SC Phil Presents 3rd Annual HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS - A Celebration of Some of the Midlands' Most Exciting Performing Artists at Christmas!

DECEMBER 18, 2025

KOGER CENTER FOR THE ARTS

From our friends at SC Philharmonic -

The South Carolina Philharmonic presents Home for the Holidays on Thursday, December 18, 2025 at 7:30 PM at the Koger Center for the Arts under the baton of Music Director Morihiko Nakahara. As this concert is a holiday-themed variety show, the orchestra will be joined by singers Cat Galán (Stankface, Boomtown Trio), Edwin Hamilton (SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble), Katie Leitner (Say Femme) and opera singer Johnnie Felder. The concert includes dance performances from Cola Rep Dance Co. and CCJ Conservatory. Local Elvis tribute Bernie Love closes the first act, and The Columbia Choral Society joins the orchestra for the thrilling second act. Trumpeter Mark Rapp (Cola Jazz) makes an appearance, and Santa will also be on hand for any last-minute requests. This joyful concert is a creative

collaboration between Music Director Morihiko Nakahara and 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.

Home for the Holidays is one of the Midlands’ last large-scale holiday-themed events of the year. This concert is a great way to entertain family and friends who have gathered for the holidays, and for those who are looking for new traditions. Created in collaboration with Music Director Morihiko Nakahara and local theatre director Chad Henderson, this concert is an energetic experience that celebrates the Midlands arts scene.

“This concert is a high-energy night that is a demonstration of the talent in our community,” said Director Chad Henderson. “It’s been such a joy planning this concert every year, and this year we’re returning with an even larger slate of guest performers who are favorites in town. I’m personally excited about our very own local Elvis tribute, Bernie Love, coming on board to close out the first act. We’re going to play Also sprach Zarathustra and do the Vegas opening and everything.” Undoubtedly, this holiday concert will be a great opportunity for audiences to unwind and get into the spirit.

In addition to the fun Elvis portion of the program, audiences can expect to hear holiday classics like The Christmas Song, I’ll Be Home for Christmas, Sleigh Ride and It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

Opera singer Johnnie Felder and Cat Galán return for an encore performance of The Prayer – which brought audiences to their feet mid-show last year. Mr. Felder will perform a thrilling arrangement of O Holy Night with the orchestra and The Columbia Choral Society. The choir will also join the orchestra for Christmas Canticles and selections from John Williams’ Home Alone score, among others, in the second act of the show.

The South Carolina Philharmonic is committed to performing live symphonic music and providing dynamic educational opportunities in the Midlands. We carry forward a legacy of passion for the music and embrace our responsibility to be a vibrant part of the cultural fabric of our diverse community.

Buy Tickets Here!

Congrats to Columbia's Koger Center for the Arts - A Grantee of the Levitt Music Series!

Huge Congrats to the Koger Center for the Arts for being a Levitt Music Series Grantee! The Jasper Project is proud to be among the SC organizations that partner with the Koger Center to make it more than just a performance venue, but a true center for the arts. Every Third Thursday patrons can join Jasper on the center’s second tier at our Nook Gallery space where we feature the work of a Midlands-area visual artist as part of The Vista’s regularly scheduled Third Thursday programming. The intimate space offers patrons the opportunity to meet and chat with our featured artists, share a snack, and often hear our artists speak about their work. This is always a free event and we typically go from 5:30 - 7 pm, but it’s always a good idea to check the Koger Center calendar to be sure a performance doesn’t result in a change in time.

While the Koger Center has been offering a program of free events in the lobby and on the outdoor stage for a while now, director Nate Terracio says this is the first time the organization has been awarded a Levitt Music Series Grant. “The grant provides 3 years of support for free outdoor concerts in 2026, 2027 and 2028,” Terracio says, explaining that, “We have hosted both local talent such as: Longtooth, Prettier than Matt, The Ramblers, CammWess, David Rodriguez, and members of the Black Nerd Mafia,” as well as regional and national acts including Claudette King, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, J Roddy Walston, John Hollier, She Returns From War, and Indianola.

“The Koger Center for the Arts is beyond excited that Columbia has been chosen as the first city in South Carolina to be recognized and funded by a Levitt Music Series Grant and we are thankful to the community and individuals that supported our efforts and took the time to vote for us,” he continues. “We look forward to expanding our free outdoor concert series through this grant to include spring and fall concerts.  As Columbia’s center for the arts, we want everyone to feel welcome and hope to bring the whole community together through music both inside and outside.”

