Jack Williams Concert at Tree of Life (ToL) Coffeehouse

JACK WILLIAMS

The non-profit ToL Coffeehouse is now working to restart its singer/songwriter concert series, which began 30 years ago in Columbia and was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic.


Jack Williams, a nationally touring performer and long-time Coffeehouse favorite who grew up in our area, will perform April 22 at the Tree of Life Congregation at 6719 North Trenholm Road in Columbia. He will be performing with the Winterline Band, which consists of Columbia-area musicians Cary Taylor, Susan Taylor, and Danny Harlow.


Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with sandwiches from Groucho’s, plus desserts and beverages. Music starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 if purchased online in advance (at tol-coffeehouse.square.site) or $27 at the door.


The Coffeehouse music series had its roots in house concerts held by Dr. Jimmy Riddle, a Columbia psychiatrist with a passion for folk music. His concerts featured nationally touring singer/songwriters. About 1993, local singer songwriter Susan Corbett suggested holding similar concerts at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Heyward and Woodward streets in Shandon, where she served as religious education director. The concert series became known as the UU Coffeehouse.


“A bunch of us helped in a variety of ways — selling tickets at the door, helping run sound, managing the kitchen, setting up the sanctuary, putting posters around town, and anything else needed to hold shows,” said Mike Paget, then a member of the fellowship and longtime volunteer.


Paget took over as director of the series from about 2000 to 2013, when he moved to Kansas City, where he started the Green Guitar Folk House. Steve Fisher took over until the last concert at the UU in February 2017. The UU had decided to no longer host the event, and the Tree of Life Congregation picked it up.


Ironically, the Coffeehouse venue in Shandon was built in 1952 by the Tree of Life Congregation and served as its synagogue until it moved to Forest Acres in 1986. Ellis Paul kicked off the renamed ToL Coffeehouse series with a concert at the Trenholm Road synagogue Nov. 17, 2017. In another irony, Ellis Paul played Feb. 15, 2020, which turned out to be the series final concert before the COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancellation of the season’s final show, which had been planned for April 15.


If this event is successful, the volunteers who run the ToL Coffeehouse hope to launch a full series of four or five concerts this fall. 

 

Virginia Russo Joins Saul Seibert for Artists Showing Artists THIS THURSDAY


For the first installation of the Jasper Project’s Artists Showing Artists series taking place this Thursday night at 7 at The Living Room, Saul Seibert chose Artist Virginia Russo as one of the artists he would like to feature. 

Kara Virginia Russo is a visual and performance artist who grew up in the tiny lake towns of 1980's central Florida, before moving north and earning a BFA from Converse College in Spartanburg, SC. After living for a while in both Asia and Europe, she returned to settle with her husband and two children in South Carolina, where she splits her time as an artist between Columbia and Greenville. Her work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions from Charleston to Asheville.  

Most recently, she collaborated on Zion: a Composition by Saul Seibert, contributing album art, projection visuals, merchandise design and creation, and live ritual based performance art.



According to Russo, “My job as an artist is primarily to SEE, and only secondarily to communicate what I see. In expressing what is unseen (both within and without), I have found it helpful to use the visual language of an inner world I think of simply as The Planet. I like to explore the tension of navigating the wild terrain of the unseen from the safety of the imaginary. Think of my work as paintings, photographs, and explorer’s notes from a place you’ve never been, but one which feels immediately familiar.

“My pieces are built of layers upon layers of wet in wet watercolor and ink, relying on long experience to predict what the unleashed media might do, while staying open to surprise. Over the wet media (or occasionally under), I layer pencil, oil and chalk pastel, collage, and embroidery. I think of the wet media as attempts to paint mystery, and the dry media as attempts to expound and interpret to myself what I have painted, like notes in the margin of a well-loved book.” 

Russo continues, “My collaboration with Saul on Zion happened one day while he was looking at some of my recent work. I remember him sending me a message in response to some pieces that read simply, "I know this place."  I felt the same way the first time I heard the beginnings of the music. The work we've done together has been based on that ever since. We are artistically walking the same landscape. I see my role as simply making visible what is already there inside the music. When I listen to Zion, I'm transported to this place that is unique to Zion but is set in some other corner of my own imaginary world that all my work comes from. I can walk around, explore, see the features of this world, and then come back and paint it. The performance art is the same, I use the body as an instrument to convey visually the emotions and narrative of the piece in real time for the audience at live shows. I contribute all visual art for the project, from designing and hand printing the shirts, to the album art, to the bank of film that Ash Lennox, who does our live visual sets, pulls from. It's an incredible piece of music, and I still can't believe I get to collaborate on it. The musicians are phenomenal, I'm blown away every single time they play it.  

“Zion as a project was more or less part of my life as an artist for two years, from the very beginning of the project. It provided the steady thread all through an overseas move back to America, and all the transition that came with it. Zion stayed the same, I think the project kept me sane.  

“When the collaboration began, I had only been making art again for a year after a decade long hiatus. Zion provided the framework I needed to find my voice and confidence. I would ask Saul his opinion, and he would just say that he trusted me completely. I had complete artistic freedom, which was intimidating at first, but challenged me to grow as an artist in ways I'm grateful for. I grew into the project, in a sense. Every now and then, Saul would say something like "wouldn't it be cool if..." and I knew I was about to learn to do something I didn't think I could do. I picked up whole skill sets I had never tried before, ranging from stop motion, to illustration, to block printing. Saul had such confidence in my abilities, anything seemed possible. On top of that, Columbia has welcomed me into the creative community, and I can't imagine making art without all this support.” 

Join Jasper on Thursday night as we facilitate Rebekah Corbett’s project, Artists Showing Artists with Saul Seibert. Saul has invited poet-songwriters, Alyssa Stewart, and NoN (Keith Smyly), as well as his band King Saul and the Heretics. Art will be on display and available for sale by Virginia Russo, Adam Corbett, and Emily Moffitt. 

Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. 

The Living Room, 6729 Two Notch Road #70, Columbia, SC, 29223

Tickets

jasperproject.org/artists-showing-artists/tickets


Refillable Jasper cups for beer and wine will be available for $10 as well as hotdogs and a selection of baked goods. 

All proceeds go toward supporting the Jasper Project’s mission.

