The South Carolina Writers Association Storyfest 2024
The South Carolina Writers Association will host its annual conference, 2024 Storyfest, Sept. 27 through 29 in Columbia, featuring more than a dozen acclaimed authors, agents and editors.
The event, to be held at the DoubleTree by Hilton, will include talks and classes by writers from South Carolina, Georgia, California and New York, including Lynn Cullen, national bestselling author of “The Woman with a Cure” and “Mrs. Poe;” Grady Hendrix, screenwriter and author of “How to Sell a Haunted House” and “The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires;” and Tiffany Yates Martin, author of six novels and the how-to book “Intuitive Editing: A Creative and Practical Guide to Revising Your Writing.”
Other features of 2024 Storyfest will be masterclasses, free talks, panels and keynotes addresses, manuscript critiques, craft classes, and meetings with sought-after editors and agents, including Andrew Geyer, the award-winning author or co-author of 10 books and editor of SCWA’s literary journal, The Petigru Review.
Other speakers include award-winning South Carolina novelist and short story writer Scott Gould; Southern Indie Bookstore bestselling author Mindy Friddle; Columbia poet laureate Jennifer Bartell Boykin; New York Times noteworthy author Cinelle Barnes; military science fiction and post-apocalyptic writer Alex Rath; and screenwriter and producer Alan Roth, a winner of the prestigious Nicholl Fellowship Award in Screenwriting.
Some of the South’s top publishers also will attend, including Arcadia Publishing, Palmetto Publishing and the University of South Carolina Press.
Registration is open with early bird registration fees for the full three-day conference of $250 for members and $325 for nonmembers; those fees will increase by $30 on June 16, so register early to save! Student registration for the full conference is $140. A one-day ticket for SATURDAY SESSIONS ONLY is available for $195. Masterclasses, manuscript critiques and query pitches will be available for additional charges as add-ons to your registration. For full details go to 2024 Storyfest. If you are not a member of SCWA, join now to enjoy the member rate for Storyfest along with other SCWA benefits. Membership is $75 annually; go to Join Us. (Be sure to renew if you haven't already!)
The hotel rate is $169 (plus taxes and fees) for 1 king or 2 queen beds. For reservation information, go to the 2024 Storyfest main page.
CALL for Visual Artists -- Jasper is Accepting Applicants for the 2025 Jasper Galleries Series
We’re looking for a few good artists!
It’s already time for Jasper to plan our schedule for the 2025 Jasper Galleries Series and we want to hear from YOU! Just follow the instructions on the handy graphic above to let us know you are interested in sharing your work with the Jasper Project and your adoring fans.
In addition to our online 24/7 Tiny Gallery, Jasper has gallery spaces at Motor Supply Bistro, Sound Bites Eatery, The Nook at the Koger Center for Arts, the Lobby Gallery at Harbison Theatre, and at the Sidewalk Gallery in the Meridian Building Windows at Washington and Sumter Streets in downtown Columbia.
Application Deadline is October 15th.
We’re looking forward to hearing from YOU!
Special thanks to the good people at Motor Supply Bistro, Sound Bites Eatery, Koger Center for the Arts, Harbison Theatre, and the Meridian Building for supporting Columbia’s visual arts community by opening their walls to the Jasper Project for programming. We encourage you to support these businesses with your patronage. And if the walls need some love in your place of business, please contact our
Galleries Manager, Christina Xan at cxan@JasperProject.org,
to make plans for a Jasper Galleries arrangement custom created for you and your clientele.
CALL for Visual Artists -- Society 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art (Deadline August 30, 2024)
Deadline Extended!
The Gibbes Museum's Society 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art is awarded to an artist whose work contributes to a new understanding of art in the South. Presented annually, the Prize recognizes the highest level of artistic achievement and welcomes applications from artist working across any media.
Artists from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia are encouraged and eligible to apply.
