Photog Caleb Brown of Saucewithspoons Photo-Documents Jasper's 1st House Show - October 2022

Last Saturday, Jasper board member and local arts leader Bekah Rice hosted a house show at the One Columbia co-op as a fundraiser for the upcoming issue of Jasper Magazine. Featured bands included Death Ray Robin, Opus and the Frequencies, and Joseph Hunter Duncan, all of whom blew the crowd away. And by the way, let’s send out one more happy birthday to Joseph Hunter Duncan and thank him for spending his special day on our stage.

Featured artists included Gina Langston Brewer, David Dohan, Adam Corbett, Emily Moffitt, and Olivia Pope, who showed their work pop-up style inside the house at 1013 Duke Avenue, the old Indie Grits homeplace. This is the same place where Al Black hosts his monthly Front Porch Swing Sunday afternoon concert series as well as his once-a-month Jasper’s Tuesday night Poetry Salon.

By the way, Gina Langston Brewer is Jasper’s featured artist-in-residence at the Jasper First Thursday Gallery at Sound Bites in November — and David will be in residence in January 2023.

The bands were sponsored by board members Libby Campbell and Paul Leo with Eric Tucker, the wine and popcorn by Coal Powered Filmworks, and the beer by Muddy Ford Press. We also had a boat load of new helpers, most of whom were friends and family of Bekah. We can’t thank all of these sponsors and volunteers enough. You all rock!

But we were also lucky enough to be visited by local photographer Caleb Brown of Saucewithspoons who grabbed some pretty fabulous shots of the night. Caleb shared some of these shots with us; now we happily share them with you.

Libby Bernardin Book Launch at Stormwater

LIBBY BERNARDIN’S NEW BOOK LAUNCH

HOUSE IN NEED OF MOORING

 

Thursday, November 10; 5:30 – 7:00pm

 

Fellow poet, Jim Peterson, has written about Libby’s new book:

“These poems by Libby Bernardin are keenly sensitive to nature.  They also embody the losses, fears, sorrows, loves and simple pleasures of life lived deeply—a quiet mind seeing, and yes, reflecting, but never looking away from what has gone so wrong and so right in these times.  Bernardin’s poems reveal without explaining.  They conjure her beloved South Carolina—lowcountry wetlands, city streets and suburbs, mountains, the people and their endeavors—and yet at the same time embrace the unknowable.”

 

Poetry reading and book signing for her new book, House in need of Mooring:

Libby’s reading will start shortly after 5:30; other invited poets will also present readings.

Book signing: 6:30- 7:00pm.

 

About the Author:

South Carolina poet Libby Bernardin is the author of Stones Ripe for Sowing (Press 53, 2018) and two chapbooks, The Book of Myth (SC Poetry Initiative, 2009) and Layers of Song (Finishing Line Press, 2011). Journal publications include The Asheville Poetry Review, Southern Poetry Review, Kakalak. She has won poetry awards from the Poetry Society of South Carolina and the North Carolina Poetry Society, and has served as co-director of the highly respected Litchfield Tea & Poetry Series until 2019. Her new book, House in Need of Mooring (Press 53, 2022), is yet another testament to the silver lining of the pandemic. A retired English teacher from the University of South Carolina, she leads poetry workshops for the Georgetown County Library. She is a lifetime member of the Board of Governors of the SC Academy of Authors.

The Sound of Silence: Mummenschanz at the Koger Center

Mummenschanz is something you need to see to believe.

 You might not recognize them by name, but if someone mentions to you, “that one skit from Sesame Street with the green clam thing” or “the group that was on the last episode of the first season of the Muppet Show” then you will remember who they are.

A silent theatre and performing arts troupe from Switzerland, Mummenschanz was created in 1972. Now, 50 years after its conception, the troupe is taking a celebration tour across the United States and Europe to perform a brand-new production, aptly titled “50 Years.” The group has been to Columbia before, so the Koger Center is ecstatic to host a homecoming of sorts for such a beloved group. “Mummenschanz came to Columbia in 1991 and 1993, and we’re really excited to bring them back,” Koger Center director Nate Terracio said. “It’s a sort of homecoming for us that we’re looking forward to, and it’s great that they’re coming back for such a landmark achievement.” The company is led by the remaining founder, Floriana Frassetto, amongst other Swiss talents. “50 Years” will start touring in New Jersey during mid-October and will conclude next June abroad in Germany. The New York Times has described the troupe as “witty madness...dazzling and delightful,” and it does not take too long to find out you agree with them.

 

Mummenschanz has cemented itself as one of the most avant-garde performing arts groups in history. Their unique stage direction and costumes bewilder audiences of all ages, often prompting the younger members to verbally respond to the performers, indicating all sorts of engagement and excitement. The silence of the performers beckons audience response as well, allowing the audience to fill in the gaps with their own sense of dialogue or story. The lack of dialogue does not mean that the performance lacks heart; it multiplies as the performance continues. The audience grows to feel attached to the Clay Faces, the Green Clam, and everything else in between. Mummenschanz gives a voice to the creative minds that may prefer to speak in silence.

Mummenschanz’s performance at the Koger Center for the Arts is on Friday, November 4, at 7:30 PM. Tickets are available for purchase in person at the Koger Center box office or online

Tiny Gallery Artists Debora Life Converges Love for Gardening and Pottery in Her Ceramic Creations

This month, we have been delighted to showcase Debora Martin Life’s ceramics during out October Tiny Gallery show. Learn more about her and her work below! 

Debora Life grew up in Adena, a small coal-mining town in Ohio. She recalls her father having his own trucks and employees—while her mother kept both the books and the home—and cites observing them as one of her early influences: “That may have been an early exposure to seeing how things worked and what it took to keep a business up and running.” 

Though her first real exposure to art, and pottery specifically, would come after a move to Marietta when she was 11. This larger school brought hands-on experience with pottery and various mediums. In terms of training, though, art is not what Life went to school for—on the contrary, she is a trained nurse. 

Her first love of creation was really with plants. Life remembers “early passions include[ing] seeing the country by way of motorcycle riding with our daughters in a sidecar, then progressing to backseat passengers as they grew. We made several cross-country trips, falling in love with the West.” 

After moving to Arizona, Life became a Master Gardner and then became involved with a Cactus Society that met monthly at the Botanical Garden in Phoenix. As she learned about the world and its nature, she came to a conclusion: “with plants you need pottery.” 

Life began taking ceramic classes with every instructor she could at Arizona’s community colleges, and even after she moved to Columbia a few years ago, she continued this new love, working with pottery regularly at the City of Columbia Art Studio, which she still frequents. 

“My work has evolved as I have improved with practice and having the time to explore new avenues. Working a few evenings at the City Studio every week, friendships have grown also,” she shares, adding that her love of gardening and pottery have begun to merge, “Using leaves and textures are often incorporated into my artwork. I also have chickens and vermiculture at my Rosewood home.”  

In this Tiny Gallery show, Life has presented a plethora of practical yet beautiful pieces. Butter dishes and serving trays are lined with bright hues of cerulean or carved with individual faces and cities. The occasional pendant, animal, and even creature makes an appearance too.  

