Spotlight on Jasper's FIRST THURSDAY Featured Artists in the Jasper Alley at Tapp's: Emily Moffitt, Cam Moore, & Kate Timbes with Special Guest Andrew Phillips

Jasper has an exciting show coming up on for our next First Thursday gallery opening on September 3rd as we welcome three singular artists into the Jasper Alley at Tapp's: Emily Moffitt, Cam Moore, and Kate Timbes, each bringing a distinct voice to the space, from illustration to upcycled collage to ecological sculpture. Joining them will be Andrew Phillips, a special guest artist who is showing his work for the very first time.

Color Has Other Plans by Andrw Phillips - 24x24 $400

Guest Artist - Andrew Phillips

Phillips paints the way he lives—boldly, on his own terms, and without waiting for anyone's permission to take up space. He communicates using an AAC device and gets around by wheelchair, but neither has ever slowed down his imagination; if anything, painting gives him a language all his own, one that doesn't require words to say exactly what he means. Working in acrylic paint with an adapted paintbrush created for him by fellow featured artist and camp art director, Cam Moore, Phillips is drawn to bold color and rich texture, which is no surprise from an artist who's also an active member of the Inclusive Theatre Company of South Carolina and brings a bit of flair to everything he touches.

The piece in this show is his first painting. Moore recalls the moment Phillips first took hold of the brush himself: "It was his first time painting, and his reaction was pure joy. He had this huge smile, and you could see the curiosity and pride on his face." Andrew started with simple strokes and was soon experimenting on his own, moving between dotting and longer brushstrokes to see what he could do.

"I paint because I have something to say," Phillips writes in his artist statement, "that life is full of color and excitement, that it takes unexpected turns, and that dreams get fulfilled. This piece is my proof."

Artist - Cam Moore

Featured Artist – Cam Moore

Cam Moore is a multidisciplinary artist and art educator whose work turns what most people throw away, thin cardboard and packing paper, into mosaic-styled collage pieces detailed with charcoal. "There's usually a moment where the viewer realizes that what they're actually looking at wasn't meant to be beautiful in the first place," Moore says, "and that surprise is a big part of what I'm going for." His work has been shown at Richland Library Main and at Stormwater Studios via Jasper’s Degenerate Arts Project Part II, where it won the Artists’ Choice Award.

Beyond the studio, Moore is the Art Lead at Camp Cole's Camp Rise Above program, he founded the community art series The Sessions, and is currently building The Source Columbia, a creative studio space aimed at underserved neighborhoods. He's been showing publicly since early 2025 and moving fast ever since.

Artist - Emily Moffitt

Featured Artist – Emily Moffitt

Emily Moffitt is an illustrator based right here in Columbia, and a familiar face in Jasper's world. She serves as Secretary on the Jasper Board of Directors and as Visual Arts Editor for Jasper Magazine, alongside her day job as Gallery Curator for the Koger Center for the Arts. A graduate of USC's School of Visual Art and Design, Emily has exhibited at the Driggers Center for the Arts in Greer, at Stormwater Studios for Jasper's inaugural Degenerate Art Project, and at the Richland Library. She's spent her post-grad years deep in the Columbia arts scene and says helping build exhibits for fellow artists keeps pulling her back toward her own studio practice.

Artist - Kate Timbes

Featured Artist – Kate Timbes

Kate Timbes is an interdisciplinary artist working across sculpture, painting, and digital media, weaving paint, seeds, handmade paper, and other materials into pieces that make us think hard about where our resources come from. Her practice, as she describes it, searches for "a finish that borders raw, vaguely familiar, and other worldly all at once." Timbes has exhibited nationally and internationally, including the Koger Center, The Morgan Paper Conservatory, Visalia Arts Center, and the DIS Student Hub in Copenhagen, and she teaches papermaking workshops across the Carolinas. She runs Woven Studios, holds a BA in Studio Art from Wofford College, completed a Work-Study Fellowship at Arrowmont School of Craft, and is a member of Zero Space Collective. Originally from South Carolina, she is currently based in Charlotte.

