvall as high school turned into college and beyond. 

“After I got out of Columbia High, I met all the guys in Beat Junction Project, and around that time I also met Fat Rat Da Czar. The Beat Junction Project was doing its thing around Columbia, and he was doing his, and Streetside had put out a record that I was spinning at WUSC-FM.” As a student DJ, Shekeese Tha Beast was born and the show “Non-Stop Hip-Hop” put him on the airwaves weekly, featuring lots of local hip-hop talent in addition to his own DJ skills. His reputation grew, he hosted shows on Hot 103 and the Big DM, and Fat Rat came back around.

 “Fat was coming out with a mixtape, and they were looking for a DJ for it,” Duvall says. “Not sure that one ever came out, but shortly after that he went on to start doing his solo stuff and we ended up collaborating on the mixtape ‘Fat Rat Is Dead,’ which was the beginning of the whole Shekeese Tha Beast and Fat Rat Da Czar thing.”

 It was a perfect collaboration, Shekeese says, which explains the longevity of the relationship that endures to this day.

 “We have a lot in common when it comes to not only how we saw hip-hop but also how we thought about opportunities and hard work, it was just a similar perspective that clicked.”

There were multiple releases that flowed after that, from the “Cold War” series of traditional hip-hop albums with Shekeese as hype man and DJ while Fat Rat dispensed rhymes and wisdom using his instantly recognizable flow. For a time, the pair was synonymous with South Carolina hip-hop, and credit is certainly due to them for all they’ve done to promote and support the genre within the state. Then Shekeese Tha Beast went silent, at least as a performing personality. The reasons behind that dormancy were both personal and professional, he reveals.

 “Unintentionally, the separation with that part of me had to do with its popularity,” He says. “I was all over the radio, people knew me from that, from TV, doing the Love Peace and Hip Hop festival, all of that added to the notoriety and recognition.” What was happening behind the scenes, however, was that he was pursuing a professional career as a filmmaker and videographer, first with Genesis Studios and then with his own, still thriving operation as OTR Media Group. 

 “For the film stuff I felt like it needed to be different, so I was Sherard Duvall, not Shekeese Tha Beast, in that world,” He says. “When OTR came along I was still of the mind to keep things somewhat separate, because I didn’t want to enter rooms as Shekeese, I wanted to be Sherard, to be taken seriously as a business owner and not have it be like ‘Oh, the DJ is here.’”

For Duvall, the link between his hip-hop DJ persona and the work he was doing as a short film specialist and documentary filmmaker wasn’t immediately apparent, but it slowly dawned on him that he wasn’t doing anything all that much different after all.

 “Hip-hop is a storytelling form, and OTR Media Group is built around storytelling in everything we do, from media literacy to media strategy work, nonfiction, short and long form media content,” He says. “Hip-hop is incredibly dense, we’re able to use a lot of words, mesh a lot of styles together, and we’re able to connect with more people in more ways than you can with a lot of other forms of music.”

 In 2023, Sherard Shekeese Duvall, the filmmaker, husband, and father re-emerged as Shekeese Tha Beast on stage with Fat Rat Da Czar for several performances, something that Duvall says he’s enjoyed even more than he thought he would.

 “Stepping back into the Shekeese Tha Beast thing has been one of the most joyous times in my life,” he says. “It was weird when I put it down because there was an article in the paper about me quitting, people didn’t know what to call me anymore, I treated it like ‘that thing I used to do’--but I realized when I was back on stage that I had been neglecting a part of myself; I’m hip-hop through and through and it made me feel whole to be on stage again.”

 It’s the example and the role model, even mentor that he can be for the next generation that’s driving Shekeese Tha Beast now, he says–starting with his own son. 

“Until recently my son had never experienced Shekeese Tha Beast, he was too young to remember me taking him to meet KRS-One or Lauryn Hill,” Duvall says. “He’s eleven now and I took him to the show we did at the Music Farm in Charleston. Him seeing me do that might not register now, but he’s a creative, free spirit kid and it might matter later on when he’s thinking, ‘You know, it’s alright that I’m left of center, that I’m different, because my dad is super different.’” 

For now, Duvall says being “back” just means he’s whole, that his work in film and in the community will go hand-in-hand with his hip-hop persona and all that it entails.  

“I feel like Shekeese Tha Beast is back for all the right reasons,” He says. “Where I find comfort now is in being a hip-hop ambassador for South Carolina. It’s more beneficial to the culture of our state to celebrate the diversity instead of nitpicking what is and isn’t hip-hop. So, all I can tell you is that wherever South Carolina hip-hop is, that’s where you’ll find Shekeese Tha Beast.”

Music for All Ages–The Columbia Arts Academy Celebrates its 20th Anniversary

By Liz Stalker

Saturday, August 12th, the Columbia Arts Academy will be hosting open houses at all of their locations to celebrate their 20th Anniversary! The open houses will take place that day from 3-6 p.m., and the public is encouraged to stop by any of the three locations spread throughout the Columbia area: the Columbia Arts Academy (Rosewood Dr.), the Lexington School of Music (Barr Rd.), and the Irmo Music Academy (Lake Murray Blvd.). The festivities will include free food, tours, and an “instrument petting zoo” where guests can get a taste of the various instruments the school provides lessons for. As a part of the celebration, the school will also be giving away door prizes, including a grand prize of a year of free music lessons!  

Starting in 2003 as a small-scale studio with founder Marty Fort as the only instructor to 30 students, the Columbia Arts Academy has since grown into the largest private music school in the state of South Carolina. The journey has involved plenty of ups and downs. In fact, when Fort first acquired the Rosewood space, he had a lot of work to do to make it habitable for his business. “When I started Rosewood,” he says, “there were rats, there was broken glass, there was no carpet, no wall. It was $60,000 on a Visa and a MasterCard to get Rosewood off the ground.”  

But get it off the ground he did, with the school expanding into a second location just a decade later in 2015. This expansion was necessary as the Columbia Arts Academy had hit 500 students and counting, a huge milestone for the company, though it pales in comparison to the over 1700 students the school now serves.

