Artist Kendall Jason is a Different Kind of Man by Jasper intern Grace Fennell

 

Kendall Jason was never “one of the guys”. A wide-shouldered, burly man, one might look at Kendall and be reminded of a lumberjack or construction worker.

One might be wrong. Kendall Jason is the new resident artist at Tapp’s Arts Center. His work is largely a commentary on gender roles and an attempt to challenge the perception of masculinity in our society. Jason also puts a spin on the normally accepted concept of framed art, and instead channels his ideas into a combination of sculpture, drawing, video, music, and performance art. Often in Jason’s work he attempts to walk the line between hyper-masculine characters and the feminine strength, dressing up in drag in his visual art performances as well as in super masculine costumes.

For Jason’s latest piece, The Dorothy Project, he does away with the concept of gender and performs a visual arts piece in which he dresses as the female characters from The Wizard of Oz. The piece addresses the urban legend of a sonic connection between The Wizard of Oz and Pink Floyd, creating kind of a trippy, psychedelic feel. He can be seen as a man-ish disgruntled construction worker version of Dorothy, dragging large yellow cinderblocks behind him, in an attempt to re-build the yellow brick road. The idea behind it being what would it look like if he was Dorothy having to return to Oz, and rebuild the yellow brick road and bring the magic back into the bricks. The juxtaposition of the feminine characters and the “masculine” tasks creates a blur between the roles of gender.

Jason thoughtfully discusses his football years in college and how he enjoyed playing the game but never bought into the culture that went along with it. He could always physically compete but never felt comfortable in the role. With his long hair and alternative music, he never fit into jock culture, using music and art as his escape. It seemed to him that there was too much of one set version of “masculinity” involved in his environment. He felt that the way he looked made it very easy for him to fit in but mentally he wasn’t there at all. Jason preferred a wide variety of things. He not only enjoyed art, music, and performance, but he also had a completely different outlook on the way he wanted to act and live his life. He didn’t grow up in a household of intrinsic or enforced gender roles, and he continues that tradition with his own family. Everyone does every job in and outside of the house regardless of whether they are male or female.

It wasn’t until art school at NYU that Jason finally found his place when a mentor an arts professor advised him to understand the feminist tradition behind what he was doing. He needed to get to know his predecessors. This is where Jason discovered his talent and his unique way of expressing it. He honed in on identity theory and performative art and discovered how free an open one could be from social constructs.

Through the years, Jason has gained a wider understanding and become more free comfortable with expressing his own gender identity and opinions about the constructs of gender through his art. Often combining elements of masculine sports imagery with strong femininity, Jason questions and challenged why society so often puts women and men in such distinctly different boxes.

Jason’s new piece, The Dorothy Project, will open in May. Hear him speak during Peer Review at Tapp’s Art Center this Wednesday at 6 pm.

By Grace Fennell, Jasper intern

REVIEW: CCB's Body & Movement Explored by David Ligon

The art scene has progressed immensely in Columbia, SC over the past decade, and while Columbia City Ballet may have previously seemed to lag behind, performing the same pool of two- and three-act story ballets since William Starrett took over, only creating new ones every few years, the company seems to be moving forward of late and progressing along with the city.

On Friday, February 20 at 7:30 PM Columbia City Ballet presented its third annual Body & Movement Explored series. This event is a departure from what the company typically performs. Starrett has said this is an experimental project for the dancers as well as emerging choreographer to see if it can bring in an audience, and one day be presented on a bigger stage.

It is always exciting to see dancers you have become familiar with onstage be able to share another part of themselves with the audience. Most of the choreography was by Columbia City Ballet dancers. This year marks the first time choreographers came from out of state and volunteered their time to create works, including Rachel Leonard, a freelance choreographer from Florida; Jenny Broe, Owner of StudioFX in Charleston; Kevin James of Smuin Ballet; and former CCB principal dancer, Wayland Anderson. The Columbia City Ballet choreographers included soloist Philip Ingrassia, and corps members Ashley Concannon, Amanda Summey, and Denis Vezetiu.

Mr. Vezetiu choreographed two pieces as well as co-choreographed one with Ms. Concannon. His most captivating was his pas de deux, "Walk," which showcased his incredible strength and control as he manipulated dancer Nadine Tetrick around his body. She never touched the floor, as he was always controlling her. Her port de bras reacted to him like movement through water. They were one body moving together creating something beautiful to Ludovico Einaudi's minimalist score.

