An Evening of Art – Opening Receptions for Exhibits by Janet Swigler and Christina Clark at the Koger Center

By Emily Moffitt, Visual Arts Editor, Jasper Magazine

Join us on Friday, November 22, from 5:30 – 7 p.m. for two art receptions at the Koger Center for the Arts. In the Nook on the second floor of the Koger Center, Jasper Galleries welcomes Janet Swigler. On the ground floor of the Koger Center, walls will be adorned with the work of Christina Clark. Both artists work with abstract forms and subject matter, yet in different ways that engage the viewer.

Janet Swigler moved around the United States often at a young age due to her Air Force family upbringing, but this had a beneficial impact on her adaptability, independence, and resourcefulness. She spent several of her pre-teen years living in Japan, which offered cultural aesthetics and philosophies that continue to influence her art and life. This, along with her musical training and experience in music education, created a synergy of artistic disciplines and ideas that transferred easily to the work she creates. Sewing has been a lifelong interest of hers, and her quilt-making studies under Nancy Crow helped her to reach where she is today.

Christina Clark, originally from Austria, descended from a family of artists and musicians. To this day, she surrounds herself with the joyous energy of visual arts and music through her own personal artistic endeavors and her philanthropic service to the University of South Carolina School of Music. Clark carefully considers the viewer’s experience when she starts to put pastel to paper. Recently, Clark created a series of pieces that served as companions to the Parker Quartet’s Beethoven Quartet cycle. Clark embraces the conversation that music can have with her work and is honored to be able to keep that conversation going through her donations.

Both receptions are free and open to the public. They precede the sold-out performance of Koger Center and ColaJazz present: Live in the Lobby Jazz: The Music of Miles Davis. There’s a lot going on in the Vista that night, including a concert at Colonial Life Arena, so be mindful of parking and get to the receptions early!

Jenny Thompson Leads Collaborative “Cut-A-Thon" for Hurricane Relief at the Koger Center

By Emily Moffitt, visual arts editor Jasper Magazine

Have you waited too long since your last haircut? Have you been looking for an opportunity to help out your fellow Carolinians in the wake of Hurricane Helene?

You have the chance to do both at the same time on November 7, from 11 am to 6 pm on the Koger Center Plaza Stage. Jenny Thompson, owner of Bombshell Beauty Studio who shares her heart with both Columbia and Asheville, has led the charge to gather local Columbia-based hair stylists to offer “pay-what-you-can" haircut services, with all payments and proceeds going towards relief programs based in Western North Carolina. The highlighted relief programs are BeLoved Asheville, River Arts District Artists, and ARG Rigging & Rescue. Upon receiving a fresh and new haircut, guests are able to pick which fund they’d like their payment to go towards.

The event will take place rain or shine, but in the event of inclement weather, the haircutting services will move inside to the Koger Center lobby. You can find more information about the event on the Koger Center’s social media, or Jenny Thompson’s instagram (@curlndye)

For more information about the relief funds, check out these links:

BeLoved Asheville

River Arts District Artists

ARG Rigging & Rescue

Jasper Galleries: Ellen Yaghjian, The Newest Nook Resident by Emily Moffitt

As a member of the Vista Guild Association, the Koger Center for the Arts is proud to partner with the Jasper Project in Third Thursday Art Night. A different artist is featured every month in our rotating gallery, The Nook, with an opening reception on the month's Third Thursday. September 2024's featured artist is Ellen Yaghjian. The opening reception is on September 19, from 5:30 – 7 p.m. on the second floor of the Koger Center.

Ellen Emerson Yaghjian was born in Atlanta, GA, and grew up in Larchmont, NY. She received a BFA in sculpture from the University of Georgia and an MMA in media arts from the University of South Carolina. For ten years, Ellen worked in television production, first with South Carolina Educational Television and later as an Associate Producer at Turner Broadcasting. In 1990, she shifted her focus to sculpture. She began by designing commissioned based copper fountains for outdoor gardens and indoor offices across the southeast. In 2000, Ellen began creating figurative works with copper, hammering and heating the metal to produce sculpture reflective of the human body. She enjoys the warmth of copper and the colors that emerge through her process. During the pandemic Ellen took up painting in acrylic. Ellen resides in Columbia, SC with her husband, David.

Ellen’s Artist Statement:

“The focus of my art practice is to bring my attention to one place in time and to explore the ideas that come to mind. Reflecting on the grace and strength of the female form, I am drawn to the medium of copper. I use heat and my hammer to move and shape the metal into subtle lines of the human body. Observations of landscapes and natural elements lead me to my paints. I simplify 3 dimensional elements on paper and panels and in the process find gratitude and wholeness.”