Previous winners have subsequently received awards from the Joan Mitchell Fellowship, the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, and the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant. Additionally, winning artists' work has been received into the permanent collections of The National Gallery of Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, and the Gibbes Museum of Art.
The extraordinary multi-disciplinary artist, Sherrill Roland was the recipient of the 2023 Prize, receiving a cash award of $10,000 and whose work is now on exhibit at the Gibbes Museum until 2025.
Applications are accepted exclusively through Slideroom. Rules for Submission are Here!
Apply Now.
2023 State Fair Fine Art Competition Now Open for Submissions
Showcase your talents in our Fine Art Department for individuals 18+.
Divisions include Professional & Amateur 2-D, 3-D and Photography.
Exhibitor must be a resident of South Carolina or attending a college or university in South Carolina or a member of the Armed Forces stationed in South Carolina.
New in 2023
All Entries in the Fine Art department will be required to submit a photo of their completed, prepared-to-show, piece during registration. All entries in Fine Art must be entered through the online registration. No mail-in registrations will be accepted.
You may register at any time during the registration period and your photograph may be submitted later, as long as it is submitted before the September 1st deadline.
Fine Art Important 2023 Dates & Times
Open Entry Registration: July 1 – Sept. 1, 2023
Oversized Entry Artist Notification: Wednesday, Sept. 21
Delivery Days:
(Cantey Building)
Sunday, Sept 24 – 1:00 pm. to 6:00 pm
Monday, Sept 25 – 9:30 am to 6:00 pm
Tuesday, Sept 26 – 9:30 am to 6:00 pm
Release Days:
Monday, Oct. 23 – 9:30 am to 6:00 pm
Tuesday, Oct. 24 – 9:30 am to 6:00 pm
TWO DAYS ONLY
2023 Registration July 1st – September 1st
2023 Fine Art Guide
2023 General Rules and Regulations
Click Here to Enter Online
701 CCA CALL to ARTISTS Biennial 2023 - Jurors Announced
701 Center for Contemporary Art in Columbia, SC seeks submissions for the 701 CCA South Carolina Biennial 2023, the center’s seventh survey exhibition of work by contemporary South Carolina artists. The exhibition will be held at the center in two parts with openings in November 2023 and January 2024. Artists working in all media and styles are encouraged to apply. Artists must be a current resident of South Carolina.
Exhibition Dates:
Biennial Part I- November 17 – December 30, 2023
Biennial Part II- January 12 – February 25, 2024
Selection Process:
A panel of three jurors representing local, regional, and national perspectives will review submitted materials and select artists for the exhibition. A 701 CCA curatorial team will select works for the exhibition from submitted images and when needed, through studio visits.
Submission Materials
Submissions for the 701 CCA South Carolina Biennial 2023 should be made via Submittable (link below) and include the following:
Ten images of work produced in the last two years that are representative of what will be available for inclusion in the Biennial.
Images should be in a jpeg format with a minimum size of 1024 wide x 768 high ppi (pixels per inch) at 300 dpi resolution.
File names should be numbered 1 through 10 followed by the artist’s last name and title of the work.
Example: 2_Smith_Good Morning.jpg
List of Images: Create a list of your images with the following information: (PDF, MSWord Accepted)
File name, year, medium, and dimensions (H x W for 2-D; H x W x D for 3-D).
Brief Statement: Create a statement, not to exceed 200 words, about your work and how it addresses your intent. (PDF, MSWord Accepted)
Example: “I use recycled materials to address my concerns with climate change.”
Resume/CV and/or biographical sketch, no more than 300 words, that includes the artist’s birth date, place of birth, and where they grew up. (PDF, MSWord Accepted)
*Artists need to make sure that they have work available for the exhibitions that reflects the art in their submission.
Fees:
The submission fee is $25.00 per artist. Your payment can be made through Submittable or checks can be made payable to 701 CCA.
Submission Deadline:
All materials should be submitted by Wednesday, August 16, 2023, by 11:59 p.m.
