Columbia Summer Rep Dance Company Keeps Cola’s Talent Local by Stephanie Allen

“What would have happened had they stayed here — what if that talent had been able to thrive here in Columbia because they were given the opportunity to pursue … what they were maybe really missing out on?

Josh Alexander, Bonnie Boiter-Jolley, Jennifer Becker Lee, Josh Van Dyke, Nicholas White, Abby McDowell, Nicole Carrion - photo — Kevin Kyzer

The Columbia Summer Rep Dance Company brings jobs to dancers and shows to local audiences during the summer months. After founding the company in 2019, Bonnie Boiter-Jolley and Stephanie Wilkins are looking to do “something different.” This summer, after suspending the program due to COVID-19, the company is back with a limited engagement performance on August 13th & 14th of LIMITLESS. 

Columbia only had two professional ballet companies, according to Boiter-Jolley — Columbia City Ballet and Columbia Classical Ballet. Their respective seasons each last from around September to March, leaving half the year vacant of professional ballet for Columbia audiences — and several months without local work for performers.  

photo credit Kevin Kyzer

Boiter-Jolley had long discussed the notion of working through the summer with other dancers at the Columbia City Ballet, but the idea lacked momentum until she started working with Wilkins. That’s when the option of starting a summer company came to life.  

According to Boiter-Jolley, Wilkins had the creativity, energy, and motivation to get the project of bringing dance to Columbia’s off-season started. Wilkins had been an adjunct professor at Columbia College and USC and owns a Pilates studio in Columbia. “I kinda got burnt out in the university world and wanted to supplement my Pilates life with my artistic life and have a dance company of my own,” Wilkins says.  

The Jasper Project serves as the fiscal agent for the Columbia Summer Repertory Dance Company until the organization acquires its own non-profit status.

“We have all this talent in Columbia that has to leave,” Wilkins says, “and we’d rather they stay here.”

After just five weeks of preparation, they were able to raise enough funds to debut their first show in 2019 and were, notably, able to pay both the dancers and the choreographers. Dancers and choreographers often have to find work outside of Columbia during the summer months due to their shortened seasons. “We have all this talent in Columbia that has to leave,” Wilkins says, “and we’d rather they stay here.” 

According to Boiter-Jolley, there’s been a longstanding rivalry between Columbia City Ballet and Columbia Classical Ballet —  a sense of competition that, in her opinion, is “silly,” given the breadth of talent that has originated in Columbia. Columbia dancers have made their way into the New York City Ballet, Broadway, and European companies, to name a few. “What would have happened had they stayed here — what if that talent had been able to thrive here in Columbia because they were given the opportunity to pursue … what they were maybe really missing out on?” Boiter-Jolley asks.  

photo Kevin Kyzer

Boiter-Jolley questions the way in which Columbia limits itself, suggesting that the Columbia professional dance scene has been too strictly defined. Her goal with the new dance company is to create something new that is just as valuable and intellectually stimulating as traditional professional dances.  

Aside from two small pieces that premiered in March, everything for the company’s upcoming season is entirely new. The dancers started rehearsing last summer, wearing masks, spacing out, and taking additional precautions. COVID-19 presented specific challenges to Wilkins as a choreographer, who has a penchant for partner-based dancing. Now that the members of the company have been vaccinated, some of the choreography has been adjusted to allow for more closeness between the dancers.  

Boiter-Jolley intends for their August show to be a “pure and heartfelt” experience for everyone participating, without a sense of competition with other organizations.

This season will feature guest choreographers Dale Lam, head of Columbia City Jazz Conservatory, and Angela Gallo, the dean of the School of Visual and Performing Arts at Coker University, in addition to dancers Joshua Alexander, Abby McDowell, Nicholas White, Nicole Carrion, Josh Van Dyke, Samuel Huberty, and Jennifer Becker Lee. Alexander  appeared in Hairspray Live! on ABC, So You Think You Can Dance, and the Superbowl halftime show. 

The company is now only a few weeks away from its next performance, titled LIMITLESS. Boiter-Jolley intends for their August show to be a “pure and heartfelt” experience for everyone participating, without a sense of competition with other organizations. “We’re doing this because we love it,” Wilkins says, “and we can’t wait to share it with the city.” Both women look forward to seeing maskless dancers on stage, watching their facial expressions of emotion, and seeing the breath that carries their movements.   

“There’s room for all of us,”

Wilkins mentioned the importance of fundraising efforts because, in spite of this genuine passion, the dancers and choreographers deserve to be paid. Based on funds, Wilkins would like to travel with the dancers and take them to international festivals. Additionally, Wilkins would like to see more local collaboration and mutual support.   

NICOLE CARRION AND NICHOLAS WHITE - photo Kevin Kyzer

The women want viewers unfamiliar to the dance scene to watch their performances and feel something — regardless of what that emotion is. They encourage longtime supporters of Columbia dance not to limit themselves, to see something different with them, and, specifically, donate.  

The women are open to conversations and questions from anyone interested in their work and want to avoid competition. “There’s room for all of us,” Wilkins says.

LIMITLESS

AUGUST 13TH & 14TH

8 PM

TRUSTUS THEATRE

TICKETS & SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES HERE 

Local Poet, Musician, and Painter Will Pittman Unveils First Gallery Show

 “Art is life and life is art, and like it's like closure to have these materials and put in the time and the execution of the vision of what you're trying to” — Will Pittman

Will Pittman

Will Pittman thrives in the interstices of poetry, music, and painting. A longtime lover of the arts and dweller of the city, he is finally revealing his first art show at State of the Art in Cayce next month.  

Pittman was born in Arkansas, but his family moved to Cayce when he was only 2, and he has long considered South Carolina his home. Even after leaving for college, travel, and experience, he came back to Cayce, where he resides now.  

Pittman, now 32, recalls his first encounter with art being comic books, joking that he used to fill his head with stories and images of Wolverine and Spiderman during class. While he took drawing classes in high school, it would be several years until Pittman began dedicating himself to this craft. 

While working in the distribution center of an Amazon factory, Pittman made a deal with himself: on his off days, he would dedicate 10 hours to painting, which he started by imitating the artists he admired most like expressionists Kokoschka, post-impressionist Van Gogh, and founder of impressionism Monet.

“My work is categorically original—it's still, in my opinion, similar of the beauty of perception in nature,” Pittman reflects, “You know, the thing about the expression of nature is that it can't be totally objective—documentation can't be totally separated from the artist's own mark inside of that.” 

In this interweaving of old and new, Pittman expresses with oil paints and portraiture. He roots part of his style in his relationship with John D Monteith, a local painter who Pittman worked with as an “informal protégé” before building a friendship. As for inspiration, it comes from all over, Pittman never quite placing where it might strike.  

“I'll put it like an author—it's whatever turns a phrase. When I write poetry, sometimes I'll take out books and just flip through and look for words, and then it's like an engine for creativity,” Pittman explains, “That's what portraiture is like for me; it wasn't something that I consciously saw out. And at the same time, it's a reason to load your brush, get that viscosity, and put it on a canvas.  

These ruminations follow Pittman across a number of disciplines, specifically writing and singing. He remembers first reading the American transcendentalist poets and feeling like a “tornado blew his windows out.” He started writing and performing soon after, opening for artists like Justin Townes Earle, Shovels and Rope, and Dex Romweber. 

“My love for literature feeds into songwriting, and those two are like sister arts, and then the painting and drawing, speak to each other, I think, in their craftiness, their intelligence,” Pittman relates, “When I approach a canvas, it's like being a carpenter's apprentice again.” 

Upon desiring forming these experiences into a show, Pittman walked directly into State of the Art and made conversation with gallery owner, Levi Wright, saying it was a form of “American neighborly friendliness.” Pittman showed Wright his art, and Wright knew it was the kind of stories he wanted to help tell. 

“Sometimes you see someone’s work and know they have something special,” Wright says. “And I believe Will is one of those people—he has that something.” 

Pittman is the gallery’s featured July artist. Around 12 canvases of various sizes and prices will be featured, including the two photographed above and a painting of the Hunley, a Confederate submarine Pittman just happened to stumble across last year and knew he had to record. The show is titled “Intervening Time: Facsimile and Ragbag.” 

“I decided to go all out and call it ragbag because the whole main kernel of painting and visual art is that it imitates life. You know, if I were to paint your portrait I would consider elements of art, like line and value and sort of render that with tools,” Pittman details, “But it's really like illusions—your face really doesn't have lines, your face has forms. And I have to make these sort of falsehoods on the canvas, and then that produces the image.” 

The show runs from the 1st to the 31st, and the Opening Reception is Thursday, July 8th from 3:00pm – 6:30pm. During this time, there will be pop-up vendors with food, vintage clothes, and jewelry outside, and Pittman will play his music. 

As the show turns towards its opening, Pittman has eyes set forward even beyond: painting more, playing his music, writing, and reminiscing on the overlaps—and—he’s currently in school to become an art teacher. 