For more about the grant please refer to the press release issued by the Levitt Foundation: “The Levitt Foundation, a national social impact funder supporting the largest free outdoor concert series in America, today announced the largest number of Levitt Music Series grant recipients in its history—providing 66 communities with multi-year grants, up to $120K each.

Levitt Music Series Grants are an exciting, multi-year matching grant program bringing the joy of free, live music to towns and cities across the country. Each Levitt Music Series location presents 7-10 free outdoor concerts per year, injecting new life into underused public spaces and creating joyous, inclusive community destinations. Reflecting the Foundation’s commitment that all Levitt projects be community-driven, the top 50 finalists were selected through public voting in September 2025 (via online and text to vote). The Levitt Foundation then conducted a comprehensive review process of all finalists to determine the Levitt Music Series grant recipients.

The Levitt Foundation will be awarding over $7 million dollars over three years to the nonprofits presenting Levitt Music Series, supporting 34 new grantees and 32 returning grantees to bring free outdoor music to their communities in 2026, 2027, and 2028. Also new this grant cycle are funding partnerships with state agencies—in Tennessee and Mississippi—to bring even more free outdoor concerts to their communities.

“The Levitt Foundation is thrilled to announce the communities across the country receiving Levitt Music Series grants, and we congratulate all the new and returning Levitt grantees. We know from decades of supporting free concerts in public spaces how the power of free, live music brings friends, families, and neighbors of all ages and backgrounds together, strengthening the social fabric and economic vitality of communities,” said Sharon Yazowski, President & CEO of the Levitt Foundation. “We are also excited that our partnerships with Tennessee and Mississippi are supporting additional communities in those states—a model we hope will inspire other states throughout our nation for future collaborations to bring free, outdoor concerts to their towns and cities.”

Jasper Presents a Free Artist Talk with Colleen Cannon-Karlos at the Koger Center for the Arts

By Emily Moffitt

If you missed the chance to check out Colleen Cannon-Karlos' exhibit in the Jasper Project’s Nook gallery space during her opening reception for October’s Third Thursday, mark your calendars for her free artist talk at the Koger Center!

Join us on November 4, from 6-7 p.m. for her free talk where she’ll give an in-depth look at her artistic processes, inspirations, and more. A Q&A will follow her talk, and all the work in Cannon-Karlos' exhibit is available for purchase.

Cannon-Karlos' Artist Statement:

My new work consists of deconstructing recycled corrugated cardboard and transforming it into an alternative surface to create new imagery. I became interested in working with cardboard because it is cheap, ubiquitous and unfortunately very wasteful in our consumer driven, throwaway society. Mixed media includes cardboard, recycled plastic shopping bags, acetate and more. At least I can do my small part and turn discarded objects into artwork that celebrates its beauty and integrity.

The corrugated or fluted lines contain their own design aspect of regularly spaced, machine engineered parallel lines. Removing and/or adding layers by distressing and manipulating the cardboard reveals amazing texture characteristics in layers that are enhanced with the application of paint and other materials. The cardboard itself reveals levels of unique textures that give a relief quality and tangibility to the imagery. This work also reflects my interest in physics – understanding the nature of reality as energy coalesces into form. The imagery present in the distressed cardboard seems to be in the process of both emerging from and dissolving into existence. The resulting artwork is mounted on wooden panels.

For additional questions, contact the Koger Center.

 

What’s Going on at the Koger Center? Free Low-Cost Events Next Week & Jasper is Playing a Part!

The Koger Center is stacked with a wide array of free and low-cost events and happenings throughout the month of September! The first full work week of the month has plenty going on, so check out what they have to offer.

On Monday, September 8, we are co-hosting a free artist talk with Lori Isom in the Nook, where her artwork is currently on display. The Nook, for anyone who has not had the chance to check it out, is a gallery space located on the second floor of the Koger Center, adjacent to the Gallery at the Koger Center space, that is programmed by the Jasper Project. The talk will last from 6 – 7 p.m. All artwork in Lori’s exhibit is available for purchase.

On Wednesday, September 10, Preach Jacobs will host his second SoulHaus Session in the Gallery at the Koger Center. After the sell-out success of the first session, Preach is returning and this time, bringing renowned chef Amethyst Ganaway and artist Dogon Krigga in for a conversation. Tickets are available for purchase on EventBrite; doors open with a vinyl spinning session at 5 p.m., and the talk begins at 6 p.m.