 The school offers instruction for an incredibly wide range of instruments–piano, guitar, voice, bass, drums, banjo, ukulele, violin, and even mandolin. Fort himself is well-versed in most, if not all, of these instruments. In the spirit of modesty, he admits that violin would likely be his weakest instrument but notes that, “Once you really lock into music, there’s so much crossover.”  

The school also sees an incredibly diverse age range among its students, with the youngest of its pupils being just three and four years old and its oldest musical scholars approaching their eighties and nineties. This broad range of ages reflects the school’s highest purpose: to serve the musical passions of the community at large.

In addition to music lessons, the Columbia Arts Academy has provided opportunities for its students to perform at highly respected and admired venues and performance halls, such as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Guest House at Graceland. Most recently, students traveled to New York to perform at the Weill Recital at Carnegie Hall.  

Closer to home, the Columbia Arts Academy band, including Fort himself, performed alongside Kirk Hammett, lead guitarist of Metallica, at the Columbia Museum of Art, an opportunity that opened the school up to a massive platform.  

Fort is immensely proud of the growth and success his business has seen over the last two decades. He has such an obvious and enthusiastic love for each location he has been able to bring to life, describing them all as “kind of like kids–they all have their own personalities.” Their perpetuity within the community is a testament to not only his robust work ethic and the excellence of his staff, but the surrounding community’s love and appreciation for music.

“You know, most businesses don't make it five years,” he says. “20 years is a long time, I’m just so proud, and now, I think for me, it's a reset. High fives, we've got a great party planned.”  

Regarding this party, Fort says he’s most excited just to see the community turn out and show their support. “We love it when people come and check us out,” he says. “We work very hard to keep our places nice, clean, looking awesome, and what I'm looking forward to is people coming and saying ‘hi.’” 

For more information visit the Columbia Arts Academy website, or call or text (803)-787-0931.

Storyboarding Workshop with Corey Davis at 701 CCA

Corey "Roc Bottom" Davis Storyboarding Workshop

701 Center for Contemporary Art

Saturday, July 15, 2023

1 pm to - 3 pm

Join multi-talented creative, Corey “Roc Bottom” Davis for a workshop exploring the process of storyboarding. In conjunction with Tyrone Geter’s Artist in Residence at 701 Center for Contemporary Art, Corey will guide the participants through the history of graphic novels while helping them develop their own hero’s storyline.

Corey Davis has vast knowledge and expertise in utilizing ink and pencils to create comics. He will explain how to communicate ideas through visual scenes in a sequence during this workshop. You will learn the step-by-step creative process to create your own storyboard. By the end of the session, you will have a storyboard outlined to take home and use again to develop your own characters and stories and share the new worlds you create with the community.

For more information on Roc Bottom and to view his work please visit https://www.rocbottomstudios.com

For more information about the workshop please visit https://www.701cca.org/.../storyboarding-workshop-with.../

We are located at 701 Whaley Street, Columbia, SC 29201. Please take the elevator to the second floor to the Main Exhibition Gallery.

Rocbottom Studios

“Record Keeping” Through Paint: A Q&A with Malik Greene By Liz Stalker

Resilience, 2022, Oil on Canvas, 36 x 36 in

Over the weekend of July 6th-9th, Stormwater Studios will host Malik Greene’s visual art show, My Eyes. The opening ceremony will take place on Thursday, July 6th from 6-8 p.m., and the closing ceremony will take place on Sunday, July 9th from 3-6.

Greene, a Columbia-based painter, is Stormwater Studios’ first artist-in-residence in their year-long BIPOC Residency Program. He seeks to capture the realities of his life and perspective of the world around him. He describes using painting as a form of “record keeping,” allowing for the permanence of a fleeting moment, thought, or action, and describes his work as a “bridge between creativity and capturing his own personal epic.”

Jasper: The central theme of the show, the neglect of Black children, especially young Black boys, within the American public school system, is incredibly interesting. What inspired this focus for this collection of works? Was there any personal or interpersonal experience you drew from?  

Greene: A lot of my work is really inspired by whatever needs that I believe should be addressed within the communities I am a part of. So before I sit down and think of what it is exactly I am creating I ask myself if is this an issue that is relevant to myself and even those within my community at large. The body of work originally started off as No One (Ever) Really Fails (There May Be A Reason Why) and it addresses systemic negligence regarding Black boys within life and more specifically the public education system. In time I will go further into what this body of work genuinely entails but with my residency at Stormwater I really wanted to give that exhibition its own life and room to grow and develop as a call to those whom I grew up with and those who can put themselves in my shoes; it’ll be unveiled officially at the conclusion of my residency. It really feels like my current magnum opus because I've been progressively painting my development as a man and an artist, so this body of work really feels like the next step in my career The concept of taking developmental milestones is also a prominent theme of this exhibition because it brings into question the fate of those who are stripped of those developmental milestones and how society at large may be responsible for some of these shortcomings. I relate that back to my days of adolescence and observe how those who I grew up with took a multitude of routes. Some for the better and some for the worst and although we share so many spaces, experiences, and memories we ultimately tailor our lives to what best suits our needs. Some aren't able to delineate which route best suits them and without proper guidance on the possible ways, some simply stop searching altogether. In my mind, it started off as a very bleak concept, but I've come to the conclusion that there is no true failure in life, I guess one can call it predestination, but I think everything that is meant for us ultimately falls into our grasp. The exhibition in July, My Eyes is a prequel to this next step of my narrative which is conveyed through paintings. It really chronicles my perception of the world, really the world that I’ve created inside of my mind because that's where I live most of the time. Some works tackle issues of race and class while some are pages from the notebook of my mind. It also serves as a welcome to the new residency that I have been awarded and is almost like a personal studio tour for those familiar and unfamiliar with me alike.

Jasper: In your artist statement, available on the Stormwater Website, you mention that the subjects of your work hold a kind of power that "does not rely on systemic pain, trauma, or past offenses." How do you accomplish this while still reflecting on the real-world struggle? Furthermore, are you aiming for your subjects to hold the complexity of living individuals? If so, what sort of technique do you use to "flesh them out"?  

