Dr. Baker Rogers Opens South Carolina’s Only Queer Independent Bookstore

Cola book lovers are still buzzing with excitement from the opening of All Good Books, and soon there will be an additional space to explore that offers not just a unique literary environment, but a safe space curated with queer people in mind: Queer Haven Books. 

Baker Rogers, MSW, PhD has recently founded what is presently South Carolina’s only queer independent bookstore. The store just opened online, and Rogers is fundraising to get a brick-and-mortar location on Main Street. 

As a queer person themselves—and with a masters in social work, a doctorate in sociology, and a position as Director of Arts in Social Science at Georgia South University—Rogers is deeply familiar with the experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals and how various histories and situations impact them.  

When Rogers lived in South Carolina previously, they knew there needed to be a safe space for queer people—a place where their community could be seen and see each other. Their first dream was to open a gay bar, but as they grew older, left South Carolina, and came back, Rogers realized what the city truly needed. 

In Rogers’ time in academia, they have published a plethora of work in gender and sexuality in the US South with titles under their belt such as Conditionally Accepted: Christians’ Perspectives on Sexuality and Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights and King of Hearts: Drag Kings in the American South. With their work in literary texts, Rogers’ vision for Columbia crystallized: we needed a bookstore. 

For them, a queer bookstore is the perfect intersection of education and community. Beyond having stock rife with queer texts—which is thus a space where queerness is the norm—Rogers plans to host a plethora of events, such as queer book club, queer-centered recovery groups, and classes on sex positivity.

 As they work on this goal, they are continuing to expand their selection. Every book currently stocked in their online store is written by and/or either portrays the narrative of a queer individual or in some way addresses the experience of being queer. Queer Haven has sections for nonfiction, local authors, and children’s literature. They also sell a handful of gifts, such as keychains and cards.  

Presently, Rogers is running the store out of their home—getting books from online bulk retailers and distributors and storing them in their house. Fortunately, the investment is already showing promise: Rogers shares that they have already begun to sell books online and at some of the events the bookstore has been present at, like NoMa Flea. 

Unfortunately, Rogers and Queer Haven have received their share of pushback and negative feedback—particularly on social media and Facebook. However, Rogers is undeterred and asserts that this is only more proof that this space is necessary. The majority of feedback, though, has been positive, and Rogers intimates that they have received a good amount of support from locals. 

Rogers has already met with All Good Books, and they are working in tandem with each other. All Good Books has a queer section in their store and can offer Queer Haven as a path for patrons interested in diving into those texts even deeper, while Queer Haven can direct patrons to All Good Books for various reading needs. 

For the bookstore to take off and really begin supplying the area with queer space and queer literature, though, they need a physical place, and for that, they need financial support. Rogers has started a Kickstarter that ends on June 8. If they can raise $50,000 by then, the bookstore should open physically by the end of 2023. 

If you can’t donate but want to support, you can browse their website, which houses their current stock and holds an Event Calendar with all upcoming places you can find them. They are also currently hosting a Logo Content for any interested artists.

Rogers named this place a haven because that’s what it will be. It will be a safe space, set apart from the harmful spaces queer individuals have to navigate in their daily life, especially in the South. Among current harmful political climates, it will serve as a refuge but also as an informative, educational space for both LGBTQIA+ individuals and allies. 

As Rogers emphasizes, “This is a place Columbia needs, now more than ever, to provide education on the queer experience and to give queer people in South Carolina a place to go.”

 

Q&A with Cedric Umoja: Alchemical Change Through Art -Third Thursday at Koger Center by Liz Stalker!

This Thursday, May 16th, Third Thursday with Jasper presents a reception at the Koger Center for the Arts featuring the work of artists Cedric Umoja and Jarrett Jenkins. Umoja is a multidisciplinary artist based in Columbia who works in a wide variety of mediums, including painting, drawing, sculpting, filmmaking, installation work, and performance art. Jenkins (AKA Lefty Unz) is also a Columbia based multidisciplinary artist as well as a tattoo artist. He describes his art as “largely focused on majestic depictions of Black people, reimagining subjects from popular culture, and sociopolitical commentary on current events.” 

The art shown at the reception will have a focus on Black culture, Hip Hop culture, the tattoo scene, and the corresponding overlap of cultural attitudes and ideas.  

The event will also feature Fat Rat da Czar, current president Love, Peace & Hip Hop, the organization responsible for Hip Hop Family Day, who will deliver a special announcement about that upcoming event.  

Before the show, Jasper was given the opportunity for a virtual interview with featured artist Cedric Umoja.

 

Jasper: Your work takes on quite a variety of mediums! What was the first medium(s) you found yourself drawn to when you began to create art? And how would you characterize your progression as an artist? 

Umoja: Pencils, pens and printer paper were the most accessible as a child. These made me feel as if I had graduated from being just a child, especially since crayons and markers were more age appropriate.

 

Jasper: how would you characterize your progression as an artist?  

Umoja: I went from thinking I understood how to make Art to reimagining what the Art I make could be. These ideas and practices are worlds apart from each other. There was a time when I was just a painter, but the need to convey my thoughts and ideas expanded as did my practice. Since then I’ve been a multidisciplinary artist for over five years. I’m constantly expanding how I engage others through my work. I see it as being able to speak different languages. The more languages you can speak, the more people you can communicate with. My Art is about engaging and communicating with its participants.

 

Jasper: In your artist bio on your website, I noticed that you say you seek to "enact alchemical change," which is a really interesting and expansive concept. Could you explain a bit about what that means to you? 

Umoja: Enacting alchemical change when it comes to my work has to do with aligning my intentions to impact there for positive growth in themselves with the proper visual stimuli that conjures those conditions which cause emotion to arise. It’s through medium, intention and imagery that this becomes possible!

 

Jasper: It's really cool that this show seems to be a reflection on really neat elements of Black culture, like Hip Hop. I think it's really cool that there is this sort of duality intertwined in Hip Hop as the music and the culture sprung up as a reaction to state sanctioned disenfranchisement and strife, but much of the genre, both early on and in the present, is also able to demonstrate a certain lightheartedness and lively fun. I found your art, with all of its vibrancy and, in many places, its pointed political messaging, very similar in that way. How do you find yourself balancing severity with playfulness as you create?  

Umoja: The balance is found in life itself! The opening to one of my favorite anime flicks “Fist of The North Star” speaks to this. The pendulum swinging in one direction must eventually swing in favor of its opposite. So, playfulness is necessary as it allows those who participate with my work the space to deal with what I’m communicating without feeling all the heaviness of the subject matter loaded into my work. I took a page from my Granny’s book, put the medicine in the candy. This is how you can guarantee it will be consumed!