Philip Mullen at Richland Library Main Branch

Join Philip Mullen and Jasper for an exciting Artist-led Tour on Friday, April 28th at 2 pm at Richland Library!

In advance of the release of the Spring 2023 print issue of Jasper Magazine, in which we feature an article on Philip Mullen, Jasper is excited to help share the news that Professor Mullen will be installing a new collection of his work at the Main Branch of the Richland Library at 1431 Assembly Street.

Mullen’s new exhibition, most of which is drawn from his private collection, will consist of 15 new pieces, 14 of which have never been shown in Columbia before.

On Wednesday March 29th from 6 - 7 pm, Mullen will conduct an artist’s talk which is open to the public and will include a look-back at the last 30 years of his work.

But on Friday, April 28th at 2 pm, you are invited to join the Jasper Project for our own tour of the exhibit led by the artist, Philip Mullen, himself!

Meet Artist Mullen and Jasper Project Board Member and singular Artist herself, Ginny Merett, in the lobby of the Main Branch of the Richland Library at 2 pm to begin the tour. The event should last between 45-60 minutes. For more information check out the event on social media.

Tuesday, March 21 – Saturday, May 6

Richland Library, 1431 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC

LAURIE MCINTOSH, GATHERINGS: MY WORLD IN LINOCUT at Stormwater Studios

Visual artist Laurie McIntosh will open a new showing of work called Gatherings: My World in Linocut at Stormwater Studios, 413 Pendleton Street, Columbia, SC, March 8 through March 18, 2023 from 11am -5pm each day. An artist reception will be held on Friday, March 10 from 5:00 – 8:00 pm. The exhibition is a collection of more than 30 images created using linocut reduction and multi-block processes.

Laurie McIntosh is an accomplished South Carolina artist and painter known for large bodies of thematic work inspired by her specific interests and life experiences. She is the owner of Laurie McIntosh Art in Camden, SC, a working studio she founded in 2016. She was previously a member of Vista Studios/Gallery 80808 in Columbia, SC.

Linocut reduction is a relief printing process in which the artist carves a reverse image in a block of linoleum. The image is inked in a single color and printed on paper. The artist then carves an additional layer, applies a different color, and prints again. The process is repeated until all color layers are applied. Because the process does not allow an artist to adjust a prior layer, the process is sometimes referred to as “suicide printing.”

“Gatherings is a result of navigating the isolation of the past three years and celebrating our coming out of it,” said McIntosh. “My family enjoyed being together during that time, spending time gathering crabs and fish, growing tomatoes, and doing the things outdoors that we love. It kept us busy.”

McIntosh notes her family’s most treasured times are sharing that bounty with dear friends, which is reflected in the collection. “Being able to gather with people again and enjoy homegrown and home-caught food, tell some tall tales, drink a cold beer, and have a laugh is what my family is all about. I hope that love of people and the land comes across in this body of work.”

Laurie McIntosh is a South Carolina native who earned a BA in Fine Art from the University of South Carolina. She went on to train at the Center for Creative Imaging, the Penland School of Crafts, and other prestigious studios. Previous noteworthy exhibitions include All the In-Between: My Story of Agnes, which served as the inspiration for an annotated art book authored by McIntosh in 2012; the South Carolina State Museum 30th Anniversary Juried Exhibition in 2019; and numerous juried and invitational, solo and group exhibitions throughout the state. In 2019, McIntosh was commissioned to create public art for the “Art Bus” for Comet Public Transportation in Columbia, SC. She exhibited a solo show, Beautiful Swimmers, in 2020 at Stormwater Studios in Columbia, SC.

For more information on artist Laurie McIntosh please visit lauriemcintoshart.com. To learn more about Stormwater Studios, see stormwaterstudios.org

From https://www.stormwaterstudios.org/event/laurie-mcintosh-3

Spring 2023 Cottontown Art Crawl is back!

Saturday March 11 10 am - 4 pm

FREE!

It’s one of the most exciting and—for artists—lucrative events of the season, and one of the best places to visit your favorite artists, as well as to find new favorites!

Cottontown Art Crawl (CAC) brings artists and entertainment to front porches and lawns in a historic downtown neighborhood. The fifth annual Crawl will welcome 140 artists to show and sell their original work.

Check out who you’ll find this year and where to find them below!

On 1200 Block of Anthony Avenue

  • David Dohan, Drawing; Mixed Media; Painting

  • Lori Ritter, Glass; Mixed Media

  • Cait Maloney, Drawing; Mix of traditional and digital media

  • Renee Frisbie, Photography

  • Bonnie Geiger, Handwoven Baskets

  • Debora Life, Ceramics; Mixed Media

  • Tammy Brown

On 1200 Block of Confederate Avenue

On 1300 Block of Confederate Avenue

On 1400 Block of Confederate Avenue

On 1200 Block of Franklin Street

On 1400 Block of Franklin Street

On 1200 Block of Geiger Avenue

On 1300 Block of Geiger Avenue

On 1400 Block of Geiger Avenue

On 2100 Block of Marion Street

On 2200 Block of Marion Street

On 2300 Block of Marion Street

On 2400 Block of Marion Street


On 2200 Block of Sumter Street

On 2300 Block of Sumter Street

On 2400 Block of Sumter Street

On 1200 Block of Summerville Avenue

On 1300 Block of Summerville Avenue

On 1400 Block of Summerville Avenue

On 1400 Block of Victoria Street

  • Brandon Manaa, Ceramics; Mixed Media; Painting; Sculpture

  • Lucas Sams, Ceramics; Drawing; Mixed Media; Painting; Sculpture

On 2100 Block of Wallace Street

  • Jordan Harsey, Drawing; Jewelry; Mixed Media; Painting; Sculpture; Wearables

  • Lissa Evans

  • Alex Ruskell, Painting

  • Melissa Smith, Mixed Media

On 2200 Block of Wallace Street

  • Candace Catoe, Jewelry

  • JP Lester, Woodworking

  • Sabine Compeyn, Fiber

  • Jeff Tempest, Mystical, magical and mundane

  • Susanne Sievers, Ceramics

  • Tiffany Walker, Jewelry; Mixed Media; Painting

  • Apryl Campbell

  • Noah Van Sciver

  • Lily Todd, Ceramics; Drawing; Jewelry; Painting; Flower Arrangements, Candle Holders

  • Clay Burnette, Jewelry; Wearables; Basketry - Pine Needle Baskets

  • Hearts, Arts, & Paws, Ceramics; Glass; Woodworking

  • Paul Moore

CALL FOR ARTS at Richland Library

Richland Library is seeking submissions for our Spring Pop Up Art Shows. The exhibition series will be held March through May 2023.