The evening of Friday the 12th kicks off with another free concert in the “Koger Center Presents: Live Outside” series. Starting at 5 p.m., Charleston-based act She Returns from War will perform, with a to-be-determined opening act accompanying the evening. Hailing from the historically rich city of Charleston, South Carolina, She Returns from War is defining what it means to not only live in the modern south, but to be a trans woman and artist within this landscape. The full Live Outside series runs on Fridays in September and October; check out the whole series on the Koger Center website here. If the weather turns stormy, the concert will still happen, just inside on the Koger Center’s second floor lobby instead!

And mark your calendars for later this month when Jasper welcomes Photo-artist Jeff Amberg to the Nook Gallery —

Artist Talk with LORI ISOM - Jasper's Featured Artist for August at The Nook - FREE

By Emily Moffitt

The Koger Center for the Arts and the Jasper Project are excited to host Lori Isom for a free artist talk on September 8, from 6-7 p.m. The talk will take place in the Nook on the second floor of the Koger Center, where the audience will be surrounded by Lori’s captivating artwork as she discusses her artistic practices and the motivation behind her paintings. If you missed out on Lori’s opening reception, this is the perfect opportunity to learn more about her as an artist and engage with the exhibit!

Outside of the artist talk, the Nook is available for viewing at the Koger Center from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and an hour before shows during the weekends.

Lori’s Artist Statement:

“It is fair to say that my life has been quite varied as an artist, and all around creative person. Years of my life were dedicated to working as a professional dancer, singer and actress in New York and Los Angeles, and I’ve had several interesting and fun entrepreneurial pursuits along the way, including owning and operating my own baking business! I am predominantly a self-taught artist, however, I studied illustration in high school, and later fine art and fashion design at Parsons School of Design.

I would say that I walk the line between illustrator and fine artist. While I work to tell a story with my art, I also produce paintings that primarily express a particular emotion. Artists like Mary Cassatt, Andrew Wyeth, and John Singer Sargent were ones who greatly influenced my work early on. I suppose that’s how I came to love capturing people.”

Free Concert Series Returns to the Koger Center THIS FRIDAY with Black Nerd Mafia -- And What's Happening This Week at The Koger Center!

The Koger Center for the Arts is bringing back its free outdoor concert series, Live Outside, for a third consecutive year. This time, as opposed to Sunday evenings, the concerts will be on Friday evenings starting at 5 p.m., allowing you to kick off your weekend with a lowkey yet exciting concert! All concerts will be on the Koger Center Plaza Stage.

The season starts on Friday, August 22, with a star-studded lineup of South Carolina-based talent curated by Black Nerd Mafia. The lineup features performances from Dem Boyz Good, Death Ray Robin, Milah, JB SamSon, Dooozy, Kuntry, and Kenya Spinz.

Come early and check out The Jasper Project’s Gallery Space — The Nook — on the 2nd tier of the Koger Center Lobby. The featured artist for August is Lori Isom!

The full season schedule includes the following performances:

        September 5: Longtooth, featuring an opening act from The Transonics

         September 12: She Returns From War

         September 19: John Hollier

         October 3: J Roddy Walston & The Automatic Band

         October 10: The Ramblers

         October 17: Indianola

Concessions will be available for purchase at each concert. Grab a bite to eat and bring your chair or blanket to the Koger Center front lawn, and start your weekend right!

For more information about the Live Outside series and the Koger Center Presents programming, visit www.KogerCenterForTheArts.com.

COLUMBIA REPERTORY DANCE COMPANY RETURNS TO THE KOGER CENTER BLACK BOX AUGUST 16TH AND 17TH

August 16th  at 7:30pm and August 17th at 3pm

in the

Koger Center Black Box Theater 

Ticket price: $35

Cola Rep Dance Co returns to the Koger Center Black Box Theater, bringing professional dancers and choreographers together to explore the journey of becoming our better selves through times of transition. Artistic Director and Resident Choreographer Stephanie Wilkins is joined by creatives Christopher Aldeguer, Angela Gallo, Amanda Ling, and Olivia Waldrop as they guide the audience through an evening of dance aimed at finding what we are made of.

The organization continues their partnership with Lauren Sherr of Sherr Productions for lighting design and will once again transform the downstairs space of the Koger Center for the Arts into a venue for dance.