“Art is life and life is art, and it's like closure to have these materials and put in the time and the execution of the vision of what you're trying to,” Pittman effuses, “Maybe having a show will be like a form of emphasizing a period of my life and then putting it away to move onto other material.”  

To support Pittman, follow him on social media (like his YouTube where he shares music, readings, and ruminations) and stop by State of the Art in the month of July to see his intimate reflections of the world around us, a world you might come to learn you didn’t know quite as well as you once thought.

—Christina Xan

South Carolina Potter Levi Wright Brings Life, Art, and Storytelling to Cayce

“It’s special being able to show that pride in a non-selfish way that says, ‘I'm proud of these people—this is our art that we make in South Carolina.’” – Levi Wright

Levi Wright

Levi Wright, 32, is a South Carolina native and longtime art lover and maker, who, in the past several years, he has used his passion to breathe new life to Cayce’s art scene with gallery State of the Art. 

Before this though, Wright grew up moving between Lexington and Cayce, where his parents owned an adult daycare center. His first prominent experience with art happened in school when he made a sculpture based on a Native American tradition for an art class.  

“One Native American tribe had a tradition that when a great chief would die, they would have a sculpture made of his face, and they would put the ashes in there and throw it off the cliff,” Wright tells, “And that was their final goodbye.”  

This uniquely inspired piece was entered into the State Fair. Wright reveled in this praise, recalling that, not being particularly outstanding at school, this was one of the first times he received praise and felt accomplished in work he cared for—and he stuck with it. 

If you look around Wright’s work now, you’ll be setting yourself up for a lot of staring back—that’s because Wright’s work mostly involves sculpting faces, which started in his art class but blossomed when he encountered Peter Lenzo—prominent Columbia sculptor—while taking classes at Southern Pottery.  

“I would see him during my lessons, and the whole time I was thinking, ‘That's what I want to do,’” Wright recalls, “We ended up doing a private session, and it grew into an apprenticeship and then a friendship.”  

Their friendship continued, and a wall at Wright’s house is intermixed with pieces he made and pieces Lenzo made for him, a space that Wright refers to as a “reflection of himself.” Lenzo’s care pushed Wright to become a better artist and pursue different elements of pottery. 

“I really didn't know how to throw because I was just throwing a form big enough for me to put a face in it,” Wright remembers, “You need to learn your fundamentals better before you can grow as an artist.” 

Lenzo’s encouragement resulted in Wright going on to study pottery at the Piedmont Technical College in Edgefield where he received two certificates. While there, he also began teaching classes, something he quickly fell in love with. 

“When I see that smile a person who wanted to throw a plate gets upon successfully throwing a plate, it’s instant satisfaction,” he intimates, “I mean, who doesn't want to be a person to celebrate when people accomplish a goal? If you don't celebrate the small things in life, then life's going to be a big disappointment.”

Wright with Peter Lenzo-inspired art

Now, Wright offers classes at his very own gallery, one that came to be in 2019 after years of planning. As Wright dwelled in Cayce, he felt one thing was missing: bright, local art. Then, a friend—potter John Sharpe—approached Wright and Valery Smith—a local artist whose vision aligned with his—with the idea of opening a gallery. Together, Wright and Smith opened State of the Art.  

Soon after the birth of her first child, Smith left the gallery, and Wright has continued their initial trajectory. The gallery proudly shows only South Carolina artists and hosts around 20-25 artists at any given time, takes part in city events, has monthly featured artists, and offers pottery classes.  

“That's one thing I take pride in, in having a gallery that only carries South Carolina artists because I've always grown up a little bit of just a proud South Carolina boy,” Wright effuses, “It’s special being able to show that pride in a non-selfish way that says, ‘I'm proud of these people—this is our art that we make in South Carolina.’” 

When it comes to selecting work, Wright shows artists that he loves and brings in his family to add an external opinion and aid in selecting pieces he may not have picked on his own. Some artists are reached out to directly, and some walk right in the front door. 

“I've tried to ensure this isn’t a gallery where you go in and even though there are different artists, it all has an identical vibe or feel,” he shares, “I love the fact that you come in here and there is such different stuff.” 

As mentioned previously, Wright shares this love in part through offering community pottery classes at the gallery—one-on-one lessons, several-week courses, and group parties. His classes are for throwing, but another artist can be called in for people who request sculpting classes, and Wright hopes to include painting soon as well.  

Currently Wright is re-vamping the gallery’s website to make scheduling classes easier, but people can still book online or call Wright directly. As he says, “you should never be too old or too smart to learn.” 

If you want to support State of the Art, go by the gallery, share their posts social media, and spread some word-of-mouth love. Their next event will be the opening reception for July artist of the month, Will Pittman, on Thursday, July 8th from 3 – 6:30pm. 

If you want to support Wright and his work, of course support the gallery, take one of his classes, and maybe take one of his heads home too.

—Christina Xan

Jasper Galleries Presents New Gallery Space at McDonnell & Associates with Exhibition By Lauren Chapman and Pam Bowers

The exhibition opens on Thursday, June 24th

reception from 6 - 8 pm

McDonnell and Associates

2442 Devine Street - Columbia

The event is free and the public is invited to attend.

Lauren Chapman and Pam Bowers

The Jasper Project is excited to announce a new gallery space for local artists at McDonnell and Associates law firm, 2442 Devine Street, in Columbia. We’ll be opening the gallery with an exhibition of work by Lauren Chapman and Pam Bowers. Reception is Thursday night (TONIGHT!) from 6-8 pm.

This collaboration with McDonnell and Associates came about when the organization reached out to Jasper and asked if we could help them find artists who would exhibit their work in the law office lobby and conference rooms. Of course, Jasper jumped at the opportunity to help fine art make its way into the homes of art lovers and we immediately booked Lauren Chapman, who we had previously worked with in our gallery at Motor Supply, and Pam Bowers, who previously taught Chapman at the University of SC.

The women’s relationship began as that of mentor and protege but developed into a close collegial friendship.

A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Chapman received her BFA in Painting at the University of South Carolina and has been awarded the Scholastic Art & Writing Gold Key Award for excellence in Visual Arts, the Yaghjian Studio arts scholarship at USC, and the 2018 Artfields Solo Award Exhibition at Jones-Carter Gallery. She has been featured in Garnet and Black, Daily Gamecocks, The State, Free Times, Susie Magazine, and Jasper Magazine. She has lectured for classes at USC, SC State University, and spent a summer residency in Monte Castello, Italy. Exhibitions include group shows in Italy, New York, South Carolina and solo shows in Iowa and South Carolina. 

Chapman says, “I create immersive environments via vibrant thick textured romantic paintings telling short stories, in the forms of fables, folklore, and fairy tales challenging our current cultural climate through the eyes of feminine figures and personified creatures. The narrative of the work promote lessons from my personal experiences and question dangerous themes within American society.”

Artist - Lauren Chapman

Bowers, who earned a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA from Indiana University-Bloomington, has a distinguished career as an artist and an educator that has taken her all over the world for lectures, residencies, unique academic opportunities, and pleasure, including China, Hungary, and throughout Italy. Her work is in many private collections both in the US and internationally from Morocco to Greece.

According to her artist’s statement, “Bowers work explores nature as a connecting force in the intersection of art, science and mythology and express her affection for the wilderness and biological forms. There is an emphasis in her work, teaching and research on the interrelationship between environment, culture and individual material usage in the formation of visual meaning and metaphor.”

Artist - Pam Bowers

Recognizing Art in Everything: Noma Warehouse provides workspace and community for all kinds of artists

Noma Warehouse founder Mazie Cook doesn’t believe in the notion of a starving artist.  

Inspired by Andy Warhol’s factory, she created a space to start changing that narrative. Partnering with her mother-in-law, Beth Lawson, and sister-in-law, Cara Lawson, Cook opened Noma Warehouse in mid-March of this year.  

The warehouse started out as something that could only happen “in a dream world,” according to Cook. Beth Lawson was wrapping up nearly 25 years in the tech industry and Cook had recently graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in studio art. Cook found the property and reimagined it as an artist co-op and event space. 

“I live in a dream world,” Beth says, so she pushed Cook to take the plunge. 

With Beth handling the business side of things, Cook donning the title of creative director and Cara, who is a senior at the Darla Moore School of Business, managing the finances, the trio became the perfect team.  

Walking into the warehouse, you’re first greeted with a small, chicly decorated shop that features everything from clothing to candles — all of which are locally made or curated. Walk down a short hallway and you’ll find yourself in a sprawling studio space, complete with a high ceiling, long, classroom-style tables, and, most importantly, a coffee station.  

The four pillars of Noma Warehouse are work, shop, sell, and gather. A close fifth might be working well with others, or more bluntly, as their code of conduct says, “don’t be an asshole.” 

