Evelyn Berry, South Carolina Poet and Author 2023 National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellow
“At our time when the lives and future of queer people seem to be precariously endangered, I want to share stories of how we have survived, how we will continue to survive.”
Evelyn Berry
Congratulations to Evelyn Berry (she/her) for being awarded a 2023 National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellow. A trans author from Aiken, South Carolina, she is best known for her poetry. She published the chapbook Buggery (Bateau Press, 2020) which received the 2019/2020 BOOM Chapbook Prize from Bateau Press and has the upcoming poetry collection GRIEF SLUT due to be released in 2024 (Sundress Publications). In 2022 she received the Dr. Linda Veldheer Memorial Prize and was awarded the 2019 Broad River Prize for Prose in the Jasper Project’s Fall Lines literary journal, and the 2018 Emrys Poetry Prize, among other honors.
Other pieces of her work can be viewed in GASHER, Beloit Poetry Journal, Raleigh Review, Gigantic Sequins, Anti-Heroin Chic, petrichor, beestung, Taco Bell Quarterly, Underblong, and elsewhere.
Thirty-six fellows, including Berry, were selected through an anonymous review process, and judged on artistic excellence for the award. NEA’s Director of Literacy Arts Amy Stolls explains, “their poetry explodes with originality in form and content, offering powerful reflections of the pain and joy of our modern times.” (www.arts.gov, January 12, 2023). They received funding through this award to advance their literary careers. Berry describes this award as “a life-changing achievement
Berry’s desire, through this award, is to continue to “write poetry and prose that make visual the lives of transgender people in the American South, an often-hostile place I call home.” She states that receiving the $25,000 award allows “for the purchase a working automobile, to better afford healthcare, and to afford rent in a time of escalating inflation” which gives her more time to write. (www.arts.gov, January 12, 2023)
Berry wants to access archives and research to better understand the “legacies of queer communities in South Carolina.” In her personal statement to the National Endowment for Arts, Berry says, “At our time when the lives and future of queer people seem to be precariously endangered, I want to share stories of how we have survived, how we will continue to survive.” She continues to describe the importance and life changing effects of writing for herself and others, “Queer stories and poems have helped reflect myself back to me, have helped me imagine a future in which I was still alive. Trans people have always belonged in the South, and we will always belong here.” (www.arts.gov, January 12, 2023)
Visit www.evelynberrywriter.com to read about her literary work and accomplishments, and about her work as museum educational specialist and freelance editor in Columbia.
To view the complete Evelyn Berry release from the National Endowment of the Arts visit www.arts.gov/impact/literary-arts/creative-writing-fellows/evelyn-berry
To view bios and artist statements from all the 2023 recipients and past Creative Writing Fellows visit www.arts.gov.
— Ginny Merett
Girls Speak: Decriminalizing Youth with Art and Digital Media Making Opening at Stormwater Studios January 18th
Girls Speak features art and other digital creative media made by adolescent girls at Lexington County Juvenile Arbitration Center. This exhibition challenges what it means to be a “criminal offender,” as well as sheds light upon the experiences of adolescent criminality. There is a motif of joy and resiliency, and not losing hope, which pervades the artwork shown in Girls Speak.
This exhibition is coordinated by the UofSC Diversity and Inclusion Pilot Grant and the Women’s Well-Being Initiative, a part of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program.
The opening reception will be January 19th from 5:30 to 6:30, and will be followed by a public forum from 6:30 to 8:00. However, the exhibition can be viewed from January 18th at 11:00 am to January 22nd at 3:00 pm. Stormwater Studios is located at 413 Pendleton Street.
All artist’s identities have been concealed for protection.
Announcing Jasper Galleries at the Koger Center Featuring New Work by Thomas Crouch, January - February
We are excited to announce the newest location in our Jasper Galleries series: Jasper Galleries at the Koger Center. As part of our effort to promote local artists and support local art endeavors, Jasper has teamed up with the Koger Center to craft this gallery space with hopes to draw more visitors to the Center and to create a new stop in the Vista’s existing Third Thursday.
Presently, Thomas Crouch is scheduled for January, Lindsay R. Wiggins is scheduled for February, and Quincy Pugh is scheduled for March. Each show will have an Opening Reception and Artist Talk on the Third Thursday of their respective month, and the work will remain up for the remainder of the 4-week period separating shows.
Thomas Crouch is a visual artist in Columbia SC. After studying at The Lorenzo De Medici School of Art 1990-92 in Florence, Italy he graduated from the University of South Carolina Bachelor of Arts in 1997. He was accepted into the inaugural Sedona Summer Colony Artist Residency 2016 in Sedona, Arizona as well as the Con Artist Collective Winter Residency 2017 in Manhattan NY. He is a member of Solas Studio NYC and has work in private collections nationally and internationally.
On Thursday, January 19th from 6:00pm – 8:00pm, Crouch’s Opening Reception will initiate the new gallery with a showing of his new work entitled Process Abandon. He will hold an Artist Talk at 7:00pm, and art will be available to purchase during the reception as well as throughout the month via QR codes on each individual label.
According to the artist, “This group of paintings focuses on the process. Composition, texture, and value become the subject matter. I’ve wanted to do large abstract nonrepresentational pieces where the viewer can interpret the paintings rather than the artist dictate their experience. This departure from the animal portraiture I’ve done in the past is refreshing to me. Incorporating the two has been both frustrating and rewarding. Painting this way is interesting to me because the end result changes from day to day. The final image is not known to me. There are no blueprints to work on top of and no animals to envelope the canvas. Instead, thick brush strokes create linear texture and wheat pasted prints demand attention from the rest of the canvas. The images shown here that serve as a subject are merely vehicles for the piece. My work has continually changed over the years. This recent change is a return to early form as well as a new direction. Every new piece builds on the last while exposing something new. This group of paintings are the most recent examples of an ongoing process of layering looking and leaving.”