This is only the most recent in South Carolina opportunities Life reflects on as poignant to her. She has attended various conferences, a pottery exhibit at the Chandler Center, and was a vendor at the Phoenix Botanical Garden during a Cactus Society Show and Sale. 

On creating ceramic work, she reflects as such: “While I think of myself as someone who can carry out a task in a prompt fashion, pottery has been the most humbling of crafts that I have taken up.” 

You can view Life’s work until October 31st at Jasper’s virtual gallery: https://the-jasper-project.square.site/tiny-gallery  

In the future, you can see Life’s work at the State Fair (10/12-23), Sesquicentennial State Park (11/6), Melrose Art Crawl (11/20), and Midlands Clay Art Society and Cottontown Art Crawl (11/23).

University of South Carolina and Local Cinema Studios is Seeking Feature & Pilot Scripts for Production

Do you have a feature or pilot script that you can’t wait to see come to life? Are you passionate about collaboration and mentorship? We have a million dollar (okay, realistically ~$100k opportunity) for you!

Local Cinema Studios, with support from the South Carolina Film Commission and the University of South Carolina, is producing their second project in South Carolina during Summer 2023.

They are searching for feature length and pilot scripts that can be shot in roughly six weeks, bringing on professional crews, student interns, mentors, and community members to come together on a professional production.

Entries are due Nov. 1, 2022. View the requirements and submit your script here.

This is an annual initiative that kicked off in 2021 when UofSC and their production team made a feature film called HERO. According to Local Cinema Studios, they see the low budget as an opportunity to problem solve and use passion and grit to get things done on set. They'll also have goals to raise more depending on the script.

Please reach out to Dustin at dwhitehead@localcinemastudios.com with any questions.

Announcing Fall Lines Volume IX Winners and Accepted Authors

The Jasper Project is delighted to announce the winners of the 2022 Fall Lines Awards and the accepted submissions to Fall Lines Volume IX.

The Broad River Prize for Prose goes to Tim Conroy for his short fiction, Nasty Bites and the Saluda River Prize for Poetry goes to Jo Angela Edwins for her poem, Stricken.

Fall Lines volume IX will be released on Sunday, February 5th, 2023, at the Main Branch of the Richland Library, 1431 Assembly Street in Columbia, SC. The event will begin at 3 pm and all contributors are invited to read one poem or approximately one page of their published prose. Contributors are welcome to two copies of the journal and additional copies may be purchased for $10 each. Proceeds from purchased journals will help defray the dramatically increased costs of publication. Watch this space for pre-order information.


Poetry and prose accepted for publication in this year’s Fall Lines journal include the following

Fruit – Gil Allen

The turning – Ken Autry

The last battle in Alabama – Ken Autry

Bachman's Warbler – Ken Autry

Bird – Libby Bernardin

with spoiled fruit – Evelyn Berry

Dear Raphael – Al Black

Porcelain doll – Al Black

If I were a man – Cindi Boiter

Prudent – Cindi Boiter

Seamstress – Carolina Bowden

Signs that say what you want them to say (not signs that say what someone else wants you to say) – Lucia Brown

Before we turn on the table saw – Lucia Brown

walking a half-marathon through your hometown – Lucia Brown

Members of the backyard church – Tim Conroy

Nasty Bites – Tim Conroy

How to cut up a chicken – Susan Craig

Touching Wyse's Ferry Bridge – Susan Craig

The Older Poet Yearns to Carpe the Diem – Debra Daniels

Dream Three – Heather Dearmon

Bring Me Something – Heather Dearmon

Across the River - Marlanda DeKine

talking to themselves -  Marlanda DeKine

For my cat, every Sunday afternoon – Graham Duncan

Ghosts in Poems – Jo Angela Edwins

Stricken – Jo Angela Edwins

Nana Lencha – Vera Gomez

You don't know what you don't know – Vera Gomez

Coattails – Kristine Hartvigsen

River – Kristine Hartvigsen

A Quiet Love – Jammie Huynh

A ghazal to my father – Jammie Huynh

Bad Idea Boyfriend, or White Jesus – Shannon Ivey

D. – Suzanne Kamata

Red Bird / Blue Bird – Bentz Kirby

Hunter's Chapel Road – Len Laurin

I love you 3000 – Len Lawson

Crown – Terri McCord

Space – Terri McCord

For a 20% Tip – Rosalie McCracken

"Yes, please" – Melanie McGhee

Cycles – Joseph Mills

Office hours – Joseph Mills

Those of us with bushy white beards – Joseph Mills

So long, Greenie – Eric Morris

Chopin all over her – Eric Morris

Old photos (for Ahmaud Arbery) – Yvette Murray

Thundering shadows – Frances Pearce

Gone to the birds – Glenis Redmond

"Praise how the ordinary turns sacred" – Glenis Redmond

Strangers in a Strange Field – Aida Rogers

Pre-Columbia Intersections – Lawrence Rhu

Meaningless – Michael Rubin

Small things I notice – Randy Spencer

Next Day Now - Randy Spencer

Above the poplars – Arthur Turfa

For the Love of Mz. Joe – Ceille Welch

Congratulations to

Tim Conroy and Jo Angela Edwins

and all the accepted poets and prose writers for

Fall Lines Volume IX!

 

PREVIEW: DEATH OF A SALESMAN AT WORKSHOP THEATRE BY JON TUTTLE

The grinding wheel of American capitalism has become a Catherine Wheel: if you’re not helping to turn it, you’ll get lashed to it. This is what Miller called, in his eponymous essay, the tragedy of the common man: “the disaster inherent in being torn away from our chosen image of what and who we are in this world. Among us today this fear is strong, and perhaps stronger, than it ever was.”

The watershed moment for American drama occurred at about 10:30pm on January 22, 1949, at the Locust Street Theatre in downtown Philadelphia. It consisted of a stunned silence.  

Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman had been in rehearsals for several weeks but came to Philadelphia for a tryout before opening at the Morosco on Broadway. It would go on to win the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Best play, as well as a raft of other awards, and would be remounted on Broadway five times—including right now at the Hudson Theatre, with an all- African-American cast. There is no official count of such things, but it is surely one of the most-produced plays in history. At any rate, it ranks at or near the top of lists—such as a recent one by the Denver Post—of the most important American plays.  

But when the when the curtain came down on the first public performance of The Great American Play, there was no applause, no response at all. In his autobiography, Timebends, Miller recalls the strange moment: “Strange things began to go on in the audience. With the curtain down, some people stood to put their coats on and then sat down again; some, especially men, were bent forward, covering their faces, and others were openly weeping. People crossed the theatre to stand quietly, talking with one another. It seemed forever before someone remembered to applaud, and then there was no end to it. I was standing at the back and saw a distinguished-looking elderly man being led up the aisle; he was talking excitedly into the ear of what seemed to be his male secretary or assistant. This, I learned, was Bernard Gimbel, head of the department store chain, who that night gave an order that no one in his stores was to be fired for being overage.”