 

Jasper: Lastly, for what about the upcoming show are you most excited? 

Umoja: I’m most excited to hear what Love Peace & Hip Hop’s President, Fat Rat Da Czar aka Masta Splinta, has to say. I know it’s gonna be some great news!

A Message from Cindi for Midlands Gives 2023

Jasper is an all-volunteer 501c3 with NO paid employees and NO overhead, so your donations go directly to the Columbia, SC arts community via events and publications.

Me with Jasper Project board president Wade Sellers and Elvis (aka Patrick Baxley) at Bernie Love 2023

Welcome to one of my favorite times of the year—the time for me to report back to you, our supporters, on how the Jasper Project has been using the funds you entrusted to us over the past year. It’s a joy to celebrate what we can accomplish together with your funding and the Jasper Project’s labors of love.

I always have a soft spot in my heart for Jasper Magazine, which was the seed of the Jasper Project and remains my favorite project of all. Last spring, we published a beautiful issue featuring Lindsay Radford Wiggins on the cover and Michael Krajewski as our centerfold artist. Kristine Hartvigsen wrote the piece on Lindsay, and I had the honor of writing about Michael who, actually, was the centerfold in the first ever issue back in fall 2011. This time, however, he is fully clothed!  We also featured a piece on Mike Miller’s new book, The Hip Shot, WOW Production’s first YouTube series,  Quincy Pugh’s Veteran’s Day Parade painting series, Carleen Maur’s experimental filmmaking, Artists for Africa, and two new books from Muddy Ford Press, (Jasper’s original underwriter before we became a non-profit under the leadership of Larry Hembree), including Night Bloomer by Jane Zenger and More God Than Dead by Angelo Geter. We wrote artist profiles on Lucy Bailey, Diko Pekdemir-Lewis, and Rebecca Horne; Music editor Kevin Oliver compiled a jam-packed article on 10 music artists to watch in the coming year; Will South wrote a piece on Tyrone Geter and his work and life in Gambia; and I had the honor of profiling David Platts, the ED of the SC Arts commission. Sadly, we also memorialized Wim Roefs and Mary Bentz Gilkerson.

Our fall 2022 issue of Jasper featured Wilma King on the cover and Jim Arendt in the centerfold. We wrote about Wideman-Davis dance, Baba Seitu Amenwahsa, Steven Chapp and Jerred Metz, Arischa Connor’s television successes, the Soda City jazz scene, Jamie Blackburn, poet Monifa Lemons and her stint as an actor on Lena Waithe’s film, Crooked Trees Gon Give Me Wings, Carla Daron’s new book The Orchid Tattoo, Amy Brower and the life of a casting agent, new theatre editor Libby Campbell, Dustin Whitehead’s new film Hero, Elizabeth Catlett, and included several poems and music reviews.

I don’t want to give too much away about the spring 2023 issue which is releasing on Saturday May 20th at the Artists Showing Artists event, hosted by Desirée Richardson of Death Ray Robin, but if you meet me that evening at the One Columbia Co-Op at 1013 Duke Avenue, you’ll get some fresh print featuring Philip Mullen, Olga Yukhno, Bohumila Augustinova, Katie Leitner, Dick Moons, Ivan Segura, Drink Small, Alyssa Stewart, and lots of surprises

Fall Lines volume IX - Cover art by Sean Rayford — https://www.seanrayford.com/

After the magazine my next favorite project has to be Fall Lines—a literary convergence. We just released our 9th volume and issued the call for our 10th. I’m incredibly excited to announce that, in addition to the Broad River Prize for Prose, which went this year to Tim Conroy, and Saluda River Prize for Poetry, which went this year to Jo Angela Edwins, that next year we will also be offering the Combahee River Prize to a SC BIPOC writer of poetry or prose. We’ve also formed an ad hoc committee, captained by poet Randy Spencer,  to study the best ways to grow Fall Lines as it moves into its 10th year.

Along the same lines we awarded the Lizelia Prize, named in honor of anti-Jim Crow poet-activist Lizelia Augusta Jenkins Moorer, to Myrtle Beach poet Maria Picone. Maria will have her poetry chapbook titled Adoptee Song, published by Muddy Ford Press through a sponsoring relationship with the Jasper Project. Board member Len Lawson managed this project.

We devoted a lot of our time last summer to the Play Right Series, a project managed by board member Jon Tuttle. The winner of last year’s Play Right Series was first-time playwright, Colby Quick. After spending the summer working with Community Producers Ed Madden, Bert Easter, James and Kirkland Smith, Paul Leo and Eric Tucker, Bill Schmidt, Wade Sellers, and myself, as well as the cast of Colby’s winning play, Moon Swallower, we presented a heavily produced staged reading, directed by Chad Henderson, at the Columbia Music Festival Association in August. We were also delighted to invite the public to the reading and, via our relationship with Muddy Ford Press, offer published copies of Moon Swallower for sale.

Jasper Friends Dick Moons and BA Hohman pose with our host, Clark Ellefson, outside the Art Bar

In December, Clark Ellefson and Andy Rodgers hosted the Jasper Project at the Art Bar on Park Street where we staged our first official Santa Crawl, inviting all comers to don their Santa suits and drink like it was Christmas. We had a fabulous time and enjoyed a delicious house-created cocktail list with a portion of each sale going to the Jasper Project. Thanks Clark, Andy, and everyone at the Art Bar!

In February, the good folks in the Capital City Playboys invited us to partner with them on the fundraiser concert event, An Evening with Bernie Love—A Tribute to Elvis. We themed the event around Valentine’s Day and welcomed more than 100 folks to the 701 Whaley Market space where Marty Fort, Jay Matheson, Kevin Brewer, and Patrick Baxley as Elvis! We also hosted artists Jamie Peterson, Gina Langston Brewer, Cait Maloney, and Lindsay Radford Wiggins who showed and sold their work. At the same time, and thanks to Lee Ann Kornegay, we had reserved the Community Hallway Gallery at 701 Whaley for the month of February to stage an art exhibit we called Love Hurts/Love Heals featuring K. Wayne Thornley and Wilma King.

In March, created a new event called Artists Showing Artists. Artists Showing Artists is an opportunity for established artists to share the spotlight with other artists who may be emerging, new to the area, or who they want to highlight. The project encourages collaboration within and between disciplines and enlightens the community about both the featured artists and the art curation process. Our first event featured Saul Seibert who invited poet Alyssa Stewart (we’re publishing her first ever published poem in the next issue of Jasper Magazine - thanks Saul!), visual artist Virginia Russo, and rapper Keith Smiley.