Come shop, have a drink, and hang out with all the cool kids in the alley. We have DJ Saiteron scheduled to keep us dancing throughout the evening, as well as the featured artists aboce and Jasper Board members on site to chat about the work and what’s next for Jasper.

This Thursday, September 3, 6–8:30 pm at Tapp's, 1642 Main Street.

Jasper Welcomes SC Photo Artists to the Jasper Alley at Tapp's for First Thursday in July

The Jasper Project is excited to announce our July First Thursday lineup for the Jasper Alley at Tapp’s. Still Here is a group photography exhibition featuring the work of SC photographers Jackson Campbell, Perry McLeod, Nora Williams, Alexander McDonald, Jr., and TuJuan “TJ” Huiett.

Please join us on Thursday, July 2nd from 6 – 8:30 PM to view their photography and spend some quality time with all of our artists. There will be wine & beer for purchase, music (TBA), and new issues of Jasper Magazine. When you enter the building through the front door at 1644 Main Street, head all the way to the right where you’ll find the Jasper Alley. Our featured artists will be on hand to answer questions about their work and processes.

Artist - Alexander McDonald, Jr.

Featured Artists

Alexander McDonald, Jr.

Alexander S. McDonald Jr. is a photographer whose studio has been the American highway for eighteen years. A long-haul truck driver by trade, he has crossed nearly every road in this country – building a quiet, sustained practice of documenting what most people drive past without seeing. His work focuses on landscape, sky, and the charged stillness of in-between places: cloud formations, mountain ranges, open plains, and overlooked roadside moments. McDonald's images don't reach for spectacle. They reach for honesty – the feeling of a place, alight a second that insists on being remembered. He is based on the road and everywhere in between. 

Artist - Perry McLeod

Perry McLeod

Perry McLeod is a Fullbright scholar, retired high school teacher, a photographer and avid traveler. He shoots sports, concerts, events, “and just about anything else I can point a camera at,” he says. “I love photography! Every day is a new adventure and I just want to capture the moments that will make people stop and think. Make people want to make a change. Make people smile. Make people go –‘Damn’ or ‘Nice’ or ‘Wow,” he says. “Photography is the most perfect art - we all get moments that will never happen again. It's frozen in time forever - how cool is that?”

A USC alumnus, McLeod taught Social Studies and Digital Media Production in both Richland District One and Richland District Two for 31 years. During his teaching career, he established a digital media production program at Richland Northeast High School, which fueled his love for photography and his fascination with video production. After retiring from education, McLeod's passion for photography continued to grow, and he has worked for several local and national media outlets. In addition to photography, McLeod has a deep love for travel. He says, "When I travel, my mind races with all the new things around me. I see a face, an old building, or an amazing vista, and I have to capture that moment." He believes that "a photograph is magic!"

Artist - Nora Williams

Nora Williams

Nora Williams was born and raised in South Carolina. As a fine-art, documentary artist, she explores the complexities of identity, place, and history in the American South. Her work examines themes of resilience, belonging, and social change, often focusing on underrepresented narratives.


Williams’ photographs have been exhibited in galleries that include the Elder Gallery of Contemporary Art. Williams has covered stories for The New York Times, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, Huffington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. She is an FAA-certified drone pilot and a member of Black Women Photographers, Diversify Photo, NPPA, and Alternate Roots. She is currently pursuing her MFA in Studio Art with a concentration in Photography at the University of South Carolina. 

Artist - TJ Huiett

TaJuan "TJ" Huiett

A photographer based in Columbia, South Carolina, Huiett says his work is “all about capturing the real and raw moments of life through the lens of my camera. I’m inspired by documentary style photography and strive to tell authentic stories through my images. As an African American artist, I also aim to showcase the diversity and beauty of Black culture and experience. My love for travel has taken me all over the world, allowing me to capture stunning landscapes and unique cultural environments.” He continues, “I hope my photography can transport you to a different time and pace and make you see the world in a new light.”

