One Columbia Announces Cultural Layers Community Celebrations, Unveiling New Public Murals Honoring Columbia's African American History

"For us, public art is more than just what you see; it's about creating connections …" — Xavier Blake

Artist - Daniel Esquivia-Zapata

From our Friends at One Columbia …

One Columbia for Arts and Culture will host the Cultural Layers Community Celebrations, two free public events marking the unveiling of new public artwork honoring the stories, people, and places at the heart of Columbia's historically African American neighborhoods. The celebrations take place Saturday, July 18, at 2:00 PM at Richland Library Edgewood and Sunday, July 19, at 3:00 PM at the Richland Library Main Auditorium. Admission is free and open to the public.

The new artwork honors former residents and legacies of the Booker T. Washington, Ward One, and Wheeler Hill neighborhoods. Cultural Layers is a public art and storytelling initiative led by One Columbia and funded by the Knight Foundation and the Central Carolina Community Foundation. The project preserves and amplifies histories from these communities through photography, videography, oral histories, archival research, and public art, centering the individuals who shaped the city and the schools and neighborhoods that served as cultural and social anchors for generations.

At each celebration, attendees can view the completed murals and public artwork, meet several of the individuals depicted in the work, and connect with the community members, historians, and cultural partners who helped bring the project to life. The events are designed as community gatherings grounded in memory, local history, and collective pride.

Featured artists include Daniel Esquivia-Zapata, Visual Artist and Educator; Nora Williams, Photographer and Cultural Worker; and Malcolm Vanhannegeyn, CEO of Perspective Cinema and Cinematographer. Community members featured in the work include Crissandra Elliott, Deacon Richard Caughman, and Raymond Richardson.

"For us, public art is more than just what you see; it's about creating connections," said Xavier Blake, One Columbia Executive Director. "Through Cultural Layers and the incredible talents of Daniel, Nora, and Malcolm, we hope to create a lasting impact that honors the lives, spaces, and histories that shape our city."

The celebrations are made possible with the support of community partners and sponsors including Central Carolina Community Foundation, Knight Foundation, Richland County Library, the A'ja Wilson Foundation, the Center for Civil Rights History and Research at the University of South Carolina, Columbia SC 63, the Ward One Organization, and Friends of African American Art & Culture.

More information is available at onecolumbiasc.com/public-art/cultural-layers-project/.

Announcing the Winners of Jasper's Degenerate Art Project Artist's Awards

Jasper’s Degenerate Art Project II is a wrap!

Janet Kozachek - Pufferfish

Jasper is excited to officially announce the winners of the Degenerate Art Project Artist’s Awards presented Saturday, February 28th at the exhibition’s Closing Party at Stormwater Studios in Columbia.

In a night that included verboten swing dance demonstrations and lessons by Columbia’s Richard Durlach and Breedlove, the launch of Ed Madden’s new book, I Asked Him What He Needed, with a sweet little surprise chapbook titled, My Students Want to Talk About Ice: Political Poems, the reading of a banned children’s book by our favorite Drag King Marty McGuy, freshly spun tunes from Scotty Tempo, and an amazing menu by MidiMarc, the presentation of the awards was an appropriate addition to the fun.

Ivan Segura with Untitled

Congratulations to Ivan Segura for winning the Jasper Degenerate Art Project II ZEITGEIST AWARD for his painting Untitled, presented to the artist whose work best exemplified the socio-political spirit of the times while also exhibiting proficiency in execution, originality, and strong engagement with the viewer.

The Adjudicators for the Zeitgeist Award included Peter Chametzky, Harriett Greene, and Xavier Blake.

Cam Moore with Heavy

Congratulations to Cam Moore for winning the Jasper Degenerate Art Project II ARTISTS’ CHOICE AWARD for his painting HEAVY. The winner of the Artists’ Choice Award was determined by the participating artists, each of whom cast a single vote for their favorite contribution to the show.

In addition to framed certificates the winning artists also received cash prizes made possible by the generosity of our sponsors Bill Schmidt and Muddy Ford Press.

Nolan Wright - Resilient Standing Strong

Ginny Merrett - 100 Worry Dolls

Stephen White - No More Closets

Kirstin Dow - Artist

Janet Kozachek - Liberty Snakes

Thank you to everyone who came out for the Degenerate Art Project II, and thanks to Maya Smith and the welcoming artists at Stormwater Studios for hosting us. Thanks to Curiosity Coffee for keeping our thirsts at bay and to MidiMarc for feeding us so well and to WeCo Bottle & Biergarten for donating the bubbles we used to celebrate our opening night.

Thank you to our Zeitgeist judges: Xavier Blake, Harriett Greene, and Peter Chametzsky.

Sadly, it is highly likely that we will need to do this again in 2027, so please be thinking about ways to make the third iteration different and unique unto itself while still engaging with artists from all disciplines and their patrons.

WE WANT TO HEAR YOUR IDEAS!

Hit us up at info@jasperproject.org

Announcing the Jasper Degenerate Art Project II Zeitgeist Award Panel of Judges

The Jasper Zeitgeist Award is presented to the participating and eligible artist in Jasper’s Degenerate Art Project II whose work best exemplifies the socio-political spirit of the times while also exhibiting proficiency in execution, originality, and strong engagement with the viewer.

The Jasper Zeitgeist Award will be presented at 7 pm on Saturday February 28th during Jasper’s Degenerate Art Project II Closing Party at Stormwater Studios, 413 Pendleton Street in Columbia SC.