Notification:
Artists will be notified of the results of the selection process by Wednesday, August 30, 2023.
Timeline:
Submission Deadline: August 16, 2023, 11:59 p.m.
Jury Panel Meets: Between August 20–23, 2023
Notification of Selections: August 30, 2023
Artists’ Notifications to 701 CCA of Unavailable Work: September 3, 2023
Notification of artists’ selection for Part I or Part II: September 15, 2021
Delivery work for Part I: November 8-10, 2023
Part I opens: November 17, 2023
Artists’ Reception Part I: TBD
Part I Closes: December 30, 2023
Pick-up Work Part I: January 3-5, 2024
Deliver Work for Part II: January 3-5, 2024
Part II opens: January 12, 2024
Artists’ Reception Part II: TBD
Part II Closes: February 25, 2024
Pick-up Work Part II: February 28-March 1, 2024
*Please submit further inquiries to director@701cca.org or call Caitlin Bright, Executive Director at 803.319.9949.
Introducing the Jurors for the Seventh Edition of the SC Biennial, produced and hosted by 701 Center for Contemporary Art
701 CCA is thrilled to announce that the 2023 SC Biennial will be juried by Lauren Jackson Harris, Bob Monk, and Aaron Levi Garvey. The gallery is currently seeking submissions for its seventh survey exhibition of works by contemporary South Carolina Artists. This year, 701 CCA has the honor of presenting submissions for review by some of the nation's leading figures in contemporary art.
Lauren Jackson Harris is an independent curator, fine art management professional, and project manager from Atlanta, GA. She earned her BFA in Graphic Design and Art History from Howard University and her MA in Creative Leadership from SCAD. In 2019, she co-founded Black Women in Visual Art, an organization that connects, cultivates, and serves Black women arts professionals. With BWVA, Harris builds partnerships and develops programs that create further visibility and opportunity for Black women in art. As an independent arts worker over the last ten years, Harris has curated exhibitions and art experiences with organizations and art spaces such as For Freedoms, Facebook, MINT Gallery, Day & Night Gallery, The Gathering Spot, Stay Home Gallery, Living Walls, Atlanta Contemporary Art Center and more. Harris also serves as the Co-Chair for the Beltline Public Art Advisory Council, as a Board member for Tessera Arts Collective, and is an active fine art advocate consulting with artists on their practice and career-based opportunities.
Bob Monk is the director of Gagosian Gallery NYC + LA. Serving in this position for over 30 years, Mr. Monk has curated countless exhibitions, and has worked closely with Ed Ruscha and Richard Artschwager. He has curated numerous exhibitions, including the 2005 American Pavilion for the Venice Biennale. He worked at Leo Castelli Gallery in New York (1974–84) and then founded Lorence Monk Gallery in 1986 featuring the works of Richard Artschwager, David Hockney, Jasper Johns, Bruce Nauman, and Barnett Newman. He is currently working on ED RUSCHA / NOW THEN, a retrospective of the artist's works on view at Gagosian Gallery September 10th, 2023.
Aaron Levi Garvey is a Jewish-American Curator/Historian working and lecturing in Modern and Contemporary Arts and Culture. Currently, Garvey is the Chief Curator of the Andy Warhol Museum. Recent exhibitions include: The Hudson Eye a 10-day and 14-venue arts focused program in Hudson, New York, Arc of Life/Ark of Bones by Walter Hood and Migratory Roots by Kevin Brisco at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University, Flashing the Leather and The Drowned group exhibitions at Alabama Contemporary, Chiharu Shiota’s site-specific installation “Infinity Lines” at the SCAD Museum of Art, Sheida Soleimani “Oppress(er)(ed)” with Long Road Projects, “Ephemera Obscura” at the Contemporary Art Center of New Orleans and Manon Bellet's "MEMO" and Shikeith’s “notes towards becoming a spill” both at Atlanta Contemporary. Additionally Garvey curated "We Are What You Eat" the inaugural art exhibition at the United Nations headquarters in New York City in 2016 and co-curated the Atlanta Biennial (ATLBNL): Recent Correspondence at the Atlanta Contemporary in August 2016.