Jackson Campbell

Jackson Campbell is a photographer based in Columbia, South Carolina. His work moves between abstraction and observation, often focusing on atmosphere, form, and texture. His images balance recognizable subjects with mood-driven compositions.

The Jasper photography exhibition Still Here will be on view in the Jasper Alley at Tapp’s throughout July and until the first week of August.

It's FIRST THURSDAY & JASPER is BACK ON MAIN STREET - As well as at our LAST FIRST THURSDAY at SOUND BITES!

Artist - Jarid Lyfe Brown

Hey Jasper Family! We’re excited today because TONIGHT we’re celebrating that the Jasper Project is BACK ON MAIN STREET!

Please join us tonight as Jasper features not one, but two great Columbia-area visual artists sharing their talents with the world!

Start out by popping into Sound Bites Eatery for (sadly) our last First Thursday gallery opening event. We have loved our time at Sound Bites and can’t express enough gratitude for Terri Mac and the gracious Sound Bites team that has always made us feel so welcome. But due to a change in their hours of operation under new ownership, we won’t be able to continue our stewardship there any longer. (But you better believe we’ll still be stopping in for delicious lunches and great service!)

So, Jasper is celebrating our Sound Bites swan song by featuring the unique art of Jessica Ream tonight!

Unbinding: A Tale of the Book That Never Was – Jessica Ream Opening Reception - SOUND BITES 5:30 - 8

Jessica Ream was born in Columbus, Ohio early in the year 1990, but was raised in Carolina suburbia. She attended Savannah College of Art and Design where she graduated with honors and a BFA in Painting. A jack-of-all trades artist, she incorporates her knowledge of painting, photography, print, sewing and sculpture into her mixed media, abstract pieces.

In recent years, she has rediscovered her love of hand binding books. While mainly self taught, she was first introduced to the world of book arts in a workshop she attended while studying abroad. Her hand bound journals are made from a mix of traditional materials and rebound, vintage books.

After spending the time in the High Rockies of Colorado, she and her husband have returned to their southeastern, coastal origins, where they reside with their son and newborn daughter.
(Full disclosure —Jessica is also a new member of the Jasper Project Board of Directors, but this show has been scheduled long before she joined our board.)

After you’ve checked out Jessica’s work come on over to the Shoppes at Tapp’s for the opening of the Jasper Alley at Tapp’s. As mentioned, our featured artist for April is Jarid Lyfe Brown.

The Jasper Alley at Tapp's with April's Featured Artist - Jarid Lyfe Brown

Born in Atlanta and raised in Columbia, Brown has lived in Gilbert for the last 17 years. A construction worker by day for the past 30 years, Brown attended SCAD but is, for the most part, self-taught. His work will occupy the Jasper Alley which is located on the far right side of the building.

Jarid’s work is incredibly evocative and can run the gamut from whimsical to terrifying, but it’s always interesting and it always commands that the viewer spend some time with at the painting and enjoy the process.

We’re delighted to feature both of these fine artists and hope you’ll visit us at both venues.

Happy First Thursday from all of us at Jasper!

Announcing The Jasper Alley at Tapp’s With Our Inaugural First Thursday Opening Reception - April 2nd Featuring Jarid Lyfe Brown!

We’re Back!

In service to our mission of finding and programming gallery spaces for Midlands-area artists wherever we can, The Jasper Project is delighted to announce that we are back on Main Street starting on Thursday April 2nd and we’re featuring Jarid Lyfe Brown as our first First Thursday Artist!