The work will hang in Koger’s Hallway Gallery, which is located on the 2nd floor of their main lobby. Many thanks to Nate Terracio (Director), Chip Wade (Marketing Director), and Emily Moffitt (Marketing and Administrative Assistant) at the Koger Center for their shared vision and their work in making this new location a possibility.
For more information about our spaces visit the Jasper Galleries page.
The Supper Table Visits the Myrtle Beach Art Museum
After a 6-month-long residency at the Morris Center for Low Country Heritage in Ridgeland, South Carolina, Jasper’s multidisciplinary, collaborative arts project, The Supper Table is moving to Myrtle Beach. The table, place settings, portraits, tiles and films about the project will be exhibited at the Franklin G. Burroughs—Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum from January 26th until April 16th. Exhibit details are on their website.
An event in honor of Vic Carrabotta featuring Sanford Greene
6 p.m., Thursday, January 19
Hollings Library, enter through Thomas Cooper Library
1322 Greene Street
University of South Carolina
Columbia SC 29208
Free and open to the community
Award-winning comics illustrator Sanford Greene counts Marvel illustrator Vic Carrabotta among his most important influences. At this event, Greene will talk about his years-long friendship with the late visual artist.
Please join us for this special look inside mentorship in the comics world.
A South Carolina native and Benedict College graduate, Sanford Greene has worked professionally in the illustration and related industries for more than 18 years. He has worked for mainline publishers such as Marvel, DC, Dark Horse and Image Comics. He helped reshape the Marvel Comics characters Powerman and Iron Fist, as well as illustration work for Black Panther and Luke Cage, published by Marvel Comics.
His most recent work can be seen in the two-time Eisner and Ringo award-winning Bitter Root, an action/horror fantasy set during the Harlem Renaissance, published by Image comics. Bitter Root is slated to become a film produced by Ryan Coogler, the director of the acclaimed Black Panther, and directed by Oscar award winner Regina King. Sanford also has won the 2020 and 2021 Ringo Award for outstanding artist.
To register go to:
Mark Your Calendars! Announcing Our 2023 Tiny Gallery Lineup
It’s been 5 years since we started Tiny Gallery in 2018, and we’re delighted to announce another slate of stellar artists—old and new to Jasper—whose work will be available throughout 2023. Like previous years, each artist will be featured in a solo show with artists switching out monthly, and the gallery will be virtual with work available to peruse and purchase 24/7.
Learn more about each of our artists below and put your favorites on your calendar so you can check out their shows when they go live!
January: Thomas Washington
Kicking off the year (starting today!) is artist Thomas Washington, also known as Thomas the Younger, with his work both magical and undeniably real.
Perhaps the most important pursuit of an artist is the facilitation of Escapism. Perhaps each project is the equivalent of a Narnian door…or that lamppost beyond, coaxing a wanderer into another realm. Thomas Washington Jr. (thomas the younger) functions on that premise. Since his childhood, he has produced multitudinous works in this vein—from being hired (out of high school) to illustrate in a local graphic anthology, he has subsequently striven to bring stories in every medium; to breathe life into the fantastical by imbuing it with the familiar…and, of course, to find fun and fulfillment along the way. As a result, it required the birth of his children to make him care about money. (He still struggles with this.) –For years, he was perfectly fine living as a Bohemian: he laid his head in strange places among strangers, eventually becoming a pleasant strain of strange in the process. He thus entertains all sorts of bizarre notions—the importance of world peace, an unshakeable belief in fundamental similarities that make Humanity one big family, intense opinions on interstellar travel, and so-forth. Recently, he took the leap of emerging in his local scene. He has sat on panels, joined the instructor roster for community arts centers, partaken in various shows, (finally!) founded a website, and essentially joined the dialogue of Art’s Place in Society.
Check out Thomas’ website.
February: Maya Smith
In the month of love, we have an artist who clearly loves the act of creating—Maya Smith—whose work is effervescent and poignant.
South Carolina based artist, Maya Smith, has been honing her skills as a freelance artist for the past fourteen years. She graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2006 with a BFA in Illustration. Her work celebrates people of color and women with shape. Using pencils and paint to create imagery that counters negative stereotypes and provokes conversation. Maya’s work has been commissioned by Oscar Award winning director, Steve McQueen for the film, Widows. Her work is part of the New York Public Library archives through the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, NY.
Follow Maya on Instagram @mayatheartist and check out her website.
March: Nikolai Oskolkov (NikO)
NikO’s oil paintings feel haunted in this piercing almost clarifying way—still images that feel rife with movement.
Nikolai Oskolkov, simply known as NikO, lives and works in Columbia, South Carolina. He has been involved in fine art since early childhood and has made painting a career since high school. In his 29 years, he has travelled far and wide from Russia to Canada and the US, and throughout Europe and the Caribbean. Defining himself as a “visual musical composer,” NikO constantly expands his own creative vocabulary from the observation of nature and use of imagination. He also believes that regular practice is the only way of hopefully mastering the lyrical instrument of painting.
April: Pascale Bilgis
Pascale Bilgis is a wildly innovative artist whose work with color and her addition of 3D figurines makes the unreal tangible and the real magical.