Ludovico music was used in four different pieces, as well as other minimalist composers including Philip Glass and Zoe Keating. What is interesting is how these composers created an atmosphere and texture with their music, rather than becoming monotonous because of its repetitiveness, lack of dynamic contrast with only slight rhythmic and melodic variations.

Jenny Broe, one of the visiting choreographers, created an enthralling contemporary piece of work to an up-tempo, club remix version of Bryan Adams’ “Wicked Games.” The choreography was seamless throughout, creating a battle between the dancers as to who could out dance whom. There was no pause for the dancers who moved from one structure to the next in groups or in pairs. The dancers would enter or leave the arena by walking fiercely like runway models. The other stand out choreographer was Rachel Leonard, who choreographed the opening piece “Speak” as well as the finale “Garcons et das Filles et des Bancs”. The last piece was set to operatic music with four sets of couples divided by gender and sitting on benches. There were phallic movements and a titillating flirtation from the four girls and four boys making it humorous and engaging fun. The boys unfortunately, missed some of the musical cues that would've made her vision really come to life.

Starrett recently commented that this is an experimental show trying to find an audience and support. He choreographed a pas de deux, “All for You,” for real life married couple Ingrassia and Autumn Hill. It was a tongue and cheek country western, on the bayou piece with choreography familiar to anyone who has seen Starrett’s previous work. For the music he collaborated with Josh McCaa who is married to CCB principal, Claire McCaa. McCaa’s country western music and voice were great, but didn’t quite sync up to the choreography. Starrett’s work with CCB is typically classical story-line fairytale ballets, like CCB’s upcoming “Cinderella.” “All For You” gave Starrett a chance to try something on a smaller scale and in a less-serious mood. It might have seemed that Starrett was going for laughs at times rather than substance, but maybe the programming of a light piece provided a good contrast with the passionate and personal work of the other choreographers.

Amanda Summey's piece “Identity Crisis” was fresh and thought provoking. Hip-hop, with elements of contemporary ballet, the eight women were wearing red masks that covered the lower half of the face and wearing street clothes. With their faces covered, they had to rely completely on body movement for expression. The music used was just a rapper with no instruments, but the rap voices layered on top of each other, creating a vocalized rhythm. Summey is a poly-artist: a visual artist and sketcher, ballet dancer, choreographer, and theater graduate from Northwestern University, she brings graffiti street art and intellectualism to her work.

The dancers who stood out were the constant duo, Bonnie Boiter-Jolley and Claire Richards. They were in the most pieces but were always paired together. Although these two compliment each other physically – they are tall, slender and blond – it would have been nice to see them dance separately, for each brings her own versatility to the stage.

In the future, CCB should model this show after other workshops around the country by auditioning choreographers to present full-length works (20-30 minutes) so the dancers can get fully invested in the work. There are theaters that can host such an event, other than the informal black box, that won’t run up the cost as much as putting it on at the Koger Center would. Having a professional event at such an informal space has its downsides: there isn’t enough lighting to explore the space, and the sound was a little low, which in turn meant we could hear every step and breath taken on stage. I believe the Columbia arts community will support a mixed-repertory series. Body & Movement Explored should be expanded and promoted bringing one-act ballets of various lengths with plot-less rather than story line structures. I think the series could be artistically and fiscally viable.

City Art presents Judy Bolton Jarrett's "Passages" - opening reception Thursday during Vista Nights

Judy Bolton Jarrett’s solo exhibition “Passages” begins Oct 16 for Vista Nights. The opening reception at City Art will be the next Thursday, Oct 23 from 5-8pm. The artist will be in attendance for both events.

Jarrett comments, “Several years ago, as a pure transparent watercolor purist, I was introduced to the wonderful world of acrylics, especially the endless possibilities of adding and subtracting elements, and thus began a new chapter in my painting life! While I certainly consider my works as interpretations, I am constantly aware of what is not easily seen but is felt. My paintings reflect my love of color, design, pushing the envelope, and satisfying my ever-evolving curiosity of what's next, as art is a continuous flow of creative energy. Most recently I was given a “challenge” by a friend who builds and repairs clocks. He sent me a box of discarded parts and said, ‘Do something creative!’ That is how the Time Series began. Always remembering the power of words, I incorporate inspirational and motivational messages into each painting into each of the Time Series paintings. Also, a recent introduction to high-flow acrylics has added another element to my ever-growing list of favorites!”