Our next Artists Showing Artists event will feature Desirée Richardson of Death Ray Robin as our Artist Host. I hope you can join us on May 20th to pick up a copy of the spring issue of Jasper Magazine and check out all the artists Desirée has invited to join us!

In fact, our various gallery spaces across town have grown considerably, helping Jasper to spotlight the work of artists in small, captured spaces. We do a First Thursday artist-in-residence rotation at Sound Bites Eatery on Sumter Street that has thus far included Michael Shepard, Alex Ruskell, Kimber Carpenter, Ginny Merritt, Adam Corbett, Quincy Pugh. Marius Valdes, Gina Langston Brewer, Lindsay Radford Wiggins, Lucas Sams, Colleen Crichter, and Keith Tolen.

Steven White speaking to theatre goers at Harbison Theatre

In January, the Koger Center opened a space on the second floor of their building just outside of the Donor’s Gallery for the Jasper Project to show the art of Columbia-based artists. We opened with Thomas Crouch, then Lindsay Radford, followed by Quincy Pugh. We’ve scheduled additional visual artists to fill out the remainder of 2023 and are already programming into 2024 at the Koger Center as well as at Harbison Theatre in Irmo, where we’ve shown David Yaghjian, Steven White, Michael Krajewski, Lori Isom Starnes, and are currently showing Olga Yukhno. We also keep a running gallery at Motor Supply Bistro and in the sidewalk gallery at the Meridien Building on Main Street.  

I’m actually thrilled to announce that the Jasper Galleries helped put almost $18,000 into the pockets of working artists in Columbia since last March!

Board Member Bert Easter staffs the kegerator at a Jasper Project House Party

As the Jasper Project board of directors has grown, we’ve done a bit of reorganization. Christina Xan, whose work on the Tiny Gallery continues to be so efficient that we tapped her to manage all our gallery spaces, is now also serving as our treasurer. Emily Moffitt was also elected board secretary in January, just after officially joining the board, and Wade Sellers and Kristin Cobb both continue as board president and vice president respectively. Bekah Rice is officially our digital manager as well as our operations manager and, typically, our events director. We welcomed new members to the board including visual artists Ginny Merett and Kimber Carpenter, and Jasper Magazine theatre editor Libby Campbell

I’m sure I’m forgetting an event, a happening, or a party.

Please remember, it is your support of Jasper’s passion for supporting, promoting, and validating Midlands-area artists that allows us to do what we love. Thank you for your continued support.

Cindi

April 2023

 

Please enjoy a few more photos from the past year of the Jasper Project below —

Carla Damron at Richland Library leading discussion on her book, The Orchid Tattoo, for Jasper’s Nightstand Book Club

Me judging the Mad Hatter Art Show

Featured Artist Wilma King talks with artist Gerard Erley at the Love Hurts/Love Heals art show that she shared with K. Wayne Thornley— a Jasper Project with 701 Whaley

Lisa Hammond served as the poetry judge for Saluda River Prize for Poetry in 2022’s Fall Lines

Jasper was invited by the good folks at Curiosity Coffee to arrange a pumpkin carving contest among the city’s artists — it was a huge success, a lot of fun, and we had some beautiful (and terrifying) pumpkins result!

Point person = Bekah Rice

We featured the art of the four artists on the board at Artista Vista this spring - Ginny Merett, Kimber Carpenter, Laura Garner Hine and Emily Moffitt

Olga Yukhno speaking to theatre goers at Harbison Theatre for her spring exhibit

Our 2019 project, The Supper Table, is still touring. Here it is at the Myrtle Beach Gallery of Art just after being on exhibit at the Morris Center for Arts and History

Michael Krajewski with his exhibit at the Jasper Gallery at Harbison Theatre

More Featured Artists from 52 Windows - Ann Anrrich, Christina Clark, Tariq Mix, Wanda Spong

On Thursday, May 18 from 6-9pm at 701 Whaley, Mirci will host 52 Windows – An Evening of Art. This annual art auction and gala features ten local artists, delicious hors d’oeuvres from Aberdeen Catery, an open bar, and elegant music. Get your tickets today via mirci.org/events.

 The art on display and available for auction will include works by Ann Anrrich. Ann grew up in Columbia, SC, received her education here, and after traveling the world, re-entered the realm of art by capturing her two daughters in oil paints and pastels. These efforts led her to portrait work, mainly in Alabama, where she “learned the ins and outs of painting hair bows, smocking and bare feet”.  While she continues to do portrait work, most recently she has challenged herself in expressing the different colors of light and staying fresh in her painting. Her subject matter now includes landscapes, street scenes, and people both working and having fun.

 Ann is joined by Christina Clark, who recently found her way to pastel painting after many years as an amateur violinist. Her focus is on the ability of movement in abstract color to evoke memories and probe psychic depths. Her interest in the arts stems from an Austrian musical heritage.

Christina’s education background spans degrees from Cornell, Harvard, and Michigan State Universities. Her career was in non-profit organizations as well as local politics in Michigan, where she and her husband resided until coming to Columbia in 2019.

Sponsors of the event include BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Burkett Burkett & Burkett CPAs, Colliers International, Dominion Energy, Eighteen Capital Group, Goodwyn Mills Cawood, Grace Outdoor, Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union, Red Curb Investments, Stoudenmire Heating & Air, Synovus, TD Bank, WIS-TV; and many other Midlands businesses that support wrap-around behavioral healthcare.

 

 

One of ten featured artists, Tariq Mix has been finding beauty and inspiration in Black American culture for over two decades. Tariq developed a love for fine art during his time at Howard University and has nurtured his craft through the use of various mediums since 2001.

Mix portrays the beauty in the chaos that can go hand in hand with Blackness in America. His use of bold colors and strong lines reflect the nuances of Black culture and identity through the lens of fashion and music. His work can be found in the private collections of Tommy Mottola and Donald Byrd, along with various other private collectors. He hopes his work encourages viewers to embrace the storied black legacy that American identity was founded upon.

With a love of art centered on the landscape, the marshland, the seascape, and still life, Wanda Spong’s oil paintings will also be available for browsing and bidding at this event.

Wanda’s process for each painting begins as an emotional drawing to a given composition and moves toward an attempt to transfer that emotion-provoking quality onto a canvas. Experimenting with design, color, shapes, edges, and nuance, along with a practice of careful craftsmanship, will forever be exciting and challenging to her as an artist. Every person possesses a creative force within, and she hopes to share with others her love and appreciation for the artistic endeavor.