Greene: For me, the easiest way to do this is by having a true understanding of the subjects I am painting and genuinely being connected to their circumstances, it almost feels like concern for their circumstance at times… I want to feel how they feel. Everything is subjective but my goal is to make it where my subjects feel as if they are seen and can identify with themselves through the work. If I am able to do that, I think that in itself conveys the nuanced experience of life these individuals are going through. Oftentimes these subtleties are achieved by actually experiencing these circumstances with the individuals I paint, which is why I enjoy using archival and personal references; sometimes I experienced these moments firsthand and it allows me to truly reflect on the feelings involved in these moments. Another way to achieve this is by simply engaging in a conversation and being able to see the subject from their perspective. I desire to create empathetic work that allows the viewer the opportunity to feel the figure and not simply what is happening to them. We all experience pain and misfortune in life but we all respond to it differently, it alters the way we see the world differently and I believe the work becomes successful when one can show discernment and capture the individual in their most vulnerable form. I think the power lies in simply being. I want my subjects in the work I create to simply be, I don't want them to be victims, martyrs, or slaves to their circumstances. I think keenly observing gives an indication to the world that my subjects are a part of, and those minute inferences can say more than simply regurgitating a pain-ridden narrative. I want my subjects to be in settings that are familiar to them, native to the world they know and within that viewers are allowed to connect their own dots as to what their conditions are. I flesh my subjects out by putting myself in their shoes and conveying them as they are not as the world wants them to be, I think that is the highest respect I could pay to anyone willing to be a part of my artistic journey. I could never compare my work to anyone else's because I believe the hand is unique but being a Southern-based artist a lot of work I’ve wanted to counteract convey Black people being slaves to circumstance as opposed to masters of their own domains despite the strife that life may be providing them at a moment. I think the pain only lasts for a moment. If my plan is to immortalize someone through my art, I want to show their strength and not trap them within a fleeting pain.

Three Fingers One Thumb (3F1T), 2022, Oil on canvas, 36 x 48 in

Jasper: Additionally, a lot of the way you talk about creating art in your statement makes it seem like a lot of it is a balancing act of realism and artistry. How did you manage to find the balance you landed on as an artist? 

Greene: Honestly, I just started creating the artwork that I personally wanted to see, really just filling the need that I saw within my community. Along the way of creating what I wanted to see I discovered a lot of artists who follow the same code and it's basically like I was able to develop a family tree of artists I'm working to get a branch on. That tree is really based on research and preference, the old saying goes there is nothing new under the sun and I wholeheartedly agree. I find a new artist every day who has a different perspective on topics that have been touched on all throughout time, and that’s beautiful. To me, that really boils down to two things. 1. We have so much more in common than we may give each other credit for and 2. There is always something to be learned from our predecessors. It’s so many different art styles and eras and it can be intimidating at first but I'm positive that there is a lane and a tribe for everyone looking to find community through art. I have a lot of influences and artists that I respect from a creative standpoint and my biggest takeaway that I get from them is to create what I like and those who resonate with it will. The moment I attempt to create for anyone other than myself it shows within the work. For me, I was influenced heavily by manga and high animation, and it just catches my eye in a way that pure realism doesn't so I tailor a lot of my work based on my past experiences and influences that pique my interest. That's not to say that it won’t change my direction along my artistic journey but as of now, I am extremely compelled by emotive figuration that is able to convey a story through the brushstrokes. Also, I think my beginning my career as a self-taught artist actually helped force me to develop an identity based on what I enjoy, as opposed to developing technique before finding style; I’ve always had my own style, and now I'm able to compile new techniques that amplify my style. Plus the biggest benefit of creating artwork for me is to create how I feel, that's the baseline that has helped me balance my style, being original. In my case that is conveyed through bold opaque colors and textural emphasis, but I envision my creative style and medium developing as I progress. The biggest underlying facet that I wish to maintain is creating my ways and bending the rules to fit my creative need.

Underneath The Veil, 2023, Oil on linen, 16 x 20 In

Greene: Honestly, I'm most excited to put my art out into the world, allowing it to exist outside my mind and studio. I know about myself, and I know I share this feeling with a lot of artists but, putting yourself out there is really the toughest part. Being able to paint, the very act of being creative is innate to me, it isn't really something I have to try hard at because it's a part of my identity without it I don’t know who I would be, but showing the work relates to a part of me that I haven't fully come into yet. It’s really surreal that this is my life, and I haven't grasped that in totality I must admit. Being able to work up the nerve to say this is me, this is what I've put my all into for the past so and so the amount of time is really an unearthing experience and at times I overthink how my perception will be received by those who witness it. So to answer the question I'm just really excited that I'm providing myself the opportunity to share a part of myself with anyone who chooses to receive it. To paint in my studio is one thing, it is my thing but I'm excited that all of the work that I have been putting in to create an experience is about to come to fruition. Being able to see supporters face to face, exchange stories with one another and really connect on a level that words simply can't convey excites me and I'm just extremely blessed that my art is giving me the opportunity to make those connections that last a lifetime.

For more information on Malik Greene and his work, visit his website at malik-greene.com

A Message from Cindi for Midlands Gives 2023

Please Consider Supporting the Jasper Project This Year During Midlands Gives.

Jasper is an all-volunteer 501c3 with NO paid employees and NO overhead, so your donations go directly to the Columbia, SC arts community via events and publications.

Me with Jasper Project board president Wade Sellers and Elvis (aka Patrick Baxley) at Bernie Love 2023

Welcome to one of my favorite times of the year—the time for me to report back to you, our supporters, on how the Jasper Project has been using the funds you entrusted to us over the past year. It’s a joy to celebrate what we can accomplish together with your funding and the Jasper Project’s labors of love.