The women believe in embracing “what feels right in the space” according to Cook. During the week, members (who pay monthly fees based on needed studio hours and amenities) use the warehouse space to make and store their art. On Friday nights, the space is transformed into a market with around 15-20 vendors, according to Cara.  

On Saturday, June 19th, Noma Warehouse hosted the Summer Sol•Fest, featuring a slew of local performers and, to highlight Juneteenth, several local Black-owned businesses. This week the venue will also be hosting a summer art camp for kids.  

So, while the space may wear many hats, the women want to focus on supporting art as a profession. “I wanna reteach the community that art is valuable ,” says Cook. “I think using the term ‘starving artist’ is derogatory … it’s bogus and so sometimes you just need to hear that.”

The four pillars of Noma Warehouse are work, shop, sell, and gather. A close fifth might be working well with others, or more bluntly, as their code of conduct says, “don’t be an asshole.” 

Beth Lawson, Mazie Cook, and

NOMA WAREHOUSE

With community being one of the priorities for the space, Beth says younger artists reach out to the older artists for advice and feedback. Cook notes that they have a diverse group of people of different ages, backgrounds, and methods of work. “It all lives here very peacefully and I think allows for a lot of growth. That’s been really neat to watch,” Cook says.

According to Beth, art brings them together. Witnessing that “family” develop is watching her vision come to life. In an art world that can be competitive, Cook notes the graciousness of the artists that frequent the warehouse — they create an open, sharing community.

The women operate business in a way they would want for themselves. In the so-called dream world that they’ve created, the space is a blank canvas — it just takes artists to expand the vision.

by Stephanie Allen

B.A. Hohman Shares the Life and Art Experiences That Led to Eccentric Tiny Gallery Show “WILLY NILLY”

 “Sometimes you don’t know what you’re capable of until you just do it.” — B.A. Hohman

DREAMSCAPE

Today is the summer solstice, a new breath of transition, and this turning point, both reliable and spontaneous, sets the stage of our Tiny Gallery show of the month. “WILLY NILLY” by B.A. Hohman is a show rife with verve.   

Tiny Gallery Manager Christina Xan sat down to talk with Hohman about her life, as a human and artist, and what led up to this show. 

Jasper: We’ve known each other for a couple years now, but we’ve never talked much about your past—will you tell me a bit about your childhood? 

Hohman: I grew up in the era following the end of WWII. My paternal grandparents and my maternal great grandparents were German Lutheran immigrants who settled in northeastern Ohio. My parents were hard-working middle-class people who wanted the best for their three children. I was third in line and a bit of an anomaly, being the decidedly right brained one in the mix. I explored imaginary worlds, loved to read and draw, play with neighborhood friends, and was the consummate tom boy. We grew up in a time when we had the run of the neighborhood with no immediate parental supervision. We were one of the last generations to experience the freedom that comes with no internet, no cell phones—the fifties were a time of hope and new horizons.

Jasper: Hope and new horizons—I love that! Was art one of the things on the horizon? Did it exist around you growing up?

Hohman: Art was not a prevalent theme in our home. Basic needs outweighed luxuries, yet I must applaud my father for his exemplary carpentry skills, becoming a volunteer fireman and eventually working in the Emergency Room at our local hospital in addition to his full-time work at General Electric. Kudos to my mother for always encouraging my creative endeavors while teaching nursery school for 40 years. She recognized my artistic nature, enrolled me in summer art classes, urged me to join the youth choir, took me on weekly visits to the library, and introduced me to museums. I also had wonderful art instructors as well as some amazing English teachers throughout my middle and secondary level schooling.

 Teaching Art was instrumental in my own art education. It forced me to break down all the components inherent in the creative process and thereby expanded my own abilities.

Jasper: And did you pursue art in college as well?

Hohman: Yes. My parents worked hard to provide us every opportunity to succeed. We were expected to excel and eventually get a college degree despite the financial burden, and all three of us did. My decision to pursue a degree in Art, I am sure was met with some skepticism. Studio Art at Ohio University became my college concentration from the very start, although English Literature classes nearly outweighed my time in the studio.

MAGNOLIA

Jasper: And at some point after graduation, you started teaching, right?

Hohman: My art took a back seat during the years of raising two girls, but my husband and I constantly found collaborative creative outlets. We had moved from Ohio to West Columbia and then to LeRoy, NY in 1981. The girls were still in elementary when I returned to school at Roberts Wesleyan College and completed my teaching certification. I did my student teaching at my girls’ Wolcott St. School and at Churchville Chilli High School, continuing for a long-term substitute position. I then taught at a local Catholic school. After moving back to West Columbia, I taught art at Pine Ridge Middle School and Airport High School. Teaching Art was instrumental in my own art education. It forced me to break down all the components inherent in the creative process and thereby expanded my own abilities.

Jasper: Oh, I’m all about the breaking down of boundaries. Tell me about how you moved full force into art.

Hohman: In 1999, I made the decision to leave teaching and embark on a career as a muralist and trompe l’oeil artist. A local designer gave me my first opportunity to showcase my work, and business took off! I have painted more murals in more houses than I can count. Although daunting to go from a canvas to painting entire walls and rooms as well as the exterior of a few businesses, I dove in and found it so liberating. I also discovered that I had the ability to paint just about anything my clients wanted. Sometimes you don’t know what you’re capable of until you just do it. I painted everything from whimsical and realistic animals in children’s’ rooms to huge 360-degree historical panoramas in varying styles, and faux windows, doorways and panels that fool the eye into thinking a flat surface is three dimensional. I often surprised myself.

THE SOUP

Jasper: Within those different projects, and today, what types of mediums did, and do, you explore?

Hohman: Over the years, I have explored many mediums, styles, and subject matter, but acrylic painting remains my staple. It was my concentration in college, and it has remained my comfort zone. I found I do not have the patience necessary to work in oil, but all other mediums interest me from pencil and charcoal to marker and colored pencil to clay. My style varies with each project. I look forward to again working in clay and creating 3D pieces as soon as I give myself a refresher course and get my kiln running.

Jasper: Well, on that note, tell me about this show specifically. What went into “WILLY NILLY?”

Hohman: This past year catapulted me into near isolation. My reaction to the outbreak of the pandemic was unexpectedly fierce. The state of our country and the world became an incredible challenge to face. I’ve been around for quite a while, but nothing prepared me for the physical and mental shut down I experienced. On the positive side, I intensified my explorations into the past, into the latest discoveries in physics and the connectivity of all things and read many books. As the world reemerges, my hope is that we all have a better understanding of who we are and why we are here. “WILLY NILLY” is an amalgam of various mediums and styles that reflect this period of my life. What began with a creative spurt, slowly fizzled to small doodles and experiments that steered my mind away from the chaotic state of our country and the world.

CONNECTIONS

Hohman’s show will be up until June 30th on Jasper’s Tiny Gallery site. When you go to the site, plan to see impressions of the natural world that quietly beckon visitation, geometric colors that seem to move like organisms under a slide, black and white illusions in which time seems to shift, and worlds clearly not our own and yet somehow strangely familiar. 

These works can be perused and purchased 24/7 here: https://the-jasper-project.square.site/tiny-gallery  

Hohman is unsure where she will go next but knows “the creative community in Columbia is always there to inspire.” While she embraces this inspiration, you can follow her work on Facebook @bahohman / Art & Murals by B.A.

The Concert Truck Returns to Columbia for South Eastern Piano Festival

“Something changed for me in that moment,” Luby says, “and I started to question why concerts always happen in concert halls. Spaces started to look different to me … everywhere I went seemed like a great place to have a concert.”

The Southeastern Piano Festival’s “Piano X” initiative aims to find alternative and nontraditional ways of connecting people to piano music. This year’s headline features a show on the go.   

The aptly named Concert Truck will be returning to its Columbia roots on Monday, June 14th to perform at Boyd Plaza at 8pm. The box truck is a mobile music venue, fully furnished with lights, a sound system and, of course, a piano.  

The South Eastern Piano Festival (SEPF) is an annual event that is both education and performance based, featuring shows from some of the world’s best pianists and serving to train some of the nation’s top youth pianists. This year, the festival takes place from June 12 - 20 at the University of South Carolina’s concert halls.  

The Concert Truck, however, takes the music hall experience outdoors. 

According to Marina Lomazov, SEPF founder and artistic director, the truck erases the “invisible formality” of traditional piano performances, leaving more space for interaction between the audience and performers.  

Lomazov noted that not everyone can afford tickets to concerts or is comfortable in a formal music hall environment. The truck brings the experience to people so that they can embrace the music for themselves or at least have enough exposure to appreciate it. “The people who play on the truck … passionately love the music and they want to share that love with as many people as they can,” Lomazov says.  

The people who will be performing on the truck next week are its founders: Susan Zhang and Nick Luby.  Zhang herself is an alum of the Southeastern Piano Festival and attended as a participant when she was a teenager. Both Zhang and Luby studied piano at UofSC and were students of Lomazov and her husband Joseph Rackers.  