Growing up in a small village in Burgundy, France, and later in Dijon for her studies, Pascale was completely immersed in an infinite astonishing countryside which comes to life in her paintings. At the age of 18, she left her homeland to continue her studies at the University of South Carolina. After obtaining a BA in photography, she followed her dream of a faraway colorful land and moved to Turkey, where she specialized in archaeological sites photography while raising a family on the Mediterranean coast. However, it is in Istanbul, the majestic city on two continents, that she developed her real passion for painting. Now back in South Carolina, Pascale discovered new techniques, such as wood and ceramic, in order to emphasize the natural essence of her art.
Check out Pascale’s website.
May: Tennyson Corley
Tennyson Corley showed off some of her paintings in a 2021 Tiny Gallery show, and since then, she’s been expressing her whimsical creativity with 3D ceramic creations that each tell a unique story from their own world.
My childhood has led me to my current body of work. I am the product of an illustrator who chose books based on the beauty of the illustrations. I have continued this collection. Referencing characters and ideas for my own work. I grew up surrounded by animals on our farm. Studying them, the ways animals interact and coexist among each other, how species intermingled, the hierarchies that arose. I gave them personalities in my mind. Constructing back stories and human characteristics for each one. Fast forward to 2018, when I took my first pottery class which landed me with a membership at a pottery studio. I began to find what my artistic practice was craving. It took me back to my childhood, constructing animals out of playdough and drying them on my shelf. In a full circle moment, I combined my love for childrens book illustrations, building back stories for the creatures around me, and moving from playdough to clay to create, what I call, my ceramic illustrations. Each sculpture is a mix of Beatrice Potter and an Orwellian Animal Farm character. Conceptualized in my mind, were I work out their features, back stories, faults, and qualities. Then, through my hands, they are birthed into life through earthen clay, underglazes, and the fire of the kiln.
Follow Tennyson on Instagram @tennyson_corley_art
June: Mana Hewitt
Withstanding the heat of southern summer is metalsmither herself, Mana Hewitt, whose undeniably one-of-a-kind metal pieces of art will conclude the first half of 2023.
Mana Hewitt is an artist based in Columbia, South Carolina. She recently retired from the University of South Carolina School of Visual Art and Design where she was the Senior Instructor of Jewelrymaking. Mana is a nationally recognized artist with over forty-five years of experience in the fields of painting ceramics and metalsmithing. Her award-winning work is in private collections, museums, and galleries throughout the U.S. I work with my hands and perhaps I think with them as well. This has led to my interest in metal. I am intrigued by metal's transformation from rigidity to vibrant and fluid designs through hammering, etching, casting, and effort. My works explore word play through imagery associated with the human condition. My goal is to create works that are aesthetically pleasing and conceptually interesting. When all is said and done I find satisfaction when an idea turns into a successful work that I can share with others.
Checkout Mana’s website.
July: JJ Burton
JJ Burton not only puts her colorful ideas on canvas but on tiny pendants. For her show, she will feature small canvases as well as wearable pieces of art.
Too many beautiful subject in this realm that gave me spark to create and paint. I am mostly drawn to water, trees, animals and colors black, white, blues & red. My palette depends on the moment I am in, though from time to time I also experiment some different hues. I usually sketch and plan on what to paint before creating a master piece. And occasionally, I just go with it without any sketching or planning, and surprisingly producing a fascinating result. What I enjoy most is process and not knowing what would be the final result, like opening a present. The materials I use are canvases, magnets, tiles, wood panels and any that I could repurpose. My goal is to capture my fascinating crazy ideas, present it and share it to the world.
Check out JJ’s website.
August: Benji Hicks
Benji Hicks is a first for us, as it will be Tiny Gallery’s first artist to do Japanese woodblock prints—no surprise, since Mokuhanga is a unique form Hicks has studied intently.
For as long as I can remember, I have always been an artist. Drawing, watercolor painting, and wood carving. What I love about Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock printing), is that it encompasses all these things I enjoy doing. The meditative process of woodblock printmaking brings me great joy and satisfaction. Most of my work is inspired by nature and shows up in my prints as fun-loving characters, in vivid color, living in a reimagined space where anything can happen. Like in a world where a banjo playing frog and a rail riding hobo turtle can be best friends.
Follow Benji on Instagram @benjihicksart
September: Keith Tolen
Keith Tolen kicked off our Tiny Gallery way back in October 2018 at Tapp’s. His work is new and fresh to him—and yet still so keenly his.
Keith Tolen is a longtime resident of South Carolina, where he has painted and created for decades. He is a retired art teacher who presently owns the Red Bowtie Group. An illustrator and photographer, his paintings make strong use of color and depict a variety of figures. Recently, he’s also created a series called DaBirds, a group of cartoon images that “work to make our planet a better place.”
October: Stacy Morgan
As the (rare) cool nights begin to come into Carolina, it’s time to curl up with your favorite mug, of which you’ll surely find among Stacy Morgan’s creations, who will show functional and decorative work.
Stacy Morgan, a Lexington SC based potter, is known for her impressionistic paintings that capture elements of nature on her pottery. She draws most of her inspiration from the flora and fauna of the Lowcountry, with an emphasis on the beaches and wetlands. Recognizable subject matter is altered and enhanced due to the nature of the underglazes and high temperature kiln firings on her functional pottery pieces, creating an organic and imaginative visual experience. Most of her pottery is functional for daily use, making everyday life a bit more beautiful.
Follow Stacy on Instagram @pottery_for_daze
November: Caroline Hatchell
It’s always a relief to get your holiday shopping done early, and these handmade beaded jewelry pieces from Caroline Hatchell will make irreplaceable presents for loved ones (or for yourself!).