I always have a soft spot in my heart for Jasper Magazine, which was the seed of the Jasper Project and remains my favorite project of all. Last spring, we published a beautiful issue featuring Lindsay Radford Wiggins on the cover and Michael Krajewski as our centerfold artist. Kristine Hartvigsen wrote the piece on Lindsay, and I had the honor of writing about Michael who, actually, was the centerfold in the first ever issue back in fall 2011. This time, however, he is fully clothed!  We also featured a piece on Mike Miller’s new book, The Hip Shot, WOW Production’s first YouTube series,  Quincy Pugh’s Veteran’s Day Parade painting series, Carleen Maur’s experimental filmmaking, Artists for Africa, and two new books from Muddy Ford Press, (Jasper’s original underwriter before we became a non-profit under the leadership of Larry Hembree), including Night Bloomer by Jane Zenger and More God Than Dead by Angelo Geter. We wrote artist profiles on Lucy Bailey, Diko Pekdemir-Lewis, and Rebecca Horne; Music editor Kevin Oliver compiled a jam-packed article on 10 music artists to watch in the coming year; Will South wrote a piece on Tyrone Geter and his work and life in Gambia; and I had the honor of profiling David Platts, the ED of the SC Arts commission. Sadly, we also memorialized Wim Roefs and Mary Bentz Gilkerson.

Our fall 2022 issue of Jasper featured Wilma King on the cover and Jim Arendt in the centerfold. We wrote about Wideman-Davis dance, Baba Seitu Amenwahsa, Steven Chapp and Jerred Metz, Arischa Connor’s television successes, the Soda City jazz scene, Jamie Blackburn, poet Monifa Lemons and her stint as an actor on Lena Waithe’s film, Crooked Trees Gon Give Me Wings, Carla Daron’s new book The Orchid Tattoo, Amy Brower and the life of a casting agent, new theatre editor Libby Campbell, Dustin Whitehead’s new film Hero, Elizabeth Catlett, and included several poems and music reviews.

I don’t want to give too much away about the spring 2023 issue which is releasing on Saturday May 20th at the Artists Showing Artists event, hosted by Desirée Richardson of Death Ray Robin, but if you meet me that evening at the One Columbia Co-Op at 1013 Duke Avenue, you’ll get some fresh print featuring Philip Mullen, Olga Yukhno, Bohumila Augustinova, Katie Leitner, Dick Moons, Ivan Segura, Drink Small, Alyssa Stewart, and lots of surprises

Fall Lines volume IX - Cover art by Sean Rayford — https://www.seanrayford.com/

After the magazine my next favorite project has to be Fall Lines—a literary convergence. We just released our 9th volume and issued the call for our 10th. I’m incredibly excited to announce that, in addition to the Broad River Prize for Prose, which went this year to Tim Conroy, and Saluda River Prize for Poetry, which went this year to Jo Angela Edwins, that next year we will also be offering the Combahee River Prize to a SC BIPOC writer of poetry or prose. We’ve also formed an ad hoc committee, captained by poet Randy Spencer,  to study the best ways to grow Fall Lines as it moves into its 10th year.

Along the same lines we awarded the Lizelia Prize, named in honor of anti-Jim Crow poet-activist Lizelia Augusta Jenkins Moorer, to Myrtle Beach poet Maria Picone. Maria will have her poetry chapbook titled Adoptee Song, published by Muddy Ford Press through a sponsoring relationship with the Jasper Project. Board member Len Lawson managed this project.

We devoted a lot of our time last summer to the Play Right Series, a project managed by board member Jon Tuttle. The winner of last year’s Play Right Series was first-time playwright, Colby Quick. After spending the summer working with Community Producers Ed Madden, Bert Easter, James and Kirkland Smith, Paul Leo and Eric Tucker, Bill Schmidt, Wade Sellers, and myself, as well as the cast of Colby’s winning play, Moon Swallower, we presented a heavily produced staged reading, directed by Chad Henderson, at the Columbia Music Festival Association in August. We were also delighted to invite the public to the reading and, via our relationship with Muddy Ford Press, offer published copies of Moon Swallower for sale.

Jasper Friends Dick Moons and BA Hohman pose with our host, Clark Ellefson, outside the Art Bar

In December, Clark Ellefson and Andy Rodgers hosted the Jasper Project at the Art Bar on Park Street where we staged our first official Santa Crawl, inviting all comers to don their Santa suits and drink like it was Christmas. We had a fabulous time and enjoyed a delicious house-created cocktail list with a portion of each sale going to the Jasper Project. Thanks Clark, Andy, and everyone at the Art Bar!

In February, the good folks in the Capital City Playboys invited us to partner with them on the fundraiser concert event, An Evening with Bernie Love—A Tribute to Elvis. We themed the event around Valentine’s Day and welcomed more than 100 folks to the 701 Whaley Market space where Marty Fort, Jay Matheson, Kevin Brewer, and Patrick Baxley as Elvis! We also hosted artists Jamie Peterson, Gina Langston Brewer, Cait Maloney, and Lindsay Radford Wiggins who showed and sold their work. At the same time, and thanks to Lee Ann Kornegay, we had reserved the Community Hallway Gallery at 701 Whaley for the month of February to stage an art exhibit we called Love Hurts/Love Heals featuring K. Wayne Thornley and Wilma King.

In March, created a new event called Artists Showing Artists. Artists Showing Artists is an opportunity for established artists to share the spotlight with other artists who may be emerging, new to the area, or who they want to highlight. The project encourages collaboration within and between disciplines and enlightens the community about both the featured artists and the art curation process. Our first event featured Saul Seibert who invited poet Alyssa Stewart (we’re publishing her first ever published poem in the next issue of Jasper Magazine - thanks Saul!), visual artist Virginia Russo, and rapper Keith Smiley.

Our next Artists Showing Artists event will feature Desirée Richardson of Death Ray Robin as our Artist Host. I hope you can join us on May 20th to pick up a copy of the spring issue of Jasper Magazine and check out all the artists Desirée has invited to join us!

In fact, our various gallery spaces across town have grown considerably, helping Jasper to spotlight the work of artists in small, captured spaces. We do a First Thursday artist-in-residence rotation at Sound Bites Eatery on Sumter Street that has thus far included Michael Shepard, Alex Ruskell, Kimber Carpenter, Ginny Merritt, Adam Corbett, Quincy Pugh. Marius Valdes, Gina Langston Brewer, Lindsay Radford Wiggins, Lucas Sams, Colleen Crichter, and Keith Tolen.