The application portal is open until August 16th and can be reached by following the link: >>
Submit Here.
First Official Exhibit at Gemini II Studios - and you can be involved!
Call for Art
Call for Support
Gemini II Arts announces their first official exhibition — albeit “while renovations continue” at their evolving space near City Roots and the Hunter Gatherer Hangar.
Founder Ron Hagell shares this news with the Jasper Project:
“I'm sure by now you are aware that over the next few months this [Gemini II] will become the largest group of artist studios in Columbia with its own exhibition spaces and tons of parking close to City Roots (F2T) and the Hunter-Gatherer Hanger. In the hottest new spot in town Rosewood/Owens Field!
It's going to be super for the public and artists. Please join us and bring friends.
For artists: If you have not signed on to participate in this show, you can still join us or bring work to show/sell. Just deliver it to the site on 14 or 15 September but text me first so I know you are coming. Be sure all your info is on your work.
If you are showing work, please donate $10 to help with costs or you can go to our site and click on the Donate button there where you can do it through PayPal directly or with a credit card.
...or, if you just want to help us out, you can donate at these links as well.”
SC Academy of Authors Sponsors Jasper's Combahee Prize for a SC Writer of Color in this year's Fall Lines
The Jasper Project is delighted to announce that the South Carolina Academy of Authors will be the sponsor of the 2023 Combahee Prize for a SC writer of color in this year’s Fall Lines – a literary convergence journal.
Founded in 1986, the South Carolina Academy of Authors (SCAA) is a nonprofit organization which recognizes distinguished South Carolina writers, living and deceased, through induction into the Academy. It also supports developing writers with its Coker Fellowships and Student Prizes in Poetry and Short Fiction.
"The SCAA is very pleased to join with The Jasper Project in supporting the Combahee River Prize,” says Marybeth Evans, chairman of its Board of Governors. “The Academy is dedicated to nurturing and supporting South Carolina’s literary talent. It deeply values the multicultural diversity displayed in the work of all the extraordinary writers in our state."
The SC Academy of Authors joins the Friends of Richland Library in sponsoring these three prizes: the Broad River Prize for Prose, the Saluda River Prize for Poetry, and the Combahee River Prize for a SC Writer of Color in Poetry or Prose. Each prize offers $250 cash and publication in Fall Lines - a literary convergence, volume X.
The deadline for submitting your work for consideration in this year’s Fall Lines - a literary convergence is July 31, 2023.
Submit to Fall Lines volume X here.
Jasper Wants YOUR Review of the Barbie Film!
In the 24 some odd hours since the movie Barbie has been released Jasper has been reading some fascinating insights and reviews on social media. Clearly, this film is serving as a catalyst for emotions, retrospection, contemplation — all the feels.
It strikes us here at Jasper that by sharing our thoughts about the film we might also grow as people, as film viewers, and as a community of individuals who want the best for our children, ourselves, and each other.
Please send us your personal reviews of Barbie as well as the take-away message you brought home with you. Your response is important and valid. We’ll publish a selection of them in next week’s Sundays with Jasper (subscribe at bottom of page link).
Just send your words to us as an email, a word doc, or a pasted clip from your socials and let us know if you are cool with us using your name or if you’d like to be anonymous. The email is JasperProjectColumbia@gmail.com and we’re looking forward to hearing what you think.
Call to Artists -- 701 CCA's 7th SC Biennial 2023
701 Center for Contemporary Art in Columbia, SC seeks submissions for the 701 CCA South Carolina Biennial 2023, the center’s seventh survey exhibition of work by contemporary South Carolina artists. The exhibition will be held at the center in two parts with openings in November 2023 and January 2024. The submission fee is $25.00 per artist.