In addition to the ten featured artists, works by Christi Arnette, Shannon Bygott, Walker Covin, Bill Davis, Bonnie Goldberg, Taylor Kienker, Wilma King, Leah Richardson, Anderson Riley, K. Wayne Thornley, Nancy Tuten, and Susan Hansen Staves will also be available.

Don’t miss an evening of elegant music, delicious hors d'oeuvres, an open bar, and wonderful art! All proceeds support Mirci’s mission to provide wrap-around care to individuals who are vulnerable to the adverse effects of mental illness. Purchase your tickets here today: https://one.bidpal.net/52windows/welcome

Announcing the Winner of the Jasper Project 2023 Play Right Series - Lonetta Thompson

Congratulations Lonetta Thompson!

The Jasper Project is delighted to formally announce that Lonetta Thompson is the winner of the 2023 Play Right Series competition for her play, Therapy.

Lonetta Thompson is a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a B. A. in English and a Minor in Theatre. As an actor, she has performed for years on stages in Columbia and surrounding cities, most recently touring with Spark, an Outreach initiative of the SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities in partnership with Workshop Theatre of South Carolina. She is a member of the NiA Company and Company Emeritus with Trustus Theatre.  Prior to entering the Play Right Series, she had written a handful of short stories and one other script. By day, Lonetta is an eLearning Developer with a large insurance company. She has one daughter and one grandson. 

Lonetta’s play, Therapy, will be the focus of a staged reading on Sunday, August 6, 2023.

~~~

Now it’s your chance to join the Jasper Project’s Play Right Series as a Community Producer.

Are you the kind of person who always wants to know more about the art you experience?

·         Why did the playwright write their characters the way they did?

·         What was the director trying to accomplish by having an actor move across stage, turn their back to the audience, or break into dance?

·         How did an actor make me feel the way they did simply by turning their head?

If you have a passion for knowing more, understanding process, inspiration, and impetus, and seeing how a virgin play goes from page to stage, you are a good candidate for becoming a Jasper Project Play Right Series Community Producer.

 ~~~

What is a Community Producer?

Community Producers are important members of the Play Right Series Team who, in exchange for their investment of a modest amount of funding, ($250 each or $500 per couple) become engaged in the development of a virgin play from the first time the actors meet until the production of a staged reading of the play in front of an audience.

During July 2023, Community Producers will gather every Sunday to explore the process of a play moving from page to stage with presentations that include

  • Meet the Playwright: Lonetta Thompson

  • Meet the Director: Elena Martinez-Vidal

  • First Table Reading with your host, Jon Tuttle

  • Behind the scenes with the Cast of Therapy

  • Stage managing, props, costumes, lighting, & sound with your host, Jon Tuttle   

 

And finally, a Staged Reading before a live audience with the Community Producers front and center as our esteemed Guests of Honor*

You’ll enjoy wine, cheese, socializing, and an assortment of other unique snacks at every event, as well as Jasper Project swag bags

* For the Staged Reading, Guests of Honor will be seated in the best seats in the house, acknowledged from the stage and in all programming, promotions, and press releases, as well as on the Jasper Project website and in the Fall 2023 issue of Jasper Magazine.

Ready to sign up as a Community Producer?

Watch this space for more information or drop a note to info@JasperColumbia.com


How does this work?

Every Sunday afternoon in July 2023 you are invited to join with the cast, crew, and fellow Community Producers of Therapy for an enlightening and entertaining session that pulls back the curtains of theatre development and illuminates how a stageplay goes from page to stage. Your first session will offer you a private viewing of the first step in play production, the Table Reading – the first time the cast of Therapy reads their parts together for their director, Elena Martinez-Vidal.

Subsequent sessions will focus on essential ingredients in the production of a successful staged reading, such as the stage manager’s job; props, lighting, blocking, and sound; unique insights from the director; how the actors prepare for their parts; playwright perceptions from this year and past projects; and an invitation to the dress rehearsal. In addition to your invitation to gather with the cast and crew every Sunday in July, each session will also feature exciting snacks and beverages. And many more surprises each week!

Finally, you’ll take your reserved, best-in-the-house seats to a ticketed staged reading of Lonetta Thompson’s Therapy on Sunday, August 6th.

But there’s more.

Your name will be included as a Community Producer on programs, posters, press releases, and other promotional materials as well as in the perfect bound book, Therapy by Lonetta Thompson, published by Muddy Ford Press and registered with the Library of Congress, and you will take home your own copies of Therapy as a souvenir of your experience.

 

What is expected of Community Producers?

We hope you can make it to every exciting Sunday afternoon meeting, but we understand if you have to miss some. Each session will last from 90 – 120 minutes.

The financial commitment for a Community Producer is a minimum of $250 per person, but institutional sponsorships are also available and appreciated. You can also sponsor a student for $250 if you are unable to participate yourself.

Our hope is that you will be so enlightened and inspired by this experience that you will become a diplomat of live theatre, fresh playwrights, and the Jasper Project and encourage your friends and colleagues to participate in live theatre themselves!

 

Play Right Series History

The Play Right Series is an endeavor to enlighten and empower audiences with information about the process involved in creating theatrical arts, at the same time that we engineer and increase opportunities for SC theatre artists to create and perform new works for theatre.  

Our first project in the Play Right Series was in 2017 when Larry Hembree led project members to produce a staged reading of Sharks and Other Lovers by SC playwright Randall David Cook. Sharks went on to win a number of awards and has been produced off-Broadway.  

Our second play, community produced in the summer of 2022, Moon Swallower, was written by first time playwright Colby Quick and directed by Chad Henderson. Moon Swallower was performed as a staged reading at the Columbia Music Festival Association in August 2022 and subsequently performed in its entirety by USC Aiken. 2022’s Community Producers included James Smith, Kirkland Smith, Paul Leo, Eric Tucker, Ed Madden, Bert Easter, Bill Schmidt, Wade Sellers, and Cindi Boiter. 

SC Playwright Professor Jon Tuttle of Francis Marion University was the project manager in 2022 and returns as to the position in 2023.

Koger Center for the Arts Opens Submission Period for Annual Art Contest

CALL FOR ART!

The Koger Center for the Arts is bringing back their art competition, “The Project” for 2023. The submission period opened on April 17 and will close on July 17, 2023. The first-place winner for the contest receives a $500 stipend and an opportunity to showcase their winning artwork!

The beginning of the art contest started during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The goals were simple – offer a small financial award to a South Carolina artist and provide a platform to showcase the talent of artists in our state through an exhibition at the Koger Center.

You can fill out the submission form by clicking here.