Salesman tells the story, of course, of Willy Loman, the disposable American Everyman who measures his worth only in dollars, and of his wife, Linda, whose every encouragement hastens his suicide. His sons, Biff and Hap, represent the competing halves of his personality and of the American psyche—one a rugged outdoorsman still invested in pre-Depression ideals of hard work and camaraderie, the other a wannabe cut-throat executive who equates price with value. Reunited for twenty-four hours, the Lomans can no longer live together under the same roof. By the end of the play, the family home—the artifact upon which the American mythos is based--is paid for—but empty.

We are living in the fallout from unchecked capitalism and patriarchy - burnout, classism, exploitation, income and wealth inequality, housing shortages, climate crises. We are poorer now than our parents were at our age, and without significant and sustained changes to our system, the future looks more uncertain than ever. Social media has turned many of us into salespeople, selling the version of our lives that we want others to see, angling for as many likes as we can get to increase our self-worth, believing as Willy does that it's important to be well-liked.” - Patrick Michael Kelly

“Attention, attention must be paid,” says Linda of her hapless husband, and by extension of every well-meaning, faceless citizen failing to fulfill their obligations to the economy, and that’s truer now than it was in 1949. The grinding wheel of American capitalism has become a Catherine Wheel: if you’re not helping to turn it, you’ll get lashed to it. This is what Miller called, in his eponymous essay, the tragedy of the common man: “the disaster inherent in being torn away from our chosen image of what and who we are in this world. Among us today this fear is strong, and perhaps stronger, than it ever was.” 

Patrick Michael Kelly, who is directing the Workshop Theatre production opening November 4, concurs. “Salesman speaks to many of the issues we grapple with today,” he says. “Miller sought to deflate the idea of the American Dream - that anyone could achieve anything with hard work and determination. My generation and younger generations believe less and less in that idea, and this play underscores our disillusionment. We are living in the fallout from unchecked capitalism and patriarchy - burnout, classism, exploitation, income and wealth inequality, housing shortages, climate crises. We are poorer now than our parents were at our age, and without significant and sustained changes to our system, the future looks more uncertain than ever. Social media has turned many of us into salespeople, selling the version of our lives that we want others to see, angling for as many likes as we can get to increase our self-worth, believing as Willy does that it's important to be well-liked.”  

Kelly’s production will emphasize, he says, the concept that originally informed the play—the stream of consciousness running through the mind of its protagonist. Miller composed the first act of the play in a single night in his backyard shed in Connecticut—emerging the next morning, he said, aching and exhausted. His working title was The Inside of His Head, and he imagined the setting of the play as an enormous face which would open, like French doors, to reveal the interior of the Loman household. Designer Jo Mielziner prevailed upon Miller to do away with the cranium, but the operative principle that drives the play—that Willy cannot separate his illusions and memories from his realities—remained part of its DNA. It’s that element that Kelly’s production will emphasize. 

“We are highlighting that much of the play takes place in Willy’s mind,” says Kelly, “in his memories, with moveable settings to illustrate the fleeting nature and impermanence of memory and time. Beyond a few period accents, our set largely eschews reality and instead looks to illustrate Willy’s true passion for building things and his desire to get ahead. A skeletal staircase to nowhere is the only permanent fixture - a visual metaphor for his thwarted dreams, which Biff declares in the requiem as being ‘all, all wrong.’” 

What’s different about this production, however, is that Kelly is seeking to “decolonize and deconstruct” it as much as possible. The cast is racially diverse because “we want audience members of all backgrounds to see themselves in this story,” and his set is “somewhat Brechtian” in its minimalism and desire to keep the audience asking the right questions. “Salesman is almost entirely devoid of references to race,” Kelly says, and is primarily “focused more on classism. Racism was very much alive in the ‘40s however, so it cannot be ignored, and casting this play with a diverse group of people presents new dynamics and problems that were not originally intended. At the end of the day, I wanted to work with the best actors I could find, and I believe I found them. We’ve got a stellar team.” 

Veteran Columbia professionals Paul Kaufmann and Libby Campbell as Willy and Linda head that team. “I always love working with my longtime friend and colleague Paul Kaufmann,” says Kelly. “Paul is a wonderful artist and will bring his expertise in creating a more sensitive version of Willy Loman, balancing the ferocity of his fears with his sweetness and sentimentality. This play is the third time I’ve had the pleasure of directing him. [And] Libby is Columbia theatre royalty. This is my first time working with her.” 

Kelly notes that Deon Turner (Biff) and Jon Whit McClinton (Happy) are fresh from Trustus Theatre’s True Crime Rep--Jason Stokes Composure and Charlie Finesilver’s House Calls, and that “Jonathan Yi (Bernard) was one of my students last year at the University of South Carolina, and actually played Biff in scene study in that class, so it’s a treat to work with him on this play. Ripley Thames (Charley) is an actor I’ve admired for some time, but never gotten to work with. Same goes for Emily Meadows (Woman/Letta). Caroline McGee is a 2022 UofSC theatre graduate, and Roderick Haynes, Jr. stepped in late in the process and has been a joy. Mostly, it’s just an honor to get to tell this story - it’s one of the greatest American plays for a reason, and it’s a privilege to get to work on it intensely. It’s intimidating, but I love a challenge, and I hope audiences love what we’re creating for them.” 

Likewise, he relishes the opportunity to work once again—in a new venue--with Workshop, for whom he’s performed in Some Girl(s) (2017) and The Little Foxes (2002). This production is the culmination of conversations he’d been having with Jeni McCaughan, Workshop’s executive director, about remounting American classics. “I don’t think we go back to the dramatic classics enough,” he says. “I am a champion of new work. I think fostering new voices and nurturing new plays is the most important work a theatre can undertake, but we can still learn a lot from producing the plays of Arthur Miller, Lorraine Hansberry, Tennessee Williams, and many others.”   

And he is “thrilled” about Workshop’s partnership with Columbia College. “I know it’s going to benefit both organizations in a big way - and I’m excited to direct a show in the historic Cottingham Theatre. It’s a beautiful space and an actor’s dream as far as acoustics are concerned. I’ve never directed in a true proscenium theatre that has wings and fly space before either, so it’s a real treat.” 

Workshop Theatre’s production of Death of a Salesman will run November 4 through 13 at Cottingham Theatre on the campus of Columbia College. Tickets are available here.

Drink Small at the Koger Center

Wednesday, October 26th at 7:30 pm

Koger Center for the Arts

Drink Small is famous for many things, not the least of which is his modeling career. Right in the heart of Five Points sits Drink Small in the “V” of the iconic Five Points mural.

A native of Bishopville, SC, Small has been playing the guitar since his childhood. He has made a huge name for himself through his stage presence, his vocal tonality, and the ease with which he masters different musical styles. Now approaching his 90th birthday, even after losing his eyesight, Small continues to perform for audiences with aplomb. Small is known for his signature “Drink-isms,” a mixture of aphorism, stage banter, and charm that you cannot find with anyone else.

On October 26 at 7:30 PM, come to the Koger Center for the first of a brand-new concert series: “Koger Center Presents: Onstage With...” which Drink Small will introduce.

The concert is a result of the continued partnership between the Koger Center and the ColaJazz Foundation. South Carolina ETV and Public Radio are also partnering with these groups to record and videotape the entirety of the performance. The concert will include performances from other blues performers like the Randy Newton Trio and Brittany Turnipseed while also featuring the SC State University Choir. The audience will continue to stay on stage for each of these performances so they get an even more intimate concert experience than they may be used to.