Pop-up Art Shows are intended to highlight the work of local BIPOC, LBGTQ+ or otherwise underserved artists and their unique personal ties to the specific communities where the libraries are located. They are looking for work that speaks to the community's roots, culture and citizenry.

Up to 2 artists will be selected to exhibit on each of the following dates: 

  • Saturday, March 11 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. at Richland Library Wheatley

  • Thursday, April 6 from 6 - 9 p.m. at Boyd Plaza *This will be a Special Exhibition in partnership with the First Thursday on Main event.

  • Saturday, May 20 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. at Richland Library Blythewood

The application deadlines are Wednesday, March 1 to exhibit at Richland Library Wheatley, First Thursday on Main and Saturday, April 15 to exhibit at Richland Library Blythewood.

If you're interested in sharing your work samples, please review the submission guidelines and complete the application by clicking here.

Conceived and co-organized by local visual artist Jeff Rivers, this project seeks to expand the social and economic participation of underserved artists and communities.

Learn more about Jeff by clicking here.

For questions, please contact Kimberlei Davis at 803-351-5616 or kdavis@richlandlibrary.com.

 

Jasper Welcomes Lori Starns Isom to the Gallery at Harbison Theatre Friday Night

Lori Isom - who also is an exceptional baker!

In the Jasper Project’s ongoing efforts to locate and make use of blank walls in the Midlands area as gallery spaces to exhibit local artists’ work, we are pleased to open another exhibit in the gallery space at Midlands Technical College’s Harbison Theatre. Lori Isom is an artist well known to the Jasper Project, having contributed a place-setting to the Supper Table in 2019 and having been featured in the 10th anniversary issue of Jasper Magazine. We are delighted to facilitate showing her work this month at Harbison Theatre.

We will celebrate Isom’s exhibit with a reception on Friday, February 24th with a reception at 6:30 prior to the concert by Patrick Davis and his Midnight Choir, and Isom will speak briefly at 7 pm. The artist’s work will be available for purchase and will remain on exhibit throughout the month of March.

It is fair to say that Lori Isom’s life as an artist, and all around creative, has been quite varied. Throughout her young life, while receiving a formal education, she also studied dance and acting in New York. She was fortunate to enjoy some success as a professional dancer, singer and actress in New York and Los Angeles. Over the last several years, she's had many interesting and fun entrepreneurial pursuits, including owning and operating her own baking business! While she is predominantly a self-taught artist, Lori majored in fashion illustration in high school, and later fine art and fashion design at Parsons School of Design.

Lori's love of portraiture and figurative art began early. She was captivated by the work of artists like Mary Cassatt, Norman Rockwell, Andrew Wyeth, and John Singer Sargent because of their ability to capture emotion. Later in life, she found inspiration in artists like Mary Whyte, Dean Mitchell, Daniel Greene, Amy Sherald, and so many others. 

Through the years, Lori has done hundreds of individual and family portraits, as well as portraits of military personnel and heads of companies. She has also shared her passion and knowledge of by art coaxing the inner artist out of young children to senior citizens, through teaching. 

Lori's work has been featured in the pages of American Art Collector, newspaper articles and a variety of other publications. Her career has included solo and group exhibitions, and a one year residency for the City of North Charleston, during which she had the privilege to work on several community-focused projects. These included outdoor murals and special art projects, as well as workshops and demonstrations in the city's schools and community centers. 

At this point in her career, Lori is focused on reaching her most authentic artistic expression through deep personal exploration. She is driven to find her highest level of creativity by being open to trying new techniques and, most of all, trusting herself. 

"Since I have theater experience in my background, I relate to my subject(s) like actors on a stage. Telling a story and capturing emotion are what I aspire to do every time I go to the canvas. While working on a piece, I am thinking about how I can best reveal the person's story to my “audience” in this brief moment in their life. 

My deep desire as an artist is to present my subject in the most honest and sincere way.

Like any artist, I want the viewer to be moved in some way by the painting, and just see a pretty picture. I am stimulated by interesting composition, structure and use of color, however the emotion is really what drives me. "

Jasper is indebted to Kristin Cobb and the gracious folks at MTC’s Harbison Theatre for their hospitality and their willingness to work with us on our mission of making the work of Midlands’ area visual artists more accessible to the public and a more vital part of the culture they help create.

If you have an idea for a space that the Jasper Project might be able to capture as a potential gallery, contact JasperProjectColumbia@gmail.com.

You're Invited to the Launch of The Limelight Volume III by Cindi Boiter at the Art Bar, Thursday February 23rd

Please join the Jasper Crew Thursday night, February 23 from 6 to 8 at the Art Bar as we help executive director Cindi Boiter celebrate the launch of her newest collection of essays written by some of Columbia’s most interesting local artists about some of Columbia’s most interesting local artists.

The Limelight volume III: A Compendium of Contemporary Columbia Artists is the third collection in this series Boiter has published from Muddy Ford Press. This volume features essays from Jon Tuttle and his son Josh, Cassie Premo Steele, Clair DeLune, Dale Bailes, Kristine Hartvigsen, David Axe, Claudia Smith Brinson, Jason Stokes, Ed Madden, Tim Conroy, Len Lawson, Chad Henderson, and Boiter herself. The subjects of the essays include Tom Beard, Al Black, Nappy Brown, Anastasia Chernoff, Thorne Compton, Clark Ellefson, William Price Fox, Phillip Gardner, Tyrone Geter, Terrance Henderson, Rob Kennedy, Jillian Owens, Leslie Pierce, Kathleen Robbins, Sharon Strange, and Kay Thigpen.

We’ll be gathering at 6 pm for a cocktail hour during which attendees can order drinks from the bar and visit with friends, purchase and sign books. Following that we will enjoy brief readings from the collection.

Admission is free and we’ll be gathering in the back of the bar. Books, including The Limelight Volume I and The Limelight Volume II will also be available for purchase at reduced rates.

The Art Bar is located at 1211 Park Street in Columbia, SC. Thanks to the Art Bar for hosting this event.