Jarrett grew up in Winder, GA, in the north GA foothills and then graduated from Presbyterian College, Clinton, SC, in 1963. For 21 years she taught English in grades 7-12 in South Carolina and Alabama, changing careers in 1986 to pursue her artistic endeavors. Since 1990 she has had a small studio and gallery in the first bank building (circa 1908) in Chapin, SC, and continues to use that as her home base for showing her work and for creating new paintings, a continuous process.

She has originals in collections locally, nationally, and internationally and is a signature member of the South Carolina Watermedia Society and the Georgia Watercolor Society.

Jarrett was also featured in the September 2014 issue of Jasper Magazine.

City Art Gallery is located at 1224 Lincoln St. in the historic Congaree Vista area in Columbia, South Carolina. Gallery hours are Monday – Thursday 10 a.m. until 6 p.m., Friday 10:00 am until 5 p.m., and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information contact Wendyth Wells, City Art Gallery, at 803-252-3613 or email ww@cityartonline.com. Visit online at www.cityartonline.com.

Inside the Coen Brothers -- A Review of Inside Llewyn Davis by Wade Sellers

Inside Llewyn Davis is a really good film. Wonderfully led by Oscar Isaac (Drive), who plays the title character, and surrounded by a deep talent pool of supporting characters. Beautifully shot by first time collaborator Bruno Delbonnel (Delbonnel did serve as cinematographer for the Coen Brothers short segment Tuileries in the anthology film Paris, je t'aime). As usual in all the Coen Brothers’ films, the production design is immaculate. Take for instance one three second shot of Isaac walking on the streets of Long Island. So on and so on and so on. To the point that one begins to wonder how much of the process for the Coen Brothers is new and interesting and how much is just how they do things.

~"Playing Davis, Isaac bleeds artistic idealism."~ 

Llewyn Davis is a struggling folk singer. Living in New York City in 1961, he is part of the Greenwich Village folk scene that is going through a transformation from the fifties beat movement to the later sixties pop-folk music. Playing Davis, Isaac bleeds artistic idealism. He's a jerk with issues, but is blessed with talent, though not magnetic, take-you-straight-to-the-top, talent. He's more of a blue-collar artist, sleeping from couch to couch and paying his way from show to show. (It’s good to see Isaac own a role this deep. His performance in Drive, starring Ryan Gosling, was so memorable that he threatened—save for the fact that he was only in the film for a short time—to upstage Gosling.) Llewyn's immediate circle of friends and acquaintances includes fellow musicians Jim and Jean, played by an understated Justin Timberlake and a shrewd Carey Mulligan. It's a bit of an on-screen reunion as Mulligan played Isaac's wife in Drive. The story follows Davis through the cold New York winter as he struggles to make his living.

At some point during their cinematic resume, it became an event for devotees to go see a Coen Brothers movie. This is a rare thing among film aficionados and can only be said about a handful of living filmmakers. Scorsese, yes, but wavering. Spielberg, not really, anymore. There are others but in general, the idea of the auteur is disappearing. Joel and Ethan Coen offer something new with every film. A new experience. A different way of looking at a story.

~"Ever since their first film Blood Simple, Coen Brothers films have always seemed to have the wry grin of a six-year-old boy who has snuck away while his mother wasn't looking, magnifying glass in hand and looking for the nearest ant hill in the sun."~

Looking at their work from a few steps back, Coen Brothers films exist essentially in two forms; the story and the setting. Prior to adopting existing work, their story lines and settings could be interchangeable. Neither required the other to be successful. Think about two of their films and switch the characters. It works. Their lead characters are usually alone but in control of their lives. They are searching for something, lost or at a moment of change in their own world and searching for the next chapter. But there has always been a sneaky youthful playfulness to their films. Ever since their first film Blood Simple, Coen Brothers films have always seemed to have the wry grin of a six-year-old boy who has snuck away while his mother wasn't looking, magnifying glass in hand and looking for the nearest ant hill in the sun.

Over the course of ninety minutes of Inside Llewyn Davis, we are given an assortment of Coen Brothers’ greatest hits; The symmetrical office shots, the secretary typing away, the peculiarly violent unknown stranger, extended tight hallways, the awkward pauses in conversation, the semantic misunderstandings and the up-to-no-good traveler (again by John Goodman—see Barton Fink, O' Brother Where Art Thou?). Mulligan does a fantastic job with her role, given that it falls in the typical Coen Brother female supporting lead genre; (there were moments where it sounded as if Maude Lebowski were talking). One thing that has shifted in their movies is the allowing of actors to put their own voices in the dialogue. You can still hear the writing, but it has taken many films for the Coens to loosen the reigns this much on how a scene is delivered by the actors.