The requirements for submissions are as follows:

  • Artist must be over 18 years old and based in South Carolina

  • Submissions must be your own, original work

  • Submissions must have been created in the past 2 years

  • If an artist has applied before, repeat art cannot be submitted again

  • Previous winners of The Project/1593 Project (the name of the contest the year it was created) may not submit artwork for up to 5 years. Honorable mentions are still allowed to enter again.

The end of the submission period coincides with the opening week of the exhibition featuring last year’s winners of The Project. Last year’s first and second place winners are Nick Brutto and Virginia Dale Bishop respectively. The exhibition will also feature some honorable mentions: Jane Nodine, Dylan Fouste, Meena Khalili and Marge Loudon Moody.

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

Richland Library Accepting Applications for Artist in Residence

Applications Being Accepted For Fall 2023

and Spring 2024 Residency

In an effort to connect the community with local artists and to provide creative and cultural opportunities, Richland Library is accepting applications for our Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 Artist-in-Residence.

The Fall residency will run from July 14 through December 15, 2023, and the Spring residency will run from January 5, 2024, through June 14, 2024.

Responsibilities consist of: 

  • deliver art-making tutorials

  • lead studio tours

  • host creative workshops

  • hold artist meet-ups

  • serve as a liaison between artists and Richland Library

The residency also includes an online gallery exhibit of the artist's work on the library's website as well as a monthly stipend.

We encourage interested artists to apply. The deadline is Friday, June 9. Applications and additional information are available here. 

Initially developed in September 2016, the concept behind Richland Library's artist-in-residence is to connect the community with local, working artists and to provide creative and educational opportunities to local residents in a way that supports cultural and artistic exchange.

For media inquiries, please contact Anika Thomas via 803-530-4621 or athomas@richlandlibrary.com

About Richland Library

Awarded the National Medal in 2017 by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Richland Library is a vibrant, contemporary organization that provides resources and information that advance the Midlands. Offering state-of-the-art technology, a variety of literary and cultural programs and 13 bustling facilities located throughout the county, Richland Library provides a truly customizable, modern library experience for residents and visitors alike.

Bits & Pieces by Olga Yukhno and Friends at Stormwater Studios

April 26 - May 7, 2023

Stormwater Studios

Featuring the work of 6 South Carolina artists, Olga Yukhno has curated an exhibition that brings her unique vision to life. Bits & Pieces, which opens on April 26th at Stormwater Studios at 413 Pendleton Street in the Columbia, SC Vista and runs through May 7th, focuses on artists whose work involves multiple parts—think woodworking, quilts, mosaics—hence bits and pieces.

In addition to Yukhno, the artists exhibiting include Cameron Porter, Janet Kozachek, Mary Robinson, Janet Swigler, and Jeri Burdick.

The opening reception is Wednesday April 26th from 5-8 with a public workshop on May 2nd from 6-7 pm, an Artists Talk on Thursday May 4th from 6-8, and a closing celebration on Sunday May 7th from 1-3 pm.

Yukhno also is currently showing an extensive collection of her own work at the Jasper Gallery at Midland Technical College’s Harbison Theatre on College Street in Irmo.

This exhibit was made possible due to the generous sponsorship by Dr. Bill Schmidt.


More About the curator Olga Yukhno:

Olga Yukhno is an artist originally from Pyatigorsk, Russia. It was in Russia her passion for art began. Inspired by the culture of her home country, she started by working with batiques, stained glass and enameling. She studied under world renowned enamellist, Nikolai Vdovkin for several years to hone her skills, before moving to the United States in 2008. 

In the US, she no longer had access to the tools needed to continue with her enameling, and quickly started expanding into any and every new medium she could get access to. What she fell in love with was ceramic sculpting. It allowed her to experiment, and fuse together old-world artistry with her skills and abilities across a wide variety of art forms to create totally new and unique mixed media pieces. 

Over the years, Olga has traveled to over 40 countries across Eastern and Western Europe, Asia and the Americas, and visited museums ranging from the world famous Louvre in France, to the smallest unnamed art displays in towns and villages few outsiders have ever seen. It is in these travels she gets the most inspiration, drawing on the uniqueness and culture of every new place she visits, she finds ways to incorporate those cultural nuances into each new piece she makes. The colors, shapes, and ideas of everything from tribal masks to modern street art can be seen woven into her work. She loves juxtaposition in her art, old and new, lustrous and weathered, and it’s in these contrasts she finds beauty.

Currently her work is a mixture of three dimensional ceramic and mixed media wall pieces, figurative sculpture, and larger scale installation works. The process used to create many of her signature looks is achieved by hand pressing each individual impression into the clay using small custom made metal tools. She hand makes all of these tools herself out of repurposed architectural metal scraps. She also loves to incorporate found objects, as well as utilize techniques from other art forms she’s studied and practiced, such as weaving, encaustic and metal working. The result of this process, different incorporated elements and techniques are what create her unique and visually interesting personal style. Her degree in psychology shapes the ideas and concepts behind many of her pieces, with the intention that observing her work encourages the viewer to think more about what they’re seeing, and the emotions it evokes.

(https://www.olgayukhno.com/about)

Business Strategies for the Performing Artist at CMFA -- April 22nd -- Register Now -- KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!

Last Week to Register!

Register HERE!

Check out this FREE and informative interactive workshop coming to you from our friends at Columbia Music Festival. Sure, no one wants to spend their Saturday morning talking dollars and cents, contracts and budgets. BUT it’s important that you, as a performing artist, KNOW YOUR RIGHTS! Particularly when we live in a community in which at least one well-known performing arts executive director pettily compromises the RIGHTS of the artists he works with to work for anyone else. This workshop just might change your life. And it’s FREE.

914 Pulaski Street, Columbia SC

Registerr Here!

The Watering Hole Announces Registration for The Listening Party throughout May

What is it?

↳ A FREE Virtual Craft Talk Series

↳ A peer-led group of 6-10 Tribe members, where each member presents a 15-30 minute Craft Talk to the group.

↳ At the end of the presentation, the group asks questions and gives feedback.

!

When is it?

↳ Zoom meetings will be 75 minutes once a month, scheduled around the availability of the group members.

!

Why do it?

↳ You’ll get to attend several sessions of Craft Talks and learn from your peers!

↳ You’ll create your own Craft Talk!

↳ You’ll get thoughtful feedback for revision!

↳ Hopefully, you’ll revise your idea and get it published or use it to for paid lectures. (Maybe TWH can even pay you to present the talk.)

↳ Plus, can (re)connect with Tribe!

!

Register HERE & Now

Registration should take less than 3 minutes

for most people.