If you can’t make it to the reception, the art will be up through mid-October, and can be viewed from 9-5 Monday through Friday, and an hour prior to any Koger Center event. You can follow Ellen’s work on Instagram (@ellenyaghjianart) and her website (ellenyaghjian.com).

SCETV and USC Press Celebrates Jazz Legend Marian McPartland with Book Launch Event at Koger Center for the Arts


South Carolina ETV and Public Radio (SCETV), in partnership with the University of South Carolina Press, is proud to announce a special event celebrating the launch of Shall We Play That One Together: The Life and Art of Jazz Piano Legend Marian McPartland, a biography by acclaimed jazz historian Paul de Barros. The event will take place on Oct. 1 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Gallery on the second floor of the Koger Center for the Arts in Columbia.

This unique evening will feature live music from a jazz trio led by Mark Rapp of ColaJazz, light refreshments, hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet author Paul de Barros, purchase signed copies of the book, and delve into the life and legacy of one of jazz’s most influential figures- Marian McPartland.

Paul de Barros, known for his extensive work in jazz, has crafted a compelling narrative that chronicles McPartland’s journey from the British novelty circuit to becoming a revered jazz pianist and the voice of jazz in America. Shall We Play That One Together: The Life and Art of Jazz Piano Legend Marian McPartland explores McPartland’s 30-year tenure on her NPR show, Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz, where she introduced tens of thousands of listeners to jazz music through interviews and performances with legendary artists.

The event will also mark the kickoff of a new season of ColaJazz Presents, a series dedicated to showcasing the rich jazz culture in South Carolina, featuring the ColaJazz Trio.


Shall We Play That One Together? Book Launch and Jazz Celebration

October 1, 2024, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

The Gallery, 2nd Floor, Koger Center for the Arts, 1051 Greene Street, Columbia, SC

Free admission; books available for purchase onsite

This event is free and open to the public.



The University of South Carolina Press is a leading academic publisher, dedicated to advancing knowledge and scholarship through the publication of outstanding books across a range of disciplines, including history, literature, and the arts.



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.

Art Reception Double Feature at the Koger Center by Emily Moffitt

The Koger Center for the Arts underwent a large cosmetic upgrade during the summer months, including new carpet and the installation of telescopic seating in their large rehearsal room to create a black box theatre. Aside from the physical facelift of the building, the two gallery spaces now hold new exhibitions for patrons to enjoy before an event or any time throughout the day. The two new exhibits are “The Project 2023 Winners’ Exhibition” in the Gallery at the Koger Center, and in the Nook, one of our Jasper Galleries locations, Marius Valdes is the featured artist of August. A large-scale opening reception for both exhibits is scheduled for August 15, 2024, from 5:30 – 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.  

The Project 2023 Winners’ Exhibition features the winners of the Koger Center’s annual art competition. The 2023 iteration winners are Yvette Cummings, Roberto Clemente de Leon, Gerard Erley, Jo-Ann Morgan, and Susan Lenz. “The Project: A Call for Art” is a competition that began during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and is dedicated to uplifting and featuring visual artists across the state of South Carolina.

A variety of media is included in this exhibit: from oil paintings to sculpture, from collage to quilting. Stop by the Gallery at the Koger Center and mingle with artist peers from across the state!

 

 As a member of the Vista Guild Association, the Koger Center for the Arts is proud to partner with the Jasper Project in Third Thursday Art Night. We feature a different artist every month in our rotating gallery, The Nook, with an opening reception on the month's Third Thursday. August 2024's featured artist is Marius Valdes.

Marius Valdes is an artist currently based in Columbia, SC. Valdes has been recognized by design publications such as Graphic Design USA, HOW, Print, Communication Arts, Creative Boom, Creative Quarterly, Step, and industry competitions including American Illustration, and The World Illustration Awards. In 2022, the UK's Creative Boom website named Valdes as one of its "20 Most Exciting Illustrators" to follow.