The program features nine works from six choreographers performed by a company of eleven dancers and apprentices. One new work, choreographed by Amanda Ling, exists as a second part to the “Fire in the Belly” dance film produced in 2024 with the Power Company Collaborative, and features a sound score that is an original composition made in collaboration with Chris Johnson. The creation of the sound was funded in part by a grant from the SC Arts Commission who receives funding from the NEA.

Wilkins’s work “The Only Way is Through” will be featured in ArtsUp SC’s inaugural Storyline Series Prologue Performance: New Chapters on August 22nd in Greenville, SC and “The In-Between Place,” which premiered at this year’s Live on Lincoln  event, was performed by the company as part of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston in June.

This program is supported in part by H-tax funding from the City of Columbia and by the South Carolina Arts Commission which is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts and collaborates in its work with the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies and South Arts.
 
 


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. We aim to retain the talents of South Carolina
dance artists and provide a spectrum of professional opportunities while inspiring and developing a broader and deeper understanding of dance in Columbia and surrounding
areas.

For more information and tickets, https://www.colarep.com/events  contact Managing Director Bonnie Boiter-Jolley; Phone: (803)622-6879 E-mail: colarepdanceco@gmail.com or follow on Facebook and Instagram
 

Koger Center and SoulHaus Partnering for a Brand-New Artist Talk Series

By Emily Moffitt

The Koger Center for the Arts and SoulHaus Gallery are excited to bring new arts programming to the Columbia community within the walls of the Gallery at the Koger Center. SoulHaus Sessions with Preach Jacobs is an upcoming series that features local creative minds from a variety of artistic disciplines in conversation with Jacobs.  The first session with Nikky Finney and Dre Lopez is scheduled for August 20, 2025 at 5 p.m. The evening will kick off with Preach Jacobs spinning vinyl, followed by a conversation with Finney. Lopez’s artwork will be on display easels throughout the gallery, and available for purchase.

Preach Jacobs

Preach Jacobs is a prolific DJ and two-time South Carolina Press Association Award Winner for column writing for “Fight the Power,” his column in the Free Times and Post & Courier Columbia. He is the owner of SoulHaus Gallery, and aims to bring the SoulHaus experience out of the former brick and mortar into the community, sharing the wonder of art through affordable and accessible means. He is the co-curator of the new SoulHaus Gallery at the Koger Center, a rotating exhibit space on the third floor of the Koger Center.

Nikki Finney

Nikky Finney was born in Conway, SC and raised in Sumter. She left South Carolina after high school with her eyes and heart set on becoming a writer. After living and studying primarily in the south, she moved to Oakland, CA then Lexington, KY to teach at the University of Kentucky. In 2013, she became Professor Emeritus at the University of Kentucky and accepted the John H. Bennett, Jr. Chair in Creative Writing and Southern Letters here at USC. She has authored five books and is on the Board of Directors for the Ernest A. Finney, Jr. Cultural Arts Center in Columbia. She is the author of several poetry collections including Head Off & Split, and On Wings Made of Gauze.

Dre Lopez

Dre Lopez has been working as a professional in the illustration and graphic design field for 14+ years as both a freelancer and in-house designer. He is self-taught, versatile, and can adapt his skillset to just about any requirements, be it from the subject matter or the type of client. He has worked with clients from all over the country and in Europe. His paintings and illustrations have been published in magazines and papers as well as shown in art exhibitions across the United States: Columbia, Charleston, Greenville, Charlotte, Asheville, Atlanta, Detroit, L.A., and Chicago, just to name a few!

Tickets are available on EventBrite here. Get yours today and don’t miss out on this extraordinary lineup!

Emily Moffitt is the visual arts editor for Jasper Magazine, secretary of the Jasper Project Board of Directors, Curator of Art for the Koger Center for the Arts.

Gallery Exhibit Reception Double Feature at the Koger Center

The Koger Center for the Arts has been dedicated to rejuvenating its building with brand new art on the walls during the lull of summer break. On Thursday, July 17, from 5:30 – 7 p.m., they are hosting a large art reception for the newest exhibits: in the Nook in collaboration with Jasper, Virginia Russo will be exhibiting brand new work during the month of July. In the Gallery at the Koger Center, the winners of their annual call for art are exhibiting in the group show “The Koger Center Project Winners’ Exhibition.” This exhibition features Kelley Pettibone, Staci Swider, Jordan Dantzler, Jean Lomasto, and Marion Mason. The reception is free and open to the public.

To learn more about the featured artists in the Koger Center Project Winners’ Exhibition, visit the Koger Center website here. This exhibit will be on display through September 12, 2025.