“We’re really excited to bring such a legend to the Koger Center,” says Nate Terracio, Director of the Koger Center. “This new concert series is something we have been looking forward to putting on for a while and starting it off with such a musical powerhouse is really encouraging.”

The Koger Center has been dedicating itself to continuing and improving the diversity of its performance catalog. The directorial staff of Koger knows just how diverse the Midlands are (and the rest of South Carolina altogether) and aims to consistently accommodate the interests of everyone involved with the arts or music. The University of South Carolina has been making headway with their own Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion expectations, and Koger hopes to not only fulfill those expectations but exceed them. Supporting the arts of all audiences is integral for the growth of the art industry, and the Koger Center hopes that the celebration of such an important artist as Drink Small will bring in support for both the Columbia jazz scene and Mr. Small himself.

Gina Langston Brewer is the First Thursday Artist in Residence at Sound Bites in November

First Thursday

November 3rd @ 6 pm

Sound Bites Eatery

Gina Langston Brewer

The Jasper Project is excited to announce that Gina Langston Brewer will be the November artist-i-residence at the Sound Bites First Thursday Gallery, with an opening reception on Thursday, November 3rd, beginning at 6 pm.

According to Langston Brewer, “Much of my art is inspired by the community of strong women all around me, women who lift one another up every day, who are constantly present, like the air, providing currents of nurturing support and love. My images celebrate our curves, our colors, our joys, and our sorrows — all that gives us dimension and hope and fire in this world.”

Gina Langston Brewer

Langston Brewer’s show will be up throughout the month of November, but the artist will be in house on the night of the 3rd to meet patrons and answer questions.

Sound Bites Eatery has a full menu of sandwiches, salads, and more plus beer, wine, and other beverages.

Opus and the Frequencies Want to Bring People and Good Vibes Together

“Be yourself and do what you love. It might not take you to the moon, but at least you’ll find your people and where you belong.”

Photo by Kati Baldwin

Opus & the Frequencies is genre-bending band lead by Tony “Opus” Williams on vocals, piano and guitar with Steven Tapia-Macias on bass, Jesse Tortorella on drums and Kirk Barnes on guitar. Their fun high energy live shows, and eclectic set list that is the perfect mix of originals and covers, has positioned them to be a Columbia favorite.

JASPER: How did Opus & the Frequencies come to be?

O&TF: Tony describes it as a heist movie, when the lead thief has to assemble a team, each brings something unique to the table. He first met Steven, bassist and social media guru, and Joud, our future sound man and equipment extraordinaire, at jams in his off-campus apartment while they were students at South Carolina. Tony had known Jesse, the drummer man, from some other gigs around town and he was the next to be collected. Then when he was working at Campus IT, he had a co-worker whose boyfriend played guitar. He went to meet him, and check if he was really worth a damn since everybody plays guitar, so Kirk was the last of the Frequencies to be brought into the fold.  

Since Tony briefly thought he was a Pokemon trainer, and he set out to catch ‘em all, with the group originally having several different members and line-ups before finally settling into Opus and The Frequencies. 

 

JASPER: What does your writing process look like?

O&TF: Everyone in the group is different, but we’ll focus on Tony since he writes the majority of the lyrics. First, he’ll have an idea that basically starts worming its way into his ear. Then settling into humming and singing melodies and different instrumental ideas before going to the piano, or occasionally guitar, to play around with it until something more occurs to him. Once settled on things like melody and chord progression, he’ll usually use fill-in, “dummy,” lyrics until he can sit and have some time to flesh out the lyrics seriously. For F.A.M., we have a very early recording, probably the first day we had been messing with it so all it was a guitar riff so Tony starts to sing “I’ll Make a Man out of You” from the movie Mulan, for whatever reason that was what spoke to him the most in that moment. As for the whole group if we’re doing group writing day or something to that effect, we all bring our own individual ideas, but just jamming on something, liking it, and then running with it is our usual M.O.

 

JASPER: You guys, Tony specifically is all about conveying honest emotions on stage. Can you talk a little more about that and how emotion fits into your music.

O&FT: Honestly, it’s mostly about being human, and being accepted for that. Things in life are rarely easy, but doing what you love and having people not only accept that, but really vibe with it as well, is incredibly fulfilling. For “Jesse’s Song” specifically, Kirk wrote the music years ago on his own, and he didn’t even realize or set out to give the song the vibe it has, but for whatever reason I (Tony) picked up on that immediately. I really bonded with the feelings it produced, and combined with things my own personal life, everything just fit together perfectly. When I sat down to write the lyrics, they turned out to not only fit the tune, but some of the feelings he had when he was originally writing it. 

 

JASPER: When do you know if something is done?

O&FT: Nothing’s ever done! Or at least it doesn’t feel like we’re ever finished with anything that we’re doing. Things percolate and get refined and eventually settle into the established order. We usually either run out of time or we’ve got nothing left, and then we’re “done” until our next great idea. 

 

JASPER: Who inspires you?

O&FT: We’re a pretty eclectic group, and we pride ourselves on being diverse musically and personality-wise. Some specific artists who inspire us would be Bruno Mars, George Daniel (The 1975), Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Fela Kuti, as well as the musical community here in Columbia. There are so many artists and friends doing so many incredible things that it’s hard not to be inspired.  

 

JASPER: What motivates you?

O&FT: As cliche as it sounds, it's all about having fun and a good time, for us and hopefully the audience. There are all these different energies and “frequencies” coming together, not just between the guys, but also between us and the crowd. When that comes together it’s really an incredible feeling. The band is a melting pot, and Columbia is too, so you get this really crazy, beautiful mix of music people and experiences. 

 

JASPER: What gets in your way?

O&FT: What gets in anyone’s way?  The usual stuff: someone’s having a bad day or in a bad mood, we forgot some piece of equipment and we’re 2 hours from home and an hour from the venue, Jesse losing his glasses.  Having fun is essential, but it can also distract you. The usual stuff.  

 

JASPER: What is your favorite or least favorite show you’ve played and why?

O&FT: We’ve had a lot of great ones, including one last year with Kirk proposing with a song he wrote.  We had a lot of friends and family there so that was a special one. But overall, we’d have to say our show this past summer at Music at Midsummer, a festival hosted by Valley Bear Collective. We really swung for the fences by adding in 5 other musicians, including horns and background vocalists, in addition to our core four. It was almost too much, but somehow, we pulled it off with the great people at VBC and our honorary Freq’s.  

We got to see the glory of “The Tentapolis at OpusCity” which was our campground set up.  You really can’t beat spending a weekend up in the mountains with a couple hundred awesome people and just rocking out for 3 straight days. Especially when there’s great music and company all around you.  

 

JASPER: Do you have any kind of pre-show rituals or traditions?

O&FT: As we get closer to showtime Tony will start to do his vocal warm ups and meditation, to really get in the zone. Then we get the group together and have a stretching session just like back in gym class. Some hype-up stuff goes on, a little bit of light ragging each other and joking around, and then we’re off. Occasionally Kirk and Tony sing “Ironic” by Alanis Morisette, but not for anything other than fun and because that song rocks.  