52 Windows – An Evening of Art Featured Artists: George Stone and Ija Charles

George Stone has enjoyed diverse careers including playing professional baseball in the Chicago White Sox organization, working as a mechanical engineer, and working as a professional artist. Stone is a representational oil painter who focuses primarily on landscape and still life subject matter. He paints extensively from life (plein air) but also works in the studio using plein air studies, sketches and photographic reference.

He has won many awards and is a member of the Oil Painters of America. Stone attempts to convey the beauty and dignity of everyday scenes, and is especially interested in developing a mood in his landscapes by capturing the quality of light present during different times of day, different seasons of the year and different locations.

Ija Charles, 25, is a self-taught artist and entrepreneur from Columbia. You can see her large-scale murals depicting what she calls “a renaissance of black joy” throughout the city.

In addition to murals, she paints colorful, magical and whimsical pictures that create joy while delivering unspoken, yet powerful messages of encouragement.

The muses for her art range from everyday people to diverse samplings from her surrounding community, lived experiences and culture. Inspired by the journey of her upbringing, Ija sows seeds of uniqueness in each new piece and harvests positive vibes from her foundation.

Mirci will host 52 Windows – An Evening of Art, on Thursday, May 18th at 701 Whaley from 6-9pm. The annual fundraiser showcases the work of talented local artists and encourages support of Mirci’s mission to uphold mental health across the Midlands. Visit mirci.org/events for more information.


Woman, Life, Freedom event focuses on Iranian women’s rights movement Evening includes pop-up art exhibition and panel discussion

From our friends at Columbia Museum of Art …

The Columbia Museum of Art presents Woman, Life, Freedom: An Evening on the Art of Protest, an evening of art and activism in conjunction with the exhibition Reverent Ornament: Art from the Islamic World, on Thursday, April 27, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Free with membership or admission, the program focuses on Iranian culture and the current women’s rights movement and features diasporic artists and scholars living in Columbia.

“This museum has been given the opportunity to present art from the Islamic world, in an exhibition that showcases more work from Iran than anywhere else, so I thought it was important to provide space for local Iranian Americans to give voice to what is currently happening there,” says CMA Manager of Engagement Wilson Bame. “I'm extremely excited to be working with these artists, who are very distinct yet very in sync with each other, to highlight their fine work while also giving our visitors a chance to learn more about and maybe participate in the Woman. Life. Freedom. movement.”

The geographical representation in Reverent Ornament: Art from the Islamic World is broad, with art included from regions as far west as Egypt, and as far east as India. The country with the greatest number of items in the exhibition is Iran, a place with thousands of years of cultural history. Presently, Iran is on the minds of many as protests continue in cities throughout the country and across the world following the death of Iranian citizen Mahsa Amini, who died last September while in custody after being arrested by the government’s guidance patrol or “morality police” for “improperly” wearing a hijab. Chanting “Woman. Life. Freedom.,” many people of Iran and their international allies protest the ill treatment of its citizens, especially women, under the rule of the present regime and fight to bring equality to their home nation.

Attendees are encouraged to visit Reverent Ornament to view the art that inspired the program before gathering in the CMA Theater for a short historical recalling of Iran’s most recent histories and a panel discussion led by USC language professor Farzad Salamifar. A pop-up exhibition in the Reception Gallery features the work of three Iranian American women artists, all affiliated with the USC School of Visual Art and Design: designer and associate professor Meena Khalili, visual artist, and adjunct professor Nakisa Beigi, and multimedia artist and MFA student Nina Rastgar. These artists will be present throughout the program and available for questions and discussion. The evening ends on Boyd Plaza with the chalk-stenciling of protest phrases in Farsi, Kurdish, and English.

Thursday, April 27 | 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | Galleries and bar open at 6:00 p.m. | Panel discussion 6:30 – 7:00 p.m. | Pop-up exhibition at 7:00 p.m. | Free with membership or admission | Cash bar

Steel Hands Brewery Announces FREE Nashville Nights Concert Series

Once the Students are gone and the Locals come out to play …

Recognizing the fact that Columbia and the Midlands area are so much more than a college community, Steel Hands Brewery has announced a series of free concerts at their Cayce brewery every Friday night starting June 2nd and going into August 11th.

Curated and hosted by Michael Haney, Nashville Nights will offer family friendly performances mostly by Nashville-based singer songwriters, but kicking the series off is Channing Wilson. A Georgia Boy, Wilson plans to bring his band for this special performance on June 2nd.

A singer songwriter, Wilson has performed with or written for the likes of Luke Combs, the Oak Ridge Boys, Travis Tritt, and Riley Green. His work is raw, gritty, and honest. He says he grew up listening to Waylon and Wille, and that his dad was a huge Hank Williams, Jr. fan—all of which influenced him as he was developing his chops and is still evident in his music today.

Channing Wilson

The series follows Wilson with SC native Chuck Cannon. A singer songwriter whose music ranges from country to Irish folk and many genres in between, Cannon has written for Toby Keith, John Michael Montgomery, Winonna Judd, Lonestar, Night Ranger, Sarah Buxton, his late wife Lari White, and more.

Chuck Cannon

Cayce Mayor Elise Partin calls Steel Hands Brewery a “destination brewery,” saying the “musical experiences that they bring to our region is unparalleled.”

Additional artists filling out the series are Paul McDonald, Levi Lowry, Ben Donaher, Chris Canterbury, Lone Hollow and more. Check out the entire lineup with thumbnails on what to expect.

And check back with The Jasper Project as we keep you up to date on what’s coming next for Steel Hands Brewery this spring and summer.

The Arts Center of Kershaw County is proud to present Godspell May 5-7 and 12-14 in Wood Auditorium!

From our friends at the Arts Center of Kershaw County:

The Arts Center of Kershaw County is proud to announce Godspell!

Focusing on the timeless power of hope, Godspell is structured as a series of parables based on the biblical gospel of Matthew. Godspell features an eclectic blend of songs, ranging in style from pop to vaudeville, as the story of Jesus’ life dances across the stage. With music composed by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked) with book by John-Michael Tebelak, Godspell was an immediate blockbuster hit upon its release in the 1970’s.

Godspell began as a project by drama students at Carnegie Mellon University and then moved to the off-off-Broadway theater La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in the East Village of Manhattan. The show was rescored for an off-Broadway production, which opened on May 17, 1971, and became a long-running success. Many productions have followed worldwide, including a 2011 Broadway revival.

Now we are proud to bring Godspell to the Arts Center Main Stage!