Kara Virginia Russo is a mixed media abstract artist working with watercolor, ink, collage, pencil, and embroidery to create works with layers of meaning and symbol. After recieving her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Converse College in Spartanburg, SC, she lived in Asia and Europe before returning with her husband and two children to settle in Greenville, SC. Her work portrays the essence of things, bypassing realism and portraying what cannot be seen.

Free Artist Talk with Jakeem Da Dream at the Koger Center - July 1st from 6 - 7 pm

Due to the success of our latest Third Thursday Art Night with Jakeem Da Dream, the artist is coming back to the Koger Center on July 1 to give a free artist talk! Join the Jasper Project on Tuesday from 6 to 7 p.m. to learn more about the artist, Afrofuturism, and what drives Da Dream to create.

Prints of Jakeem Da Dream’s art will be for sale along with all pieces included in the exhibit. Join us in the Nook for an exclusive educational opportunity that is not to be missed!

Follow Jakeem Da Dream (Dominique Hodge) on the following channels:

Instagram: @dadreamdesigns
Facebook: Da Dream Designs

Christopher Lane’s Whimsical Works Land in Jasper's Nook at the Koger Center

by Emily Moffitt

For the month of May and in celebration of Third Thursday, the Jasper Project’s Nook Gallery at the Koger Center welcomes the wonderous paintings of Christopher Lane on its walls. Celebrate the opening of this new exhibit by stopping by the opening reception on Thursday, May 15, from 5:30 – 7 p.m. Light refreshments will be served, and the event is free and open to the public.

Christopher Lane uses fantastic imagery to turn life experiences into visual stories that primarily focus on people and their relationships with one another. Lane is passionate about social justice to protect the environment and inhabitants of our planet, and paints about both as one can’t exist without the other. Employing flora and fauna, his paintings often feature historical, political, or spiritual narratives as he is passionate about these subjects. He is a modern surrealist and storyteller. Each painting can usually be broken down into several scenes yet are cohesive in theme. He uses vivid colors, lush symbolism, and double imagery to illustrate divisive topics, allowing viewers to see them through a new, perhaps softer lens.

He has created unity themed oil and acrylic paintings and presented them in multiple prominent group and solo exhibitions nationally and internationally. Lane’s work, Woodland Pond Owl, won first prize in the Fine Arts Division at the 2023 South Carolina State Fair. His current solo exhibition, “Circle of Life”, which illustrates how we are all interconnected, recently exhibited at the Sumter County Gallery of Art, and he is presently participating in numerous group exhibitions across the United States.

The Jasper Project’s Nook Gallery Space is on the second level of the Koger Center for the Arts at the Orchestra-Right entrance to Gonzales Hall. Lane’s work is for sale and may be purchased by scanning the QR code of the painting you’d like to see in your own home. Lane’s art will be exhibited through mid-June. To follow the exhibition schedule for the Nook go to the Jasper Project website and click on Galleries.

Philip Mullen: A Few of His Favorite Things -- Art at the Koger Center for the Arts

The Koger Center for the Arts is honored to present a new exhibit of work by Philip Mullen in the Gallery at the Koger Center. The exhibit, Philip Mullen: A Few of His Favorite Things, is a collection of paintings, sketches, and prints from various points in Mullen’s career. The exhibit will be on display from April 28 through June 30, 2025.

According to Mullen, “This is an exhibit of works that have never or rarely been shown. Many of the works are borrowed from private collections.” Some works have not been shown because the artist chose not to sell them previously. The works on paper were not exhibited in his commercial gallery exhibitions because the galleries preferred to sell the more expensive works on canvas. 

Two Rains was last exhibited in 1975 at the Whitney Museum in New York. Petaluma was such a good example of making the air and light stronger than the objects that the artist wanted it as a reference for future works. Bhutan and Bhutan #2 are a rarity because the artist only had access to two sheets of handmade paper from Bhutan. 

While the earliest work in the show was done in 1969 and the most recent in 2025, reflecting when the artist has lived in South Carolina, it is not really a retrospective because the period of time represented in the permanent collection at the Koger Center is only lightly covered.

In lieu of an opening reception, Mullen and the Koger Center for the Arts are offering guided gallery tours on May 13, 2025 at 12:00 p.m. and May 18, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. To sign up for one of these tours, call the Koger Center Box Office at (803) 251-2222. The Box Office is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m."