Artists working in all media and styles are encouraged to apply. Artists must be current residents of South Carolina.
Deadline is August 16, 2023; 11:59 pm. SUBMIT HERE
For more information about the Biennial, CLICK HERE.
Koger Center for the Arts Opens Submission Period for Annual Art Contest
CALL FOR ART!
The Koger Center for the Arts is bringing back their art competition, “The Project” for 2023. The submission period opened on April 17 and will close on July 17, 2023. The first-place winner for the contest receives a $500 stipend and an opportunity to showcase their winning artwork!
The beginning of the art contest started during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The goals were simple – offer a small financial award to a South Carolina artist and provide a platform to showcase the talent of artists in our state through an exhibition at the Koger Center.
You can fill out the submission form by clicking here.
The requirements for submissions are as follows:
Artist must be over 18 years old and based in South Carolina
Submissions must be your own, original work
Submissions must have been created in the past 2 years
If an artist has applied before, repeat art cannot be submitted again
Previous winners of The Project/1593 Project (the name of the contest the year it was created) may not submit artwork for up to 5 years. Honorable mentions are still allowed to enter again.
The end of the submission period coincides with the opening week of the exhibition featuring last year’s winners of The Project. Last year’s first and second place winners are Nick Brutto and Virginia Dale Bishop respectively. The exhibition will also feature some honorable mentions: Jane Nodine, Dylan Fouste, Meena Khalili and Marge Loudon Moody.
If you have any questions or concerns about the submission process, call the Koger Center Business Office at (803)777-7500, or email Emily Moffitt at moffitte@mailbox.sc.edu.
Richland Library Accepting Applications for Artist in Residence
Applications Being Accepted For Fall 2023
and Spring 2024 Residency
In an effort to connect the community with local artists and to provide creative and cultural opportunities, Richland Library is accepting applications for our Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 Artist-in-Residence.
The Fall residency will run from July 14 through December 15, 2023, and the Spring residency will run from January 5, 2024, through June 14, 2024.
Responsibilities consist of:
deliver art-making tutorials
lead studio tours
host creative workshops
hold artist meet-ups
serve as a liaison between artists and Richland Library
The residency also includes an online gallery exhibit of the artist's work on the library's website as well as a monthly stipend.
We encourage interested artists to apply. The deadline is Friday, June 9. Applications and additional information are available here.
Initially developed in September 2016, the concept behind Richland Library's artist-in-residence is to connect the community with local, working artists and to provide creative and educational opportunities to local residents in a way that supports cultural and artistic exchange.
For media inquiries, please contact Anika Thomas via 803-530-4621 or athomas@richlandlibrary.com
About Richland Library
Awarded the National Medal in 2017 by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Richland Library is a vibrant, contemporary organization that provides resources and information that advance the Midlands. Offering state-of-the-art technology, a variety of literary and cultural programs and 13 bustling facilities located throughout the county, Richland Library provides a truly customizable, modern library experience for residents and visitors alike.
Jasper Announces New FALL LINES Literary Prize for SC BIPOC Writers
Announcing the Combahee River Prize, a new prize for SC Writers of Color who submit their prose or poetry to the Jasper Project’s annual literary journal, Fall Lines – a literary convergence.
Approaching its 10th volume, Fall Lines – a literary convergence is a journal of poetry and prose presented by The Jasper Project in partnership with Richland Library and One Columbia for Arts and Culture. The Combahee River Prize will join the Saluda River Prize for Poetry and the Broad River Prize for Prose. All contributors will be asked to indicate if they are members of the BIPOC community when they complete their Cover Letter Template to submit their Fall Lines contributions. BIPOC writers will be eligible for the Combahee River Prize as well as the Saluda and Broad River prizes. Like the existing prizes, the Combahee River Prize is a cash prize of $250 and a framed commemorative certificate.