Steven White speaking to theatre goers at Harbison Theatre

In January, the Koger Center opened a space on the second floor of their building just outside of the Donor’s Gallery for the Jasper Project to show the art of Columbia-based artists. We opened with Thomas Crouch, then Lindsay Radford, followed by Quincy Pugh. We’ve scheduled additional visual artists to fill out the remainder of 2023 and are already programming into 2024 at the Koger Center as well as at Harbison Theatre in Irmo, where we’ve shown David Yaghjian, Steven White, Michael Krajewski, Lori Isom Starnes, and are currently showing Olga Yukhno. We also keep a running gallery at Motor Supply Bistro and in the sidewalk gallery at the Meridien Building on Main Street.  

I’m actually thrilled to announce that the Jasper Galleries helped put almost $18,000 into the pockets of working artists in Columbia since last March!

Board Member Bert Easter staffs the kegerator at a Jasper Project House Party

As the Jasper Project board of directors has grown, we’ve done a bit of reorganization. Christina Xan, whose work on the Tiny Gallery continues to be so efficient that we tapped her to manage all our gallery spaces, is now also serving as our treasurer. Emily Moffitt was also elected board secretary in January, just after officially joining the board, and Wade Sellers and Kristin Cobb both continue as board president and vice president respectively. Bekah Rice is officially our digital manager as well as our operations manager and, typically, our events director. We welcomed new members to the board including visual artists Ginny Merett and Kimber Carpenter, and Jasper Magazine theatre editor Libby Campbell

I’m sure I’m forgetting an event, a happening, or a party.

Please remember, it is your support of Jasper’s passion for supporting, promoting, and validating Midlands-area artists that allows us to do what we love. Thank you for your continued support.

Cindi

April 2023

Please enjoy a few more photos from the past year of the Jasper Project below —

Carla Damron at Richland Library leading discussion on her book, The Orchid Tattoo, for Jasper’s Nightstand Book Club

Me judging the Mad Hatter Art Show

Featured Artist Wilma King talks with artist Gerard Erley at the Love Hurts/Love Heals art show that she shared with K. Wayne Thornley— a Jasper Project with 701 Whaley

Lisa Hammond served as the poetry judge for Saluda River Prize for Poetry in 2022’s Fall Lines

Jasper was invited by the good folks at Curiosity Coffee to arrange a pumpkin carving contest among the city’s artists — it was a huge success, a lot of fun, and we had some beautiful (and terrifying) pumpkins result!

Point person = Bekah Rice

We featured the art of the four artists on the board at Artista Vista this spring - Ginny Merett, Kimber Carpenter, Laura Garner Hine and Emily Moffitt

Olga Yukhno speaking to theatre goers at Harbison Theatre for her spring exhibit

Our 2019 project, The Supper Table, is still touring. Here it is at the Myrtle Beach Gallery of Art just after being on exhibit at the Morris Center for Arts and History

Michael Krajewski with his exhibit at the Jasper Gallery at Harbison Theatre

More Featured Artists from 52 Windows - Ann Anrrich, Christina Clark, Tariq Mix, Wanda Spong

On Thursday, May 18 from 6-9pm at 701 Whaley, Mirci will host 52 Windows – An Evening of Art. This annual art auction and gala features ten local artists, delicious hors d’oeuvres from Aberdeen Catery, an open bar, and elegant music. Get your tickets today via mirci.org/events.

 The art on display and available for auction will include works by Ann Anrrich. Ann grew up in Columbia, SC, received her education here, and after traveling the world, re-entered the realm of art by capturing her two daughters in oil paints and pastels. These efforts led her to portrait work, mainly in Alabama, where she “learned the ins and outs of painting hair bows, smocking and bare feet”.  While she continues to do portrait work, most recently she has challenged herself in expressing the different colors of light and staying fresh in her painting. Her subject matter now includes landscapes, street scenes, and people both working and having fun.

 Ann is joined by Christina Clark, who recently found her way to pastel painting after many years as an amateur violinist. Her focus is on the ability of movement in abstract color to evoke memories and probe psychic depths. Her interest in the arts stems from an Austrian musical heritage.

Christina’s education background spans degrees from Cornell, Harvard, and Michigan State Universities. Her career was in non-profit organizations as well as local politics in Michigan, where she and her husband resided until coming to Columbia in 2019.

Sponsors of the event include BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Burkett Burkett & Burkett CPAs, Colliers International, Dominion Energy, Eighteen Capital Group, Goodwyn Mills Cawood, Grace Outdoor, Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union, Red Curb Investments, Stoudenmire Heating & Air, Synovus, TD Bank, WIS-TV; and many other Midlands businesses that support wrap-around behavioral healthcare.

One of ten featured artists, Tariq Mix has been finding beauty and inspiration in Black American culture for over two decades. Tariq developed a love for fine art during his time at Howard University and has nurtured his craft through the use of various mediums since 2001.

Mix portrays the beauty in the chaos that can go hand in hand with Blackness in America. His use of bold colors and strong lines reflect the nuances of Black culture and identity through the lens of fashion and music. His work can be found in the private collections of Tommy Mottola and Donald Byrd, along with various other private collectors. He hopes his work encourages viewers to embrace the storied black legacy that American identity was founded upon.

With a love of art centered on the landscape, the marshland, the seascape, and still life, Wanda Spong’s oil paintings will also be available for browsing and bidding at this event.

Wanda’s process for each painting begins as an emotional drawing to a given composition and moves toward an attempt to transfer that emotion-provoking quality onto a canvas. Experimenting with design, color, shapes, edges, and nuance, along with a practice of careful craftsmanship, will forever be exciting and challenging to her as an artist. Every person possesses a creative force within, and she hopes to share with others her love and appreciation for the artistic endeavor.

