We've got a pretty great group of interns this season -- you've probably already seen them around town delivering Jaspers, helping out other arts organizations, or just in the audience at an event, doing their part to help build and support the Columbia arts community. Some of these guys are artists themselves. Haley Sprankle, for example, will be singing the lead in Town Theatre's Oklahoma this fall. Others are exceptional writers, like Kirby Knowlton, Abby Davis, and Caitlin McGuire (both Abby and Caitlin have work in the current issue of Jasper) while Nick Black is a gifted graphic artist and Annie Brooks teaches Bikram yoga. We're pretty psyched to be able to welcome this fine group of artists and arts lovers to the Jasper family. If you do see them around town, we hope you'll welcome them, too
Meet The Interns -- aka TEAM JASPER
Annie Brooks is a graduate of The University of South Carolina, a Bikram Yoga teacher, and a lover of arts and travel. Post graduation she worked for the Gibbes museum and City Gallery in Charleston. Recently she has returned from Los Angeles where she completed the nine weeks long certification program to become a Bikram teacher. She currently teaches at both Columbia studios. She is enthusiastic about consuming as much art as possible, and prizes her collection of exhibition tickets. Annie believes there is no better way to spend an afternoon than wandering galleries and museums, enjoying the visitors reactions and opinions just as much as the art itself. She feels privileged to contribute to the production of Jasper magazine, especially in a time when the Columbia arts and music scene is really taking off. She is of the belief that art is one of the few universal interests; it can span border lines and language barriers, bringing people together like nothing else.
Nick Black is a 20-year-old junior graphic artist from Columbia, SC. He attended Spring Valley High where he became involved in the arts; in 2012 he graduated as a National Art Honors Student. Also during his high school years he joined the NiA Company where he worked as an actor, assistant stage and sound director. Nick continues to provide assistance to the NiA Company in the area of graphic design. Currently he is pursuing a degree in Graphic Design at The Art Institute of Charlotte, where he is working as a student representative for Adobe Programming.
Haley Sprankle is 18 years old and is a freshman theatre major at the University of South Carolina. Although she was born in Denver, CO, she is a southern girl by heart. She recently graduated from Dutch Fork High School as an honor graduate, as editor of her yearbook, and received the Palmetto Fellows scholarship for her academic achievements. She is currently playing the role of Laurey in Oklahoma at Town Theatre while also teaching dance for Christy Mills at the SC Music and Dance Academy. Her favorite visual artist is Andy Warhol, her favorite author is Kate Chopin, and her favorite film is Breakfast at Tiffany's. She looks forward to being a part of the Jasper team this year and is so thankful for this wonderful opportunity!
Caitlyn McGuire has a passion for the arts-music, dance, and most importantly, writing. This fifth year journalism student at University of South Carolina got her start in the arts in her hometown of Sandwich, Massachusetts on Cape Cod where she studied voice, and piano, ballet, tap, jazz and Irish Step dancing. The 22-year-old has grown an intense appreciation for the art, which led her to focus her writing style in journalism on just that. She started her journalism career outside of the classroom working for UCS’s newspaper, The Daily Gamecock, in the art’s and entertainment section, alternatively named the Mix section. She eventually went on to be the editor of the Mix and wrote feature articles for the school’s magazine, Garnet and Black. Aside from her nearly four years with The Daily Gamecock, she has been the social media intern for the Columbia Museum of Art, an editorial intern for the Columbia Regional Business report and most recently an editorial intern for culture magazine Cape Cod Life, where she published her own ten-page spread including her original photography. Set to graduate in December, she hopes to continue on with magazine writing and photography in arts and culture. When she’s not listening to a new favorite band or exploring what’s playing at the Nickelodeon, she is discovering pieces by her favorite artists, Norman Rockwell, repeatedly reading works by Jane Austen, or watching her all time favorite movie, The Wizard of Oz.
Kirby Knowlton has lived in Columbia, South Carolina for as long as she can remember. She is eighteen and a freshman advertising major at the University of South Carolina. She has won several Scholastic gold medals for writing. Her favorite author is Frank O'Hara and she has a crush on every leading actor in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.