As the movie closes in on the end, we are given a bit of a plot twist and one idea about the whole reason for the film presents itself—what if the whole story is one big personal existential exercise, by the filmmaking pair, in the mid-life search for value in one's artistic work? And what would their work be without each other?

All of the clues are here for such an effort. We get the walks down Coen Brother Memory Lane, as if they are an old rock band on a reunion tour doing a medley of all the old hits, but acoustic versions. It is as if the brothers themselves are looking back on their work, giving it to us again and questioning its validity. Towards the end of the film, the exclamation point is made when Llewyn stops and stares at a movie poster hanging outside a theater. Is it meant for Davis or are the Brothers letting us in on something about themselves?

With such eclectic work that has received the highest honors, those who create could understand the possibility that the Coen Brothers themselves still have to defend each new idea. This is best reflected in a scene where Llewyn doesn't react so well to being asked to perform at a dinner party. Inside Llewyn Davis is a beautifully subtle film about The Artist and creating. It doesn't make excuses and it doesn't pander to an audience with preconceived notions. It is quite simply the song that the Coen Brothers want to play for us right now. And it is a wonderful song indeed.

  ~~~

Inside Llewellyn Davis plays exclusively at the Nickelodeon Theater through January 23^rd.

-- Wade Sellers

Welcome Wade Sellers -- Jasper's New Film Editor

It was about this time two years ago when a small group of us gathered in my living room out at Muddy Ford and discussed what we wanted out of the new Columbia arts magazine we were building, Jasper. Having written for national magazines for years, I felt comfortable on the writing side of things. But having always been peevish about people talking -- or worse, writing -- about things they know little about, it was important from the start that we only bring in staff members who know a great deal about their subject matter. Experts in the field, if you will. Folks who have the vocabulary and are proficient in the theory and methods about which they would write.

It was a pretty small group of us at first. Ed Madden took on the literary arts and Kyle Petersen, music. Thankfully, Heyward Sims agreed to be our design editor -- a huge task and a huge load off of my mind to know that our words and photography would be handled by someone who would respect them, as well as enjoy and experiment with the process of putting them on paper. And Kristine Hartvigsen was and continues to be a great source of advice and encouragement.

It didn't take long for the magazine family to grow with long-time theatre aficionado August Krickel joining the staff as theatre editor,  Bonnie Boiter-Jolley as dance editor (it seemed only natural), and Forrest Clonts as photography editor -- another huge job given that Forrest is responsible for arranging for all the photographs to be taken, and then editing them and preparing them for publication. Last summer, Annie Boiter-Jolley signed on as our operations manager -- a tremendous underuse of her skill set, but we're thrilled to have her. Just before Christmas this year, Chris Robinson from USC joined us as our visual arts editor -- a position I had been wanting to fill with the right person since the inception of the magazine. And now, finally, local filmmaker and documentarian Wade Sellers has come on board as our film editor.

Wade is the owner and executive director of Coal Powered Filmworks and, among many other things, the person who brings you the excellent SC ETV series on South Carolinians and their involvement in WWII. Wade is always hopping on a plan and heading for all points exciting so I'm practically over-the-moon that he has agreed to share his wisdom with us. And when I say that he has wisdom and experience, I'm not kidding -- in all aspects of filmmaking. He has served as the director of four films, cinematographer on seven, writer on three, and editor and producer on two, not to mention working as camera, gaffer or grip on nine more. And he's been nominated for two Emmys.

Wade came to work ready to make things happen in the Columbia film community. You'll see the product of his work in the next issue of Jasper coming out on Friday night, July 12th. And you'll also hear him announce some exciting news about an additional film festival in Columbia (organized with the blessing of our friends at the Nickelodeon.)

So please help us welcome Wade to the Jasper family. He fits in so well - it feels like he's been here forever.

Jasper's Fave Non-Film Part of Indie Grits? Spork in Hand Puppet Slam -- Hands Down!

 

It's no secret that Jasper is a big fan of Indie Grits -- we love independent film! And while we'd just as soon have a film festival that was about film and film only, we admire the way the good folks at IG try to incorporate the whole community in their special week. AND, we are crazy about one specific part of the festival, the Spork in Hand Puppet Slam.