Luby first had the idea for the truck while traveling. He had the habit of practicing piano in churches while on the road, and one day found that his playing had drawn a small crowd from the street. “Something changed for me in that moment,” Luby says, “and I started to question why concerts always happen in concert halls. Spaces started to look different to me … everywhere I went seemed like a great place to have a concert.”  

Luby started researching mobile concert halls only to realize that they didn’t exist. That’s when he approached Zhang with the notion of the Concert Truck.  

The truck debuted its first show on a bright summer morning around five years ago for an audience of nearly 200 people — many of whom had never experienced classical piano before.  

The Concert Truck really took off when the pandemic hit.  

“Suddenly you could not be inside a concert hall. And that’s when their idea really exploded” Lomazov says. The duo began collaborating with major companies such as the Kennedy Center, the Washington National Opera, and the Dallas Symphony, to name a few. They hardly had a break in the past year, sometimes performing up to three concerts a day.  

Recently, Zhang and Luby signed on with artist management company Opus 3 which is, according to Lomazov, “as high as you can go in the world of classical music, of music in general … it’s a real success story.” 

As the Concert Truck continues to tour, Zhang and Luby want to challenge what is expected from a classical piano concert. “Working with organizations during this time is really exciting because we can work with them to push on those boundaries as well,” Zhang says.  In the future, the two want to focus on local collaborations and connecting more deeply with the communities they serve.

-Stephanie Allen

NiA Returns with Two New Performances: Fan-Favorite Show HOLLA! and Thought-Provoking Play Eavesdropping

“This is my way, and our way, of saying we love you, too”

Darion McCloud with Friends

Local theatre company NiA was one of the many organizations impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, in these semi-post-pandemic times, NiA is performing their first large-scale in-person event in months. Over the next two Saturdays, NiA will be showcasing a long-loved project and a newer venture, as well.

Darion McCloud, who has led NiA for 23 years, discusses how difficult it was to not be able to perform during the times when people needed it the most, especially when their mission is rooted in storytelling and literacy.

“That's what we're about. We're about telling stories that don't usually get told, for people that you don't usually get a chance to hear them,” McCloud shares, “COVID effectively shut us down. We had a few small ventures out there: one or two with One Columbia, a Kids in Print for Richland Library, and one called Cocky's Reading Express from the University of South Carolina.” 

Now, the group is coming back with two events, four performances, repeating on two consecutive weekends. HOLLA! a NiA “family staple,” will kick off both Saturdays at 10am, and Eavesdropping, a play by Crystal Aldamuy, will end both Saturdays at 9pm. HOLLA! is a family show for all ages, and Eavesdropping is aimed at adult audiences. 

McCloud says the shows the group are doing are a direct response to the outpouring of love that not only NiA received over the pandemic, but that he himself benefitted from after a serious stroke. This performance is not just a comeback but a way to say thank you.

 “This is my way, and our way, of saying we love you, too. That's why it was important for these shows to be free,” McCloud reveals, “We want these shows to be free to our people, the city, free to anyone who wants to come and who wants to enjoy.” 

HOLLA! was the first event NiA ever did, starting back in 1998 for Somali Bantu, and is a multimedia event that changes in shape, style, and participants each time. For this performance, NiA is featuring the Upstart Crows, a local Shakespeare Company of young actors. The same show will take place both Saturdays, but there will be slight differences due to the spontaneous nature of the event. 

“HOLLA! is exactly what it says—it's big, it's loud, it's color. There's music, there's a lot of laughing, spontaneous dancing, storytelling, finger plays, and more,” McCloud effuses, “And it's for everybody; if you're an old dude like me and you come through, you think you're just coming with the kids, but you're going to find yourself caught up in the fun, too.” 

In contrast, Eavesdropping is a short play in 5 vignettes that addresses themes surrounding love, loss, and living. Aldamuy, who has worked with NiA before, was driven to write this play by her desire to experiment with fully colorblind casting, where any race or gender could fill a role. Aldamuy started writing small sketches, and then combined 5 into this play. 

“This piece is designed for playing with and exploring motivation and subtext, as well as gender, race, sexuality, and age in relationships,” Aldamuy intimates, “And how the audience, as voyeurs, makes assumptions about the deeper meaning behind someone else’s words based on what they look like and who they are talking to.” 

The five vignettes are as follows: First Impressions—two people on their first date; The Long Road Home—a person meets with their ex-spouse’s lover; Final Thoughts—estranged siblings wait for their mother’s ashes; Circling—old loves bump into each other after nearly a decade apart; Collison Course—two people meet on the anniversary of their mutual friend’s death.

The first act will be true to script and fairly identical both weekends; however, after a short intermission, the second act will see audience interaction, with people watching called up to audition and perform previous scenes of the play. 

“After the act break, we're going to ask the audience to come up, and we're going to run it like an audition. We hand them a script right there, but me and the audience are the casting director, so I get to say, ‘Okay, that was really good, Kevin. Could you do the scene again in an English accent?’” McCloud details, “So we get to have fun like that, but also people get to think about how an individual actor impacts a scene. It's a little bit of education, but it's a lot of fun.” 

NiA knew it was time to come back and start telling stories again—audiences needed to engage, with art on the stage and with one another. They chose these shows both for the level of audience interaction and because they are easily manageable under the safety precautions NiA is following for COVID-19.  

The performances will happen on Saturday, June 19, and Saturday, June 26, at their CO-OP at 1013 Duke Street with HOLLA! at 10am and Eavesdropping at 9pm both weekends. There will be outdoor seating, Porta Johns, and safety precautions in place for the safety of patrons. The event is free and first-come, first-served—approximately 100 people can be accommodated.  

“We hope there will be a lot of fun afterwards as well for people who want to hang out and talk about the show,” McCloud offers, “We're just hoping you come, bring yourself, your imagination, your fun, and hopefully a friend too.” 

McCloud would like to thank several people helping as performers and behind the scenes: Heather McCue, Joseph Eisenriech, Lonetta Thompson, Katie Mixon, Deon Turner, Beth Dehart, and JB Frush-Marple with special thanks to One Columbia for sponsoring.

If you’d like to support NiA, you can give to their GoFundMe, which was initiated, after not making money for a year, to fund their return to performances and has stayed open for additional support: https://gofund.me/cc1cff68

—Christina Xan

REVIEW: Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill Brings Billie Holiday Back

“… the key to the success of this Trustus show lies squarely at the feet of the women involved in its production.”

Katrina Garvin as Billie Holiday - photo by Jerimiah Greene

Had you asked me last week if I knew who Billie Holiday was, I would have answered, Of course! Who doesn’t know about Billie Holiday? 

But I would have been wrong.

I learned how much I didn’t know about Billie Holiday last Saturday night when I attended the second performance of Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill at Trustus Theatre, the company’s first presentation since quarantine.

Set in 1959 at the seedy South Philly Emerson’s Bar and Grill on a fictional night just before her death from Cirrhosis later that year, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, written by Lanie Robertson, takes the audience back in time and gives Holiday the microphone to do more than sing. Played by seasoned musical theatre artist Katrina Garvin, Billie Holiday tells her life story in provocative anecdotes in between performing more than a dozen of the title character’s classic tunes.

In an almost disturbingly casual manner we learn throughout the evening how the abuses of her childhood, including a rape at age 10, transformed Eleanora Fagan, which was Holiday’s birth name, into the stage’s Billie Holiday who adopted the name of her father, Clarence Halliday, a jazz musician who had abandoned her and her mother when Eleanora was born. We also learn about Holiday’s struggles with addiction and crippling insecurity both likely resulting from the institutional racism that plagued her professional life from the time she began singing in nightclubs in Harlem as a teenager, to her stint in prison by way of Carnegie Hall, until her untimely death at age 44.

Lady Day premiered in Atlanta in 1986 before moving to Off-Broadway and finally to Broadway in 2014 where it featured the incredible Audra McDonald in the title role. It is remarkable how well the play has held up and how fitting it is that Trustus Theatre decided to present it at this time of a renewed dedication to social justice in the country. The fact that it is essentially a one-woman show, with a musical accompanist, makes it a good choice in our quasi post-Covid times, too.

Lady Day opened to a sold-out Columbia audience and the house was almost full on Saturday, followed by another sold-out show on Sunday afternoon. I don’t expect many empty seats in the run of this show, and the key to the success of this Trustus show lies squarely at the feet of the women involved in its production.

Katrina Garvin, who most may remember from previous Trustus performances like Dreamgirls, In the Red Brown Water, and Constance performing under the name Katrina Blanding, was perfectly cast in the starring role as Billie Holiday. To say that Garvin embodies Holiday is an understatement. Keep in mind that Garvin already brings to the stage exceptional vocal skills but fortified with the wisdom imbued via direction from Jocelyn Sanders and backed up with dialect coaching by Marybeth Gorman and vocal coaching from Katie Leitner, Garvin subsequently delivers a performance that literally takes the audience’s breath away. And this is no small challenge given Holiday’s distinctive vocal stylings.