In addition to the ten featured artists, works by Christi Arnette, Shannon Bygott, Walker Covin, Bill Davis, Bonnie Goldberg, Taylor Kienker, Wilma King, Leah Richardson, Anderson Riley, K. Wayne Thornley, Nancy Tuten, and Susan Hansen Staves will also be available.

Don’t miss an evening of elegant music, delicious hors d'oeuvres, an open bar, and wonderful art! All proceeds support Mirci’s mission to provide wrap-around care to individuals who are vulnerable to the adverse effects of mental illness. Purchase your tickets here today: https://one.bidpal.net/52windows/welcome

Bits & Pieces by Olga Yukhno and Friends at Stormwater Studios

April 26 - May 7, 2023

Stormwater Studios

Featuring the work of 6 South Carolina artists, Olga Yukhno has curated an exhibition that brings her unique vision to life. Bits & Pieces, which opens on April 26th at Stormwater Studios at 413 Pendleton Street in the Columbia, SC Vista and runs through May 7th, focuses on artists whose work involves multiple parts—think woodworking, quilts, mosaics—hence bits and pieces.

In addition to Yukhno, the artists exhibiting include Cameron Porter, Janet Kozachek, Mary Robinson, Janet Swigler, and Jeri Burdick.

The opening reception is Wednesday April 26th from 5-8 with a public workshop on May 2nd from 6-7 pm, an Artists Talk on Thursday May 4th from 6-8, and a closing celebration on Sunday May 7th from 1-3 pm.

Yukhno also is currently showing an extensive collection of her own work at the Jasper Gallery at Midland Technical College’s Harbison Theatre on College Street in Irmo.

This exhibit was made possible due to the generous sponsorship by Dr. Bill Schmidt.

More About the curator Olga Yukhno:

Olga Yukhno is an artist originally from Pyatigorsk, Russia. It was in Russia her passion for art began. Inspired by the culture of her home country, she started by working with batiques, stained glass and enameling. She studied under world renowned enamellist, Nikolai Vdovkin for several years to hone her skills, before moving to the United States in 2008. 

In the US, she no longer had access to the tools needed to continue with her enameling, and quickly started expanding into any and every new medium she could get access to. What she fell in love with was ceramic sculpting. It allowed her to experiment, and fuse together old-world artistry with her skills and abilities across a wide variety of art forms to create totally new and unique mixed media pieces. 

Over the years, Olga has traveled to over 40 countries across Eastern and Western Europe, Asia and the Americas, and visited museums ranging from the world famous Louvre in France, to the smallest unnamed art displays in towns and villages few outsiders have ever seen. It is in these travels she gets the most inspiration, drawing on the uniqueness and culture of every new place she visits, she finds ways to incorporate those cultural nuances into each new piece she makes. The colors, shapes, and ideas of everything from tribal masks to modern street art can be seen woven into her work. She loves juxtaposition in her art, old and new, lustrous and weathered, and it’s in these contrasts she finds beauty.

Currently her work is a mixture of three dimensional ceramic and mixed media wall pieces, figurative sculpture, and larger scale installation works. The process used to create many of her signature looks is achieved by hand pressing each individual impression into the clay using small custom made metal tools. She hand makes all of these tools herself out of repurposed architectural metal scraps. She also loves to incorporate found objects, as well as utilize techniques from other art forms she’s studied and practiced, such as weaving, encaustic and metal working. The result of this process, different incorporated elements and techniques are what create her unique and visually interesting personal style. Her degree in psychology shapes the ideas and concepts behind many of her pieces, with the intention that observing her work encourages the viewer to think more about what they’re seeing, and the emotions it evokes.

(https://www.olgayukhno.com/about)

52 Windows – An Evening of Art Featured Artists: George Stone and Ija Charles

George Stone has enjoyed diverse careers including playing professional baseball in the Chicago White Sox organization, working as a mechanical engineer, and working as a professional artist. Stone is a representational oil painter who focuses primarily on landscape and still life subject matter. He paints extensively from life (plein air) but also works in the studio using plein air studies, sketches and photographic reference.

He has won many awards and is a member of the Oil Painters of America. Stone attempts to convey the beauty and dignity of everyday scenes, and is especially interested in developing a mood in his landscapes by capturing the quality of light present during different times of day, different seasons of the year and different locations.

Ija Charles, 25, is a self-taught artist and entrepreneur from Columbia. You can see her large-scale murals depicting what she calls “a renaissance of black joy” throughout the city.

In addition to murals, she paints colorful, magical and whimsical pictures that create joy while delivering unspoken, yet powerful messages of encouragement.

The muses for her art range from everyday people to diverse samplings from her surrounding community, lived experiences and culture. Inspired by the journey of her upbringing, Ija sows seeds of uniqueness in each new piece and harvests positive vibes from her foundation.

Mirci will host 52 Windows – An Evening of Art, on Thursday, May 18th at 701 Whaley from 6-9pm. The annual fundraiser showcases the work of talented local artists and encourages support of Mirci’s mission to uphold mental health across the Midlands. Visit mirci.org/events for more information.

Woman, Life, Freedom event focuses on Iranian women’s rights movement Evening includes pop-up art exhibition and panel discussion

From our friends at Columbia Museum of Art …

The Columbia Museum of Art presents Woman, Life, Freedom: An Evening on the Art of Protest, an evening of art and activism in conjunction with the exhibition Reverent Ornament: Art from the Islamic World, on Thursday, April 27, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Free with membership or admission, the program focuses on Iranian culture and the current women’s rights movement and features diasporic artists and scholars living in Columbia.

“This museum has been given the opportunity to present art from the Islamic world, in an exhibition that showcases more work from Iran than anywhere else, so I thought it was important to provide space for local Iranian Americans to give voice to what is currently happening there,” says CMA Manager of Engagement Wilson Bame. “I'm extremely excited to be working with these artists, who are very distinct yet very in sync with each other, to highlight their fine work while also giving our visitors a chance to learn more about and maybe participate in the Woman. Life. Freedom. movement.”

