First Thursday on Main, August 4th

We’re approaching Jasper’s favorite day of the month. No, not free cupcake day, though Jasper admits to having a bit of a thing for those scrumptious little red velvet darlings down on Lincoln Street. No, Jasper’s favorite day of the month is First Thursday, of course.

Art and accompanying happenings get underway around 6 pm, and with this many events, don’t be late.

Here’s a look at what to expect on Main Street  tomorrow – a compilation of Main Street arts offerings in the gallery operators' own words --

Vessels

Anastasia & Friends

1534 Main Street

“For the August First Thursday series at Anastasia & Friends, Katherine Elliott, Kara Gunter, Paul Kaufmann, Matthew Kramer, Paul Moore, Virginia Scotchie, Roe Young and I have collaborated with three of the area’s award-winning and most innovative floral and plant artists, Sandra Crosland Chastain, Candace Engel and Rudy Goff to create a show like you’ve never seen on Main Street!

VESSELS is an art exhibition where organic meet...s and becomes sculpture. The exhibition will include ceramic, metal and mixed media in conjunction with a vast variety of exotic flowers and plants. The works of art that have been created will include openings for plant and floral artists to create organic sculptures that harmonize with the vessels.

Many thanks to Florida State Wholesale Flower Farm for sponsoring the incredible flowers that you'll see in the show, and to Verde Garden for being the succulent and exotic plant sponsor for this innovative show.

Special thanks to Roe Young (with Roe Young State Farm) who continues to spoil us every month with his generous sponsorship of wine and cheese. He’s been our sponsor for a year and half now, and we appreciate him so much. Give him a call for a quote sometime, he’s a great agent and will really look out for you.

VESSELS will be on exhibition from August 4th to 25th. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9 to 5 (and by appointment, after hours).” – Anastasia

Impremio: Exploratory Prints by Grace Rockafellow

S & S Art Supply

1633 Main Street

This month's First Thursday Event is full of activities to enjoy here at S & S Art Supply! You can watch a whole lineup of Hip Hop performances (please read all the way to the bottom!), make a print with this month's artist Grace Rockafellow, mingle with other artists, watch live art making outside, and more!! Playing with Surrealism and Nature,Grace Rockafellow also implements personal memories and images of her family. "I am finding printmaking to be my visual language....I try to let the image tell me what to do next." she says. She is a very process-oriented printmaker, working mostly with mono prints this past year. Make a print with the artist! Grace will have a little setup inside the store where you can make a simple print to take home! This will be happening throughout the evening, so stop in and get creative! Grace Rockafellow, a retired public art teacher of 20 years, has a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and a BA from Salem College. Since retiring, she has had time to explore new forms of printmaking and developing her imagery. She has participated in workshops at Redux Art Center in Charleston, Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina, and places in Santa Fe, New Mexico. S & S Art Supply is also proud to announce the "New Edition Block Party" with NONSTOP HIPHOP LIVE & Louis Skye Lineup: Dj Peoples / B-Boy Freestyle / Live Artwork - 5:30p - 7p Kingpin / B-Boy Freestyle / Live Artwork - 7p-9p The New Edition Block Party is a microcosm of NSHHL's & Luis Skye's newest venture especially designed for S&S Art Supply store's First Thursdays on Main event. This live event will be bringing hiphop LIVE in full effect RIGHT in front of the store! Hosted by Luis Skye's own Angel, this live event will feature the soaring DJ Peoples (Luis Skye/Cut Fresh Crew) & DJ Kingpin (NSHHL/Official Block Banga) on the wheels of steel; b-boys & bgirls including breakers from 3rd Dimension & Tribe SK, as well as a live piece presented by Izms of Art's own Carlos Bilal!! Luis Skye + NSHHL + S&S Art Supply have managed to put together an event that First on Thursdays on Main will NEVER forget! Twisted Frame of Mind 1520 Main Street The August FOM Series is all wired up with the return of Bohumila Augustinova to our little gallery. Bohumila will be making her third appearance with her new show Twisted, a collection of wire works inspired by an old Moravian technique called "tinkering." Of special interest will be the current collection of wire dresses she has been working on for the last year. The warrior motif pieces will be shown on live models on the ni...ght of the FOM Series; one of these meticulously woven wonders takes the artist approximately three months to complete. She expects to complete this collection within the next year or so. We'll also have some of her recycled dresses on display from Runaway Runway, along with other wire pieces (kite, masks, and jewelry). She's collaborated with Columbia photographer, Mark Green, and videographer, Jason Stroud, to make this a truly dynamic installation and to help deliver the high energy that her shows have become known for. And the energy will continue outside with our usual assortment of entertainment that will leave you cheering for more. Gervais and Vine will be in the house (of course) to bring you some great wine. Hampton Street Vineyard 1201 Hampton Street August is almost here and once again we’ll be celebrating the First Thursday with the "Main Street Merchants"! "Total Denial” will be entertaining us once again, only this time inside the air conditioning! Way to hot! They will be starting around 7:30 – 8:00. Michelle will be mixing up some drink specials as well and always some fabulous food for your pallet. Novam Project:  Pilot Tapp’s Arts Center Project 1644 Main Street Meet us at Tapp’s to experience the opening performance of Novam Project: Pilot. Produced by Bonnie Boiter-Jolley and Margey Bolen in collaboration with Robert Michalski, Jessica Stroupe, Keith Mearns, Regina Willoughby, RJ Foley and Aaron Pelzek. Pilot showcases the fresh vision of Columbia’s upcoming dance talent, featuring choreography by Mearns and Michalski. Come together in celebration of a novel movement brought to you from the heart of Columbia's next generation of dance. Show times are at 7 and 8 p.m. and are free to the public.