My tiny canvas...tiny glass beads woven into wearable art. While I have explored many different jewelry mediums, I am proud to return to traditional bead weaving. Fusing ancient techniques with modern design, my work honors the tradition of our ancestors, while still remaining relevant. Using only the finest glass seed beads available, each piece is finished with .925 sterling silver or 18K gold filled earwires and findings. I have been a jewelry designer since I was 17 years old. I picked up some seed beads at a local craft store, and just started bead weaving. At the time, I was completely unaware that I was intuitively doing a traditional, Native American beading technique. Fast-forward over 30 years, and I have come full circle, back to where my journey began, bead weaving! My bead weaving techniques are a very slow, meditative process so my work is made in small batches, limited quantity or made to order by commission.
Follow Caroline on Instagram @carolinehatchelldesigns and check out her website.
December: Midlands Clay Ornament Show
For the past two years, we’ve had ornament shows, but this year we’re delighted to team up with Midlands Clay for a selection of ceramic ornaments from a variety of talented artists. As 2023 progresses, we’ll be able to share even more details about who is participating—but you can go on and peruse Midlands Clay’s website to see their wonderful artists!
Midlands Clay Arts Society was created to encourage fellowship, communication, education, creativity and experimentation in the clay arts community.
Follow them on Instagram @midlandsclayart
Welcome to 2023! Cola-based Artists Share Their New Year’s Resolutions
We often struggled with creating our own New Year’s Resolutions, so this year, Jasper turned to creators themselves to see what they hoped for their 2023s. Hoping you take as much inspiration from these as we as did!
Artists shared the simple but deep desire to create more, from the general to the specific:
“To sketch everyday” – Laura Garner Hine
“To create more art, see more art and share more art” – Keith Tolen
“To create a fresh collection of meaningful works to show by the end of the year.” – Ashley Herring Warthen
“To be more consistent and spend time in the studio every day.” – Olga Yuhkno
“To sketch a few times each week even though I am working a regular job and still in school.” – Heather Lynn Endicott
“To complete my translation of Havamal, and put together the video where I tell the story.” – Price Lassahn-Worrell
Some artists addressed the desire to return to unfinished projects – with both earnest desire and humor:
“To finish a few of the many unfinished works sitting in my studio. To find creative inspiration and spurs.” – B.A. Hohman
“My 2023 New Year's resolution is to finish all the craft projects from 2022 that I should have done in 2021, since I started them in 2020 after buying the supplies for them in 2019.” – Valerie Lamott
A recurrent theme was the desire to stop listening to the nagging voice in the back of our minds that tries to scare us or quiet us:
“To be less critical of my art and to be more open to ideas flowing in and reconnect with my inner voice.” Renee Rouillier
“To override my inner critic and follow my intuition.” – Ginny Meret
Similarly, artists shared a desire for understanding of themselves and the space they occupy:
“To respect the fact that life brings changes and art sometimes has to occupy a different position on the list of priorities.” – Mary Ann Haven
“To paint more of what I WANT to paint.” – Sean Madden
“To paint and write (about my daily experiences, culture, and cooking) on a daily basis in 2023. I could not manage to paint or write regularly in 2022 although I realize and internalize how painting and writing are effectively helpful to my inner peace and well-being (my mental health) and nurture my inner child.” – Khin Myat
The desire for self-exploration came up again and again:
“To explore new mediums, to be more vulnerable, to be more generous.” – Lucy Bailey
“To delve deeper into the world of sound & rhythm by availing myself of educational opportunities. The goal being to broaden and enhance my understanding of how sound affects us and to incorporate that knowledge into my craft.” – Dick Moons
“To play with more mix media, experiment more with oils, delve into interchangeable art with my business partner Barry wheeler who always pushes me to keep exploring.” – Michael Krajewski
“To allow Artist-Self more Exploration of Shadow Self//privately (perhaps publicly) …let those kids merge—dissolve some things and mend some others, all the while being colorful, honest and vulnerable through visual & written prophetic blabber!” – Emily Wright
And, artists expressed a desire to grow within a community, with goals for unity and collaboration:
“1. Listen to people more and work on humility as well as developing healthy, in person relationship that encourage aggressive kindness. 2. Help cultivate and create a culture of collaboration with “Columbia-Centric" artists from all mediums in order to reinforce a positive art infrastructure. 3. Finish writing and producing three original albums. 4. Stay clean and sober. 5. Serve the city.” – Saul Seibert
“To see, and be a part of, more collaboration with artists and our communities. Utilizing our talents and materials to create and unify....” – Gina Langston Brewer
The common message among these various goals is this: create what you want to create, create whenever you can, and create in constellations. The act of making something, of there now being something where there once was nothing, may often be simple, but it is magical. Go into 2023 treating yourself with grace and with the open-mind and willingness to create something where there wasn’t something before.
And Happy New Year—from all of us!
A Playground in Kyiv
The year is ending and the war in Ukraine has been going now for more than 10 months. As we reflect on the blessings and losses of the past year, we think about the hardships of those suffering still from war, violence, and the struggle over national borders. As we reflect on the state of the world, we offer here a poem by USC student Alexander Seyfried.
Alexander writes, “I have been living in South Carolina ever since 2000. Part of my family on my mother’s side comes from Ukraine in the capital of Kyiv. Before 2014, when Putin annexed Crimea away from Ukraine, which was the starting point of the Russo-Ukrainian War, my mother and I would travel to Kyiv every summer to visit our family and friends since I was around four or five years old. Over those two or three summer months, I would make many precious memories with my family and friends and would travel visiting different parts of Ukraine. Today, some of my family members are still alive during the current war, as well as some of my friends who I still have contact with. I wish I could say I knew where the rest of my childhood friends are and how well they are doing right now. I would like to share a poem from memories of how each day I would be with my friends at the playground before these nightmarish events even happened.”