Garvin conveys all the same pain, frustration, and despondency that Holiday brought to the stage as well as the remarkable talent behind her interpretations of such difficult numbers as What a Little Moonlight Can Do and even Strange Fruit, one of the most painfully powerful songs ever written or performed.

Garvin’s stage partner, Shannon Pinkney in the role of Holiday’s piano accompanist, Jimmy Powers, more than holds up his corner of the stage with exceptional musical chops whether he accompanies Garvin or takes over the theatre for an extended solo while Garvin exits for a brief period near the end of the performance.

Terrance Henderson, Garvin’s musical partner in IndigoSOUL (along with Kendrick Marion), served as movement coach to Garvin, and Colleen Kelly served as stage manager for Sanders. Bad Boy Roy Brasley, Jr. styled Garvin’s hair into an elegant updo with a shock of white gardenias wrapped around the back; Abigail McNeely was costume designer; and Curtis Smoak handled lighting and the simple but convincing set for the show, easily creating the feeling that we were all sipping our drinks as we watched Lady Day at the end of her career and, sadder still, the premature end of her days.

Kudos to Trustus Theatre for bringing us back in our roles as audience members with the perfectly timed presentation of a play that reminds us of the power of art to confront the inadequacies of an imperfect culture.

Lady Day will run through June 20th on Thursdays through Sundays. For tickets and more information, visit Trustus.org.

And be sure to visit the lobby for an outstanding exhibit of art by Lori Isom. (See Below)

Art by Lori Isom.

Meet Jasper's New Intern - Stephanie Allen!

Hi, I'm Stephanie, one of the interns for the Jasper Project! I'm currently pursuing a BA in English and a BFA in Studio Art at the University of South Carolina Honors College. While my technical focus is drawing, my work is extended to include painting, mixed media, and some printmaking. My practice and upcoming thesis work focus on artistically reclaiming and redefining the female form.

As a writer, I've spent the past several years focusing on editorial content for the student newspaper (the last year and a half of which I served as opinion editor) but I’ve also dabbled in arts reporting and radio.

As I begin working with Jasper, I look forward to engaging with its mission as both a writer and an artist. I am excited to see how these two passions merge over the next several months.

Remembering Thorne Compton, with Thoughts of Peace and Love by Dale Bailes

photo courtesy of Chris Compton

Thorne Compton and I met at U of SC in the early sixties. We were on the Junior Varsity, of the Debate Team. We made a mutual friend of Bob Anderson, and did our best to make this first black male student at USC feel welcome. That was an uphill battle in those days. I lost track of Bob after I left grad school in 1965; Thorne kept track and even told me of being in touch with Bob’s widow and child in recent years. 

Thorne and I met again in the early seventies. He had done a stint in the Peace Corps with first wife Jo; I had been a hippie mail man in San Francisco, among other West Coast Adventures. 

Those adventures led to my pulling together a crew of artists, Viet Nam vets, and singers and seamstresses to open the Joyful Alternative. Thorne was a regular there at our original 2009 Green Street location, stopping in for a record or a book every week, and papers. THE VILLAGE VOICE and GREAT SPECKLED BIRD, that is. 

Thorne managed to function in the academic environs better than I had. He earned a doctorate and became an English professor. When I published my first book CHERRY STONES and went to work with the Arts Commission, he invited me to do poetry readings for his classes. He would go on to deanships and department chairs. 

I pursued other interests—running a music hall at Folly Beach, getting an MFA in Screenwriting at USC/West. I taught in prisons and on Navy ships, and a planned two-year gig as an adjunct at Moorpark College in California ending up being twenty-five or thirty years. 

At one point in the eighties, Thorne got in touch to make sure I got the scoop on Carolina’s big celebration of James Dickey.  He got me in, and I was privileged to see and hear such literati as Harold Bloom and John Simon hold forth. 

It must have been about that time I began to make an effort to find a full-time teaching job SOMEWHERE, and I made yet another request of the most stolid academic friend I knew for a letter of recommendation. 

He must have written a dozen letters, without complaint. 

Until I was visiting in Columbia from California in the early nineties and ran into him at the campus bar Hunter-Gatherer. After some catch-up conversation over a beer or three, he blurted out in faux exasperation—I think—“Please don’t ask me to write anymore ________________ letters of recommendation!” 

I didn’t. 

I spent a few more years adjuncting at Moorpark until I got tired of freeways, and retired to live with my best friend Jo Baker at Pawleys Island.  Thorne, having lost his Jo years earlier, was remarried, retired, and removed to Michigan for several years. 

The odds were long that two old friends would meet again at the top of the hill where Saluda meets Heyward , but it happened. About two years ago. 

I stopped at the sign and waited for a man and his dog, motioning them to go ahead. 

Thorne and his dog Bo weren’t taking any chances, so I rolled down the window when Thorne looked closer to check my plans. Two happy old codgers, I guess we seemed to any passersby. And although Bo tugged on the leash and whimpered about having more peemail to check, we caught up a bit. I was on my way home from  my work at U of SC School of Nursing, where I occasionally was a Standardized Patient.  

He didn’t know the term. I explained I portrayed scenarios of different illness situations, with student nurses.  The irony was thick as he managed a smile and said, “I’m the real thing.” He had months, or maybe a couple years, left. 

We ended our car window conversation with a promise to get together soon for a nice bottle of red, and lots of “telling lies.” 

My personal lethargy, isolation at Pawleys, the pandemic…it didn’t happen. Most of us have made the same mistake. 

Thorne’s son Chris Compton messaged me from Los Angeles that if I was going to see him again, it should be sooner rather than later.  Thorne’s wife Raven was kind enough to arrange a visit with him the week before Easter. 

Even without a good red, we had a very good hour. We talked about Bob Anderson, the early days of Joyful, those letters of recommendation. He smiled and mentioned a memory that surprised me. “Those parties on South Walker Street. Live music and a hundred of your closest friends. Some of the best times I ever had!” 

As usual, he asked what I was writing, I told him an artist named Janet Kozachek had provided two pieces of work that had inspired some ekphrastic poems. New as the term was to me, he remembered learning it a dozen years ago. I told him I would send the art and the poems.  

I don’t know if he was able to see the stuff before he passed. One of them, with the artwork that inspired it used with the artist’s permission, is printed below. The poem, “Obeisance,” has a puckish tone that I associate with Thorne Compton, and is dedicated to his memory. As is the next glass of red I wrap my hand around.

Artist - Janet Kozachek

OBEISANCE

  by Dale Bailes

The posture is apotropaic.

To appease Thanatos, back when.

And now to fend off his vengeful

Sibling, Erinyes.

 

It is not a conscious thing.

It is brought forth by naked fear

As pandemic stalks the land.

The gesture is archaic, bold.

 

Bare haunches taunt our oldest

Dread.  They show contempt

For knowing time is never

Long enough, nor safety certain.

 

What I create may have

A longer span. A gesture, small,

To thwart some master plan.

A wrench in the machine.

 

So. Black-robed, grinning bearer

Of the scythe—or shrieking sister

Eris—bring forth your deadly kiss.

I here present, a target you can’t miss.

Retired English instructor Dale A. Bailes commutes from the ‘hood in Pawleys to the ‘wood in Columbia for his part-time work as a Standardized Patient at the U of SC School of Nursing. He has poems upcoming in Fall Lines and AMERICAN WRITERS REVIEW.

Columbia Poets Al Black and Randy Spencer Featured in Piccolo Spoleto’s Sundown Poetry Series

Al Black and Randy Spencer are effervescent poets, speakers who refuse to hold back or look away from what asks to be gazed upon. In their work, readers are taken on a journey of intertwining rivers where you learn about their histories, intimate parts of yourself, and the spaces and places in which we dwell. Keep reading to learn more about Piccolo Spoleto’s Sundown Poetry Series and Black and Spencer—and discover two poems from the artists. 

Former Charleston Mayor Joe Riley launched Piccolo Spoleto in 1979, two years after Italian composer Gian Carlo Menotti founded Spoleto Festival USA. Piccolo, alluding to the smallest woodwind and thus the smaller festival within the larger Spoleto, has reflected the City of Charleston’s desire to showcase local art and artists. 

The Sundown Poetry Series is one of the oldest events in Piccolo history, with the goal of featuring a select number of local poets. The current selection committee consists of Ed Gold, Katherine Williams, and Curtis Derrick. According to Derrick, the application process for poets parallels the process for all Piccolo Spoleto artists and is based on a submission of work. At times, however, the selection committee directly invites applications from poets who have “achieved particular notoriety or had recent book publications.”  

The original venue for the Sundown Series was the courtyard at the Dock Street Theater—so drama patrons could enjoy poetry as an art “appetizer” before a performance—but this year Sundown is being held in the Lenhardt Garden of the Gibbes Museum of Art to accommodate more efficient social distancing. 