Dates: May 5-7 and 12-14
Location: Wood Auditorium
Tickets: $25 (Adults) $10 (Under 18)
Showtimes: Fridays and Saturdays doors open at 6:00 for a 7:00 pm show. Sundays doors open at 2:00 pm for a 3:00 pm show.

Purchase Tickets

For more information, please visit our website or call us at 803-425-7676. Thank you for supporting the Arts Center of Kershaw County! We look forward to seeing you soon! 

Koger Center Opens Colin Dodd Exhibition on Artistic Freedom and Expression

On Wednesday, April 12, from 6pm–8pm, the Koger Center is opening a new show in their Upstairs Gallery by local artist Colin Dodd. The show, titled Artists and Autocrats, explores the tension between those who have the freedom to create art and those who have limited the creation of art. 

Dodd was born in Northumberland and grew up in Newcastle upon Tyne in the Northeast of England where he lived and studied through college, but he decided to move to the United States in 1980 to attend the University of South Carolina for graduate school. Soon after, he graduated with his master’s degree in fine art with a major in painting and minor in printmaking.

From his graduation in the mid-80s until his retirement in 2018, Dodd taught a plethora of art classes at Midlands Technical College. While he, of course, enjoyed teaching painting, which is his normal medium, one of his favorite courses to teach was “Film as Art.”

“I enjoyed teaching the course titled Film as Art (because I am a film buff, cineaste, cinephile etc.),” he shares, “I could encompass as much of film history as I was able to in the time allowed and I could also concentrate on the works of some of my favorite directors.” 

Dodd enjoys a multitude of genres, actually, having published his “first (and perhaps only!)” novel in 2021: Elgin Lost His Marbles, a satire on returning the Elgin Marbles to Greece that he was inspired to begin writing on the plane after a trip to the Parthenon and the New Acropolis Museum. 

His main medium, painting, is similarly inspired by history and the journeys people make to return to themselves or express themselves. This goal is highlighted, specifically in this current exhibition. As he notes, while “Western liberal democracy has nurtured freedom of expression and an environment in which artists have been able to create without fear of persecution for their ideas,” artists who create in “states ruled by autocrats and dictators have consistently…had to fear for their very existence because their ideas did not align with those of the ruling authority.” 

Dodd acknowledges that there is still progress to be made when it comes to minorities and oppressed groups even in Western places of dwelling, asserting that “I think there has been significant change in terms of opportunities which did not exist until quite recently, that would appear to be progress, but it has to be fought for every day in the political sphere.” 

His work is part of this fight, which he enters by contrasting modernists who successfully expressed their life experiences through art with the depictions of autocrats and dictators who inflicted suffering and limited the fundamental right of citizens and artists by controlling their voices. When asked what he believes is a representative part of this exhibition and something he hopes people experience if nothing else, Dodd shared the following: 

The exhibition includes portraits of two film directors, Sergei Eisenstein and Sergei Parajanov, both of whom suffered the consequence of living in a totalitarian state. Eisenstein was prohibited from making films for a period of time because his work did not conform to the approved Soviet style. Parajanov was imprisoned in the Soviet gulag for four years (1973 - 1977) due in part to his Armenian/Georgian ethnicity and his nonconformist work.  Despite the efforts of the Soviet authorities to suppress, censor, punish and silence these individuals, they succeeded. How? Because their work has survived, and it is celebrated today by audiences around the world.  The creative act is a rebellious act, especially when it applies to those whose existence might be in peril for that very act of creation. 

Seeing this exhibition is a chance to not only experience this tension and fight for expression but to support a local artist who represents the voice of our state. Dodd just recently had a painting accepted in the State Museum’s permanent collection, a “gratifying acknowledgement of [his] working presence here in South Carolina,” and has shared his local voice abroad as part of travelling group show—the "Rainforest Art Exhibition" organized by Taiwanese born artist Marlene Tseng Yu that was displayed in both the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts in Taiwan and the Las Vegas Museum of Art. 

Even if you cannot make it to the Opening Reception, you can drop by to see Dodd’s work any time before it comes down on July 2.

Monday Night - ONE NIGHT ONLY - Join 701 CCA for SWIM, a Unique Puppet Pool Experience by Tarish Pipkins

Tarish Pipkins, also known as Jeghetto, presents his newest installation and puppet show SWIM, at the 701 Center for Contemporary Art’s swimming pool. This will be a one night performance with limited capacity on April 10, 2023 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Pipkins has been using found materials to create puppets since the late 90s in Clairton, Pennsylvania. Currently, he is an Artist in Residence at the 701 Center for Contemporary Art. However, he got his start at the BridgeSpotters Collective, where he staged puppet street performances.

Some of Pipkin’s most major puppet projects include the Amazon Echo commercial featuring puppets of Alec Baldwin and Missy Elliot, as well as a Pharell Williams puppet in Elliot’s music video “WTF (Where They From).”

SWIM will be a performance dedicated to exploring the myth of the Dogon and Mer-People, and how these myths currently relate to our present collective history. As the 701 Center for Contemporary Art says, “This performance is a poem of hope and determination that will undulate through the glass floor under which it is performed and crash into the hearts of the audience.” 

You can find tickets for the one time, special event at by clicking here.

More on 52 Windows Coming up at 701 Whaley

Mirci will host 52 Windows – An Evening of Art, on May 18th at 701 Whaley from 6-9pm. The annual fundraiser showcases the work of talented local artists while encouraging support of Mirci’s mission to provide wrap-around services, including behavioral healthcare and supportive housing, to individuals experiencing mental illness in the Midlands. Visit mirci.org/events for more information.

Introducing Featured Artists – Lani Stringer and Nina Knowlton

Lani Stringer

Lani Mustard Stringer is the founder of, and principal artist at Mustard Graphics in Columbia, South Carolina. She has won numerous awards in a broad range of mediums, with the interconnection between fine art and graphic design apparent in much of her work.

Lani is driven by a deep curiosity and fascination with the world around her. She believes that art has the power to communicate complex ideas and emotions in ways that words alone cannot, and strives to create work that engages viewers on multiple levels. Her creative process is highly intuitive and experimental, and employs a wide range of mediums and techniques to bring ideas to life. Drawing inspiration from a variety of sources, including nature and music, she is constantly seeking new ways to push the boundaries of creativity.

 

Nina Knowlton

Nina Knowlton was born and raised in Florence, and has lived in Columbia for over 40 years. As a lifetime resident of South Carolina with an affinity for travel, art has always been an important part of her life. Over the last five years, her main focus has been on painting landscapes. She describes her process as “Not just depicting what I see but painting emotion, or, that is to say, how nature feels, and exploring the atmosphere between painter and the subject.”