Valdes is a Professor at the University of South Carolina. He teaches graphic design and illustration in the GD+I program in the School of Visual Art and Design. He lives in Forest Acres with his wife, Beth, and their daughter Emma. Mary, the dog, is always around for a good laugh.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This year's Make Music Day schedule includes: 

10 – 11:30am Petting Zoo & Ruckus Hour 

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

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

5:30-6:30 Drum Circle 

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

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

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

You may take a virtual tour here for FREE! 

~~~~~

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

CALL for Visual Artists! Koger Center for the Arts Opens Submission Period for Annual Art Contest

The Koger Center for the Arts is bringing back their art competition, “The Project” for 2024. The submission period opened on April 17 and will close on July 19, 2024. The first-place winner for the contest receives a $500 stipend and a group of artists will get the 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 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 run of the exhibit “The Project 2023 Winners’ Exhibition.” The featured, winning artists from last year’s submission period are Yvette Cummings (first place), Roberto de Leon (second place), Gerard Erley, Susan Lenz, Jo-Ann Morgan, and Cameron Porter (honorable mentions). More information about this upcoming exhibit can be found on the Koger Center site.

If you have any questions or concerns about the submission process, call the Koger Center Admin Office at (803)777-7500, or email Emily Moffitt at moffitte@mailbox.sc.edu.

 -Emily Moffitt

Koger Center Upstairs Gallery to Open a New Group Exhibit - “Beat of the Heart” curated by Keith Tolen

“What is the beat of a heart?”

Keith Tolen - artist

The Koger Center for the Arts’ next art exhibition in the Upstairs Gallery features five of Columbia’s finest visual artists: Keith Tolen, Fred Townsend, Rodgers Boykin, Jeffrey Miller, and Ryan McClendon. The exhibit opens April 29 and will be housed in the Koger Center until July 1. The exhibit’s opening reception is scheduled for May 23, from 6 – 8 p.m., and is free to the public.

Tolen, a fellow member of the Jasper Project Board of Directors, approached the four other artists with an idea. A group exhibit showcasing artwork that answered the question “what is the beat of a heart?” in connection to the heart of South Carolina. The work engages the viewer to view the artist’s perspective on the idea and reflect on their own interpretations.

Exhibition Statement: “What is the beat of a heart? It is the contraction of your heart as it pumps blood to the rest of your body. One organ--made of valves, chambers, veins and arteries--is responsible for keeping an entire body--movement, consciousness, breathing--in working order. The thumping in our ears, the press of fingers to palm to check pulse, these are how we know our hearts beat, that we are alive. This exhibition features five moments represented by the work of five artists; each artist may be a key part of this show’s artistic body, but what connects them is this beat. Specifically, this heartbeat seeks to infuse the Carolinas with a pulse of new blood as each artist shares their Carolina experience highlighting the richness of living in this area.

Jeffrey Miller - artist

Each artist will share their images based on personal interpretation of the theme: what is art, and how does it serve as a heartbeat living in the Carolinas? The Carolinas pose a beauty that stretches across the terrain from the mountains and foothills to the piedmonts and swamps and, finally, out to the ocean. The diversity of the creative experience will be showcased as these five artists bring to visual light the magic of colors, shapes, and special details to share their stories. The goal of this collection is to engage the viewer with a creative journey into the broad array of expressionism that connects with our rich surroundings. The collective artworks seek to enrich the heart of every viewer as they explore the unique designs displayed in their bold beauty--arteries and veins that run through our state and ourselves. Leaving this body of work will have the viewers longing to purchase a piece in order to continue sharing in the lifeforce of these talented artists. This new blood represents a dose of new energy, pumping throughout not just the show, but each of our bodies, our community. The answer to the question, "what is art?" will become clearer to the audience as they savor each individual image, feeling it beat behind their own chests.”

Ryan McClendon - artist

The Koger Center Upstairs Gallery is open to the public Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and an hour prior to any Koger Center for the Arts performance

-Emily Moffitt

THE JASPER PROJECT PARTNERS WITH THE SC PHILHARMONIC ON THE ART OF SYMPHONY

“Eyes closed, I listened to the piece and was surprised by the immediate imagery I experienced …” - Eileen Blyth

The Jasper Project is delighted to announce a collaborative project with the South Carolina Philharmonic – THE ART OF SYMPHONY.  