Eight poets are being featured this year, one per evening, in the following order: Al Black, Valerie Nieman, H.R. “Randy” Spencer, Lola Haskins, Dr. David B. Axelrod, Kwoya Fagin Maples, Grace C. Ocasio, and Ren Ruggiero—two of the poets, Black and Spencer, are Columbia-based. 

Al Black has published two poetry collections: I Only Left for Tea (2014) and Man with Two Shadows (2018), both with Muddy Ford Press. He co-edited Hand in Hand, Poets Respond to Race (2017) and has been published in several anthologies, journals, periodicals, and blogs. He hosts various arts events, co-founded the Poets Respond to Race Initiative, and was Jasper Project’s 2017 Literary Artist of the Year. 

Black expresses anticipation for the reading—while often not the type to seek out readings and more so the one to host them, he deeply enjoys being a part of them. Derrick reached out to Black in 2019 and asked if he would be interested in reading for Sundown, and Black accepted and was slated for 2020, but when the festival was cancelled due to COVID-19, the poets were moved to 2021. 

Spencer was also originally slated to read in 2020 and is looking forward to reading this week. H.R. “Randy” Spencer is the author of several chapbooks, and his first full collection, The Color After Green, was published in 2019 by Finishing Line Press. As stated on Piccolo Spoleto’s Facebook, “Recently featured on SCETV’s By the River, this collection of contemporary nature poems is both personal and reaches for larger concerns around climate and ecological changes, sometimes set in the South Carolina Lowcountry.”

Spencer previously read as part of the Sundown Series in 2012 and had such a positive experience that, after the required waiting period between reapplying, he immediately applied to read again. “I don’t do many readings, and my favorite are small groups where we can sit and talk,” he divulges, “I’m looking forward to sharing my work with whoever comes.”   

Spencer says that he will start off the reading with poems from his collection but will mix up what he reads to fit this event. “I change it up due to where I am,” he shares, “Since it’s in Charleston, I’ll do more poems that have to do with the coast and the low country and traveling.”  

He will also read outside the book, reading some books from a chapbook of poems about the COVID-19 pandemic. He also recently wrote a poem in the Gullah language as a means to preserve and honor the lyrical language, and he hopes to read it during the event as well. 

Black also likes to switch readings up based on where he is performing. He will have the time it takes to read a work at the top of each poem’s page to ensure he fits within the time limit—each reading is approximately 40-45 minutes with time for a Q&A after. 

“I never have a set list of poems to read—I’ll have 2-3 poems in my head that I might open the night with, but I’ll walk in and try to get a feel for the night,” Black intimates, “based on people’s reactions I may end up reading a poem I’ve never read before.” 

Black intends to start “edgy,” potentially touching on racism and/or women’s issues. He will likely start with his first book (I Only Left for Tea), then move to the book about his father (Man with Two Shadows), then various publications, then a book about his mother—which he is currently prepping for publication—before ending with new work. 

Both Spencer and Black look forward to sharing work new and old in a fresh space. In that vein, both poets have offered a poem for the audiences of this blog. Spencer’s poem is from The Color After Green, and he feels it is a companion piece to the Gullah poem he may read at the event. Black’s poem is a recent one he was compelled to write after watching an ad card fall from a magazine.

Beatitudes

Blessed is the morning.

Blessed is the coffee.

Blessed is the sun before the rain.

Blessed are the birds

that dampen traffic noise.

Blessed is the train that wails

and the siren song that fades.

Blessed is the drone of the plane that stays aloft.

Blessed are the dog walkers, the couples,

the skateboarders, the bike riders,

the joggers, the mommies pushing strollers,

and the daddies carrying daughters on shoulders.

Blessed are the lonely.

Blessed is the greening tree.

Blessed are the flowers that grow wild.

Blessed is the broken fence rail

I step over to enter the park.

Blessed is the cat that chases the squirrel

and the dog that scares the cat.

Blessed is the silent leaf blower

when the neighbor takes a break.

Blessed is the moss that fills

the empty spaces with color.

Blessed is the blue recycling bin

that sits outside our kitchen door.

Blessed is the card stock magazine ad

that falls at my feet

for it shall become a bookmark.

—     Al Black, 2021

Wind

                        September 23, 1989:

I can still feel it. The wind last night

sucked the breath out of me, flung it screaming

over the live oak and limbless pine.

Then the water swelling, some deep voice

sliding up to us, a dark face, its white woolen beard

spilling over us, straining the ballast

that kept our house rooted like a stiff barnacle

to some tether in the sand

My ears still roar like a seashell.

The ominous calm coming next. That calm

without even the random rustle of life,

birds appearing, silent in the dead air.

When the eye came, I walked outside.

There was a hole straight up

through all that darkness, like a tunnel,

starlight like pinhole punctures in a black screen.

I could barely see the pines, stunted, still straight,

but snapped off midway up, all clipped

the same height, bodiless legs

left planted in clay boots. I could see

cuts opened up in hardwoods, limbs broken

from live oaks, shrubs uprooted, scattered, terrifying.

It came back worse than before,

blowing oppositely, humming its tune

differently over the stringed forest. Inside,

when I could fall sleep I dreamed my ankle

braceletted by a whirl of rope leaping overboard

after an anchor, dragging me after it,

dreams of fish flying, their silver pancaked scales

covering my eyes, cutting into me like razors.

Then, this morning. Coming out

seeing sailboats piled like cordwood,

battered and strewn over the marsh,

masts stepped vertically yesterday

laying over now, angled north

as if they were still carrying sail,

reduced to sundials marking shadows in the morning sun,

birds blown north, vagrants, wounded, dazed,

Shells everywhere, freshly gutted open,

still slick with gristle or beaten white

and smooth, broken on some rock,

then carried inland, a whelk settled in a cowshed,

a purplish clam in a seaside garden

where chrysanthemums should be in bloom,

with my neighbors empty house half lifted

from its foundation and nesting in spartina grass,

on an ordinary autumn day

               with bright sunshine, mild sea breezes, soft breakers.

—    H.R. Spencer, from The Color After Green (in reference to Hurricane Hugo)

If you’re interested in potentially hearing these poems out loud and in hearing more from these poets, both readings occur in the coming days in Charleston. Black opens the Sundown Series tomorrow, June 1st, and Spencer reads Thursday, June 3rd. Both events begin at 6:30pm.  

Spencer’s collection can be purchased at larger retailers or directly from the publishing house, Finishing Line Press: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/the-color-after-green-by-h-r-spencer/  

Black’s books can also be purchased at larger retailers or the publishing house, Muddy Ford Press: https://www.amazon.com/Man-Two-Shadows-Al-Black/dp/1942081162

-Christina Xan

Welcome New JASPER PROJECT Board Members - PREACH JACOBS & LEN LAWSON!

We are delighted to welcome two new members to the Jasper Project Board of Directors!

Preach Jacobs is a hip-hop artist, writer, SC Press Association Award Winner, and Cola-Con founder, the nation's only hip-hop/comic convention. His music has been featured on NPR and Okayplayer. He has a podcast, 'The Negro League' on his Mo' Betta Soul network that includes event programming in the southeast. His latest column is currently in the Columbia weekly Free-Times titled "Fight the Power," speaking about hip-hop, politics, and social awareness.

Len Lawson is the author of Chime (Get Fresh Books, 2019) and the chapbook Before the Night Wakes You (Finishing Line Press, 2017). He is also co-editor of Hand in Hand: Poets Respond to Race (Muddy Ford Press, 2017) and The Future of Black: Afrofuturism and Black Comics Poetry (Blair Press, 2021). Among his accolades, he won the 2016 Jasper Artist of the Year Award in Literary Arts, the 2018 NC Poetry Society Susan Laughter Meyers Fellowship in Poetry, and the 2020 SC Academy of Authors Carrie McCrary Nickens Fellowship in Poetry. He has received fellowships from Tin House Summer Workshop, Palm Beach Poetry Festival, Callaloo, Vermont Studio Center, and Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, among others. In 2021, Len will complete a PhD in English Literature and Criticism from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and will begin as Assistant Professor of English at Newberry College. 

While we welcome Len and Preach we sadly say goodbye to Raia Hirsch who served us as our attorney on board for two years. Thank you Raia for all your hard work and devotion.

Tom Coolidge to Play Music at O'Hara's Public House in Lexington - Tuesday Night

Local singer-songwriter and musician Tom Coolidge asked Jasper to help him let folks know that he has a gig this Tuesday night at O’Hara’s Public House Lexington and he wants to see all his friends & enemies there!

Tom Coolidge writes, sings, and plays songs representing suburbicana music and Lexington, SC, is his home. According to Coolidge, when he’s not playing with a local band, he “conducts his acoustic musical mischief all around the state performing his brand of tasty home-style tunes. Some are original and others represent seldom-heard classics of his time.”

 

Coolidge says “Fun” is his prime musical directive and that some of the songs played have rough edges, but all represent authenticity and enjoyment of his craft.”