A Playground in Kyiv
Overseas apartment in Kyiv
every summer when I was kid
two small playgrounds with old childhood memories.
Green and blue wooden benches
old broken wooden sandboxes under trees.
Jumping off blue metal color swings
flying high through the air
landing on soft sand underneath.
Climbing on big and small trees
eating chips while drinking bottles of Pepsi
acting like monkeys sitting on tree branches.
Having peach, pear, and spikey green chestnut trees
with thin paper birches and thick oak trees.
Red paint chipping from two tall metal slides
sliding down not with our butts,
but standing on our feet like surfers
riding down ten times in a row.
The only American kid from the friend group
wishing to reunite with my old Ukrainian friends once more.
Columbia Artists Share Their Christmas Wishes for the Art Community
It’s that time of year again, where we deck our halls and trim our trees, scoot closer on our couches to those we love, and curl up tight in our blankets as we sip hot chocolate (which South Carolinians can actually do this year—brr!). It’s in these moments of peace and joy we often close our eyes to make our Christmas wish. This year, here at Jasper, we asked a handful of our local artists their wish, specifically: “If you could make one Christmas wish for the Columbia arts community, what would it be?”
Artists wished for more space—places old and new alike where they can freely share their creative gifts with the city they love.
“Main St. Back…”
—Michael Krajewski, visual artist
“More places to show (and make) art!”
—Lucas Sams, visual artist
“An artist’s alley in a public space where anyone can contribute however/whenever they want!”
—Cait Maloney, visual artist
“As a member of the Cola arts community, if I had one present for Christmas, it would be to have more spaces like CMFA (or to expand CMFA), where community members can rehearse and perform and support each other (for free)!! CMFA has been invaluable to Bonnie [Boiter-Jolley] and I’s company, the Columbia Repertory Dance Company!”
—Stephanie Wilkins, dancer and Artistic Director of Columbia Repertory Dance Company
Artists wished for an expansion of funds for local artists so that they can express themselves fully and without burden.
“I think the community could give back to the artists—no strings attached guaranteed income for those who pour into the community with their creative gifts and talents. This would help artists have the opportunity to at least cover living expenses due to the increase of the cost of living and still have the opportunity to pursue a creative career.”
—Maya Smith, visual artist
I’d wish for sufficient financing for artists to present their art to the community. There are many costs involved in producing a play, a concert, a ballet, and other art events that ticket prices alone cannot cover. To have the financial support from the public and private sectors to present our art in the best way possible would be an amazing Christmas present.
— Becky Hunter, performer
Artists wished to spend more time with each other, to acknowledge each other and create inter-community support.
“More togetherness throughout the arts community where everyone mutually supports each other, meets together quarterly, and promotes each other.”
—Arischa Conner Frierson, actor
“A 3-Day retreat filled with Skill Shares and Improv and Games so that we can learn to love each other even more. Like Family <3”
—Monifa Lemons, poet and actor
And, finally, artists wished for the chance to grow as humans and creators, not just within themselves but within a community as a whole where each person can better the other.
“My holiday wish (mostly for myself but also) for the Columbia arts community is for the courage to be open. I know I can seem insular because of my own internal obstacles, but I think collaboration can elevate our art beyond our skillsets and help us fulfill and even exceed our creative concepts. Collaboration builds our artistic support systems and creates informed testing audiences. While I believe it’s important for one to make the art one needs to make without regard to how others may receive it, I believe it’s also nice to be able to ask for constructive criticism and maybe be given encouragement along the way to a project’s completion. I don’t know if I’ll personally gain this kind of courage by the time January rolls around (or ever), but I’m always hopeful I will and that others might, too!”
— Desirée Richardson (Death Ray Robin), musician
“As a social worker, I was trained to practice from a ‘strengths perspective.’ This perspective acknowledges challenges while encouraging us to identify and work with whatever resources we have access to within ourselves and the community. So, the gift I’m hopeful for this year is our collective vision to see the strengths that exist within the Columbia arts community and to employ those resources in fostering expressive projects that bring meaning to people’s lives.”
—Lang Owen, musician
“My Christmas wish for Columbia is…more people of skill and intellect and intuition and caring go see more shows and performances and exhibitions. These people would then share their thoughts and impressions with the rest of us. Helping to strengthen and spur the conversations between art and artists and patrons. CRITICS! I want more critics of every size, shape, gender, sex, color and perspective to do good work in Columbia.”
—Darion McCloud, performer and storyteller
“I want all the artists and soon-to-be artists in Columbia to find, embrace, and share their gift. I hope that even when it’s dark they see they are loved and supported.”
—Adam Corbett, musician and visual artist
From our family of artists and art supporters, we thank everyone for the love they have shown this community this year, and our Christmas wish for you today and always is that you have all the joy and support there is to offer. Merriest of Christmases—and have an extra boozy eggnog on us!
THE BEAT: My Favorite Music of 2022 by Kevin Oliver
The following is a list of my favorite music released by Columbia, South Carolina artists in 2022. It is woefully incomplete, as there were many other artists and albums I enjoyed this year, but these are the ones that have really made a home in my head for the foreseeable future.
1. Saul Seibert, etc., Zion: A Composition
An extremely ambitious multimedia project is probably impossible to fully appreciate in just its audio form, but the three movements that comprise Zion are at least enjoyable that way, if not as mind-blowing as the full three-dimensional live experience. The ebb and flow of the various parts, instruments, and their arrangement throughout create a psychedelic space in which a listener can exist however they choose–passive acceptance, interactive challenge, or somewhere in between.