When Chad Henderson, marketing director for the South Carolina Philharmonic, first posited the idea for the Art of Symphony project to Jasper, they were immediately intrigued. As Henderson explained, the SC Philharmonic had scheduled an upcoming concert on April 27, 2024, at the Koger Center for the Arts, around which the SC Phil hoped to engage with local visual artists. The concert would feature: Karen Tanaka’s Rose Absolute, Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op.33, and Shostakovich’s Symphony Number 5 in D Minor, Op. 47 and be conducted by Morihiko Nakahara featuring guest artist Sterling Elliott on cello. Henderson proposed that the music be divided into 14 singular sections and the Jasper Project invite and work with 14 of the Midlands’ finest visual artists, who would each respond to a unique piece of music artistically.

The newly created art will be projected on screens during the live performance of each of the 14 sections of music, as well as presented as an arts exhibition in Jasper’s Nook Gallery on the grand tier level of the Koger Center for the Arts.

The Art of Symphony Art Exhibition will open on Thursday evening, April 18, 2024, with a reception that is open to the public from 5:30 – 7 pm. The Art of Symphony Symphonic Convergence of Music & Visual Art will take place on Saturday, April 27th with the concert at 7:30 pm and a Meet the Artist Reception in the Nook Gallery at 6 pm. 

In keeping with the Jasper Project’s founding priority of cultivating multidisciplinary collaboration, Jasper will also publish a book of the featured art, entitled The Art of Symphony, which will be available for purchase at both events. 

The 14 visual artists participating in the project include Fred Townsend, Wilma King, Lori Isom- Starnes, Eileen Blyth, Stephen Chesley, Thomas Washington, K. Wayne Thornley, Alejandro Garcia-Lemos, Anthony Lewis, Lindsay Radford Wiggins, Michael Krajewski, Keith Tolen, Regina Langston, and Laura Garner Hine. Garcia-Lemos created an animated short in response to his designated section of music which will be shown on monitors in the Koger Center lobby before the concert, during intermission, and at The Art of Symphony Art Exhibition opening on April 18th. 

Eileen Blyth, who created Overheard Overhead in response to the first movement of the Shostakovich Symphony No. 5, said, “Eyes closed, I listened to the piece and was surprised by the immediate imagery I experienced. I was eye level before a roof top. Bird-like objects dipped and soared. Buildings stretched tall and then wide, up and down, back and forth. Objects moved in harmony. I saw the Maestro in my painting directing the symphony of shapes, lines, and color.”

Wilma King, who painted in response to the third movement of the Shostakovich said, “This project, much like a symphony itself, goes deep into the hearts, minds, talents, and expressions of myriad artists, culminating the various parts and facets into this paramount event.”

For more information visit JasperProject.org or SCPhilharmonic.com.

Josef Berliner’s “Black and Blues” Collection Now Featured in the Jasper Galleries’ Nook

Reception

Thursday March 21st

5:30 - 7 pm

The Nook at the Koger Center for the Arts

The Jasper Project is proud to welcome Josef Berliner as our new artist-in-residence in the Nook, our gallery location in the Koger Center for the Arts. The opening reception for his show coincides with March’s Third Thursday—the 21st—and goes from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public.

Dedicated to making the world a more beautiful place “one canvas at a time,” Josef has held the drive to create art since he was a child. His artistic journey grew with every gifted sketchpad and drawing pencil, until he got to college where he double majored in Theatre and Studio Art.

Josef affixes the signature “Jobey” to his paintings; in Josef’s words, “Jobey is the more outgoing and confident alter ego. Behind the mask is a thoughtful, somewhat shy, and introspective artist.” His confidence as an artist shines through with each portrait in the exhibition, all focused on different Black women musicians who helped shape the blues and jazz scenes.

Josef has been recognized as a contributor to many charitable causes, always willing to give of himself as much as possible. He has been cited for his participation in organizations such as Bullets and Band-Aids, the USC Department of Dance Gala (in which he also serves as a board member), the Atlantic Institute, and was most recently honored as a featured artist for the Artists for Africa winter event.

He works predominantly in oil on canvas, with a keen eye for detail and the innate ability to look far deeper than the mere surface, all the while seeking for a level of perfection that, while perhaps unattainable, is indeed his ultimate and far-reaching goal.

 

Join The Jasper Project for Dogon Krigga’s Closing Reception and Artist Talk at Koger

The Jasper Project and the Koger Center for the Arts have teamed up to showcase the work of Dogon Krigga in The Nook, the rotating Jasper Gallery in the latter’s second floor lobby. The work will be up until the third week of March, but we will host a Closing Reception and Artist Talk for the exhibition on March 13 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Dogon will be present to give a talk about Afrosurrealism in art, what inspires them to create, and the intentions behind each piece. Additional prints and merchandise of Dogon’s will be available for purchase during this reception! We are excited to work with Jared Johnson, the onsite photographer and reporter, for the evening, who will be moderating the talk.