Jasper Welcomes Thomas Washington to Our Nook Gallery at the Koger Center

The Jasper Project and Koger Center are eager to welcome Thomas Washington to exhibit his work in the Nook for the month of March. We invite you to join us for the opening reception of his show on Thursday, March 20, from 5:30 – 7 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public.

Perhaps the most important pursuit of an artist is the facilitation of Escapism. Perhaps each project is the equivalent of a Narnian door...or that lamppost beyond, coaxing a wanderer into another realm. Thomas Washington, Jr. (thomas the younger) functions on that premise. Since his childhood, he has produced multitudinous works in this vein—from being hired out of high school to illustrate in a local graphic anthology, he has subsequently striven to bring stories in every medium; to breathe life into the fantastical by imbuing it with the familiar...and of course, to find fun and fulfillment along the way.

Recently, he took the leap of emerging in his local scene. He has sat on panels, joined the instructor roster for community arts centers, partaken in various shows, founded a website, and essentially joined the dialogue of Art’s Place in Society.

Congratulations to Jasper Project Board President Wade Sellers for Being Honored as a 2025 Recipient of the SC Governor's Award for the Arts!

CONGRATULATIONS WADE!

The SC Arts Commission announced today that the Jasper Project’s own president of our board of directors, Wade Sellers, is the 2025 recipient of the South Carolina Governor’s Award for the Arts in the individual artist category!

Wade Sellers (Artist Category) is an independent filmmaker in Columbia who produced his first film within months after graduating from USC in media arts. As the South Carolina Arts Commission’s first media intern, Sellers assisted with the Southeastern Media Institute where he later became an instructor. He became an in-demand lighting director and gaffer on commercials and corporate projects. His short film Gordon’s Ride was featured at the Independent Feature Film Festival. Sellers co-founded the non-profit Hybrid Films in 2002 to function as fiscal agent for underserved filmmakers in the region. Hybrid Films’ largest accomplishment was the Beg and Grovel Film Festival, the first true independent film festival in Columbia. His first Southeastern Emmy Award nomination came with South Carolinians in World War 2, a project he was commissioned to direct for South Carolina ETV. Sellers formed his production company, Coal Powered Filmworks, collaborating with local filmmakers and promoting independent filmmaking in South Carolina. In 2013 he founded the 2nd Act Film Project, helping 84 films be created by S.C. filmmakers solely for screening at 2nd Act. He has supervised more than 25 interns from USC and Benedict College since 2008, lectured and taught in the USC media arts department and was named a distinguished alumnus from the USC School of Visual Arts and Design in 2020. He has served as the board president for The Jasper Project since 2019.

Other 2025 honorees include Dr. Gail V. Barnes, professor of music education and director of the USC String Project. The organization Engaging Creative Minds which was established in 2012 as a private-public partnership resulting from a community planning process led by Charleston County School District; the College of Charleston; the cities of Charleston, Mt. Pleasant and North Charleston; the Charleston Regional Alliance for the Arts; the Youth Endowment for the Arts; and Crystal-Barkley Corporation. The Koger Center for the Arts at the University of South Carolina (Government Category) which supports exceptional art by hosting and presenting transformational experiences that enlighten, educate, entertain and inspire.  The Sumter County Gallery of Art (Organization Category), a non-profit, community-based institution formed in 1969, with a mission to present and promote diverse visual arts and artists, to increase knowledge and to provide art education opportunities to Sumter, Clarendon and Lee counties—an extensively rural region of the state, isolated from the major art centers in the U.S. by geography and economics. The SCGA is currently under the executive direction of Karen Watson.

Congratulations to all the award winners!

Jasper is delighted to share this news and we look forward to celebrating with Wade throughout 2025!

Columbia Classical Ballet presents Life Chance 2025 under the direction of Joseph Phillips!

It’s the time of year true ballet lovers eagerly wait for — LifeChance, a one-of-a-kind multi-dancer, multi-company performance so unique that dancers from all over the world clammer to claim their spots on the stage — is coming up on Saturday March 15th at 7":30 at the Koger Center for the Arts!

Columbia Classical Ballet has produced the unique dance benefit gala, LifeChance, to raise awareness and funds for a wide variety of charitable causes for over two and a half decades. LifeChance was originally created by Columbia Classical Ballet Founder Radenko Pavlovich, with the very first LifeChance benefitting the war-torn children of Bosnia, during their troubling conflict over two and a half decades ago! The LifeChance gala brings together some of the best dancers in the world, to share their gifts through a one-night only live performance at the Koger Center for the performing Arts in Columbia, South Carolina.