Music | Zion. A Composition. (bandcamp.com)
2. Lang Owen, She's My Memory
It’s not hyperbole to say that Columbia hasn’t ever produced a songwriter quite like Lang Owen before; his combination of 70’s singer-songwriter style and an incisive, observational writing technique would be rare anywhere these days. The songs here are his best so far and defy a simple paragraph explanation–so do me a favor, go listen and let them speak to you, too. To paraphrase “The Long Way,” he’ll take you the long way and then bring you back another.
She's My Memory | Lang Owen (bandcamp.com)
3. EZ Shakes, Everything Changes
An Americana powerhouse of a band over their two full length releases, on this brief three-song EP, EZ Shakes announced their transition into a sonically more rock ‘n’ roll soundscape. The Velvets-meets-Neil Young feel of “Damn Fools” is driven by the most addictive two-note bass line ever, courtesy bassist Jim Taylor, while singer and bandleader Zach Seibert stretches his vocal instrument on “Waiting on the Bubble To Pop,” a Wilco-esque slice of sublime, chiming tunefulness that shifts gears effortlessly. It’s a cliche to say it, but the worst thing about this release is that at three songs, it’s way too damn short.
4. Numbtongue, Phantom Limbs
Bobby Hatfield has been turning heads and ears with drama-filled rock since his days with The Sea Wolf Mutiny. As Numbtongue, his musical vision has only expanded, eschewing the limitations of a traditional ‘band’ with a combination of acoustic and synthetic sounds. On this new album, the arrangements are next level, with multiple themes threaded throughout and even the smallest elements adding texture and finesse to the songs. There are traces of everything from Radiohead to Tyler the Creator here arranged in chasms of genre and style that Hatfield not only manages to cross but bind together in a way that somehow makes perfect sense.
5. Brandy and the Butcher, Lucky Foot
There are female singers, and then there are frontwomen. Liz Hale is the latter, a blast-your-face-off vocalist who’s all attitude, all the time. The band has no choice but to keep up with her energy level, and they succeed handily here, diving headlong into a bracing set of songs that evoke all the great punk and rock raconteurs, from The Stooges and MC5 to The Cramps and X.
6. Candy Coffins, Once Do It With Feeling
Jame Lathren has a fondness for 80s goth-rock and the dramatic flair of David Bowie, and that comes through loud and clear on the darkly rendered songs here as he snarls and sneers. The delay effects from former Bachelors Of Art guitarist Tom Alewine don’t hurt in setting the proper mood, either. But it is Lathren’s songwriting that lifts this above being a simple genre exercise and into classic songcraft as he details the rise and fall of a relationship over the course of ten songs.
7. Moses Andrews, Exodus Pt II
Confessional songwriting is a genre unto itself, but Moses Andrews puts himself out there in ways not often heard with this collection. Contributing bass, drums, organ, synth, and vocals along with a supporting cast of locals such as Cecil Decker and Sean Thomson, Andrews touches on hip-hop, country, pop, and indie rock sounds in the process of illustrating the world through his own experiences with others. The mirror he’s holding up here is uncomfortable, but entirely accurate and needed.
▶︎ Exodus Pt. II | Moses Andrews III (bandcamp.com)
8. Rex Darling, Living Room Diaries
One of the more adventurous live acts to surface in Columbia in recent years, this recorded effort delivers on that promise with atmospheric, exotic pop music that packs a surprising punch. There are traces of cabaret jazz and more than a little Amy Winehouse in vocalist Catherine Hunsinger’s style, while the guitar work of John Vail introduces jam rock and 70s fusion into the improbable mix. All that, and the songs are playful, inventive, and catchy as hell.
https://open.spotify.com/album/2mfp1JvgUm5jguQeEXMBI2?si=TNuD1sLzQqCJyT5fwihboQ
9. Todd Mathis and Clayton Mathis, Home
Siblings have made some great music together, but this is no sibling harmony album. Instead, these are the brothers who sit on their dad’s back porch reminiscing about all the shit they did to each other as kids. Steeped in family ties, this is some of Todd’s most endearing and accessible work.
Home | Todd Mathis, Clayton Mathis | Todd Mathis (bandcamp.com)
10. Hillmouse, See You In The Car
Tyler Gordon’s current musical vehicle is transporting a nicely done batch of new songs here, the kind of timeless melodies that evokes everyone from Tommy Keene to Ed Sheeran–a wide range, to be sure. His world-weary vocal delivery stops the proceedings from skidding into saccharine-sweet territory, instead parking Hillmouse in a post-emo lethargic swoon.
▶︎ See You In The Car | Hillmouse (bandcamp.com)
Congratulations to Columbia Area Artists Accepted into ArtFields 2023
APRIL 19 – 29, 2023
The Jasper Projects congratulates all the artists accepted into the 2023 Artfields Celebration and recognizes the following members of the greater Columbia, SC arts community for their inclusion:
Olga Yukhno
Patrick Parise
Mary Ann Haven
Alicia Leeke
Gregory Wilkin
Janet Swigler
George Stone
Robert V. Shuler
Edward Schmunes
Jordan Sheridan
Ellie Marie Rose
Cameron Porter
Maggie Mullin O’Hara
Cait Maloney
Lori Isom
Ellen Fishburne
Gerard Erley
Morgan C. Eddy
Michael DeWitt
John Derhammer
Roberto Clemente De Leon
Nakisa Beigi
Quincy Pugh
ArtFields started in 2013 with a simple goal: honor the artists of the Southeast with a week’s worth of celebration and competition in the heart of a traditional Southern small town. The competition and exhibition offers over $145,000 in cash prizes. The winners of two People’s Choice Awards are determined by the votes of people visiting ArtFields; a panel of art professionals selects all the other awards, including the $50,000 Grand Prize and $25,000 Second Place award.