Dogon’s Artist Statement:

I use vinyl, paper, and other media on a variety of surfaces to create mixed media collages and murals printed on vinyl, paper, and other adhesive substrates. I draw inspiration from spiritual principles and esoteric concepts found across the African Diaspora to create surrealist artworks at serve as portals into other worlds, and viewsations of Queer, Black people, culture, and identity in an alternate dimension. I use these materials and approaches to encourage the viewer to experience and seek the subtle and unseen worlds, while reflecting on their place in it. I use my work to challenge the status quo and disrupt the conventions of what we know to be cisgendered, heteronormative, and patriarchal ideologies, while offering something beautiful and uplifting in its place. Through this creative process, I seek to make a real way of being in, thinking of, and viewing the universe that celebrates, preserves, and restores historically excluded communities.

A Musical Mosaic of the South – Short Stories, vol. 1 by David Garner and Greg Stuart By Emily Moffitt

The University of South Carolina’s School of Music is filled to the brim with ambitious creative minds, all leading the newest generations of musicians while simultaneously maintaining their own artistic endeavors. One of the newest projects born from the walls of the Assembly Street building is Short Stories, vol. 1, a new collaborative album by David Garner and Greg Stuart. Garner and Stuart are both Associate Professors at the School of Music, with the former teaching Composition and Theory and the latter teaching Experimental Music Performance and Music Literature. This album is composed of original accompaniments by Garner and Stuart, performed along archived recordings of Southern folk songs. 

Ever since his graduate school years, Garner found the genre of American roots music fascinating, and he continues to use the genre as source material and inspiration for his own work. The existing relationship with the genre led Garner on the path to creating Short Stories, vol. 1, but he notes that “I don’t know that there was a single ‘a-ha’ moment to start this project, but rather a thousand small discoveries that built up over many years.” Short Stories, vol. 1 utilizes recordings from the Southern Mosaic: The John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip collection, which Garner has worked with since 2016, composing a piece called “DwnByThRckyMtns” that was also built around a recording from the collection.  The Lomax collection is a massive one, containing nearly 700 sound recordings, field notes, dust jackets, and other pertinent manuscripts that encompass a 6,500-mile trip taken by the eponymous travelers. Garner notes that listening to the original recordings before his renditions is not necessary but worthwhile. “I think some listeners might enjoy hearing the original field recordings in order to hear how the recordings were transformed in our album,” Garner says. “There are many thousands of hours of incredible early 20th century field recordings...these recordings might not be beautiful on the surface—with amateur performers and grainy, crackly recordings—but I find they are all so intriguing and rich with history, meaning, and culture.” 

When asked about the process of choosing which pieces to adapt, Garner mentions that he has kept a list of favorite recordings over the seven years he has worked with the collection. The six he chose were picked after “lots of play and experimentation to see which ones would work well in these transformed settings.” He took into consideration the particular nuances, shapes, timbres, and emotions of each recording, then set on the journey to create something new but still complementary. Garner started making entirely electronic settings for the pieces he chose a few years prior, but it was not until the fall of 2023 that he brought them to Stuart’s attention after working on a new composition together, and the duo followed through to create Short Stories. Garner shares an interest in archival field recordings and has played pieces that incorporate recorded sound as well as pieces that focus on timbre and noise elements. After long periods of brainstorming, structured improvisation, and testing what worked and what did not, the duo came to conclusions that achieved their ideas yet allowed room for the addition of piano, vibraphone, and percussion: the path to creating a finished piece finally laid bare. The structured improvisation is a key aspect of the creative process for this album. Garner says, “A few of the pieces are almost completely written out in traditional notation, but most of them are left much more open for improvising using a set of guidelines that we follow—note choices, rhythms, chords, gestures—we are improvising within predetermined time spans.” Garner also values the power of nostalgia and acknowledges the power it holds to shape how someone listens to music; he says “I think I have been fascinated by nostalgia and have felt it deeply my whole life; it is so important in music and so crucial to how I listen.” With the nature of the album’s contents focusing on folk music and storytelling, it is natural for the listener to also long for a time and place they may or may not have been to before, yearning to listen to a new voice that could remind them of another. This is intentional on Garner’s behalf—in his own words, he is also fascinated by the cultural and societal nostalgia that influences and informs how we listen to older music. 