The title for the Combahee River Prize was selected to honor the freed woman and Underground Railway engineer, Harriet Tubman, whose raid at the Combahee Ferry on June 2, 1863 during the American Civil War resulted in the rescue of 750 enslaved individuals
Fall Lines will accept submissions of previously unpublished poetry, essays, short fiction, and flash fiction from April 15, 2023 through July 31, 2023.
The Watering Hole Announces Registration for The Listening Party throughout May
What is it?
↳ A FREE Virtual Craft Talk Series
↳ A peer-led group of 6-10 Tribe members, where each member presents a 15-30 minute Craft Talk to the group.
↳ At the end of the presentation, the group asks questions and gives feedback.
!
When is it?
↳ Zoom meetings will be 75 minutes once a month, scheduled around the availability of the group members.
!
Why do it?
↳ You’ll get to attend several sessions of Craft Talks and learn from your peers!
↳ You’ll create your own Craft Talk!
↳ You’ll get thoughtful feedback for revision!
↳ Hopefully, you’ll revise your idea and get it published or use it to for paid lectures. (Maybe TWH can even pay you to present the talk.)
↳ Plus, can (re)connect with Tribe!
!
Register HERE & Now
Registration should take less than 3 minutes
for most people.
CALL to Filmmakers for Indie Grants Open NOW through July 31st!
Funding, Gear, and Full Production Support for Short Films
Up to $35K Per Project
Submissions Due July 31
Get Everything You Need at INDIEGRANTS.ORG
The South Carolina Film Commission and Trident Technical College invite South Carolina filmmakers to apply for INDIE GRANTS, production grants for narrative short film projects.
INDIE GRANTS produces high-quality short films with a reputation for professionalism, practicality, and inventive storytelling. Past projects have been official selections of top film festivals like Sundance, Tribeca, American Black Film Festival, Palm Springs, FantasticFest, and hundreds more.
Collaborators include Oscar-winning Cinematographer Russell Carpenter (Titanic, Avatar 2), Anna Camp (Pitch Perfect, Perfect Harmony), Madeleine McGraw (Black Phone, Outcast), Jackie Hoffman (Glass Onion, Only Murders In The Building), and Brad Land (Goat).
Need help with your submission? INDIE GRANTS has teamed up with the Faber Entrepreneurship Center at UofSC’s Darla Moore School of Business to offer assistance from their students with development of Project Decks and Budgets. This resource is limited and supplied at the discretion of the individual students on a first-come, first-serve basis. Get more info on the Indie Grants submissions page.
Get all submission information and the 2023 INDIE GRANTS application here.
CALL FOR ARTS at Richland Library
Richland Library is seeking submissions for our Spring Pop Up Art Shows. The exhibition series will be held March through May 2023.
Pop-up Art Shows are intended to highlight the work of local BIPOC, LBGTQ+ or otherwise underserved artists and their unique personal ties to the specific communities where the libraries are located. They are looking for work that speaks to the community's roots, culture and citizenry.
Up to 2 artists will be selected to exhibit on each of the following dates:
Saturday, March 11 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. at Richland Library Wheatley
Thursday, April 6 from 6 - 9 p.m. at Boyd Plaza *This will be a Special Exhibition in partnership with the First Thursday on Main event.
Saturday, May 20 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. at Richland Library Blythewood
The application deadlines are Wednesday, March 1 to exhibit at Richland Library Wheatley, First Thursday on Main and Saturday, April 15 to exhibit at Richland Library Blythewood.
If you're interested in sharing your work samples, please review the submission guidelines and complete the application by clicking here.
Conceived and co-organized by local visual artist Jeff Rivers, this project seeks to expand the social and economic participation of underserved artists and communities.
Learn more about Jeff by clicking here.
For questions, please contact Kimberlei Davis at 803-351-5616 or kdavis@richlandlibrary.com.
A Message from Cindi: 37 Issues of Jasper Later and Thanks for Everything
Thank You!
This is the image that popped up in my Facebook memories this morning.