Up to 400 works of art will be on display in locally-owned venues, from renovated 1920s warehouses and professional art spaces such as Jones-Carter Gallery and TRAX Visual Art Center to the library, the history museum, the Ronald E. McNair Life History Center, restaurants, boutiques and other shops. During ArtFields, what was once one of South Carolina’s most prosperous agricultural communities becomes a living art gallery as we recognize, celebrate and share the artistic talent of the Southeast.
The Jasper Project Congratulates New Columbia City Poet Laureate Jennifer Bartell Boykin
Jennifer Bartell Boykin
As one of only a few southern cities to recognize the position, the City of Columbia is proud to announce the selection of poet Jennifer Bartell Boykin as Columbia’s second Poet Laureate.
Bartell Boykin will serve a four-year term that begins January 2022. Recognized by the Mayor and City Council in a resolution passed on October 21, 2014, the honorary position of Poet Laureate “encourages appreciation and create opportunities for dissemination of poetry in Columbia, promotes the appreciation and knowledge of poetry among the youth, and acts as a spokesperson for the growing number of poets and writers in Columbia.”
“Sharing the stories and art within our community are critical to our success in Columbia,” says Mayor Daniel Rickenmann. “I am honored to welcome Jennifer Bartell Boykin as the new poet laureate for the City of Columbia and look forward to seeing her success representing our great community.”
“I am very pleased with the selection of Jennifer Bartell Boykin as the Columbia Poet Laureate,” says Councilman Howard Duvall, who represented the Arts and Historic Preservation Committee in the selection process. “She will be the perfect person to build on the foundation established by Ed Madden.”
Jennifer Bartell Boykin is originally from Bluefield, an African American community in Johnsonville, South Carolina. For most of her career, she has been an educator, most recently as an English teacher at Spring Valley High School. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and a Graduate Certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies and is currently pursuing a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of South Carolina. She has sponsored the Poetry Out Loud competition and W.O.R.D. (Write.Organize.Read.Dream), Spring Valley High School’s poetry club. She’s been a regular participant in work under the post of Dr. Ed Madden, served as a former board member for the Deckle Edge Literary Festival, and contributed to the work of The Jasper Project; including writing for Jasper Magazine, serving on its board, and writing for special projects such as The Supper Table and Marked by the Water.
“I am honored to become the city’s second poet laureate,” says Bartell Boykin. “Ed Madden set a blueprint for the Columbia Poet Laureateship, and I will continue to build on his legacy. I am elated about spreading more poetry throughout our schools and in our communities. Poetry is for everyone, and I’m excited to facilitate bringing more of it to every corner of our city.”
Bartell Boykin hopes to continue the public projects that Dr. Ed Madden has initiated during his time as Poet Laureate. Still, she also hopes to develop a community-wide poetry event that would include readings and participation by K12 students. She is also keenly interested in ways that poetry can help people and hopes to build collaborations with artists and organizations to develop projects that engage the residents of the Columbia area.
Boykin takes the role from Dr. Ed Madden, the city’s first Poet Laureate who served two terms in the position, poetry editor for Jasper Magazine and Muddy Ford Press. His projects focused on community-centered activities that helped increase awareness and accessibility around the literary arts, particularly poetry, with the mission of using literary art as a public art.
“Being the city laureate for the past eight years has been such a privilege and an honor,” says Madden. “It is humbling to serve as another voice for the city, but also such a joy to promote so many other writers and voices, all the ways we can define who we are and who we hope to be as a city. I look forward to seeing what the next laureate does with the role, to hearing their work, and to discovering what new voices they elevate.”
The Art Bar Hosts Jasper's Santa Crawl this Thursday!
Join the Jasper Family, Friends, and Future Friends this Thursday night (12/15) for our first official Santa Crawl.
We’re meeting at Art Bar at 7 pm. For those who would like to explore the Vista’s various bars and restaurants, we will send you on your way, while a number of us will simply be crawling around the Art Bar, enjoying a cocktail menu specially designed for the occasion, with a portion of sales from this menu going to benefit the Jasper Project. Jasper Santas will be onsite at the Art Bar from 7 – 11.
Wear anything from your warm and cozy Santa suit to Sexy Santa, Silly Santa, the Grinch, Rudolph, Hermey the future dentist, Coach Comet, or whatever Christmas character makes your little round belly shake like a bowlful of jelly!
New Jasper Magazines will also be on hand!
THE BEAT: The Living Room Aims for Listening Room Vibe by Kevin Oliver
When the subject of venues in Columbia comes up, the most often repeated “missing link” in the local scene is the presence of a real listening room–a space for music that’s not connected to a bar, or a restaurant, or any other business, really. The last time we had something like that here would be the UU Coffeehouse Series that the Unitarian Universalist Church in Shandon hosted for many years, later shifted to the Tree of Life synagogue for a couple of seasons. It’s an important option, especially for the kind of thoughtful, sometimes quieter folk and acoustic acts that don’t translate as well in a noisy, more boisterous room.
Inspired in part by those UU shows, the new venue dubbed “The Living Room” aims to provide just such an opportunity at its space on Two Notch Road in northeast Columbia that the spiritual community Jubilee! Circle has called home since 2019.
Rev. Candace Chellew is the pastor at Jubilee! Circle, and she says it was an idea borne of both necessity and also a desire to open up the space to more events.
“As with most businesses that survived the pandemic, we decided to use one of the best assets we have–our space,” She says. We’ve rebranded it as The Living Room because it has that cozy atmosphere, and we added areas with couches and coffee tables to complete the ‘living room’ feel.”