Sometimes, Jasper is bored.

When it comes to classical ballet and choreography, it goes without saying that while Jasper has respect for the old favorites, it’s the new choreography that gives him the tingly shivers. (Jasper loves it when his dancers dabble in experimental stuff.) So, of course, he was a bit disappointed when his two biggest local ballet companies announced that their upcoming seasons consist primarily of the tried and true. Romeo, angry swans, assorted other fairytales and the like.

“What about new choreography?” he was heard to bellow.

Jasper just wishes that his beloved ballet ADs would believe in their audiences enough to know that they want to be challenged – they’re getting tired of the same old, same old. Yes, they love their sleeping beauties and their enamored pirates, but when an audience already knows the score to a show by heart then, honey, it’s time to change the show.

Fact is that the Columbia dance arts community has no shortage of outstanding choreographers in its midst – people like Terrance Henderson, Dale Lam, Caroline Lewis Jones, and Thaddeus Davis. So here’s the question, which one of our distinguished artistic directors from the big two companies is going to be the bigger man and ask one of these highly talented choreographers into his studio to choreograph on his company?

Jasper is hoping for soon.

In the meantime, check out their new seasons at

www.columbiacityballet.com and www.columbiclassicalballet.org.

Jasper is pleased to meet you

One of the most exciting things about getting Jasper underway has been assembling the team of writers, designers, business people, and marketing experts who will be bringing the magazine and its associated technological endeavors to you. Many of these folks have either worked together before, or worked on similar projects. But we hadn’t all been in the same room before, brainstorming and bonding and feeding off of one another’s creative energy, until this week when we gathered at Muddy Ford, (where Jasper will be living temporarily as he searches for an office space with just the right feng shui for his needs.)

It was, to put it mildly, exciting.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be using what JASPER said to introduce you, Jasper’s readers, to the creative team that is working tirelessly to bring you your first print issue of the magazine. Look for informative bios about our staff mixed in among blog postings about what’s going on in the arts in Columbia. (We’re all really excited about the upcoming season, so you’ll likely be hearing lots about that, too.)

For now, please allow us to introduce the staff behind Jasper – The Word on Columbia Arts. Send us your comments and suggestions; say hello to us on the street. We’re here for Jasper and you.

Kristine Hartvigsen – associate editor, managing editor

            — reach Kristine at khartvigsen@jaspercolumbia.com

 Michael Miller – associate editor, copy editor

            — reach Mike at MMiller@jaspercolumbia.com

 W. Heyward Sims – design editor

            — reach Heyward at whsims@jaspercolumbia.com

 Kyle Petersen – music editor

            — reach Kyle at kpetersen@jaspercolumbia.com

 Ed Madden – poetry editor

            — reach Ed at emadden@jaspercolumbia.com

 Lenza Jolley – technology maven

            — reach Lenza at ljolley@jaspercolumbia.com

 Karina Salehi – sales director

            — reach Karina at ksalehi@jaspercolumbia.com

 Margey Bolen – public relations savant

            — reach Margey at mbolen@jaspercolumbia.com

 Cindi Boiter – editor and beer runner-in-chief

            — reach Cindi at editor@jaspercolumbia.com

Muddy Ford Press – publisher

 www.jaspercolumbia.com

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Did you read what Jasper said?

As one gets older one sees many more paths that could be taken.

Artists sense within their own work that kind of swelling of possibilities,

which may seem a freedom or a confusion.

                                                                                                                ~ Jasper Johns

Welcome to the first entry in our new blog entitled, “What Jasper said.”

What Jasper said is our way of bringing a touch of the magazine, Jasper – The WORD on Columbia Arts, to readers and followers on a daily basis. Think of it as a verbal wave from a neighbor as you start your morning, or a quick check-in with a dear friend before you go to bed at night.

Jasper likes to keep in touch.

And since art always means different things to different people, Jasper has a variety of bloggers with differing areas of expertise lined up to help you stay up-to-date on the latest news from the Columbia, SC arts scene. We’ll be blogging about theatre and dance, all persuasions of music, literary arts including poetry, essays, book reviews and writing competitions, film and fashion, visual arts, arts events, and tons more.

This way, friends and followers of Jasper won’t have to wait until the magazine comes out – though it will, every other month on the 15^th of the month starting in September 2011, by God – (Jasper loves print media!) to find out what’s happening, where and when it’s happening, and what to expect.

Please visit Jasper online at Jaspercolumbia.com

catch his tweets at http://twitter.com/#!/JASPERadvises

and get fresh baked Jasper on September 15^th when we celebrate his birthday in print for the very first time.

Welcome to

Jasper Magazine – The Word on Columbia Arts