Where Photographer and Subject Become Artist Together: A Preview of Gerry Melendez’s Whole

“There’s power in photography.” - Gerry Melendez

In the coming weeks, Stormwater Studios will host Whole, a photography exhibition by award winning photographer Gerry Melendez. There will be an Opening Reception this coming Saturday, February 25th from 6–9 p.m., and a closing reception on Sunday, March 5th from 12–3 p.m. 

Melendez is a Salvadorian photographer and filmmaker with over thirty years of photojournalist experience under his belt. He has won numerous awards and accolades over the span of his career, including the honor of Photographer84 of the Year twice by the South Carolina Press Association and six times by the South Carolina New Photographers Association. Recently, he was awarded a Southeastern Emmy for his short documentary entitled Donna’s Story (2022). 

This exhibit is a stunning collection of black and white photography—stripped down portraits with a focus on the individual subject. With regard to his artistic vision, Melendez says, “The premise of the exhibition is really to bring everyone down to the same level in a technical way.”  

He establishes this base level through not just the choice to shoot in black and white, but through the simplicity of the background of the photographs, the lighting, and the literal “stripping down” of his subjects. In essence, Melendez wants to limit our ability as viewers to make assumptions about the subjects as much as possible, saying, “Here, all you get is this one black and white moment in time. That and bare skin.”

Interestingly, Melendez believes his subjects to be very much a part of the artistic process, almost as if they are artists themselves. “The magic or uniqueness is what each subject brings to the table during their shoot,” he says. “Their personality and pose. The energy they show. What they're feeling at that moment. How they want to be perceived. I try not to direct too much and just allow this to happen organically.”  

He gives his subjects freedom of expression, facial or otherwise. He believes in the power of their stories, and the ability of his camera, in collaboration with his subjects, to capture it effectively and provocatively. 

One of these stories is that of Mary, a woman who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at 28 years old and had to have a tumor surgically removed from her chest. 

“It took a few years to be a proud member of the ‘zipper club,’” Mary says, “but the scar from the removal of that tumor is part of my story, my fight to be here, and it reminds me each day how strong I am and that it’s just one part of who I am.” 

As for Melendez’s general artistic attitude, he describes his driving force as such: “I want to create art that makes you feel something. Hopefully, it leaves you feeling good. Maybe it inspires you. Maybe it moves you to tears. Maybe it forces you to act. Whatever it does, I have this gift and I want to use it in the best way possible and hopefully leave this world in a better place. You know, Nick Ut's photo of the napalm girl helped end the Vietnam war. There's power in photography.” 

More information about Whole can be found on the Stormwater website.

Annual Winter Exhibition Featuring Chesley, Yaghjian, Williams and Friends - February 15-March 23

One of the most exciting visual art shows of the year opened on Thursday February 16th at the new Mike Williams art studio in Columbia’s historic Vista and will continue until March 23 with a reception on Saturday, February 25th from 2-5.

Anyone who follows local art closely has come to anticipate the yearly group show that always features Stephen Chesley, David Yaghjian, Mike Williams, usually includes Edward Wimberly, and as of late, has often included Ellen Emerson Yaghjian and Guy Allison. This year, the gang is all present at 1221 Lincoln Street for an extended period.

With the loss of the late Wim Roefs, Mike Williams and Michaela Pilar Brown, former ED of 701 CCA, divided Wim’s renown If Art gallery into two distinctive studio/galleries. For the past few months, with spaces have been quietly building their presence with Michaela Pilar Brown’s Mike Brown Contemporary Art opening the upstairs  of her multi-level space to a number of community-oriented events and gatherings of artists.

The Mike Williams Gallery operates similarly. While the Williams/Chesley/Yaghjian gang typically offers their annual group exhibition at Stormwater Studios, after having staged the exhibit for years at the former gallery collection know as 80808 on Lady Street, this year Williams is moving the group show to his new home on Lincoln Street.

About the Artists:

Columbia, S.C., native and resident David Yaghjian has exhibited across the Carolinas, including Blue Spiral I Gallery in Asheville, N.C., the Florence (S.C.) Museum of Art, Gallery 80808 and Morris Gallery in Columbia and Hampton III Gallery in Greenville, S.C. In Atlanta, where he used to live, Yaghjian has shown in the Spruill Center Gallery, the Right Brain Gallery, and other venues. He also painted two murals in the Georgia capital. Yaghjian holds a BA from Massachusetts’ Amherst College and studied in New York City at the Art Students League and the School of Visual Art. Among his instructors were Fairfield Porter, Leonard Baskin, Will Barnett and Chaim Koppelman.

David Yaghjian

Stephen Chesley was born in Schenectady New York in 1952. He exhibited a natural proclivity for drawing and art almost as soon as he could hold pastel and pencil which were often Christmas gifts from his family. Growing up in Virginia Beach in the late 1950’s he was exposed to the ‘Beat Generation’ of musicians, artist, and writers when Virginia Beach was still a seasonal seaside resort. Self-motivated, he continued with his drawing and small paintings along with exposure to local artist. Throughout elementary and high school the art spirit continued. Collegiate exposure led to a meld of art and science with degrees in Urban Studies and a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning in 1980 from the school of Architecture at Clemson University. Graduating in a deep national economic recession Chesley turned back to his art. Spending 5 years on rivers and sea islands to explore his aesthetic, subject matter, influential painters, and styles, Chesley’s paintings and art work began to move to the fore.

Recognized in 1981 by the Columbia Museum of Art as an emerging talent he went on to win top 100 in the first National Parks competition of 1987,exhibiting at the Smithsonian, and in 1996 a National Endowment for the Arts, Southeast Regional Fellowship, Southeast Center for Contemporary Art. Chesley has continued his work, characterized as poetic realism, along with welded and carved sculptural pieces in addition to joint works illustrating Archibald Rutledge short stories and WS Merwin’s poem, “Palm” for the Thomas Cooper Society’s Thomas Cooper Medal for WS Merwin in 2012. Stephen Chesley continues his creative journey with an art spirit in Columbia, South Carolina.

Stephen Chesley

Mike Williams, born 1963 in Sumter, South Carolina, received his BFA from the University of South Carolina in 1990.  In 1988 he began his professional career as a fine artist and sign painter while finishing his degree.  He has been prolific throughout the past three decades creating more than 4000 works.  