Her paintings are either painted plein air or painted from photographs she has taken, usually in South Carolina. Declaring nature as her second love, she says, “Painting really makes me appreciate and see nature in a whole new dimension.” She recently attended workshops focused on the style of French Impressionists, which is reflected in her work. She is currently painting at Studio Carlisle.

Browse the work entered for auction by all participating artists and purchase your tickets today by visiting mirci.org/events. Tickets include an open bar, heavy hors d'oeuvres from Aberdeen Catery, and live music, with all proceeds supporting the urgent work of Mirci. 

MIRCI hosts the 10th year of 52 Windows Highlighting Columbia SC Artists

Celebrating its 10th inaugural year, Mirci will host 52 Windows – An Evening of Art, on May 18th at 701 Whaley from 6-9pm. The annual fundraiser showcases the work of talented local artists while encouraging support of Mirci’s mission to provide wrap-around services, including behavioral healthcare and supportive housing, to individuals experiencing mental illness in the Midlands. Come enjoy an evening of art including heavy hors d’oeuvres by Aberdeen Catery, an open bar, and live music. Tickets are on sale now at mirci.org/events.

Aldo Muzzarelli

Introducing Featured Artists – Aldo Muzzarelli and Ginny Merett

Among this year’s featured artists is Aldo Muzzarelli, a Venezuelan-born artist who has gained international recognition. Aldo holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Central University of Venezuela, has worked as an illustrator at the Inter-American Center of Languages (CIDI -Caracas), and was an animator on several films produced by the Film Department at the University of Los Andes. He served for several years as Director of Culture of his hometown and taught at training workshops in fine arts all around Venezuela.

He performed specialized studies in Spain (Fresco Painting Techniques, Restoration of Paintings on Canvas, Stucco­marble, Dorados al agua y estofados en oro fino (fine gold), Stained Glass and Grisailles) and frequented the atelier of the great Venezuelan master Abdon Romero in Florida, US. In 2010, Aldo created several monumental works for the Cathedral of San Pedro in Caracas, and he opened his own gallery in Tinaquillo. Aldo Muzzarelli has participated in individual and group exhibitions in Venezuela, the United States, Spain, and Italy; and has received 49 awards since his arrival in the U.S. in 2013. He currently resides in Mauldin, SC.

Ginny Merett

Recently named one of the Top 15 Artists in Columbia, SC by Influence Digest (8/2022), Ginny Merett joins the lineup of featured artists.

Known for her eccentric collage works, Ginny has been an artist and art educator for over four decades. Through those years she used various media to create art, but for the last ten years, devoted her time to creating multimedia collage pieces. Inspired by stylish women and ordinary faces and images, she portrays unique characters using parts and pieces from current day and vintage media.

Ginny’s collage pieces have been shown in solo and group exhibits at Stormwater Studio, ArtFields, Koger Center for the Arts, the Jasper Project, USC’s McMaster Gallery, SC State Library, and other local venues like Sound Bites Eatery, Trustus Theater, She Festival, Cottontown Art Crawl and Melrose Art in the Yard. Her work is published in the Jasper Project’s Jasper Magazine Spring 2019 and Fall 2022 editions, and in Sheltered: SC Artists Respond During the 2020 Pandemic; and in Bullets and Band-Aids, Vol. 3.

Born and raised in Denver, Ginny has lived in South Carolina since 1987. She constantly sewed, created, and treasured drawing as a child and sought out every art opportunity in school. Because art was such a passion of Ginny’s youth, she studied art education in college where she explored a wide range of disciplines and mediums; and later taught art in public schools for 30 years.

Ginny is a member of Figurativeartists.org and is a member of the Jasper Project Board of Directors. Look for her at ginnymerett.com and on all social platforms.

Jasper Talks with Lindsay Holler Ahead of the Southern Sounds Music Festival

For the first time, the Koger Center will host a free, outdoor music festival on April 30th, 2023, from 5 to 8 p.m. The festival, titled “Southern Sounds Music Festival,” continues the “Southern Sounds” series that the Koger Center started earlier this year. The featured acts are Lindsay Holler, Rebekah Todd and Admiral Radio, with the latter being the act to introduce the series altogether. Now that Lindsay Holler has moved from the Lowcountry to the capital city, she has gotten to really start feeling for the magic of Columbia music performance. We spoke to Lindsay Holler about what it’s like to be a part of this lineup, becoming a part of the ever-growing Columbia music scene, and more.

Jasper: What’s the one thing you’re most excited about with this music festival?

Holler: I’m in the process of finishing recording a new record, so this show is an opportunity for my band and I to start taking these new songs and studio arrangements and working them out on stage. From my experience, songs can sometimes take on a new life when they migrate from studio to stage.

Jasper: This is the first free music festival of this scale produced by the Koger Center. How does it feel to be a part of a brand-new project like this?

Holler: It’s a great opportunity for my band and I, and we are grateful to be a part of it! The Koger Center obviously has an amazing reputation in Columbia, and as a recent transplant, this kind of festival affords us some additional exposure for my band, when we’re able to share a bill with multiple acts.

Jasper: Have you worked with Admiral Radio or Rebekah Todd before?

Holler: I’ve never had the opportunity to work with Rebekah Todd. I have had the pleasure of working with Admiral Radio many times before. When I lived in Charleston, I produced a concert series at the Charleston Music Hall, called the “Women &” series. Becca was gracious enough to come down to Charleston and perform in several of these “Women &” concerts. I’ve performed with all of Admiral Radio several times in Charleston too, but this is my first Columbia show with them!

Jasper: What’s your favorite thing about performing live? What pushed you to pursue music performance as a career?

Holler: I’ve always been able to sing, and started out singing in the church choir and school chorus when I was growing up. I was accepted to Berklee College of Music, on a vocal scholarship, and earned a Bachelor’s in Jazz Performance from the College of Charleston. Once I got out of college, I focused on writing my own songs and working on my own sound. The music scene in Charleston was a fruitful place, when I was coming up – lots of talented creative people to play with and try things. I love performing live and communicating with people. It’s a collective experience that is so exciting and can’t be replicated!

Jasper: Have you gotten acquainted with the local Columbia music scene? Have you played anywhere locally since you moved here, or are there any places on your performance bucket list?

Holler: I’m still new to the scene here and finding my way. Back in the day, when I was still living in Charleston, I did come up to play some shows at Conundrum in West Cola and The White Mule on Main Street.

The Southern Sounds Music Festival will take place on the Koger Center’s Plaza Stage. Food and drinks will be for sale through Horseshoe Catering and food truck vendors. If you have any questions, contact the Koger Center at (803) 777-7500.