Why? Lots'o reasons, but the strongest being the opportunity to see three of Columbia's most creative minds demonstrate their incredibly eclectic, innovative, and just plain out-there abilities. Lyon Hill, Kimi Maeda, and Paul Kaufmann.

(Jasper wrote about Lyon Hill here and Kimi Maeda here.)

(And is it true that the strangely brilliant Alex Smith is also involved this year? Yes? No? Somebody?)

We lifted the below information info from the Indie Grits website about these folks:

Lyon Hill lives with his wife, Jenny Mae, and their son, Oliver, in Columbia, SC. He has been a puppetmaker and puppeteer with the Columbia Marionette Theatre since 1997. His paintings and puppets have been shown in numerous galleries over the years and his puppet shows have been performed at regional and national puppet festivals. Three of his short films are part of Heather Henson's Handmade Puppet Dreams film series, which are shown internationally

Kimi Maeda is a theatre artist whose intimate visual performances cross disciplines and push boundaries.  Trained as a scenic and costume designer whose work has been recognized nationally, she is drawn to the versatility of puppetry and delights in the fact that it allows her to explore all of her diverse interests; from science to storytelling.  Kimi worked for several years as a puppeteer and set designer for the Columbia Marionette Theatre, writing and directing Snow White and The Little Mermaid. Her shadow-puppet performances The Crane Wife and The Homecoming are original adaptations of traditional Japanese folktales interwoven with her own bi-cultural experience growing up as a Japanese-American.

Paul Kaufmann is an actor, writer and artist.  His acting credits include three productions at New York’s famed LaMaMa E.T.C.: The Cherry Orchard Sequel (2008, NY Times critic’s pick), The System (2009) and the title role in this year’s Hieronymus, all written by Obie Award winner Nic Ularu. With Mr. Ularu, Paul has also toured Romania in The System (2006). In 2010, he performed at the Cairns Festival in Queensland, Australia in Dean Poynor’s H. apocalyptus, a zombie survival tale. He has performed the same role in the Piccolo Spoleto Festival (2011) and at The Studios of Key West. Also at TSKW: One Night Stand: 3, 4 and 5. Recent roles at Trustus Theatre include Dan in Next to Normal, Charles Guiteau in Assassins, Bill Fordham in August: Osage County and all roles in I Am My Own Wife.  For pacific performance project/east, Paul played Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2012) and Man in Pile in Mizu No Eki (The Water Station) (2010). A founding member of the SC Shakespeare Company, Paul has acted onstage, in television and in film (including Campfire Tales and Lyon Forrest Hill’s Junk Palace) for 40 years. His collages, assemblages and paintings have been exhibited at Anastasia and Friends gallery.  He’s thrilled to be a part of the Spork In Hand Puppet Slam. In May, Paul returns to Romania to perform at the Sibiu International Theatre Festival in a new production directed by Mr. Ularu.

To what they have to say above we'll just add this -- There is nothing like the experience of good adult puppetry theatre. It effects the viewer in ways that are personally, emotionally, and psychologically surprising. It can be intimate, evocative, and funny -- all in the same breath. It is touching and exhilarating. It can move you in ways you have never been moved before. It makes you laugh and it makes you think. Don't miss this beautiful experience.

Kimi Maeda

presented by Belle et Bête

Saturday, April 13th at 7pm & 9:30pm - $10 - Nickelodeon Theatre

CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS

-- Cindi Boiter, editor - Jasper Magazine

Southern Exposure New Music Series: Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians

 

One of the most compelling parts of Columbia’s arts scene is the Southern Exposure New Music Series, a series of FREE concerts put on by the nonprofit each year that explore contemporary classical and world compositions as well as some of the masterworks of the 20^th century. The shows are often standing room only affairs, largely because of the depth and quality of the performances, which have a reputation for being wildly eclectic and stunning in equal measure.

If you’ve never been, consider going this weekend to a performance of Steve Reich’s seminal Music for 18 Musicians. Reich is perhaps the definitive composer of the second half of the 20^th century, and this is his most famous piece—a gorgeous work of pulsating musical minimalism that builds (and contracts) ever-so-slowly as melodies and harmonies are gradually added to create a mesmerizing, hypnotic effect that is best experience live. The 18 musicians comes from the fact that the piece requires at a minimum four pianists, six percussionists, four female singers, two clarinetists, a violinist, and a cellist—parts which will be ably handled by 18 of USC’s most talented students in the School of Music (many of whom will be also be tackling more than one instrument in the course of the performance). Directing the work is USC piano professor Phillip Bush (who is also performing—the composition is traditionally performed without a conductor), who has played the piece numerous times around the world with Reich himself. Bush will also be giving a short talk before each performance.