He’s maintained a steady presence in galleries and has had his work exhibited in the South Carolina State Museum, the Columbia Museum of Art, the Lake County Museum, Chicago, Ill., the Carillon Building in Charlotte, NC, the Sun Trust Plaza in Atlanta, GA, and the Volksbank in Kaiserslautern, Germany.

Jasper Presents a Two-Part Valentine's Day Event -- An Evening with Bernie Love A Tribute to Elvis AND Love Hurts/Love Heals - New Art from Wilma King and K. Wayne Thornley

Jasper Presents a Two-Part Valentine’s Day Celebration:

Love Hurts/Love Heals featuring the art of Wilma King and K. Wayne Thornley followed by An Evening with Bernie Love—A Tribute to Elvis, both at 701 Whaley

Worried about taking that special someone to yet another crowded and overpriced boring Valentine’s Day dinner? Put your fears aside as The Jasper Project has your Valentine’s Day festivities figured out!

Join us on Tuesday February 14th at 701 Whaley for a two-part arts party.

Part One – from 5 – 7 pm in the 701 Community Hall Gallery we welcome esteemed Columbia-based artists Wilma King and K. Wayne Thornley for their interpretations of the phenomenon of Love Hurts/ Love Heals. Both artists’ works will line the halls for your interpretive pleasure, and you and your date are invited to enjoy wine and light snacks as you view the work.

Part Two – from 7 – 10 pm and following the Love Hurts/Love Heals exhibit, wander just a few feet over to the 701 Whaley Market Space where a night of Vegas-style entertainment awaits you both at An Evening with Bernie Love – A Tribute to Elvis. Featuring Patrick Baxley in the title role accompanied by Marty Fort, Jay Matheson, and Kevin Brewer, this tribute will focus on some of the King’s most romantic musical numbers performed in a classic Vegas cocktail party type setting.

Food will be provided by Chef Joe Turkaly and champagne and beer will be available for purchase.

Did you wait too late to shop for a special little something special for your beloved? No worries! Columbia artists Cait Maloney, Lindsay Radford, and Gina Langston Brewer will be on hand with a selection of their original romantic art gifts, and portrait artist Jamie Peterson will be commissioning small portraits of you and your sweetie based on photos you have taken at the event.

Doors for Bernie Love open at 7 pm with the main event kicking off at 8:30 pm when the King arrives in true Vegas style. Tickets to An Evening with Bernie Love are $20 and are available in advance at www.Jasper.org or by clicking here. A limited number of tables are available for $500.

Love Hurts/Love Heals is a free drop-in event. .

Welcome to 2023! Cola-based Artists Share Their New Year’s Resolutions


We often struggled with creating our own New Year’s Resolutions, so this year, Jasper turned to creators themselves to see what they hoped for their 2023s. Hoping you take as much inspiration from these as we as did! 

Artists shared the simple but deep desire to create more, from the general to the specific:

“To sketch everyday” – Laura Garner Hine

“To create more art, see more art and share more art” – Keith Tolen

“To create a fresh collection of meaningful works to show by the end of the year.” – Ashley Herring Warthen

“To be more consistent and spend time in the studio every day.” – Olga Yuhkno

“To sketch a few times each week even though I am working a regular job and still in school.” – Heather Lynn Endicott

“To complete my translation of Havamal, and put together the video where I tell the story.” – Price Lassahn-Worrell

Some artists addressed the desire to return to unfinished projects – with both earnest desire and humor:

“To finish a few of the many unfinished works sitting in my studio. To find creative inspiration and spurs.” – B.A. Hohman

“My 2023 New Year's resolution is to finish all the craft projects from 2022 that I should have done in 2021, since I started them in 2020 after buying the supplies for them in 2019.” – Valerie Lamott

 

A recurrent theme was the desire to stop listening to the nagging voice in the back of our minds that tries to scare us or quiet us:

“To be less critical of my art and to be more open to ideas flowing in and reconnect with my inner voice.” Renee Rouillier

“To override my inner critic and follow my intuition.” – Ginny Meret

 

Similarly, artists shared a desire for understanding of themselves and the space they occupy:

“To respect the fact that life brings changes and art sometimes has to occupy a different position on the list of priorities.” – Mary Ann Haven

“To paint more of what I WANT to paint.” – Sean Madden

“To paint and write (about my daily experiences, culture, and cooking) on a daily basis in 2023. I could not manage to paint or write regularly in 2022 although I realize and internalize how painting and writing are effectively helpful to my inner peace and well-being (my mental health) and nurture my inner child.” – Khin Myat

 

The desire for self-exploration came up again and again:

“To explore new mediums, to be more vulnerable, to be more generous.” – Lucy Bailey

“To delve deeper into the world of sound & rhythm by availing myself of educational opportunities. The goal being to broaden and enhance my understanding of how sound affects us and to incorporate that knowledge into my craft.” – Dick Moons

“To play with more mix media, experiment more with oils, delve into interchangeable art with my business partner Barry wheeler who always pushes me to keep exploring.” – Michael Krajewski

“To allow Artist-Self more Exploration of Shadow Self//privately (perhaps publicly) …let those kids merge—dissolve some things and mend some others, all the while being colorful, honest and vulnerable through visual & written prophetic blabber!” – Emily Wright

 

And, artists expressed a desire to grow within a community, with goals for unity and collaboration:

“1. Listen to people more and work on humility as well as developing healthy, in person relationship that encourage aggressive kindness. 2. Help cultivate and create a culture of collaboration with “Columbia-Centric" artists from all mediums in order to reinforce a positive art infrastructure. 3. Finish writing and producing three original albums. 4. Stay clean and sober. 5. Serve the city.” – Saul Seibert

“To see, and be a part of, more collaboration with artists and our communities. Utilizing our talents and materials to create and unify....” – Gina Langston Brewer

The common message among these various goals is this: create what you want to create, create whenever you can, and create in constellations. The act of making something, of there now being something where there once was nothing, may often be simple, but it is magical. Go into 2023 treating yourself with grace and with the open-mind and willingness to create something where there wasn’t something before.

And Happy New Year—from all of us!