Amplifying marginalized voices is a key goal for Short Stories, vol. 1. Many of the folk songs featured stem from southern African American communities, and Garner’s work celebrates that. The listener is beckoned into feeling a sense of longing and contemplation, with a vein of Southern Gothic darkness and mystery throughout. The pure emotional connections made via this music show through on "Lost Train," where the recorded voices are but a suggestion, looped in as an additional undercurrent to Stuart and Garner's instrumentation. On "All The Way Round" takes a Livingston, Alabama field recording that sounds like a playground chant and lays it bare in its repetitive style against minimalist accompaniment." Garner continues to compose pieces that surround the histories of other recordings in the Lomax collection, which also includes work from white and Mexican American performers. Garner beautifully describes the importance of a collection like this in his description of the album: “I hope to give forgotten voices another chance to be heard, histories to be told, and to highlight moments of particular beauty that might otherwise be overlooked. Embedded in every crackly field recording is a wealth of knowledge, experience, history, and humanity from which we can learn.”

You can listen to Garner and Stuart’s album on YouTube here. The album will be released on all streaming platforms starting January 24; Garner and Stuart will also perform the album in two concerts at Emory University and the University of Georgia on January 24 and January 26, respectively. 


Dinner and a Show: Koger Center for the Arts 35th Anniversary Celebration

The Koger Center for the Arts will celebrate their 35th anniversary of bringing the arts to the Midlands in January 2024. While the official anniversary date is January 12, the real celebration takes place on the 30th with an exclusive wine and food tasting event and a performance by The Four Phantoms.

“35 Years, 5 Tastings” is a ticketed pre-show event complete with a five-course sampler of fine French cuisine and wine. Tickets are $75 per person and do not include entry into The Four Phantoms. Guests at this event will be treated to a private performance by Kaley Ann Voorhees, the youngest woman to perform on Broadway as Christine Daaé, and the following menu:

·         Course 1: Mirepoix-foie gras stuffed local Manchester Farm quail, black winter truffle aged port reduction, leek-basil confit.

o   Wine pairing - Lucien Albrecht Cremant Brut

·         Course 2: Galangal-scallion crusted U-10 diver scallops, star anise basmati, black sesame dusted carrot straw, white miso-mirin pan jus

o   Wine pairing - Henry Fessy Vire clesse Maitre Bonhome 2019

·         Course 3: Coriander-cranberry venison loin, butter poached crispy brussel sprouts, mousseline fingerling, cappuccino Norwegian goat cheese & gin cream sauce, lingonberry cream fraiche

o   Wine pairing - Chateau Saint Roch Grenache Syrah

·         Course 4: Sous vide grass-fed New Zealand baby rack of lamb, pave potato, legume de provine timbale, petit lemon-thyme lamb demi-glaze

o   Wine pairing - French Blue Bordeaux Rouge Bien Ensemble 2019

·         Course 5: Cardamom-infused overnight pear tart, dark & milk chocolate mousse, almond crisp, cognac cherry compote, William pear schnapps vanilla bean ice cream

o   Wine Pairing - Louis Latour Coteaux Du Verdon Rouge Les Bastides 2019

Sponsorship opportunities are available for this event – if you are a business owner interested in participating or sponsoring, please contact Karen Magradey at (803) 777-9781.

The Four Phantoms is a production in the Koger Center Presents series of programming. Four Broadway legends that have portrayed the iconic leading role of the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera will unite for a magnificent performance that celebrates the legacy and music of Broadway. The production features Brent Barrett, Franc D'Ambrosio, Marcus Lovett, and Ciarán Sheehan, with special guest star Kaley Ann Voorhees. The group will perform music from The Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, Les Mis, Sweeney Todd, and more! Fans of Broadway won’t want to miss out on this performance. Ticket prices range from $38 to $63.

Tickets for both events are available on the Koger Center for the Arts website, over the phone at (803) 251-2222, in person at the box office, or on the official Koger Center for the Arts phone app.

Koger Center’s Third Thursday Lineup in the Nook Kicks Off with Wilma King

It’s a new calendar year, which means a brand-new lineup of talented artists from the Midlands will decorate the walls of each Jasper Gallery location. In the Nook at the Koger Center, Wilma King is the opening artist. King is a South Carolina native who endeavors to combine her experiences of living around the United States with her educational background into a visual storytelling collaboration through her painting.