The Jasper Project is indebted to our esteemed panel of Jasper Zeitgeist Award Jurors for sharing their expertise with us and the more than 40 participating artists in the Jasper Degenerate Art Project II.

They are Harriett Green, Peter Chametzky, and Xavier Blake.

Harriett Green

Harriett Green is a visual arts consultant with over 32 years of experience in arts administration. Green was the visual arts director for the SC Arts Commission from 1993-2021. Currently, she serves on the advisory committee for the 701 Center for Contemporary Art in Columbia, SC, which she co-founded in 2006. Additionally, she is a member of the board of trustees for the Columbia Music Festival Association, American Craft Council, and Central Carolina Community Foundation. Green has curated or co-curated exhibitions in both SC and New York City. From 1980-1988, she was the registrar and assistant curator at the Columbia Museum of Art. Subsequently, she was the project coordinator for collaborative efforts with other state arts agencies and arts organizations across SC for the two-year project, Views from the Edge of the Century. Furthermore, she produced a multi-state arts agency partnership exhibition entitled Thresholds: Expressions of Art & Spiritual Life, and for the SC Arts Commission 50th Anniversary Visual Arts & Craft Fellows exhibition in 2017-18.

Peter Chametzky

Peter Chametzky is Professor of Art History and has been on the SVAD faculty since 2012. His research focuses on 20th and 21st century German art and culture. From 1998 to 2012 he taught at Southern Illinois University, first as Associate Professor and then as Professor, and served as Director of the School of Art and Design on the Carbondale campus from 2008-12. He served as Director of the USC SVAD from January 2013 to January 2018. From 2022 to 2024 he served as Interim Director of USC’s School of the Earth, Ocean, and Environment. Previously, he taught at Adelphi University (1990-98), the School of Visual Arts, New York (1984-88), and in the School of Continuing Education at New York University (1986-88). He earned his Ph.D. in Art History from the City University of New York Graduate Center in 1991. His B.A., also in Art History, is from Cornell University. He has also studied in Freiburg iBr, and Stuttgart, Germany.

Xavier Blake

Xavier Blake has spent more than 20 years championing arts, culture, and public media through his work with SCETV, the Nickelodeon Theater, and WMHT in New York, collaborating with artists to amplify diverse voices and support emerging talent. A native of Bamberg, SC, he is a frequent INPUT Conference participant and holds a B.A. in Communication from Newberry College, a Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from the University of South Florida, and fellowships from the BIPOC Leadership Program and WESTAF Leaders of Color.

Photos courtesy of the subjects.

Jasper Partners with One Columbia & All Good Books to present 2024 ONE BOOK Project -- Book Announcement Celebration April 21st at Bierkeller

A few hints: the author lives, works, and writes in Columbia, the book’s theme centers around nature, environmental responsibility, and climate change, and there are characters in the book that transcend perceived racial, gender, sexual orientation, and even biological divisions to remind us that we are all citizens of this planet.

The public is invited to join the Jasper Project, One Columbia, and All Good Books, along with our host, Bierkeller Brewing Company on Sunday afternoon, April 21st from 3 – 5 pm for the announcement of our new book selection for Columbia’s 2024 ONE BOOK project!

As an Earth Day Eve event, the Bierkeller has invited representatives from local environmental organizations to be on hand to help us set the stage for the announcement of this year’s book selection.

A few hints: the author lives, works, and writes in Columbia, the book’s theme centers around nature, environmental responsibility, and climate change, and there are characters in the book that transcend perceived racial, gender, sexual orientation, and even biological divisions to remind us that we are all citizens of this planet.

Columbia city poet laureate Jennifer Bartell Boykin will read a poem dedicated to the city, and southeastern regional poetry event host Al Black has created a new poem inspired by the selected book. Dr. Melissa Stuckey, USC professor of History, will speak as will One Columbia’s Xavier Blake, All Good Book’s Jared Johnson, and the Jasper Project’s Cindi Boiter. There will be an interactive arts table for the children, environmental information booths, and various arts and crafts vendors will share their wares and talents with attendees. And, of course, beer, wine, and authentic German dishes will be available from the Bierkeller.

In addition to announcing the calendar of events for Columbia’s 2024 ONE BOOK  celebration, the pre-Earth Day event will also allow for the announcement of a Jasper Project – sponsored and ONE BOOK - inspired visual art, literary art, and singer-songwriter competition open to Midlands area artists with prizes and a 2024 ONE BOOK culminating party on September 22, 2024.

The ONE BOOK, One Community project began in the Seattle public library system in 1998 when Seattle librarians invited the community of greater Seattle to read and discuss the same book over the course of a summer. Columbia embraced the project first in 2011, and we enjoyed several years of exciting, thought-provoking programming centered around a singular book. One of our most exciting projects was in 2017 when the Columbia community read local author Carla Damron's novel The Stone Necklace, a detailed and ultimately uplifting story focusing on the power of community to combat poverty and homelessness and set in Columbia. Along with One Columbia for Arts and Culture and independent bookstore All Good Books, the Jasper Project has renewed the project focusing exclusively on books by SC authors.

While the title of the book remains embargoed until April 21st, media representatives may be made aware of the information upon request.

What will the selection for Columbia’s 2024 One Book be? Join us on April 21st from 3 – 5 pm at the Bierkeller, 600 Canal Street, Suite 1009 to find out!

For more information contact info@JasperProject.org