 

JASPER: What do you like and or dislike about the Columbia music scene?

O&FT: We've briefly touched on this previously, but you can boil it down to the community and camaraderie you get with other artists here in town. There is a ton of cross-pollination happening with genres, bands and community. People show up and support each other! There are just so many people out here trying to take Columbia’s scene to the next level. You see it in sharing news of friend’s upcoming gigs, and raising money for local causes and you can’t help but be in awe of it.

 

JASPER: What advice do you have for other artists?

O&FT: Be yourself and do what you love. It might not take you to the moon, but at least you’ll find your people and where you belong. You’ll probably learn a lot about yourself along the way.  

                       

JASPER: Anything else you want readers to know?

JASPER: We’ve got a saying we like to live by: “All Frequencies (Freq’s) Welcome!” It means that you are welcome in our community, and we want to bring people and good vibes together  

 

Opus & the Frequencies are releasing their new single “Jesse’s Song” and a music video for “Survivor” on October 20th. They also have an EP on the way soon. Come see them play live October 21st at Jasper Project’s House Show with Death Ray Robin and Joseph Hunter Duncan at

You can also check our their website for upcoming shows at opusfrequencies.com and follow them on instagram and facebook

REVIEW: The Rocky Horror Show at Trustus Theatre Really Does Have Something for Everyone

 

What better way to kick off October and Trustus Theatre’s 38th season, “(Un) Familiar,” than with a familiar classic that explores what once were (and sadly for some might still be) very unfamiliar topics?

Cult classic The Rocky Horror Show at Trustus Theatre was, as expected, a great time had by all, and yet very different from the show longtime fans might have come to expect. A sold out showing on Friday, October 7th, the crowd was a mix of veteran fans ready to participate and soon to be new fans squirting each other with tiny water guns. Many viewers were decked out, ready to sing and dance along to the classics they know and love. Director, choreographer, and international award-winning performing artist, Terrance Henderson, has brought refreshing life and transformation to the Rocky Horror legacy.  

With this show, Henderson succeeds at making space for everyone. In his note to the  audience, Trustus veteran Henderson says he looked at the cult classic from his “unapologetically Black and Queer perspective honoring some of [his] own cultural languages and traditions.” Taking inspiration from “Black feminine and gender fluid beings, Black queer, Black trans, Black intersectional and FREE people” Henderson overtly celebrates duality, a classic attribute that is very much at the heart of the show. This blatant duality, arguably the point and purpose of the show, has been criticized for perpetrating harmful stereotypes while also mocking them, both hurting and celebrating the LGBTQ community. But Jasper was not moved toward criticism. In fact, we found that Henderson’s approach, and the alterations he made to the show, felt like a  better, more imaginative Rocky Horror and, most importantly, more inclusive.  

The casting choices for the show were excellent and reflected Henderson’s vision well, with almost every major character in the show being Actors of Color. The vocal talent of the cast members was beyond impressive and well matched by the live band in the theatre’s loft space lead by music director Chris Cockrell.  

Katrina Garvin (Magenta, Usherette), a member of the Trustus Company, mesmerized the audience singing the opening number “Science Fiction Double Feature.” Fellow company member, Samuel McWhite (Riff Raff), induced chills as he descended the staircase singing his solo in “Over at the Frankenstein Place.” It was hard to believe Mel Driggers (Columbia), was new to performing at Trustus, clearly belonging on that stage, and holding their own. Veteran of the role, Walter Graham’s incredible costume changes and perfectly over the top portrayal of Frank N’ Furter received roaring applause and gasps throughout the night while company members Michael Hazin and Katie Leitner kept the audience laughing as Brad and Janet.

 We won’t spoil any other surprises for you, but we can guarantee you will have a great time! 

The Rocky Horror Show will be performed at Trustus Theatre through October 29th.

Jasper Partners with Curiosity Coffee and Gardener's Outpost on Pumpkin Carving Contest with Some of the City's Finest Artists

The Jasper Project is excited to host some of the city’s spookiest artists in a pumpkin carving contest and you’re invited to vote on the Greatest Pumpkin People’s Choice Award!

Join us on Friday October 28th from 4 - 8 pm at Curiosity Coffee as more than a dozen local artists bring their scariest, funniest, and most innovative pumpkin creations to Curiosity Coffee to be admired and assessed by a panel of judges and YOU!

Our Artists include:  

 Bohumila Augustinova

Abstract Alexandra

Kimber Carpenter

Lauren Chapman Casassa

Tennyson Corley

Thomas Crouch

Billy Guess

Jennifer Hill

Michael Krajewski

Michael McGuirt

Lucas Sams

Olga Yukhno

Thomas Washington

Cait Maloney     

A panel of judges will select the Scariest, Silliest, and Most Innovative Pumpkins of the night and award them blue ribbons.

But You will determine the grand prize winner by purchasing special Jasper Candy Votes and and placing your votes in the trick-or-treat bag assigned to your favorite pumpkin. Candy votes will be $1 each and sold in $5 bags. At the end of the night, votes will be tallied, prizes will be awarded, and we’ll all divvy up the candy or donate it to sugar-crazy children. All proceeds will go toward publication costs for Jasper Magazine.

Curiosity Coffee has lots more fun planned, too, including Mary’s Arepas, Spooky Vibes by DJ Liv, and you can pick up your “Nightmare in Elmwood 5K Road Race” packet from 4 - 6:30pm.

We can’t wait to see what some of our favorite artists create and share the fun with all of you!

CALL for Jasper First Thursday/Sound Bites Artists

Since April, Jasper has been hosting a monthly artist at the restaurant with an opening on First Thursday evenings. Jasper schedules the artist and promotes the art and artist via social media and on the Jasper Project website. We manage any sales and ask that 25 percent of sales go to sustaining Jasper. (As you may remember, Jasper has no paid staff so 100 percent of any income goes directly into service of the Midlands arts community.) The remaining 75 percent goes to the featured artist.

We’re scheduling the next few months of artists-in-residence at Sound Bites Eatery whose work will show throughout the month with a grand opening reception on the first Thursday of the month you are chosen to show.

The gallery space is very small, so we recommend smaller 2-D pieces and easily affordable price points. However, additional art & prints may be brought in for opening night only.

We’re looking for artists whose work is small to medium in format, bright, colorful, and whimsical and is offered at a modest price point.

Right now, we are scheduling for November, December, January, February, and March.

 If interested, please send three examples of the work you’d like to feature along with their prices to JasperProjectColumbia@gmail.com.

Robert Kennedy - My Life in the Figure at Stormwater Studios

By Meg Carroll

The opening reception for Robert Kennedy’s exhibition My Life in the Figure is at Stormwater Studios on Thursday, October 13th from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. The exhibition will be on view at the studio complex from October 12th to the 15th.

My Life in the Figure is the culmination of the last 30 years of Robert Kennedy’s work. His first experience with figure drawing was at the Academia de’Belle Arte in Florence, Italy where he was enrolled at the age of 23. The Academia de’Belle Arte was founded in 1563 by Cosimo I de’ Medici and is associated with many famous artists such as Michelangelo — obviously a very prestigious academy for art.