In 2011, he released his first CD, 'Bout Time, a compilation of original songs and tunes, accompanied by many friends and local talents.

 He is available for house concerts, special events, parties, barbecues, celebrations and memorials where volume can be subdued and reasonable. 

Coolidge is currently playing with his own band, LEFTOVERS, as well as collaborating with numerous local acts.

Two new CD-EPs are in the works for summer 2021 release.

Saul Seibert on Jealousy

As Kyle Petersen described him in a 2018 profile he wrote on Saul Seibert and his older brother Zach Seibert for Jasper Magazine, “… Saul is a consummate frontman, with a steady intensity that crackles with a voodoo-like mysticism punctuated by unfettered, anxious hollers that bring to mind the most wiry aspects of early post-punk.”

It’s hard enough being an artist and dealing with the difficulties the outside world sends your way — money problems, relationship challenges, and the general drama of daily life as a human — but when you add in all the internal battles specific to being an artist, a person whose job is basically interpreting life, processing feelings, and sharing it with the world, it can get seriously rough.

Saul Seibert has been at this battle for a while now. The 44-year-old musician and, let’s-face-it, philosopher, has become one of the Columbia music scene’s leaders, of late, cranking out stellar albums and hard-hitting performances alongside Scott Tempo in the band, Boo Hag.

This morning on social media, Seibert shared his take on dealing with one of the demons most of us don’t even want to admit we have caged up in the back room of our minds — Jealousy. Jasper was moved and asked Seibert if we could wrap his words of wisdom up in a tidy little package and share them with our readers.

He graciously agreed, and here you have it.

Competition motivated by jealousy can often be the Achilles heel of any artist or progressive movement and it's ugly. Guard your heart from such an insidious seduction. Here are a few things you can do to avoid such a pitfall.

1. Posture yourself in such a way so as to learn from those who have gone before you and ask questions.

2. Don't trust all your judgments and seek out council from your peers and other proven people in the art community.

3. Don't pretend. People are smart and can spot a poser.

4. It's ok to be an asshole, (the industry will make you one and that's ok) … just don't be a dick. There's no excuse for that.

5. Apologize and ask for forgiveness.

6. Fail. It's good to fail.

7. Sometimes the critics are right and sometimes they are wrong … either way they are in general paid to write about what you do. Take it on the chin and put it in box under the bed. Remember they can't do what you do.

8. Build relationships with younger players and performers and model the movement you want.

9. Look up the definition of "Service".

10. You are dying. Remember that. In general, that can kill a jealous mood.

Saul Seibert and his beautiful mom, Brenda Seibert.

“She taught this outlaw kindness.” — Saul Seibert

Ginny Merett Shares Multilayered Stories Through Collage-Based Tiny Gallery Show, WORDS

“I don’t like to say I have given my life to art. I prefer to say art has given me my life” —

Frank Stella

April showers bring May flowers, but for our May Tiny Gallery, we’re bringing you collages by artist Ginny Merett. Merett’s show, WORDS, which opened virtually on the Jasper website on the 1st of the month, was so wildly popular, we sold out nearly half the show in the first 8 hours. In response to the overwhelming love, Merett has decided to add 12 new pieces to the show – learn more about her and preview the pieces below! 

Merett grew up in a Denver, Colorado, household of musicians as the youngest of 3 children. Her mom was a pianist who taught lessons from the home, and her father was a trumpet player. “Music filled our house, but big band music was their favorite,” Merett recalls, “Mom was also artsy, always making something, and she inspired me to do the same.”  

Merett’s family supported her art inclinations from a young age, providing her with lessons and supporting her freedom with various art materials. This led to her taking several art classes and electives throughout school, receiving an art education degree in college, and teaching art for 30 years. 

This life rife with loving and making art has made Merett proud to call herself an artist since far before she started officially exhibiting her work a decade ago. “I agree with artist Frank Stella,” Merett quotes, “‘I don’t like to say I have given my life to art. I prefer to say art has given me my life.’”

In the past ten years Merett has been showing work, she has worked exclusively in collage. However, she dabbled and worked in many forms and mediums before finding home in collage. She focused on drawing and painting in undergrad, fiber arts and photography in grad school, and murals, watercolor, and pencils while teaching. Collage, though, allowed Merett to achieve something no other medium could. 

“Collage allows me to use a simple material that looks polished when completed in a work of art, and my style in collage gives me a chance to create art that is playful and irrational because of the new characters I create,” she effuses, “I have a wide variety of materials to use and unlimited subjects, and besides that I just have a really good time doing it.” 

As she puts her hands on different pieces and stitches them into a story, Merett finds herself drawn towards portraying human beings and their unique personalities, spirits, and bodies. These portraits are sometimes commissioned but mostly inspired from places in and around Merett’s life.  

“I create portraits inspired by photographs in my grandma’s 1920’s photo album and by people I see around town and in popular culture,” she reveals, “The most fun for me is taking parts and pieces from pictures of popular culture’s “beautiful people” found in magazines and using them to create new personalities and characters.”  

For her Tiny Gallery show, Merett continued on with her love for collage and people, putting together 25 stand-alone pieces made specifically for the show. The images range from bright, bold colors to multilayered neutrals; from repeating images to one striking set of eyes; from large pieces with mouths wide open to demure figures that ask you to come closer. 

“I usually use text in my work but only for color and texture, not meaning, so for this show, I created works that used phrases taken from magazine text to describe each piece—I made each collage prior to finding the words,” Merett explains, “The theme of each collage is the human condition, and on an unintentional level deals with how I felt through 2020-2021. I hope people can relate to one of the pieces and generally understand my serious and often tongue-in-cheek message.” 

This year, as for all of us, has presented challenges for Merett, who says she oscillated between motivated and withdrawn throughout 2020. She created art as a solace while mourning the safety and joy of being outside, as well as a good friend lost to the virus. She says that it was art and art events that were a continued light during this darkness. 

“I have been so blessed to have my art during this time. I feel like it fed my soul, as always,” Merett intimates, “For those struggling to make art right now I suggest being gentle with yourself but keep showing up in your studio or work area. Reach out to other artists for fellowship and realize that you are not the only one feeling lackadaisical.” 

Some particular lights among the dark included winning Honorable Mention in the 1593 Project at the Koger Center for the Arts and exhibiting her work alongside Jim Arendt and Gina Moore in the Alumni Art Exhibit at the UofSC’s SVAD. Merett was also one of the featured artists in Jasper’s pandemic project Sheltered 2020: A Collection of Visual and Literary Arts. 

The largest support for Merett, a mother of two and grandmother of four, though, comes from her family, pandemic and beyond. “My greatest memory is working at my drawing table with my young kids playing around me,” Merett reminisces, “More times than not, these moments were tranquil and made me feel like I had the absolute best of both worlds.” 

If you want to see how Merett has explored herself and the world around her, her show, WORDS, is up until May 31st. When this blog is posted, her new 12 pieces will have just been added to the show. You can peruse and purchase work 24/7 via the Jasper’s virtual Tiny Gallery: https://the-jasper-project.square.site/tiny-gallery  

During and after the show, you can find her art at her website www.ginnymerett.com and on Instagram (@ginnymerett) and Facebook (Ginny Merett Artist). You can also see her work locally around Lexington and Columbia, specifically at places like Land Bank Lofts on Hampton Street. 

— Christina Xan

April Tiny Gallery Features Betsy Kaemmerlen’s Eye-Catching and Intricate Ceramic Creations

“We Exist to Revere the Great Spirit of Life and Enjoy All the Beauty of Its Expression.”

The Jasper Project welcomes Betsy Kaemmerlen as this month’s featured Tiny Gallery artist. Kaemmerlen’s show, which started on the 1st of the month, features 25 pottery pieces, from bowls to dishes to vases to fish.  

Kaemmerlen spent her childhood in New England before moving to Syracuse to attend the SUNY School of Forestry for Landscape Architecture. During her childhood, she was inspired to create by her artistic grandparents, an architect father, and a mom who was a nurse by day and crafter by night.

“Woodworking, paintings…refinishing furniture, caning, quilting, rug braiding, knitting…embroidery, painting, shell art, gardening, and flower arranging,” Kaemmerlen reflects on her family’s interests, “Yes, I’d say the art was a huge part of my family life!” 

Kaemmerlen’s departure to SUNY both honed in her love for the arts and broadened her horizons. She ended up falling in love with Eastern Culture, taking classes in Japanese Aesthetics and Zen Buddhism and spending her final year studying the cultural response to the environment in Kyoto, Japan.  

“Living and immersing myself in the centuries old treasure of Kyoto for six months was a peak experience in my life—art and aesthetics were ingrained in the culture,” Kaemmerlen recalls, “The ceramic tradition there was lovely, along with the gardens, ikebana and tea ceremony.”  