This year, under the direction of Columbia native, Joseph Phillips, the performance promises to be better than ever. Among the dancers performing are from the American Ballet Theatre, Léa Fleytoux, Jarod Curley, Elisabeth Beyer, and Takumi Miyaki. From San Francisco Ballet, Sasha Mukhamedov and Ruben Citores, and from Ballet Eloelle Grandiva, one of the few all-male comedic dance companies in the world, Walter Battistini and Jonathan Mendez. Joining these stellar performers will be Sakura Oka, previously of Columbia City Ballet, as well as the current company of Columbia Classical Ballet. However, with so many world class international dancers eager to perform in this renown performance, there’s no telling who the audience might find on stage!

As part of Columbia Classical Ballet’s greater mission of outreach, community involvement, and exposure to the artform of ballet, LifeChance gala tickets, like the company’s regular season program tickets, are offered at a fraction of what they would otherwise cost.

Columbia Classical Ballet is excited to welcome Joseph Phillips as its new Artistic Director. Phillips, a celebrated international dancer and choreographer, returns to his hometown of Columbia, S.C., to lead the company into a new era of artistic excellence and dancer development. He assumes the position following the recent departure of former Artistic Director Brooklyn Mack, who replaced Pavlovich a few years before.​

Often referred to as “the Golden Boy of Ballet” due to his winning more Gold Medals in prestigious international competitions than any American male danseur, Phillips brings a wealth of experience and acclaim to the role. He has graced the stages of renowned companies such as San Francisco Ballet, Miami City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Manilla, and Mariinsky Ballet, Primorsky Stage, where he became one of the few American dancers to ever achieve the rank of principal dancer. He is also widely recognized as an esteemed teacher and choreographer, and currently serves as Artistic Director of El Camino Ballet.​

Deeply rooted in Columbia, where his journey in dance began, Phillips' first ballet school was Columbia Ballet School under the tutelage of Anita Ashley. His first male ballet teacher, Anthony Hampton, a South Carolina native, instilled in him the belief that ballet is for everyone, regardless of gender. His passion for ballet blossomed further when he performed in his first Nutcracker with the Columbia Music Festival Association. He continued to hone his craft, training with Stanislav Issaev at the esteemed South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities in Greenville, South Carolina. Throughout his career, Phillips has maintained a strong connection to his home state, notably as a guest artist with South Carolina Ballet. Over the past two decades, he has also continued to work with the Columbia Music Festival Association, Columbia Ballet School, and Carolina Ballet.​

"I'm excited to bridge my work with El Camino Ballet and Columbia Classical Ballet, creating opportunities for both companies to expand their reach and share their artistry," saysPhillips. "I envision bringing the unique creations of Columbia Classical Ballet to the West Coast, showcasing the talent and creativity that thrives in my hometown."​

"I'm honored to return to my roots and lead Columbia Classical Ballet into its next chapter," says Phillips. "Columbia holds a special place in my heart, and I'm deeply committed to nurturing the talents of our dancers and creating a company that is a source of pride for Columbia and a vibrant contributor to the international dance community."​

In recognition of his contributions to the arts, Joseph Phillips has been awarded ‘THE KEY TO THE CITY,’ declaring July 17 as Joseph Phillips Day in Columbia, South Carolina.

Gerard Erley's Art at the Koger Center through March 9th

by Liz Stalker

There are still a little over two weeks left to check out Gerard Erley’s breathtaking show, “Sights Unseen,” at the Koger Center’s Gallery! This exhibition, which ends on Sunday, March 9th, features Erley’s stunning landscapes in oil paint, which employ inventive use of light and bold color so effectively that to witness them is a nearly spiritual experience. Jasper was lucky enough to interview Erley, whose responses to our questions were so insightful that they demanded to be presented as written.

Jasper: When and how did you get started as an artist?

Erley: I was drawing (scribbling?) before I could walk. Soon I was imitating the forms my eyes took in - trees, buildings, people. I feel (from where I stand today) that I had a compulsion to explore the world around me through the process of drawing. I came to know the physical nature of things through this process, and was soon aware of the emotional impact these images could have when translated into an artistic form. My precocious skills were noted and rewarded in school from kindergarten on. I believe my path as an artist was set at that point.

Jasper: What draws you to oil painting as a medium?