It’s a bundle shot of our second issue of Jasper Magazine released this week in 2011. The cover art is by Thomas Crouch and was designed by Heyward Sims, our art director when we started Jasper Magazine. A small magazine, it featured a piece on Crouch, one on Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School—Ashleigh Rivers was the president of the Columbia chapter, our centerfold was Chris Bickel, articles on Dre Lopez, Caroline Lewis Jones, Bobby Craft, Lee Ann Kornegay, and a story about the 2011 Biennial written by Jeffrey Day. Mayor Steve Benjamin wrote a guest editorial at the back of the book in which he praised the opening of the new Tapp’s Arts Center on Main Street. His editorial was accompanied by an assemblage of the mayor created by Kirkland Smith.
Sigh.
Time goes by so fast.
When this mag came out I had just turned 53 and was realizing that my 50s might very well be the best decade of my life. It was. And for that I am grateful. I’m even more thankful that, 11 years later, someone stills needs me and feeds me now that I’m 64. And I’m particularly thankful for the artists, staff, board, readers, and supporters who made this most recent issue of Jasper—released on Friday night with a lovely little soiree at Kristian Niemi’s Bourbon Courtyard—possible.
This is a photo of artist Wilma Ruth King by Brad Martin holding the image our art director Brian Harmon made into the cover of the magazine we just released.
This is a big fat magazine full of stories about Columbia-based artists and the films they’ve made—Thaddeus and Tanya Wideman-Davis, Monifa Lemons, Dustin Whitehead and his USC crew, Arischa Connor and her list of TV credits, a big piece on jazz by Kevin Oliver, a centerfold story written by Will South about neighbor artist from Conway, Jim Arendt, and another by South on the Elizabeth Catlett exhibition at the CMA. There’s poetry by Monifa and Jonathan Butler, a review of Carla Damron’s new book by Eric Morris, smaller pieces on exciting people and innovative projects—like Amy Brower, Jamie Blackburn, Seitu Amenwahsu, Steven Chapp and Jerred Metz, and Libby Campbell, record reviews of Jump Little Children and Todd Mathis and really, too many subjects to mention here.
I am thankful for this issue of Jasper Magazine and all it represents. An evolving and maturing art community full of grown-ass people who are living the lives they always imagined they’d live, or better. Some of them are stars. Some of them go on brief rides on starlight. And some enjoy basking in the combined and accumulated glow they and their colleagues in the community emit when they make their art and see it received by their fellow humans.
All of this is good.
I’m also thankful for all of you who came out this week to help Jasper celebrate by joining us at Vista Lights.
Jasper Project Board President Wade Sellers at Vista Lights Columbia may, in fact, be Santa.
I’m thankful for all of you who joined us Friday night at Bourbon to welcome this new issue of Jasper to the world.
This is me with Kimber Carpenter and her mom Pat Gillam - both artists - at the Fall 2022 magazine release reception on Friday, November 18th.
I’m thankful for our sponsors, who so generously continue to support Jasper because they recognize it as a gift of art given to the community—not necessarily as just a method media to get the word out about what they alone have to offer. We had 16 sponsors back when issue #2 came out. This issue, we have only 6 — the Palmetto Opera, who have an upcoming concert of Madame Butterfly on January 29th; Harbison Theater who will welcome Tom Papa on January 20th along with a show of Michael Krajewski’s work and who are currently showing an exhibition of David Yaghjian’s work, both sponsored by the Jasper Project Galleries; Trustus Theatre, which opens Hurricane Diane on December 2nd and Mr. Burns, A Post Electric Play on January 20th; CMFA who hosted the Jasper Project’s Play Right Series performance in August; arts activist Eric Tucker’s KW Palmetto Realty, and our truly beloved Columbia Museum of Art who has advertised with us and sponsored us since the very beginning.
I’m thankful for our Jasper Guild Members who, with incredible generosity, trust the Jasper Project with their funding to create a magazine, a literary journal, a film festival, and more, knowing that every penny they give goes right back out to the artists, with no one on our end being paid for their volunteer talent and energy.