Here’s  a complete performance available on YouTube (you really have to see it live though):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXJWO2FQ16c

And, in the tradition of the increasingly collaborative arts scene we have in Columbia, local painter Blake Morgan will have his paintings on exhibit in the gallery for both performances. His involvement is sponsored by Pocket Productions!

A note on composer: Reich’s music always feels like waves upon waves of sound to me—while the careful the listener can note the subtle, ceaseless shifts in rhythm, melody, and harmony, there is something visceral about the listening experience as well, that hits you in the gut. That’s likely the reason Reich’s music has enjoyed such popularity outside of traditional contemporary music circles as well. While his compositions are usually debuted in the finest concert halls at this point (a stark contrast from his earlier years, when his work was shunned by the elites), Reich still gets an audience outside of those confines, even at rock festivals. Check out this video, where Reich and Bang On A Can’s Dave Cossin perform to whopping audience at the rock-centered Bloc festival in east London.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lesDb9GsQm4

The series will be giving two performances of Music for 18 Musicians: on Friday and Saturday, April 12-13, 7:30pm, at the USC School of Music Recital Hall, 813 Assembly Street (next to the Koger Center), 2nd Floor. Admission, as always, is free.

K. Petersen, Jasper Music Editor

Correction: The original post incorrectly stated that Blake Morgan would be painting live during the performance. He will not be.

More than a dorm for Main Street: how about a residential center for the arts? -- A guest editorial by Jeffrey Day

When I heard that there was a plan afoot to turn the empty and enormous SCANA building at Main and Hampton streets into a dorm for 800 University of South Carolina students, I was worried. The street has just started emerging as a new center of the arts in Columbia and it didn’t seem to me like putting hundreds of random students in the middle of it would help that along. Would the dominating numbers of students completely shape the tone of the street? It seems to me that with that many students, the businesses on the street will cater to them – and who can blame them? Will we end up with a bunch of cheap eating and drinking spots instead of art galleries and boutiques and imaginative restaurants?

My concerns do not appear to be shared by others in the city, including those who run the art spots on Main Street, and the city has approved the plan. So Main Street is going to get 800 students.

How about we get the right 800 students? And by that I mean students who will benefit from being on Main Street and be beneficial to it. My suggestion is that the building not simply be a dorm, but a residential center for the Arts and Humanities. Along with serving as a home for art, music, theater, dance, writing, film-making students (and maybe even faculty members) the meeting rooms and a huge lobby can be transformed into alternative performance, rehearsal and gallery space and badly needed student and faculty studios. The center could be a gathering place where students and faculty in the various arts areas could interact - something that too rarely takes place at the university. It would also be a one-stop shop where the public could learn about all the great artists and arts programs at the university. More conversations among the art students and faculty with the larger arts community and the general public would be an eye-opening – and yes, educational – experience for all involved.

For art, dance, theater, film, music and writing students the location is perfect.

Just across the intersection is the Columbia Museum of Art where they can see art from the past 2,000 years as well as hear some significant classical music concerts along with more rockin’ sorts of things like Arts and Draughts.

They could wander up and down the street to see what’s happening in the emerging art venues such as Frame of Mind, Anastasia & Friends Gallery, S & S Art Supply, the Studios at the Arcade, and the Tapp’s Art Center.

They can duck into the Nickelodeon Theater to take in an independent film, stick around for an audience discussion and maybe show some of their own movies.

The Richland County library is only a block away and just beyond that the art galleries of the Congaree Vista.

They can pick up art supplies right on Main Street or over on Lincoln.

They can walk to the river and think.

They can head down to the State House and think about running for office –  some artists in office would be nice.

Rather than being a place for students to store their stuff and get some sleep, this project has the potential to be something transformative for the university and the city.

-- Jeffrey Day

Jeffrey Day is s a local arts writer and critic who was the arts editor at The State for two decades. You can reach Day by writing to carolinaculture@hotmail.com.