King’s featured exhibit in the Nook is titled Love Heals: The Margins and Time In-Between. This body of work expands upon her Love Heals collection, which debuted at our Bernie Love Valentine’s Day event in 2023. The addendum includes 14 new works and received funding by the South Carolina Arts Commission’s Emerging Artist Grant. King notes that the pieces are a “series of montages comprised of memories of two generations before and after [her] -- thus, the time ‘in-between.’” She highlights the dreams, hopes, and desires of individuals at different stages of their lives while facing different obstacles like cancer or mental illness. Much of the subject matter derives from King’s own memories of adolescence and the relationships she fostered with her family. No moment is too small or grand for King to make compelling subject matter. Memories and storytelling often mesh to create a brand-new path for her work to take.

The opening reception will be held from 5:30 – 7 p.m. on January 18, 2024, on the Grand Tier Lobby of the Koger Center. The event is free and open to the public.

Excerpt from Wilma King’s Artist statement:

“I tell stories of my parents, their lifetimes, their influences. There are memories of me playing with my grandfather Manuel’s gold pocket watch; wallpapering the walls of my aunt Sedonia’s house (which was destroyed by a Louisiana storm last year); me ritually painting my mother’s nails; or dancing like nobody’s watching just to keep my cousin upbeat during her last few months!

We all have turning points in our lives -- some are cataclysmic. But I believe that the persistent, more powerful triggers are those that are slow, unforgettable images, sometimes rising out of nowhere, that quietly give us a heartfelt thump. Words are not needed, but touches, smells, soft sounds, and even tastes lend to the very intimate and secret thoughts that we hold close inside. These moments are the perfect companionship and fulfillment – a very pure form of love and loveliness – for whatever voids we need or want to fill. Although faceted, these “ordinary” and “frequent” thoughts and memories are what I wish to capture in my art.

I usually rely on memories, and sometimes collaborative storytelling with family and friends. Most often, the fusion of these memories and recollections are didactic approaches manifested in the art that I enjoy creating. I fully enjoy the outcomes as I see the bits and pieces of the storytellers’ realities and attempts to bring the pieces together in a relationship-building effort and artwork.”

— Emily Moffitt

Visit Sound Bites Eatery on Sumter Street for Delicious Food, Welcoming Vibes, and this month, Art from the Jasper Project's Board of Directors Visual Artists!

One of the great joys of working with the Jasper Project is becoming warm friends with members of our hard-working board of directors as well as the owner/operators of the institutions that work with us and the venues that host us. A perfect example would be the good people at Sound Bites Eatery who welcomed Jasper as soon as their doors were opened and invited us to make use of their walls to hang art by local artists. This month we are combining our appreciation for both by featuring the art of Jasper Project Board Artists, Emily Moffitt, Laura Garner Hine, Keith Tolen, and Kimber Carpenter in the Jasper Gallery Space at Sound Bites Eatery.

Curated by a committee chaired by Christina Xan who serves as the Jasper Project’s gallery manager, Jasper hangs local art throughout the city at Motor Supply Bistro, Koger Center for the Arts, Harbison Theatre, the Meridian Sidewalk Gallery Space as well as Sound Bites Eatery. But we’re always looking for new permanent or temporary spaces to feature the work of Columbia-based artists.

While we enjoy celebrating new shows with receptions, one of the advantages of showing art in these public spaces is that the art is available for purchase any time day or night by accessing a QR code attached to every piece of art. So if you’re still looking for the perfect gift for someone you love, consider giving art by visiting one of the Jasper Gallery spaces easily accessible in the greater Columbia area!

SC Phil presents a Brilliantly Collaborative Holiday Event with Some of SC's Finest Vocalists, Dancers, and of course, the SC Philharmonic!

SC PHILHARMONIC BRINGS SINGERS, DANCERS AND SANTA TO KOGER CENTER FOR “HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS”

Collaborative creation from Music Director Morihiko Nakahara and Director Chad Henderson promises to be an extravaganza

Vocalist Kanika Moore

Kanika Moore

Katie Leitner

Catherine Hunsinger

Samuel McWhite

Columbia Repertory Dance Company

Santa

Morihiko Nakahara

& the SC Philharmonic

In a brilliantly collaborative act The South Carolina Philharmonic presents Home for the Holidays on Thursday, December 21, 2023 at 7:00 PM at the Koger Center for the Arts under the baton of Music Director Morihiko Nakahara. After years of sold out holiday concerts at Harbison Theatre, The SC Philharmonic is bringing their holiday-themed event to the Koger Center this year for one night only and making it truly grand. The show itself is a collaboration between SC Phil Maestro Morihiko Nakahara and award-winning theatre director Chad Henderson, the former Artistic Director of Trustus Theatre and current Marketing Director of the SC Phil. Tickets may be purchased by visiting 

scphilharmonic.com or by calling the Koger Center Box Office at 803-251-2222.

 

More from our friends at the SC Philharmonic – 