That’s right, we’re back! In partnership with our host, the Shoppes at Tapp’s, Jasper will be presenting group and solo shows right on Main Street once again and we couldn’t be happier! Our friends at the Shoppes at Tapp’s have graciously allocated a nice long corridor to the right of the showroom where, starting in April, you’ll find Jasper-curated art from our beloved local artists—and we’re naming it The Jasper Alley at Tapp’s.

We’re so happy to welcome the art of Jarid Lyfe Brown to these welcoming walls!

Jarid Lyfe Brown lives in Gilbert, SC. He was born in 1974 and, as a young artist, earned a perfect score of 5 for the portfolio he entered into an AP art contest at Harvard University. Brown was awarded a scholarship to attend Savannah College of Art and Design in 1992. From 1994 until the present, Brown has mounted multiple shows in locations that ranged from galleries to coffee shops around SC, NC, and Michigan. Brown says, “I paint every day, and complete around 7-10 new paintings per month.” Brown is married and has three children. When he is not painting, he is doing construction work and thinking about what he'll paint next.

For his artist’s statement Brown writes, “All of my hard work is about everyday life. It is hard to predict or explain because I submit myself to create in an unplanned method. I paint from what I hear, learn, experience, opinions, perspectives, joy, hurt, and reactions. It may make sense or not at all, and that is similar to life. I just want to be raw and honest, but not crude. I try to paint directly and literally. I enjoy literature and writing so I apply that to my painting. I also enjoy an attempt to bridge expressionism to realism and I don’t want to be classified as either. I want to be better, different, or more in all of these experiences. I use animals to express mindsets and characteristics of a person.”

We’ll be announcing our full line-up for 2026 soon, but for now, be sure to add The Jasper Alley at Tapp’s to your First Thursday agenda. Stop by to have a beer or a glass of vino, view Jarid’s exhibition, chat with the artist, and bump into all your old and new First Thursday Friends.

We’re back on Main, y’all and we’re so happy to be there!

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Jasper Presents Lucas Sams Art Pick-Up & Print Sale - Friday March 27th, 12 - 2 at Sound Bites Eatery

Did you purchase art from Lucas Sams, Jasper’s Featured First Thursday Artist at Sound Bites Eatery? Yes? The artist has set aside two hours to meet you to deliver your art on Friday March 27 from 12 - 2 at Sound Bites Eatery, 1425 Sumter Street.

Sams will also be bringing additional prints of his work to sale during this time period.

Don’t miss your chance to meet up with artist Lucas Sams and pick up your purchases this Friday at noon!

Jasper Welcomes First Thursday Artist LUCAS SAMS to the Gallery at Sound Bites Eatery

Jasper is so happy to still have a home for First Thursdays at Sound Bites Eatery, and we’re thrilled to welcome our March First Thursday Artist, Lucas Sams!

The title of Sams’ new exhibition is Drawn & Quartered. In explanation Sams writes, “This show marks my return to my first and favorite medium, drawing. As I learned from my favorite art teacher in college, everything can be drawing, and everything goes back to drawing. Before entering the world of ‘fine arts,’ I was a comic and manga artist. Learning that painting was just drawing with paint helped me become a ‘fine artist,’ but the core was still drawing. Everything is abstraction; all representation is cartooning. It has brought me infinite joy returning to simple tools at this scale, and a challenge to build the biggest worlds I can in the span of a sketchbook page.”

Lucas Sams is a multi-disciplinary visual artist and experimental musician with works exhibited locally and regionally in major art festivals, galleries, and alternative spaces; he has been featured in Jasper Magazine, The State Newspaper, Garnet and Black Magazine, and the Timber Journal of the University of Colorado, Boulder. Born and raised in Greenwood, SC Sams spent most of his life in SC until his freshman year in college, when he studied painting in Tokyo, Japan and became heavily influenced by contemporary Japanese Pop Art. A graduate of the SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities and the University of SC, his post-graduate work continues explorations of postmodern abstraction and figuration with far-ranging influences, encompassing everything from religious art, alchemy, and the unconscious- to science fiction and anime. He is currently pursuing a graduate degree as an MLIS candidate at the University of SC.