Erley: The majority of art images I saw reproduced as a kid were oil paintings. The medium survived the test of time for good reason. The quality and variety of the paintings attest to that. The quality was expressed in the exquisite craft and power of the artworks which amazed and delighted me. This instilled in me a strong reverence for art history, and I delved into the books I found in the library like a pig rooting for truffles.

Regarding the variety of the medium, oil paint can be slathered on the canvas in emotional outbursts or built up in painstaking layers in a search to express the inexpressible. It seemed every physical texture could be mimicked. At the same time oil painting could hint at something far beyond the perceivable.

Jasper: The use of light in your work has a huge impact on the tone--is there anything in particular you consider when deciding the role that light will play in your pieces?

Erley: I once was concerned mainly with the forms that light revealed, how light could sculpt objects, pulling them out of space. I have since come to know light itself as my true subject. I am particularly intrigued by light's duality - how it can both reveal and obscure form. It washes over all and becomes the main actor on the stage of my canvas. I am especially drawn to light that is transitional and fleeting - the pulsing warmth of sunset, the mysterious coolness of moonlight, the shafting radiance through a clouded sky. I employ these various types of light to express my changing emotions. Nature offers a vocabulary of visual equivalents which I use to express these sentiments.

Jasper: Your website states that you prefer to paint "from memory and intuition" as opposed to using photo reference. Why do you feel this way? And how do you think this might impact the concept of "realism," thinking of "realism" as both an art style and a reflection of reality?

Erley: A lot of artists are enslaved by photo images. They think what is shown is reality. But this so-called reality is predigested. The camera has determined the composition and the range of values and color. Things are distorted through the lens.

One antidote is the option of painting from life, experiencing nature firsthand in all its glorious variety. This is a wonderful way to learn the vocabulary of art without  imposing filters. Having followed this approach for a number of years, I found myself disillusioned with the process. Although I could produce a reasonable imitation of nature, there was a certain depth I felt lacking. One can get lost in all the details of the natural world and be unable to see the forest for the trees, so to speak. To quote Pierre Bonnard, “It’s not a matter of painting life, it’s a matter of giving life to painting.”

I felt the need to engage another part of myself in the process of art making. Therefore, I chose to work largely intuitively in the studio. And while I incorporate memory, it is never a one-to-one relationship ("I saw that, so I’ll paint that”). It is a loose recollection of various visual impressions. In the end, I believe the inner, emotional life has as much, if not more, validity than the purely perceptual. For me, that is where true reality resides.

Jasper: You mention poetry several times in your artist statement--if you had to pair a piece from this exhibition with a poet, who might you choose?

Erley: I am referring to a visual poetry rather than a literary one. But seeking an equivalent in the realm of words, perhaps Ralph Waldo Emerson fits the bill. He says so much with so little. For him, the divine can be found in the everyday. My hope is that my paintings too point to something greater than the merely observable, taking you to a place more felt than seen.

Be sure to stop by the Koger Center by March 9th to see Erley’s work for yourself! You certainly won’t regret it.

The Jasper Project Welcomes Toni Elkins to The Nook Gallery at Koger Center for the Arts this Third Thursday

The Jasper Project is excited to welcome Toni Elkins to our Nook Gallery at the Koger Center of the Arts this week. The exhibition will run from this Thursday, February 20th until the week of the third Thursday in March when the work of our featured artist for March, Thomas Washington, will be installed.

Toni M. Elkins is a Columbia-based artist who was educated at Boston University and the University of Georgia. She is a member of the Trenholm Artist Guild and the 2023 recipient of the Missouri Watercolor International: J. Richeson Award and a “Top 50 Winner of the artsfortrumpcoalition.com,” the artist says. In 2014 she won the Clark Ellefson Merit Award and in 2013 the Susie and Caroll Heyward Purchase Award, both from the SC State Fair, among other accolades throughout her life.

Elkins says, “My work has taken on a whole new meaning since the death of my husband. I find I am more introspective and more interested in my environment. I actually LOOK instead of SEE. I examine our world in a different way, and I hope to make positive changes in this world through my art.”

Elkins is sponsoring her own personal opening reception for this exhibition at the Nook Gallery at the Koger Center for the Arts on Thursday, February 20th from 5:30 – 7 pm. She is planning to bring her own bartender and beverages for this event. The Jasper Project extends it’s gratitude to the staff of Koger Center for the Arts and Jasper board secretary and Jasper Magazine visual arts editor, Emily Moffitt, for working with the artist on this unique situation.