Thank YOU for indulging me in this lengthy message, and for reading Jasper Magazine and supporting the many facets of The Jasper Project. From all of our houses, to all of yours —
Happy Thanksgiving,
Cindi
~~~
Coming Up from Jasper
December 1st - First Thursday at Sound Bites Eatery with Lindsay Radford Wiggins - 6 pm
December 11th - Reception for David Yaghjian at Harbison Theater - 2:30 pm
December 15th - Santa Crawl with Jasper at the Art Bar - 7 pm
CALL for PLAYS - Play Right Series - deadline December 31st, 2022
University of South Carolina and Local Cinema Studios is Seeking Feature & Pilot Scripts for Production
Do you have a feature or pilot script that you can’t wait to see come to life? Are you passionate about collaboration and mentorship? We have a million dollar (okay, realistically ~$100k opportunity) for you!
Local Cinema Studios, with support from the South Carolina Film Commission and the University of South Carolina, is producing their second project in South Carolina during Summer 2023.
They are searching for feature length and pilot scripts that can be shot in roughly six weeks, bringing on professional crews, student interns, mentors, and community members to come together on a professional production.
Entries are due Nov. 1, 2022. View the requirements and submit your script here.
This is an annual initiative that kicked off in 2021 when UofSC and their production team made a feature film called HERO. According to Local Cinema Studios, they see the low budget as an opportunity to problem solve and use passion and grit to get things done on set. They'll also have goals to raise more depending on the script.
Please reach out to Dustin at dwhitehead@localcinemastudios.com with any questions.
CALL for Jasper First Thursday/Sound Bites Artists
Since April, Jasper has been hosting a monthly artist at the restaurant with an opening on First Thursday evenings. Jasper schedules the artist and promotes the art and artist via social media and on the Jasper Project website. We manage any sales and ask that 25 percent of sales go to sustaining Jasper. (As you may remember, Jasper has no paid staff so 100 percent of any income goes directly into service of the Midlands arts community.) The remaining 75 percent goes to the featured artist.
We’re scheduling the next few months of artists-in-residence at Sound Bites Eatery whose work will show throughout the month with a grand opening reception on the first Thursday of the month you are chosen to show.
The gallery space is very small, so we recommend smaller 2-D pieces and easily affordable price points. However, additional art & prints may be brought in for opening night only.
We’re looking for artists whose work is small to medium in format, bright, colorful, and whimsical and is offered at a modest price point.
Right now, we are scheduling for November, December, January, February, and March.
If interested, please send three examples of the work you’d like to feature along with their prices to JasperProjectColumbia@gmail.com.
Call for Poets - City of Columbia Announces Call for Next Poet Laureate
On behalf of the City of Columbia and in accordance with R-2014-081, One Columbia for Arts and Culture seeks applicants for the position of City of Columbia Poet Laureate.
The role of City of Columbia Poet Laureate was created in 2014 to create opportunities for dissemination of poetry in Columbia, promote the appreciation and knowledge of poetry among our young people, and act as a spokesperson for the growing number of poets and writers in Columbia.
The City of Columbia Poet Laureate is an honorary, unpaid position recognized by the Columbia, SC City Council to serve in the role for a term of four years. The next term will run from January 2023 to December 2026.
The selected poet will perform the following duties as City Poet Laureate:
– Visit schools and attend city, library and school functions as needed
– Be available for service over the full four-year term
– Carry out activities that engage the public in poetry and/or literary arts
– Give readings at special City of Columbia events
One Columbia for Arts and Culture provides a reasonable budget to defray the costs of materials and supplies for activities conducted by the Poet Laureate.
Application:
Poets over the age of 18 that are interested in applying for the position of City of Columbia Poet Laureate can apply using the online form at: https://onecolumbiasc.wufoo.com/forms/city-of-columbia-poet-laureate-applications.