Please join us this Thursday March 5th from 5:30 - 8:30 pm at Sound Bites Eatery at 1425 Sumter Street, just one block off Main. And come hungry! Sound Bites has a delicious menu of sandos, soups, snacks, and salads as well as good beer and wine. Plus, all the cool kids hang out there, so you’ll be right at home!

Meet Columbia Artist Renea Eshleman During Jasper's First Thursday at Sound Bites Eatery!

Join the Jasper Project and Sound Bites Eatery in welcoming our artist for the month of October, Renea Eshleman, by making Sound Bites one of your first or last stops during First Thursday this week!  And while you’re visiting us, why not grab a loaded grilled cheese, a twerky turkey sammy, or some delish spin dip with a glass of vino from the Sound Bites kitchen? It’s always a fun night at Sound Bites when you gather with friends, new and old, to celebrate an evening of art and good times!

About Our Featured Artist

Renea Eshleman writes, “I especially enjoy creating nature compositions from photographs I take while traveling around the beautiful state of South Carolina. I strive to lure the viewer into wanting to ‘be there’ in the painting to look for what is not obvious.  

“My art includes representational, dream compositions, and some objective abstract. Having begun painting in traditional transparent watercolor, I mostly paint and create collage on non-traditional surfaces using liquid and tube watercolor, gouache, acrylics, and self-printed papers.

“The traditional approach to painting watercolor, acrylic, and mixed media is where I know what the composition will be before I begin the painting. It is predictable. However, many times the process begins with loosely pouring or rolling paint onto the paper or a polypropylene sheet (called Yupo), gently manipulating the paint to blend colors, and making interesting textures, allowing the paint to dry, and developing the composition based on what the first layer suggests.

“This process allows me to combine imagined or suggested flora, fauna, insects, animals, and figures. Sometimes pieces begin with the pouring method hang in my studio for weeks or months before they ‘speak’ for development of the composition.

“This approach to making art provides wonderful opportunities for happy accidents, flexibility to adjust the composition, and intrigue in the work.”

NEW OPPORTUNITY: First Thursday Art Walk with Jasper's Keith Tolen

The Jasper Project announces a new addition to our First Thursday offerings. Yes, we’re still bringing our monthly First Thursday exhibition to Sound Bites Eatery, but we’re also offering a new First Thursday Art Walk led by Jasper Project board vice president and distinguished artist and arts educator, Keith Tolen!

For August, meet Keith Tolen in front of Stoners Pizza in the Arcade mall at 5:30 for a brief stroll to our sidewalk gallery at the Meridian Building on the corner of Sumter and Washington Streets. The gallery features work by Sharon Licata, Perry McLeod, and Adam Corbett.

Keith Tolen is a lifelong native of South Carolina who grew up in Batesburg. He attended SC State University and received a Bachelors in art education. He then earned a masters in education from Francis Marion University. He taught art at Camden Middle School for 30 years, retiring in 2017. Tolen has worked creating designs in photography, drawing, and painting for the past forty years and continues to do so.

Adam Corbett is a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and visual artist from Lexington, South Carolina. His work is often whimsical, comes with a punchline, or fun story, and his subjects include wildlife and made up characters. He likes to experiment with various mediums in a variety of formats focusing always on exploration, play, and following his muse.

Sharon Collings Licata is a Sculptor/Photographer & Instructor, Shamanic Practitioner, Sand a member of the faculty for SC Faculty for Foundation For Shamanic Studies.

Perry McLeod is a retired high school teacher, a dad, and a photographer. Perry says, “Sports, Concerts, events, and just about anything else I can point a camera at. I love photography! Every day is a new adventure and I just want to capture the moments that will make people stop and think. Make people want to make a change. Make people smile.”

The event is free and everyone is welcome!