Fifteen years after experiencing that tradition, Kaemmerlen got into pottery herself, and it was love at first touch.“ Clay is such a great medium for me since I can impress whatever cool pattern or image into the surface that I can dream up,” she divulges, “Leaves, bugs, Asian and Celtic designs, shells, snowflakes, you name it!” 

Kaemmerlen’s career in Landscape Architecture has afforded the artist the best of both worlds, but since so much of her work has become computer-based, her home has been transformed into a hands-only zone. “Making an Ikebana container and going out into the yard to collect material for an arrangement is my idea of heaven!” she effuses, “Creating pottery that is both useful and beautiful is a privilege, and I am so grateful to have this means of expression.” 

When it comes to her Tiny Gallery show, Kaemmerlen has focused on unusual but functional pieces, a mix of old and new, with some even being collaborative. John Taylor threw the dragon-lidded urn that Kaemmerlen carved, decorated, and glazed; and David Scott made the molds for the Bluegill and Perch, and he also taught Kaemmerlen how to make the molds for her gourds. 

“I love bright colors and, unlike many professional potters, don’t have a deep appreciation for ‘brown pots,’” she jests, “While celadon is a personal favorite, cobalt and coral also rank high in my aesthetic!”   

Even the tools the artists used were often handmade, the fish bowls and dish set crafted with roller stamps Kaemmerlen created herself.  “I carve a design onto a napkin ring sized piece of porcelain, fire that, and then can use that pattern on pieces—[it] takes a common element and elevates it to a design that can be truly stunning!” she shares. “I hope people notice this and appreciate all the wonderful beauty that surrounds them in their lives.” 

Beauty has fortunately surrounded Kaemmerlen’s experiences as an artist. Reflecting on her artistic career, she says standout moments have been an Artist Residency at Wildacres Retreat in Little Switzerland, showing her work in Greenville at a Ceramic Invitation alongside artists like Alice Ballard and Valerie Zimany, and being part of many SC Arts Commission award luncheons and auctions. 

Much of Kaemmerlen’s experience is indebted to workshops, but one outstanding series was led by Gerry Williams, the founder of Studio Potter Magazine.  “For many summers I went to his Phoenix Workshops in New Hampshire and learned the background and inspiration of many successful artists,” she says. “We had such fun working together, sharing techniques and experimenting with clay… those memories will be hard to beat.” 

In reflecting on the memories of this past year, Kaemmerlen chooses to focus on the positive. “I sincerely hope that this past year has brought more people the simple joys of being creative in their own home and garden,” she intimates, “Growing what you eat, cooking it in a beautifully decorated kitchen, and serving out of a handmade bowl to a few close friends is a sustainable, deeply meaningful pleasure.” 

You can view Kaemmerlen’s show and all her beautiful, unique pieces until April 30th on the Jasper Project website: https://the-jasper-project.square.site/tiny-gallery  

After the show, Kaemmerlen will have more vases at SC Arts Foundation’s ‘Find Joy in Art’ online auction this May. She also usually has pieces in the Sumter County Gallery of Art. If you follow her on Facebook, you can see when she posts albums of her latest work and purchase via direct message. 

The motto Kaemmerlen has over her studio door is, “We Exist to Revere the Great Spirit of Life and Enjoy All the Beauty of Its Expression.” Take a virtual step into the beauty of these ceramic creations and steep in the spirit of their expression.

—Christina Xan

Jasper Project Galleries at Motor Supply Welcomes Trahern Cook aka Easel Cathedral

The artist Trahern Cook - photo by Perry McLeod

Trahern Cook was born in 1970 in Columbia, SC and has been drawing and painting and telling stories his entire life. In 1987 he attended The SC Governors School for the Arts as a visual artist and in 1992 he graduated from Ringling College of Art and Design with a focus on Illustration. He married his wife Lori in 1994 and they moved to Murfreesboro, TN where their two children were born n the late 1990s. Cook worked as a Full time Freelance illustrator from 1993 to the early 2000s and ,in 2006, the family moved back to Columbia, SC. There, Cook took the easel outside and has been painting all over the southeast and abroad ever since.

His work shows in private galleries, homes and work spaces throughout the country.

Cook has coined himself a “Jam Painter” given that so much of his subject matter is musicians of every genre playing everywhere from small taverns to large outdoor festivals. In those moments he explores brush strokes and colors matching the rhythm of the sounds being played.

As a “Live Painter” of events and weddings, Cook creates visual stories of his surroundings in his own unique painterly style, marrying a free folk recklessness with a trained and practiced deliberateness. This performance shares the space with everyone in attendance, enhancing the moment and using the the created vibe to inform the painting itself.

And then there’s the painter and his easel, going anywhere light falls on the buildings, homes, trails and roads of towns, cities and landscapes.

Cook welcomes anyone around to come hang out by the easel.

“It just paints better,” he says.

JASPER WRITES! A New Opportunity for SC Writers

JASPER WRITES!

The Jasper Project invites SC writers and writers with a connection to SC to submit poetry and prose for weekly publication on the Jasper Project website.

Jasper is delighted to announce our newest project—JASPER WRITES!

Hosted by Jasper Magazine poetry editor Ed Madden and editor-in-chief Cindi Boiter, the Jasper Project invites SC writers of both poetry and prose to submit their best work to us for publication consideration in a new segment on the Jasper Project website.

• Our immediate goal is to cultivate an online space where SC writers and readers can visit for inspiration and pleasure and to bask in the abundant literary talent this state offers.

• Our long-term goal is to collect samples of this talent from the accepted submissions to publish in a perfect bound compilation on a regular basis.

• Our over-arching goal is to preserve for posterity the eloquence of the Southern voice as it is created in SC at this point in time.

Submission Guidelines may be found here.

Gracious welcome to our first two contributors, Jennifer Bartell and Gina Ercolini.

Columbia City Ballet Concludes Season and Celebrates 60th Anniversary with Return of Fan Favorite Show - The Beatles Ballet!

ADDED PERFORMANCE

FRIDAY EVENING, APRIL 16TH @ 7:30

Anna Porter

 The past season of the Columbia City Ballet (CCB) has been unlike any other in its 60-year history. As for all of us, COVID-19 presented difficult obstacles for the CCB, but leaping over barriers is what dancers are built for.

 After having taken the time to consult with members of the CCB and several public health officials, the Columbia City Ballet has still been able to safely offer 22 performances this season. If there’s ever been a time for art, it’s now, and with costumed masks, adapted rehearsals, and tenacious community, the CCB has risen to the challenge.  

Now, this unparalleled season is coming to an end with a show as special as it has been—The Beatles Ballet. This show, created by Artistic and Executive Director William Starrett, was exceptionally popular when it first premiered in 2018. The effervescent aesthetic of The Beatles and their 60s vibes, coupled with the echoing love for the show, made it the perfect candidate to not only end this season but to celebrate what the CCB is calling their “Diamond Anniversary.” 

“When Beatles The Ballet premiered in 2018, it was instantly a hit with audiences,” Starrett expresses in the CCB’s Press Release, “I had always wanted to celebrate our 60th Anniversary Season with a ballet that means so much to me. After everything we faced, it just makes sense that we would end our 60th season with Beatles.” 

Claire Richardson, Dini Tetrick, Bonnie Boiter-Jolley, and Anna Porter

Sakura Oka

The show is a mix of energies, crafting a braid out of interweaving classic and modern music and dance. “In many ways, [The Beatles Ballet] is among Columbia City Ballet’s most ambitious projects,” asserts Michael Layer, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, “It incorporates talent, artistic styles, and inspiration from all over the world.” 

Putting a show with so many elements together takes a lot of hands (and feet!) and a plethora of talent. The full company is dancing with the addition of 6 guest dancers. 12 choreographers came together to set the tone and craft a through-line of bodies across these themes of old and new, which will be traced across more than 35 songs.  

Live music will accompany the show—the first time since the pandemic started—played by local musician Mark Rapp and his Little Big Band as well as members of The Return, a Beatles Tribute Band. Having live music matches the style of the show, which moves in part like a jukebox musical or mixed-rep show, with dancers’ bodies flowing between many sounds and tones. 

Beyond sharing this creative take on ballet and widely loved music, the “multimedia ballet will follow the story of The Beatles’ careers beginning in the 1960’s and [examine] their cultural impact and the elevation of social consciousness throughout their music,” the CCB states on their website.

The show, which is sponsored by the Lexington Medical Center, will open on Friday, April 16th with a newly added performance at 7:30, followed by performances on April 17th, 2021 at 3:00pm and at 6:30pm. Additionally, in honor of their anniversary, the CCB will be screening a film highlighting their history at the very beginning of the evening show. 

The show will take place at the Koger Center for the Arts, which enforces COVID-19 regulations for the safety of all patrons. Tickets are sold in pairs, seats are socially distanced, and face coverings are required at all times. These tickets, which start at $25, can be purchased at the Koger Center’s website or by calling their box office at 803-251-2222.

 

—Christina Xan