Columbia Artists Share Their Christmas Wishes for the Art Community

It’s that time of year again, where we deck our halls and trim our trees, scoot closer on our couches to those we love, and curl up tight in our blankets as we sip hot chocolate (which South Carolinians can actually do this year—brr!). It’s in these moments of peace and joy we often close our eyes to make our Christmas wish. This year, here at Jasper, we asked a handful of our local artists their wish, specifically: “If you could make one Christmas wish for the Columbia arts community, what would it be?”



Artists wished for more space—places old and new alike where they can freely share their creative gifts with the city they love.

“Main St. Back…”
—Michael Krajewski, visual artist

“More places to show (and make) art!”
—Lucas Sams, visual artist

“An artist’s alley in a public space where anyone can contribute however/whenever they want!”
—Cait Maloney, visual artist

“As a member of the Cola arts community, if I had one present for Christmas, it would be to have more spaces like CMFA (or to expand CMFA), where community members can rehearse and perform and support each other (for free)!! CMFA has been invaluable to Bonnie [Boiter-Jolley] and I’s company, the Columbia Repertory Dance Company!” 
—Stephanie Wilkins, dancer and Artistic Director of Columbia Repertory Dance Company


Artists wished for an expansion of funds for local artists so that they can express themselves fully and without burden.

“I think the community could give back to the artists—no strings attached guaranteed income for those who pour into the community with their creative gifts and talents. This would help artists have the opportunity to at least cover living expenses due to the increase of the cost of living and still have the opportunity to pursue a creative career.”
—Maya Smith, visual artist

I’d wish for sufficient financing for artists to present their art to the community. There are many costs involved in producing a play, a concert, a ballet, and other art events that ticket prices alone cannot cover. To have the financial support from the public and private sectors to present our art in the best way possible would be an amazing Christmas present.
— Becky Hunter, performer


Artists wished to spend more time with each other, to acknowledge each other and create inter-community support.

“More togetherness throughout the arts community where everyone mutually supports each other, meets together quarterly, and promotes each other.” 
—Arischa Conner Frierson, actor

“A 3-Day retreat filled with Skill Shares and Improv and Games so that we can learn to love each other even more. Like Family <3”
—Monifa Lemons, poet and actor


And, finally, artists wished for the chance to grow as humans and creators, not just within themselves but within a community as a whole where each person can better the other.

“My holiday wish (mostly for myself but also) for the Columbia arts community is for the courage to be open. I know I can seem insular because of my own internal obstacles, but I think collaboration can elevate our art beyond our skillsets and help us fulfill and even exceed our creative concepts. Collaboration builds our artistic support systems and creates informed testing audiences. While I believe it’s important for one to make the art one needs to make without regard to how others may receive it, I believe it’s also nice to be able to ask for constructive criticism and maybe be given encouragement along the way to a project’s completion. I don’t know if I’ll personally gain this kind of courage by the time January rolls around (or ever), but I’m always hopeful I will and that others might, too!”
— Desirée Richardson (Death Ray Robin), musician

“As a social worker, I was trained to practice from a ‘strengths perspective.’ This perspective acknowledges challenges while encouraging us to identify and work with whatever resources we have access to within ourselves and the community. So, the gift I’m hopeful for this year is our collective vision to see the strengths that exist within the Columbia arts community and to employ those resources in fostering expressive projects that bring meaning to people’s lives.”
—Lang Owen, musician

“My Christmas wish for Columbia is…more people of skill and intellect and intuition and caring go see more shows and performances and exhibitions. These people would then share their thoughts and impressions with the rest of us. Helping to strengthen and spur the conversations between art and artists and patrons. CRITICS! I want more critics of every size, shape, gender, sex, color and perspective to do good work in Columbia.”
—Darion McCloud, performer and storyteller

“I want all the artists and soon-to-be artists in Columbia to find, embrace, and share their gift. I hope that even when it’s dark they see they are loved and supported.”
—Adam Corbett, musician and visual artist


From our family of artists and art supporters, we thank everyone for the love they have shown this community this year, and our Christmas wish for you today and always is that you have all the joy and support there is to offer. Merriest of Christmases—and have an extra boozy eggnog on us!



The Jasper Project Congratulates New Columbia City Poet Laureate Jennifer Bartell Boykin

Jennifer Bartell Boykin

As one of only a few southern cities to recognize the position, the City of Columbia is proud to announce the selection of poet Jennifer Bartell Boykin as Columbia’s second Poet Laureate.

Bartell Boykin will serve a four-year term that begins January 2022. Recognized by the Mayor and City Council in a resolution passed on October 21, 2014, the honorary position of Poet Laureate “encourages appreciation and create opportunities for dissemination of poetry in Columbia, promotes the appreciation and knowledge of poetry among the youth, and acts as a spokesperson for the growing number of poets and writers in Columbia.”

“Sharing the stories and art within our community are critical to our success in Columbia,” says Mayor Daniel Rickenmann. “I am honored to welcome Jennifer Bartell Boykin as the new poet laureate for the City of Columbia and look forward to seeing her success representing our great community.”

“I am very pleased with the selection of Jennifer Bartell Boykin as the Columbia Poet Laureate,” says Councilman Howard Duvall, who represented the Arts and Historic Preservation Committee in the selection process. “She will be the perfect person to build on the foundation established by Ed Madden.”

Jennifer Bartell Boykin is originally from Bluefield, an African American community in Johnsonville, South Carolina. For most of her career, she has been an educator, most recently as an English teacher at Spring Valley High School. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and a Graduate Certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies and is currently pursuing a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of South Carolina. She has sponsored the Poetry Out Loud competition and W.O.R.D. (Write.Organize.Read.Dream), Spring Valley High School’s poetry club. She’s been a regular participant in work under the post of Dr. Ed Madden, served as a former board member for the Deckle Edge Literary Festival, and contributed to the work of The Jasper Project; including writing for Jasper Magazine, serving on its board, and writing for special projects such as The Supper Table and Marked by the Water.

“I am honored to become the city’s second poet laureate,” says Bartell Boykin. “Ed Madden set a blueprint for the Columbia Poet Laureateship, and I will continue to build on his legacy. I am elated about spreading more poetry throughout our schools and in our communities. Poetry is for everyone, and I’m excited to facilitate bringing more of it to every corner of our city.”

Bartell Boykin hopes to continue the public projects that Dr. Ed Madden has initiated during his time as Poet Laureate. Still, she also hopes to develop a community-wide poetry event that would include readings and participation by K12 students. She is also keenly interested in ways that poetry can help people and hopes to build collaborations with artists and organizations to develop projects that engage the residents of the Columbia area.