Kennedy began his studies as a watercolor painter, and eventually moved on to oils, acrylics, and charcoal. He favors using charcoal and conte crayon on paper or acrylic on canvas for his figure drawings. However, Kennedy works in many mediums, listing on his artist page that he sculpts, as well.

However, since his enrollment some 60 odd years ago, figure drawing has remained Kennedy’s favorite mode of work, and he has worked in many mediums but usually with a live model. He appreciates the diversity of the human face and form, as working with models is never the same. “No two are alike as the movement of the model presents a new image each time,” he says.

This exhibition is collected from a vast amount of work which Kennedy completed both at Gallery 80808 and Stormwater Studios, where he is a resident artist. He has also worked in collaboration with About Face, a studio project which sponsors figure drawing in Columbia.

Stormwater Studios offers space for 10 practicing artists and gallery space for community artists. The space was started through a collaboration between the Columbia Development Corporation and the City of Columbia in order to revitalize InnoVista efforts, the city’s plan to create a diverse and multi-faceted urban landscape.

Stormwater Studios is located at 413 Pendleton Street in Columbia, SC.

PATx Dressing For The Fight and Getting “Naked” for His Fans

“We’re always at war with something. If those things were tangible, how would you dress?”

 
 

Patrick Rutledge, PATx, is a self-produced recording artist, performer, filmmaker, and visual artist, and his music is just as multifaceted as he is. Each of his albums presents a new surface, but with a solid unmistakable core that is his sound. A sound that is its own unique creature– furious, complex, emotionally raw and pieced together from all the best parts of hardcore, metal, and hip-hop. With this sound, his talent for writing, mixing, producing, and rapping, along with a strong visual aesthetic PATx is definitely impressive.

 

JASPER: First off, is there anything you aren't good at? Videos, music, and visual art –Is it difficult to juggle all of that, and how do you decide what gets focus? 

RUTLEDGE: I can’t whistle, so that’s definitely something I’m not good at. But yeah, I always find myself prioritizing ideas: some have to live in fantasy world for a bit because the resources needed are just unrealistic at this stage, others get placed in a list based on various factors like time-sensitivity, how long it would take to make, how excited I am about it, etc. etc. It gets tough to juggle sometimes, but I’d rather have a lot of ideas than a lack of.

 

JASPER: You say tactical gear and masks are part of your aesthetic because they are a “physical representation of raging against internal struggles and fighting adversity”. Can you talk more about this and how you’ve built your visual identity?

RUTLEDGE: I think my aesthetic has been built by my self-actualization. I didn’t really find/establish my brand until 2019, but many of its factors were cursory long before…just not fully explored or developed. Everything is representative of battling self-and/or other: the tactical gear, the masks worn, the content in the songs, the visuals. I think my brand works because it’s an attention grabber. For those who are experiencing it for face-value: great, it’s interesting enough to click. For those that stick around and really dissect it, there’s even more there for you. I reflect on the human experience like anyone else, but maybe it’s harder to push those thoughts to the periphery when I do it…it’s too loud.

I take a lot of inspiration from techwear, military gear, grunge, goth, and streetwear fashion. We’re always at war with something. If those things were tangible, how would you dress?

 

JASPER: What is your creative process like?

RUTLEDGE: My creative process is pretty formless in its initial stages. It can be a voice recording of me humming into my phone a melody or concept (I have countless recordings like that), a instrumental I made, or lyrics I thought of. Of course, as you continue to build on an idea, you have to introduce structure, but I always try to keep an open mental pocket for impromptu decisions and spontaneity…my best work always come from that element.

 

JASPER: Which of your songs is your favorite or least favorite and why? 

RUTLEDGE: I don’t think I have a favorite or a least-favorite. My favorite (I guess) is typically the most-recent for a bit, and my least-favorite (I guess) is the one I listen to at a later date and realize all the things I could’ve done to make it better.

 

JASPER: Is there a particular verse or line you've written that you really love? 

RUTLEDGE:  My second verse on Lanc III (feat. H3RO) is a favorite because I think it does such a good job of encapsulating my entire experience pursuing music. A couple of other one-liners (or whatever) that mean a ton to me are, “how do you describe the feeling that you’ve been feeling? How to make it rhyme and fit it inside a sentence,” and “On my mama Heaven aint a place and we create our Hell, on my mama God and Satan both exist within ourselves.”

 

JASPER: What motivates you?

RUTLEDGE:  I’m very motivated by my own potential. That sounds narcissistic, but I’ve always felt like just that…potential. To see the actualization of all that potential and the value it can provide is a big driver for me.

 

JASPER: What gets in your way? 

RUTLEDGE:  Of course, I can say all the external things: money, time, location, things I didn’t have a say in, blah blah blah. But really, I’m the only thing in my way. Everything is my fault…and it may seem counter-intuitive, but I find solace in that. Giving myself that full accountability returns the leverage and control (or the mirage thereof) back to me.

 

JASPER: How do you know when something is done? 

RUTLEDGE: Something in my head just says “yeah, we’re done here.” Rarely do I finish songs in one session though. There’s song that sat halfway done for years even before revisiting and finishing them. Divine timing, laziness, scatterbrain, who knows.

 

JASPER: Who are your biggest influences and why? 

RUTLEDGE: I don’t know. I’m inspired by everything…examples of what I wanna do, what I definitely DON’T wanna do. If you’d rather have names: J.Cole is like a big brother to me. Eminem took my innocence. Kanye West’s contribution to both fashion, public discord (good and bad), and music is inspiring, XXXTENTACION, Mac Miller, System of a Down, Ghostemane, Rise Against, Gorillaz. I’m going to look back and hate myself for the names I missed, but here we are.

 

JASPER: Out of all the videos you've made, which is your favorite and why?

RUTLEDGE:  Crazytown is my favorite music video thus far. It is VERY close to what I envisioned in my head. I also like the theme: it is a large metaphor for protecting your heart from temptation, doubt, etc. etc.

I watched it again recently and decided that Werewolf is also another favorite. When I made it, it wasn’t quite what I envisioned, but there are some parts in there that I think are great, particularly the scene where I’m fighting myself from turning into a werewolf.

I think both visuals have the grit and aesthetic I’m going for with my imagery.

 

JASPER: If three of your songs were a location, place or physical space what would they be?

RUTLEDGE:  “Breach” would be a sold out show where I jump into the crowd from the stage and mosh with them.

Someone listened to “Foolish” and told me it felt like Los Angeles and walking the beach, which is amazing because I created the Moving Still project in LA…much of it being conceptualized either in Hollywood, Santa Monica Beach, or Hermosa Beach.

I didn’t release this album under my name, but Crew (2014) feels like my hometown. It is a love letter to it and my friends, my “crew.” It’s under artist name TCAP803, which has its own explanation as well.

  

JASPER: What do you like and or dislike about the Columbia music scene? 

RUTLEDGE:  I love that there are so many artists and opportunities to build here. I dislike the lack of platform. Many people are doing great things, very few are doing these things at scale (whether that “scale” be profitability or audience).

 

JASPER: Do you have any advice for other artists? 

RUTLEDGE:  You’re a business, operate like it. Learn marketing, it is the answer

 

JASPER: Anything else you want us to know? 