Home for the Holidays is positioned to be one of the last large-scale holiday-themed events of the season, with the performance scheduled on December 21st. The orchestra anticipates that this concert will be appealing to families who have gathered for the holidays, and to those who are looking for new traditions. “We wanted to create a large-scale concert event due to our move to the Koger Center,” says theatre director Chad Henderson. “Audiences are going to get a traditional orchestral experience in the first act, and then in the second half we’re going to enjoy the alchemy of multi-disciplinary work with uplifting, moving and energetic performances from amazing singers and dancers alongside the SC Phil.” 

Singer Kanika Moore is known internationally as the lead singer of Doom Flamingo (Charleston, SC) and Tauk (Long Island, NY). This Charleston native’s original tone and seamless effort is almost impossible to ignore, and this is quite possibly the reason she was named the Charleston City Paper Soul/R&B Act of the Year in 2019. Joining Moore are Columbia singers Katie Leitner of Say Femme, Catherine Hunsinger of Rex Darling, and the magnetic musical theatre veteran Samuel McWhite. 

Wanting to dive deeper into multi-disciplinary work, the SC Phil invited The Columbia Repertory Dance Company to collaborate with the orchestra. In its fourth season, The Columbia Repertory Dance Company’s mission is to broaden the experience of professional dance artists and patrons in Columbia, SC through multidisciplinary collaborative performances year-round. Led by Artistic Director Stephanie Wilkins and Managing Director Bonnie Boiter-Jolley, the company is bringing emotional and athletic work to the Koger stage – a trademark of this company which performed at the DUMBO Dance Festival in NYC in Summer 2023.  

The concert will boast two arrangements by Columbia’s Dick Goodwin, famed jazz artist and composer. Goodwin’s arrangements of “All I Want for Christmas” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” will be featured in the second act, with the latter serving as the finale of the evening. Audiences can also expect to hear classic orchestral fare like Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride,” alongside popular songs like “White Christmas” and “Santa Claus is Back in Town,” and readings of “Twas the Night Before Christmas” and the famous editorial by Francis Church “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.” All of these elements combined with production design from Chad Henderson and Koger Center Technical Director Steve Borders will make for a sensational evening of symphonic spectacle that will entertain the whole family. 

“In the end, we want audiences to have a fulfilling and rich experience,” says Henderson. “We want people to feel a range of emotions while they’re with us. We’re using the undeniable universality of music, dance and, at times, theatre to provide audiences with a joyful evening that will be uplifting, energizing and powerful. Hopefully this will become a signature event for the SC Phil where friends and families join us every year to ignite their celebrations.” 

The SC Philharmonic’s Home for the Holidays will take the Koger Center stage on Thursday, December 21, 2023 at 7:00 PM at. Concert ticket prices range from $10 to $40 currently, and they can be purchased at scphilharmonic.com or by calling the Koger Center Box Office (803) 251-2222.

Student Rush tickets are available for $10 starting thirty minutes before the concert, and group rates for 10 or more are available by writing kathryn@scphilharmonic.com. 

 

Marius Valdes Mounts Massive Exhibition of JOYOUS CREATURES at Koger Center for the Arts

The Koger Center for the Arts’ Upstairs Gallery is now home to the wonderous, whimsical works of Marius Valdes. The featured exhibition is aptly titled “Joyous Creatures,” and will reside in the Upstairs Gallery from December 1, 2023, to March 11, 2024.

Marius Valdes is an artist currently based in Columbia, South Carolina. Valdes has been recognized by design publications such as Graphic Design USA, HOW, Print, Communication Arts, Creative Boom, Creative Quarterly, Step, and industry competitions including American Illustration, and The World Illustration Awards. In 2022, the UK's Creative Boom Website named Valdes as one of its "20 Most Exciting Illustrators" to follow. This recent creative endeavor of Valdes’ holds over 200 paintings on both canvas and paper bags. Those familiar with his work can expect to see big, bright-eyed creatures of all kinds, shapes, and sizes amidst boldly colored backgrounds. Anyone interested in getting a sneak peek at the featured work can visit the exhibit’s website, www.joyouscreatures.com. This website functions as a digital catalog as well as the site to use for any artwork purchases.

Joyous Creatures Artist Statement: Joyous Creatures aims to make you smile or laugh if only for a moment. I celebrate characters and creatures from the imagination whether they are dogs, frogs, blobs, or aliens. Character-based art has the capacity to create memorable and engaging visual language that speaks to people of all ages and nationalities. I use my characters to educate, inform, and entertain.

There will be an opening reception for the exhibition on December 6, 2023, from 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. at the Koger Center’s Upstairs Gallery. The event is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be provided. For more information, contact the Koger Center at kogercenter@sc.edu, or 803-777-7500.