Boykin takes the role from Dr. Ed Madden, the city’s first Poet Laureate who served two terms in the position, poetry editor for Jasper Magazine and Muddy Ford Press. His projects focused on community-centered activities that helped increase awareness and accessibility around the literary arts, particularly poetry, with the mission of using literary art as a public art.

“Being the city laureate for the past eight years has been such a privilege and an honor,” says Madden. “It is humbling to serve as another voice for the city, but also such a joy to promote so many other writers and voices, all the ways we can define who we are and who we hope to be as a city. I look forward to seeing what the next laureate does with the role, to hearing their work, and to discovering what new voices they elevate.”

The Art Bar Hosts Jasper's Santa Crawl this Thursday!

Join the Jasper Family, Friends, and Future Friends this Thursday night (12/15) for our first official Santa Crawl.

We’re meeting at Art Bar at 7 pm. For those who would like to explore the Vista’s various bars and restaurants, we will send you on your way, while a number of us will simply be crawling around the Art Bar, enjoying a cocktail menu specially designed for the occasion, with a portion of sales from this menu going to benefit the Jasper Project. Jasper Santas will be onsite at the Art Bar from 7 – 11.

Wear anything from your warm and cozy Santa suit to Sexy Santa, Silly Santa, the Grinch, Rudolph, Hermey the future dentist, Coach Comet, or whatever Christmas character makes your little round belly shake like a bowlful of jelly!

New Jasper Magazines will also be on hand!

THE BEAT: The Living Room Aims for Listening Room Vibe by Kevin Oliver

When the subject of venues in Columbia comes up, the most often repeated “missing link” in the local scene is the presence of a real listening room–a space for music that’s not connected to a bar, or a restaurant, or any other business, really. The last time we had something like that here would be the UU Coffeehouse Series that the Unitarian Universalist Church in Shandon hosted for many years, later shifted to the Tree of Life synagogue for a couple of seasons. It’s an important option, especially for the kind of thoughtful, sometimes quieter folk and acoustic acts that don’t translate as well in a noisy, more boisterous room. 

Inspired in part by those UU shows, the new venue dubbed “The Living Room” aims to provide just such an opportunity at its space on Two Notch Road in northeast Columbia that the spiritual community Jubilee! Circle has called home since 2019.

Rev. Candace Chellew is the pastor at Jubilee! Circle, and she says it was an idea borne of both necessity and also a desire to open up the space to more events.

“As with most businesses that survived the pandemic, we decided to use one of the best assets we have–our space,” She says. We’ve rebranded it as The Living Room because it has that cozy atmosphere, and we added areas with couches and coffee tables to complete the ‘living room’ feel.” 

The goal, she adds, is to mold the space to each performer’s needs. They’ve already hosted singer-songwriter Lang Owen and performances by the Columbia Operatic Laboratory’s “Pirates Of Penzance” sing-along, and this Friday, December 16th, they’ll welcome indie folk and rock singer-songwriter Danielle Howle, performing with her current semi-acoustic trio that includes Josh Roberts on lead guitar.

Lang Owen performing at the Living Room

It’s as much about the attendees for Chellew as it is about the performing artists, she says.
“We intend to make this a space to enhance the lives of people who attend, and to support the local music scene and the artists seeking such a listening room atmosphere to build their audience and share their talents.”

The eventual goal is to replicate what the UU Coffeehouse series did, bringing in national and regional talent in addition to the more local artists, with at least one show per month. 

“Love is what we are, that is what we should always be teaching and projecting into the world. The arts are to us a way to extend that love to the community as a whole; music and arts are healing ministries that bring together people of all political, social, ethnic, and economic stripes, and Jubilee! Circle seeks to remind everyone of our ultimate unity with one another at a spiritual level.” - Candace Chellew

They are also including a charity/nonprofit element to each show, Chellew adds. “With the Danielle Howle show, it’s a silent auction to raise money for Pawmetto Lifeline, but with each event we do, we’d like to find a way to get the crowd to support other organizations within the community with their donations, time, and talent.” 

Chellew sees the Living Room as a natural extension of the mission of Jubilee! Circle in the community. “Unlike many spiritual communities, we don’t evangelize, and we’re not trying to get you to believe anything in particular or adhere to specific doctrine,” She says. “Our message is simple: Love is what we are, that is what we should always be teaching and projecting into the world. The arts are to us a way to extend that love to the community as a whole; music and arts are healing ministries that bring together people of all political, social, ethnic, and economic stripes, and Jubilee! Circle seeks to remind everyone of our ultimate unity with one another at a spiritual level. Everyone who leaves one of our events with a song in their heart becomes a force for love and healing in the world–whether they are conscious of it or not.” 

If you’re interested in putting some of Danielle Howle’s songs in your heart, the show is this Friday, December 16th,  at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $22 online or at the venue,  6729 Two Notch Road ##70 Columbia, SC 29223.

click for tickets

click for silent auction promo video

 

SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble Big Band Holiday Concert

South Carolina’s celebrated big band ensemble performs Dec. 17th, 2022

From our friends at SC Philharmonic—

 

The SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble, under the direction of Music Director Robert Gardiner, continues the 22/23 Season with SWINGIN’ HOLIDAYS on Saturday, December 17, 2022 at 7:30 PM at the W.W. Hootie Johnson Performance Hall at USC (1014 Greene St., Columbia, SC 29201). This special holiday concert features the SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble, a 20-piece big band that is comprised of some of the most outstanding jazz musicians, soloists, and bandleaders from across the Carolinas. SWINGIN’ HOLIDAYS will feature the return of international touring and recording artist Kobie Watkins (drums) to the ensemble, and Robert Lewis (saxophone), the Director of the Charleston Jazz Orchestra, will be performing with the ensemble as a guest artist. This concert is presented in partnership with USC Jazz. Reserved seating tickets range from $25 to $50, and can be purchased at www.scjazz.org. 

SWINGIN’ HOLIDAYS is presented in partnership with USC Jazz, and will boast a full evening of entertainment with two acts of amazing big-band holiday jazz from the SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble. Audiences will also enjoy a pre-concert performance by a student combo from USC Jazz in the lobby. The SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble set will also include performances from USC Jazz faculty Lauren Meccia (saxophone/vocalist), Matthew White (trumpet), Michael Wilkinson (trombone), and Bert Ligon (piano/composer, Distinguished Prof. Emeritus). 