RUTLEDGE:  I have a show and you should come. If enough people come, I’m gonna take my clothes off so…

You can see PATx, potentially without clothes on, at New Brookland Tavern on October 15th from 7-11pm for a zombie-themed experience featuring Crazy Karl, H3RO & The Villians.
Learn more about THE ExPERIENCE: OUTBREAK.

Jasper Galleries Announces Art Shows at Harbison Theatre featuring David Yaghjian, Michael Krajewski, Lori Isom, and Olga Yukhno

David Yaghjian

The Jasper Project is delighted to announce the next several artists whose work will be featured in the Gallery Space of MTC’s Harbison Theatre at 7300 College Street in Irmo, SC.

Following the closing of the Steven White show on October 28th, we will be opening an exhibition by renown Columbia-based artist, David Yaghjian. Yaghjian’s work will show from early November through mid-January. We will celebrate Yaghjian’s art with a special reception on Sunday afternoon, December 11th in conjunction with the Holiday Pops concert by the SC Philharmonic. The reception will begin at 2:30 followed by the concert at 3:30. While the reception is free tickets to the concert may be purchased at Harbison theatre.

Following the Yaghjian exhibit, Jasper will welcome Columbia-based artist Michael Krajewski on Friday, January 20th, 2023. Krajewski’s exhibit will coincide with a concert featuring the comedy offerings of Tom Papa. A (free) reception for Krajewski’s work will begin at 6:30, followed by the Tom Papa show at 7:30. Tickets.

Lori Isom

On Friday, February 24, 2023, Jasper has invited Columbia/Camden-based artist Lori Isom to open a show of her work in conjunction with a concert by Camden native and country rockstar Patrick Davis. Reception (free) at 6:30 and concert at 7:30. Tickets.

And on Saturday, April 1st, artist Olga Yukhno will open a showing of her 2D and 3D ceramics at the Harbison Theatre Gallery in conjunction with a Concert by the tenor trio GENTRI. Reception at 6:30 and concert at 7:30. Tickets.

For more information on Harbison art please contact the Jasper Project at   jasperprojectcolumbia@gmail.com. For more information about performances please contact Harbison Theatre at  Harbisontheatre@midlandstech.edu

Call for Scripts!

From our friends at Local Cinema —

Local Cinema Studios, a local film production company committed to bridging the gap from academia to industry, is launching their second annual Get On Set initiative with the support of the South Carolina Film Commission and the University of South Carolina. Part of the launch includes a script call for the upcoming Summer 2023 project.

“We are excited to bring a screenwriter’s vision to life,” says Dustin Whitehead, Artistic Director of Local Cinema Studios and UofSC Assistant Professor, Theatre and Dance. “Get on Set is about pairing industry professionals with local students to tell a story we believe in. We demonstrated last summer with the feature film Hero that this initiative can work in South Carolina and we are excited to do it again. Local Cinema is all about finding the homegrown stories of the South and bringing them to the big screen.”

Local Cinema Studios is currently accepting feature film or pilot script submissions for a project to be filmed Summer 2023. They are also seeking professional directors and other crew to be part of the “Get On Set” Team. Those interested should apply online by November 1st. The application can be found here:

For more information about Local Cinema Studios or the Get on Set Initiative, contact Dustin Whitehead via email at dwhitehead@localcinemastudios.com.

And watch out in November for our feature print story on Whitehead and the cast and crew of Hero, Local Cinema’s 2022 summer project!

Suicide by Sunlight’s Black Vampirism Kicks Off Monstrous Feminine Film Series Curated by Julia (Liz) Elliott

South Carolina professor and writer Julia Elliott has curated female-monster themed film series before, and in her newest series, Family Trouble: Parenthood, Gender, and the Monstrous-Feminine, she is making us question what it means to be a mother in society and what happens when these mothers don’t “fit.” 

The series is kicking off with short film Suicide by Sunlight, which is showing at the Columbia Museum of Art this Thursday at 6:30pm. The feature length films, Titane and Under the Shadow, will show on the 23rd and 27th, respectively, at Richland Library.