The geographical representation in Reverent Ornament: Art from the Islamic World is broad, with art included from regions as far west as Egypt, and as far east as India. The country with the greatest number of items in the exhibition is Iran, a place with thousands of years of cultural history. Presently, Iran is on the minds of many as protests continue in cities throughout the country and across the world following the death of Iranian citizen Mahsa Amini, who died last September while in custody after being arrested by the government’s guidance patrol or “morality police” for “improperly” wearing a hijab. Chanting “Woman. Life. Freedom.,” many people of Iran and their international allies protest the ill treatment of its citizens, especially women, under the rule of the present regime and fight to bring equality to their home nation.

Attendees are encouraged to visit Reverent Ornament to view the art that inspired the program before gathering in the CMA Theater for a short historical recalling of Iran’s most recent histories and a panel discussion led by USC language professor Farzad Salamifar. A pop-up exhibition in the Reception Gallery features the work of three Iranian American women artists, all affiliated with the USC School of Visual Art and Design: designer and associate professor Meena Khalili, visual artist, and adjunct professor Nakisa Beigi, and multimedia artist and MFA student Nina Rastgar. These artists will be present throughout the program and available for questions and discussion. The evening ends on Boyd Plaza with the chalk-stenciling of protest phrases in Farsi, Kurdish, and English.

Thursday, April 27 | 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | Galleries and bar open at 6:00 p.m. | Panel discussion 6:30 – 7:00 p.m. | Pop-up exhibition at 7:00 p.m. | Free with membership or admission | Cash bar

More on 52 Windows Coming up at 701 Whaley

Mirci will host 52 Windows – An Evening of Art, on May 18th at 701 Whaley from 6-9pm. The annual fundraiser showcases the work of talented local artists while encouraging support of Mirci’s mission to provide wrap-around services, including behavioral healthcare and supportive housing, to individuals experiencing mental illness in the Midlands. Visit mirci.org/events for more information.

Introducing Featured Artists – Lani Stringer and Nina Knowlton

Lani Stringer

Lani Mustard Stringer is the founder of, and principal artist at Mustard Graphics in Columbia, South Carolina. She has won numerous awards in a broad range of mediums, with the interconnection between fine art and graphic design apparent in much of her work.

Lani is driven by a deep curiosity and fascination with the world around her. She believes that art has the power to communicate complex ideas and emotions in ways that words alone cannot, and strives to create work that engages viewers on multiple levels. Her creative process is highly intuitive and experimental, and employs a wide range of mediums and techniques to bring ideas to life. Drawing inspiration from a variety of sources, including nature and music, she is constantly seeking new ways to push the boundaries of creativity.

Nina Knowlton

Nina Knowlton was born and raised in Florence, and has lived in Columbia for over 40 years. As a lifetime resident of South Carolina with an affinity for travel, art has always been an important part of her life. Over the last five years, her main focus has been on painting landscapes. She describes her process as “Not just depicting what I see but painting emotion, or, that is to say, how nature feels, and exploring the atmosphere between painter and the subject.”

Her paintings are either painted plein air or painted from photographs she has taken, usually in South Carolina. Declaring nature as her second love, she says, “Painting really makes me appreciate and see nature in a whole new dimension.” She recently attended workshops focused on the style of French Impressionists, which is reflected in her work. She is currently painting at Studio Carlisle.

Browse the work entered for auction by all participating artists and purchase your tickets today by visiting mirci.org/events. Tickets include an open bar, heavy hors d'oeuvres from Aberdeen Catery, and live music, with all proceeds supporting the urgent work of Mirci. 

Virginia Russo Joins Saul Seibert for Artists Showing Artists THIS THURSDAY

For the first installation of the Jasper Project’s Artists Showing Artists series taking place this Thursday night at 7 at The Living Room, Saul Seibert chose Artist Virginia Russo as one of the artists he would like to feature. 

Kara Virginia Russo is a visual and performance artist who grew up in the tiny lake towns of 1980's central Florida, before moving north and earning a BFA from Converse College in Spartanburg, SC. After living for a while in both Asia and Europe, she returned to settle with her husband and two children in South Carolina, where she splits her time as an artist between Columbia and Greenville. Her work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions from Charleston to Asheville.  

Most recently, she collaborated on Zion: a Composition by Saul Seibert, contributing album art, projection visuals, merchandise design and creation, and live ritual based performance art.

According to Russo, “My job as an artist is primarily to SEE, and only secondarily to communicate what I see. In expressing what is unseen (both within and without), I have found it helpful to use the visual language of an inner world I think of simply as The Planet. I like to explore the tension of navigating the wild terrain of the unseen from the safety of the imaginary. Think of my work as paintings, photographs, and explorer’s notes from a place you’ve never been, but one which feels immediately familiar.

“My pieces are built of layers upon layers of wet in wet watercolor and ink, relying on long experience to predict what the unleashed media might do, while staying open to surprise. Over the wet media (or occasionally under), I layer pencil, oil and chalk pastel, collage, and embroidery. I think of the wet media as attempts to paint mystery, and the dry media as attempts to expound and interpret to myself what I have painted, like notes in the margin of a well-loved book.” 

Russo continues, “My collaboration with Saul on Zion happened one day while he was looking at some of my recent work. I remember him sending me a message in response to some pieces that read simply, "I know this place."  I felt the same way the first time I heard the beginnings of the music. The work we've done together has been based on that ever since. We are artistically walking the same landscape. I see my role as simply making visible what is already there inside the music. When I listen to Zion, I'm transported to this place that is unique to Zion but is set in some other corner of my own imaginary world that all my work comes from. I can walk around, explore, see the features of this world, and then come back and paint it. The performance art is the same, I use the body as an instrument to convey visually the emotions and narrative of the piece in real time for the audience at live shows. I contribute all visual art for the project, from designing and hand printing the shirts, to the album art, to the bank of film that Ash Lennox, who does our live visual sets, pulls from. It's an incredible piece of music, and I still can't believe I get to collaborate on it. The musicians are phenomenal, I'm blown away every single time they play it.  

“Zion as a project was more or less part of my life as an artist for two years, from the very beginning of the project. It provided the steady thread all through an overseas move back to America, and all the transition that came with it. Zion stayed the same, I think the project kept me sane.  