SWINGIN’ HOLIDAYS will feature time-cherished holiday jazz classics. The program includes arrangements of “Jingle Bells”, “All I Want for Christmas,” “Let it Snow,” “What Child is This?” and many other jazzy tunes of the season that will leave audiences’ toes tapping. 

The ensemble for SWINGIN’ HOLIDAYS will feature the following musicians: VOCALS: Kristi Hood (Dick Goodwin Big Band), Edwin Hamilton (Freelance musician, Minister of Music, Augusta, Ga); SAXOPHONES: Robert Lewis (Director, Charleston Jazz Orchestra), Bill King (King William Jazz Collective, USAF), Tracy Patterson (Assoc. Professor/Woodwind Chair, Winthrop Univ.), Mark Sterbank (Charleston Jazz Orchestra, Prof. Charleston Southern), Lauren Meccia (Instructor of Jazz Studies at USC); TRUMPETS: Charlie Polk (SC Philharmonic Orchestra), Matthew White (Assoc. Professor of Jazz Studies, USC), Chip Crotts (Director of Jazz Studies, Georgia Tech), Tim Leahey (USAF Airmen of Note, retired) TROMBONES: Michael Wilkinson (Asst. Professor of Trombone, USC), Brad Jepson (Co-Founder, Greenville Jazz Collective), Major Bailey (Assistant Director of Bands at SC State University); Robert Slade (Commander and Conductor of the 208th Army Band) RHYTHM: Bert Ligon, (piano, composer, Distinguished Prof. Emeritus, USC), Shannon Hoover (bass, Co-founder of the Greenville Jazz Collective) and Kobie Watkins (drums, international touring and recording artist). 

SWINGIN’ HOLIDAYS is a one-night only performance on December 17, 2022 at 7:30 PM at the W.W. Hootie Johnson Performance Hall at USC. Reserved seating tickets range from $25 to $50, and can be purchased at www.scjazz.org.

This program is supported in part 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.


Christmas at Redbank: A Night of Traditional and Not-So-Traditional Songs of the Season

Leading the sing-along at Christmas at Red Bank — all photos by Leslie Ann Smith

If you’re a fan of local music and have lived in the midlands a while you are likely familiar with Christmas at Redbank. For seventeen years Redbank Methodist Church in Lexington has hosted an array of local musicians presenting their unique take on classic and sometimes completely original Christmas songs. Jasper Magazine’s music editor Kevin Oliver is the creator and founder of the concert and shares some inside baseball about the event, “Most of the acts perform acoustic, but some add electric instruments and bigger arrangements. We started acoustic simply due to logistical concerns with getting a dozen or more acts on and off a stage in two hours’ time, and it just became what we did.”  

Along with music the audience can also now expect poetry and scripture readings. Oliver notes that last year the readings, “really tied the show together as less a string of performances punctuated by me talking, and more of a fluid, almost theatrical story.” They have chosen to do them again this year with Jasper board member, poet Al Black, narrating.

Al Black

Along with the new format Oliver says that what makes the event so successful and keeps the night fresh is, “outside of the requirement that songs be ‘sacred’ and not ‘Santa’ in theme/content, I allow the artists involved to pick what they want to sing. That usually includes familiar carols and hymns, but they can also throw me for a loop with a left field or unexpected selection. I try not to reveal too many of the song choices ahead of time, because that's part of the magic of the show--you know who's about to sing, but not WHAT they will come up with.” 

Throughout the years the lineup has included an assortment of popular local musicians and bigger names who are just passing through or are returning home like Ryan Monroe, who is now in Band of Horses. Johnny Irion and Sarah Lee Guthrie, daughter of Arlo Guthrie, Mark Bryan, Jake Etheridge, Hannah Miller, and Danielle Howle are frequent performers, as well.

Todd Mathis

This year’s lineup includes Brent Lundy, Band of Pilgrims, Admiral Radio, Todd Mathis, The Water Kickers, Ashleigh Morse with Jim Morse, Chris Reed, Prettier Than Matt, Buck and Rhonda Mooneyhan, James Etheridge, Jr., Matt and Becky Goudelock, and Al Black. Oliver mentions that this year there are a few new names on the bill, “Chris Reed is a local musician that's burning up the local bar and restaurant scene but also performing original rock with his band The Bad Kids, and I'm glad to have him aboard this year as our rookie. The Water Kickers are a new group name, but the duo has both appeared at CARB before with other ensembles. Brodie Porterfield was in the Dawn Key Shotguns, while Kelley McLachlan Douglas Porterfield was in both Post Timey String Band and The Prairie Willows. Ashleigh Morse will be expanding the CARB family as well, bringing her father Jim Morse along for a song–he's been a Columbia musician for a long time himself.”

Kevin Oliver, founder of Christmas at Red Bank and Music Editor for Jasper Magazine

The show is Sunday, December 4th from 6:30pm-9pm. It is free to attend, but an offering will be collected for Mission Lexington (formerly LICS). This opportunity to give has been a part of the event from the start and each year they raise an average of $1,200 for the organization with last year's total reaching over $1,500. Find more details and get directions to the church from the Facebook event.

NoMa Warehouse has a Holiday Weekend Planned for YOU!

2222 Sumter Street

in the

Heart of the North Main Cultural District!

From our friends at NoMa Warehouse:

It's the most wonderful time of the year at and we can't wait to spend it with you! 

Mark your calendars and plan to join us for a full weekend of festive fun!  This year’s holiday market highlights local art, culture, food, and of course, the fun of holiday shopping.  

The market kicks off on Friday evening, December 16, at 6pm during the normal NoMa Flea from 6-9pm, and will run again on Saturday, Dec 17 from 3-6pm and Sunday, December 18 from 12-3.   

There's something for the entire family; including free photos with Santa Claus, an ornament making station, a caricaturist, live music, food trucks, baked goods, hot cocoa, holiday spirits, gift wrapping, a preview of a Christmas Carol by Calliope Stage Company, and indoor and outdoor vendors who will be rotating throughout the weekend, so you can come all 3 days and visit different vendors each day!  

The event is free to attend.