In addition to being a founding member of and vocalist for the alt-band Grey Egg, Julia (Liz) Elliott’s writing has appeared in Tin House, The Georgia Review, Conjunctions, The New York Times, Granta online, and other publications. She has won a Rona Jaffe Writer’s Award, and her stories have been anthologized in Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses and The Best American Short Stories. Her debut story collection, The Wilds, was chosen by Kirkus, BuzzFeed, Book Riot, and Electric Literature as one of the Best Books of 2014 and was a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice. Her first novel, The New and Improved Romie Futch, arrived in October 2015. She teaches English and Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of South Carolina in Columbia.

~~~~

JASPER: What made you want to do a series on the monstrous feminine? How long have you been interested in it? 

ELLIOTT: I’ve been obsessed with monsters ever since my grandmother, who was from the South Carolina Lowcountry, informed me that the Boo Hag (a species of succubus that can cause sleep paralysis) sometimes “rode her” at night, robbing her of precious sleep and energy. As a six-year-old, I was both fascinated and horrified by her story. Watching The Exorcist on television at age eleven only intensified my obsession. In addition to the grotesque that characterizes Southern Gothic, I often incorporate more overt forms of monstrosity into my fiction, like feminist body horror and new renditions of monsters from folk tales and mythology.

 

JASPER: And you’re teaching a course on these themes, right? 

ELLIOTT: As a professor of English and Women’s and Gender Studies at Palmetto College Columbia, UofSC, I use the concept of the monstrous-feminine as a unifying theme for my section of WGST 112, Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies, which “explores the cultural, sociological, political, anthropological, and psychological significance of female monsters—ghosts, witches, vampires, werewolves, aliens, and more. Using feminist theory as an analytical tool and interdisciplinary methodology, we examine ways that visions of female monstrosity reflect historical attitudes toward women and girls” (quoting my syllabus). This introductory class inspired me to design a service-learning Honors class that focuses exclusively on female monsters in horror films: Monstrous Mothers, Diabolical Daughters, and Femme Fatales: Gender and Monstrosity in Horror Films.

 

JASPER: How did you move from writing and teaching to curating this film series? 

ELLIOTT: As I state in my SCHC 485 course description, my class “revisits classic male-gaze depictions of the monstrous-feminine, explores progressive male-directed images of female monstrosity, and showcases the diversity and richness of recent horror films by women directors like Jennifer Kent (The Babadook, 2014), Ana Lily Amirpour (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, 2014), Stewart Thorndike (Lyle, 2014), and Julia Ducournau (Raw, 2017, Titane 2021).” In 2018 and 2019, I co-curated two female-monster-themed October film series for Nickelodeon Theater, and my students from SCHC 485 produced marketing and presentational materials for both the Nick and campus marketing campaigns. After the Nick closed due to COVID and terminated the positions of my collaborators, I curated two campus film series, one virtual and one at the Russell House Theater. This year, I curated a community series that will screen at the Columbia Museum of Art and Richland Library Main. 2022’s theme is Family Trouble: Parenthood, Gender, and the Monstrous-Feminine.

“In the wake of fourth-wave feminism…, female directors have revolutionized the horror genre by presenting more complex depictions of both the monstrous-feminine and female horror heroines. Feminist body horror, subversive monstrosity, and more nuanced explorations of female sexuality and motherhood have emerged to shake up the status quo.”

 

JASPER: How did you choose CMA and Richland Library?  

ELLIOTT: I’ve worked with the CMA on quite a few projects over the years—podcasts, fiction readings, tours, and lectures. In the spring of 2022, Drew Baron, Senior Media Producer, asked me to produce five “tap tour” recordings analyzing horror film posters for the It’s Alive! exhibition. For the same exhibition, Wilson Bame, Manager of Engagement, invited me to serve on a panel about women in horror, with filmmaker Nikyatu Jusu as a special guest. I was beyond stoked, but, alas, COVID arrived, and the panel was cancelled. Knowing that Wilson was a fan of Jusu’s work, I approached him about screening Suicide by Sunlight as part of a community horror series, and he suggested featuring it as part of First Thursday, a festive kickoff event. I then reached out to Lee Snelgrove, Arts and Culture Manager at Richland Library, who worked to set up the library screenings.

 

JASPER: Can you tell me about the work your students have done to help? 

ELLIOTT: My students have produced marketing and promotional materials for this series, including most of the text for the CMA and library event pages. Each year, my students write the series description, design a series poster and other promotional fliers, write film descriptions, choose critic’s quotes, design program notes to distribute at screenings, and creatively introduce their films to live audiences. They also write film analyses (which were published on the Nick’s blog in 2018 and 2019, but which now appear on the SCHC webpage). Both the CMA and library event links above will lead you to series and film descriptions written by my students, as well as posters they designed and quotes and images they selected. If you take a look at the Cool Courses SCHC feature on my class, there is info on the service-learning element as well as a link to last year’s series, which features student work (the link to the 2022 series should go live on October 6).

 

JASPER: Diving into the series, can you talk more about the “monstruous-feminine”? How do you feel portrayals of woman as literally monstrous challenge or potentially even shore up the figurative monstrous? 

ELLIOTT: The term “monstrous-feminine” originates from feminist theory that seeks not only to highlight the ways nonconforming and threatening women are often deemed monstrous by patriarchal narratives, but also to underscore the power of female monsters. Drawing on the psychoanalytical theory of French feminist Julia Kristeva, Barbara Creed published her groundbreaking book The Monstrous-Feminine: Film, Feminism, Psychoanalysis in 1993. Due to its historical context, this book focuses mostly on male-directed classics like Alien, The Exorcist, and Carrie. As I state in my SCHC 485 course description, “In the wake of fourth-wave feminism…, female directors have revolutionized the horror genre by presenting more complex depictions of both the monstrous-feminine and female horror heroines. Feminist body horror, subversive monstrosity, and more nuanced explorations of female sexuality and motherhood have emerged to shake up the status quo.”

 

JASPER: How did you curate Suicide by Sunlight, Titane, and Under the Shadow? Why these three films, specifically? 

ELLIOTT: In keeping with this year’s theme, Family Trouble: Parenthood, Gender, and the Monstrous-Feminine, each of these films deploy female monstrosity to challenge the sanctity of the nuclear family and redefine not only the roles of women within the family, but the concept of family itself. Suicide by Sunlight depicts a day-walking Black female vampire struggling to harmonize her identities as mother, nurse, and vampire. Titane, a French feminist techno-body-horror spectacle, violently explodes conventional notions of family, gender, and humanity, reaching an unexpectedly moving conclusion. Under the Shadow, a Persian-language psychological thriller, features a contemporary evocation of the ancient mythological djinn to explore the tensions between a mother and daughter isolated in a Tehran apartment complex during the Iran-Iraq war. 

“While Gothic vampires like Carmilla and Dracula embodied antisemitic and homophobic fears of racial and sexual outsiders bent on corrupting the “purity” of English society, modern and postmodern vampires often present seductive hyper-white aristocrats with European backgrounds and a whiff of parasitic imperialism and white supremacy.”

 

JASPER: Tell me more about Suicide by Sunlight. How is (Black) motherhood made “monstrous” and how does this film amplify it? 

ELLIOTT: While Gothic vampires like Carmilla and Dracula embodied antisemitic and homophobic fears of racial and sexual outsiders bent on corrupting the “purity” of English society, modern and postmodern vampires often present seductive hyper-white aristocrats with European backgrounds and a whiff of parasitic imperialism and white supremacy. In the 1970s, two notable films introduced Aftrocentric themes to vampire mythology: Blacula and Ganja and Hess. In Suicide by Sunlight, Sierra Leonean-American Filmmaker Nikyatu Jusu features a Black female vampire struggling to harmonize her professional, maternal, and vampiric identities. While the melanin in her skin gives her the power to day-walk, an advantage that her white vampiric counterparts lack, she must still contend with a society that unfairly judges and disenfranchises Black mothers. Jusu brilliantly uses the monstrous-feminine not only to revisit the racial politics of vampirism, but also to show how society demonizes and fails Black mothers.  

 

JASPER: Why do you think it’s important for our particular community in the specific time we’re dwelling in to view these films? 

ELLIOTT: Perhaps more than any other genre, horror films feature the anxieties and obsessions of particular time periods, often in messy and unresolved ways that help viewers contend with their own shifting worldviews and the blurry boundary between the “human” and the “monstrous.” As J. Halberstam famously stated, “monsters are meaning machines.” Horror films evoke the ineffable, the unmentionable, and the taboo in ways that help people confront and redefine their own monsters.

Renowned Artists Saunders and Jeffcoat Featured in Upcoming Show at Rob Shaw Framing and Gallery

From our friends at Rob Shaw Gallery

On Friday, October 7, from 6 to 9 p.m., Rob Shaw Framing and Gallery, 324 State Street in West Columbia, will host a reception to launch a month-long exhibit and sale of works by artists Boyd Saunders and Russell Jeffcoat. 

The show’s title, La Femme, recognizes this visual celebration of the eternal feminine presence. Artists throughout history have been inspired to depict women, honoring them both as the source of life and as the embodiment of physical grace and beauty.  

Saunders’ work spans more than fifty years. Painter, illustrator, printmaker, and distinguished professor emeritus of art at the University of South Carolina, he was born on a farm in Tennessee. Winner of multiple awards, Saunders has exhibited around the world, from Argentina to China. He began the printmaking program at the UofSC and has long been a fixture in the art scene throughout the Southeast.

Jeffcoat, a native of South Carolina, specializes in portraits and fine art photography of the South, rendered with a painstaking attention to detail. His subject matter ranges from classical portraits to luminous figures and reflects his expert understanding of a nearly lost artform: the use of vintage cameras and film.

The celebration of the feminine form can be traced as far back as the 30,000-year-old Venus of Willendorf and includes the marble Statue of a Woman from ancient Greece and the many renditions of the Madonna during the Italian Renaissance. Saunders and Jeffcoat have often returned to this time-honored form of artistic expression that remains prominent in contemporary art.  

Rob Shaw Framing and Gallery is a full-service frame shop and fine art gallery. Since opening his gallery in April of 2019, Shaw has hosted monthly exhibits to showcase South Carolina’s many talented artists.