“When the collaboration began, I had only been making art again for a year after a decade long hiatus. Zion provided the framework I needed to find my voice and confidence. I would ask Saul his opinion, and he would just say that he trusted me completely. I had complete artistic freedom, which was intimidating at first, but challenged me to grow as an artist in ways I'm grateful for. I grew into the project, in a sense. Every now and then, Saul would say something like "wouldn't it be cool if..." and I knew I was about to learn to do something I didn't think I could do. I picked up whole skill sets I had never tried before, ranging from stop motion, to illustration, to block printing. Saul had such confidence in my abilities, anything seemed possible. On top of that, Columbia has welcomed me into the creative community, and I can't imagine making art without all this support.” 

Join Jasper on Thursday night as we facilitate Rebekah Corbett’s project, Artists Showing Artists with Saul Seibert. Saul has invited poet-songwriters, Alyssa Stewart, and NoN (Keith Smyly), as well as his band King Saul and the Heretics. Art will be on display and available for sale by Virginia Russo, Adam Corbett, and Emily Moffitt. 

Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. 

The Living Room, 6729 Two Notch Road #70, Columbia, SC, 29223

Tickets

jasperproject.org/artists-showing-artists/tickets

Refillable Jasper cups for beer and wine will be available for $10 as well as hotdogs and a selection of baked goods. 

All proceeds go toward supporting the Jasper Project’s mission.

Philip Mullen at Richland Library Main Branch

Join Philip Mullen and Jasper for an exciting Artist-led Tour on Friday, April 28th at 2 pm at Richland Library!

In advance of the release of the Spring 2023 print issue of Jasper Magazine, in which we feature an article on Philip Mullen, Jasper is excited to help share the news that Professor Mullen will be installing a new collection of his work at the Main Branch of the Richland Library at 1431 Assembly Street.

Mullen’s new exhibition, most of which is drawn from his private collection, will consist of 15 new pieces, 14 of which have never been shown in Columbia before.

On Wednesday March 29th from 6 - 7 pm, Mullen will conduct an artist’s talk which is open to the public and will include a look-back at the last 30 years of his work.

But on Friday, April 28th at 2 pm, you are invited to join the Jasper Project for our own tour of the exhibit led by the artist, Philip Mullen, himself!

Meet Artist Mullen and Jasper Project Board Member and singular Artist herself, Ginny Merett, in the lobby of the Main Branch of the Richland Library at 2 pm to begin the tour. The event should last between 45-60 minutes. For more information check out the event on social media.

Tuesday, March 21 – Saturday, May 6

Richland Library, 1431 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC

Jasper Presents Fall Lines - a literary convergence Volume IX at Richland Library

Join the Jasper Project on Saturday, March 25 from 2 - 5 pm for the release of Fall Lines - a literary convergence Volume IX at the Main Branch of the Richland Library on Assembly Street.

Poetry and prose accepted for publication in this year’s Fall Lines journal include the following

Fruit – Gil Allen

The turning – Ken Autry

The last battle in Alabama – Ken Autry

Bachman's Warbler – Ken Autry

Bird – Libby Bernardin

with spoiled fruit – Evelyn Berry

Dear Raphael – Al Black

Porcelain doll – Al Black

If I were a man – Cindi Boiter

Prudent – Cindi Boiter

Seamstress – Carolina Bowden

Signs that say what you want them to say (not signs that say what someone else wants you to say) – Lucia Brown

Before we turn on the table saw – Lucia Brown

walking a half-marathon through your hometown – Lucia Brown

Members of the backyard church – Tim Conroy

Nasty Bites – Tim Conroy

How to cut up a chicken – Susan Craig

Touching Wyse's Ferry Bridge – Susan Craig

The Older Poet Yearns to Carpe the Diem – Debra Daniels

Dream Three – Heather Dearmon

Bring Me Something – Heather Dearmon

Across the River - Marlanda DeKine

talking to themselves -  Marlanda DeKine

For my cat, every Sunday afternoon – Graham Duncan

Ghosts in Poems – Jo Angela Edwins

Stricken – Jo Angela Edwins

Nana Lencha – Vera Gomez

You don't know what you don't know – Vera Gomez

Coattails – Kristine Hartvigsen

River – Kristine Hartvigsen

A Quiet Love – Jammie Huynh

A ghazal to my father – Jammie Huynh

Bad Idea Boyfriend, or White Jesus – Shannon Ivey

D. – Suzanne Kamata

Red Bird / Blue Bird – Bentz Kirby

Hunter's Chapel Road – Len Laurin

I love you 3000 – Len Lawson

Crown – Terri McCord

Space – Terri McCord

For a 20% Tip – Rosalie McCracken

"Yes, please" – Melanie McGhee

Cycles – Joseph Mills

Office hours – Joseph Mills

Those of us with bushy white beards – Joseph Mills

So long, Greenie – Eric Morris

Chopin all over her – Eric Morris

Old photos (for Ahmaud Arbery) – Yvette Murray

Thundering shadows – Frances Pearce

Gone to the birds – Glenis Redmond

"Praise how the ordinary turns sacred" – Glenis Redmond

Strangers in a Strange Field – Aida Rogers

Pre-Columbia Intersections – Lawrence Rhu

Meaningless – Michael Rubin

Small things I notice – Randy Spencer

Next Day Now - Randy Spencer

Above the poplars – Arthur Turfa

For the Love of Mz. Joe – Ceille Welch

The Broad River Prize for Prose this year goes to Tim Conroy for his short fiction, Nasty Bites and the Saluda River Prize for Poetry goes to Jo Angela Edwins for her poem, Stricken.

Carla Damron was the adjudicator for the prose prize and Lisa Hammond judged the poetry prize.

Both contributors and the public are invited to attend. Contributors are also invited to read from their included works during the event in the order in which it is published.

Thank you to Carla Damron, Lisa Hammond, Richland Library, the Friends of Richland Library, One Columbia, and Muddy Ford Press for their support of this project.