The goal, she adds, is to mold the space to each performer’s needs. They’ve already hosted singer-songwriter Lang Owen and performances by the Columbia Operatic Laboratory’s “Pirates Of Penzance” sing-along, and this Friday, December 16th, they’ll welcome indie folk and rock singer-songwriter Danielle Howle, performing with her current semi-acoustic trio that includes Josh Roberts on lead guitar.
Lang Owen performing at the Living Room
It’s as much about the attendees for Chellew as it is about the performing artists, she says.
“We intend to make this a space to enhance the lives of people who attend, and to support the local music scene and the artists seeking such a listening room atmosphere to build their audience and share their talents.”
The eventual goal is to replicate what the UU Coffeehouse series did, bringing in national and regional talent in addition to the more local artists, with at least one show per month.
“Love is what we are, that is what we should always be teaching and projecting into the world. The arts are to us a way to extend that love to the community as a whole; music and arts are healing ministries that bring together people of all political, social, ethnic, and economic stripes, and Jubilee! Circle seeks to remind everyone of our ultimate unity with one another at a spiritual level.” - Candace Chellew
They are also including a charity/nonprofit element to each show, Chellew adds. “With the Danielle Howle show, it’s a silent auction to raise money for Pawmetto Lifeline, but with each event we do, we’d like to find a way to get the crowd to support other organizations within the community with their donations, time, and talent.”
Chellew sees the Living Room as a natural extension of the mission of Jubilee! Circle in the community. “Unlike many spiritual communities, we don’t evangelize, and we’re not trying to get you to believe anything in particular or adhere to specific doctrine,” She says. “Our message is simple: Love is what we are, that is what we should always be teaching and projecting into the world. The arts are to us a way to extend that love to the community as a whole; music and arts are healing ministries that bring together people of all political, social, ethnic, and economic stripes, and Jubilee! Circle seeks to remind everyone of our ultimate unity with one another at a spiritual level. Everyone who leaves one of our events with a song in their heart becomes a force for love and healing in the world–whether they are conscious of it or not.”
If you’re interested in putting some of Danielle Howle’s songs in your heart, the show is this Friday, December 16th, at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $22 online or at the venue, 6729 Two Notch Road ##70 Columbia, SC 29223.
click for tickets
click for silent auction promo video
SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble Big Band Holiday Concert
South Carolina’s celebrated big band ensemble performs Dec. 17th, 2022
From our friends at SC Philharmonic—
The SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble, under the direction of Music Director Robert Gardiner, continues the 22/23 Season with SWINGIN’ HOLIDAYS on Saturday, December 17, 2022 at 7:30 PM at the W.W. Hootie Johnson Performance Hall at USC (1014 Greene St., Columbia, SC 29201). This special holiday concert features the SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble, a 20-piece big band that is comprised of some of the most outstanding jazz musicians, soloists, and bandleaders from across the Carolinas. SWINGIN’ HOLIDAYS will feature the return of international touring and recording artist Kobie Watkins (drums) to the ensemble, and Robert Lewis (saxophone), the Director of the Charleston Jazz Orchestra, will be performing with the ensemble as a guest artist. This concert is presented in partnership with USC Jazz. Reserved seating tickets range from $25 to $50, and can be purchased at www.scjazz.org.
SWINGIN’ HOLIDAYS is presented in partnership with USC Jazz, and will boast a full evening of entertainment with two acts of amazing big-band holiday jazz from the SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble. Audiences will also enjoy a pre-concert performance by a student combo from USC Jazz in the lobby. The SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble set will also include performances from USC Jazz faculty Lauren Meccia (saxophone/vocalist), Matthew White (trumpet), Michael Wilkinson (trombone), and Bert Ligon (piano/composer, Distinguished Prof. Emeritus).
SWINGIN’ HOLIDAYS will feature time-cherished holiday jazz classics. The program includes arrangements of “Jingle Bells”, “All I Want for Christmas,” “Let it Snow,” “What Child is This?” and many other jazzy tunes of the season that will leave audiences’ toes tapping.
The ensemble for SWINGIN’ HOLIDAYS will feature the following musicians: VOCALS: Kristi Hood (Dick Goodwin Big Band), Edwin Hamilton (Freelance musician, Minister of Music, Augusta, Ga); SAXOPHONES: Robert Lewis (Director, Charleston Jazz Orchestra), Bill King (King William Jazz Collective, USAF), Tracy Patterson (Assoc. Professor/Woodwind Chair, Winthrop Univ.), Mark Sterbank (Charleston Jazz Orchestra, Prof. Charleston Southern), Lauren Meccia (Instructor of Jazz Studies at USC); TRUMPETS: Charlie Polk (SC Philharmonic Orchestra), Matthew White (Assoc. Professor of Jazz Studies, USC), Chip Crotts (Director of Jazz Studies, Georgia Tech), Tim Leahey (USAF Airmen of Note, retired) TROMBONES: Michael Wilkinson (Asst. Professor of Trombone, USC), Brad Jepson (Co-Founder, Greenville Jazz Collective), Major Bailey (Assistant Director of Bands at SC State University); Robert Slade (Commander and Conductor of the 208th Army Band) RHYTHM: Bert Ligon, (piano, composer, Distinguished Prof. Emeritus, USC), Shannon Hoover (bass, Co-founder of the Greenville Jazz Collective) and Kobie Watkins (drums, international touring and recording artist).
SWINGIN’ HOLIDAYS is a one-night only performance on December 17, 2022 at 7:30 PM at the W.W. Hootie Johnson Performance Hall at USC. Reserved seating tickets range from $25 to $50, and can be purchased at www.scjazz.org.
This program is supported in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission which is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts and collaborates in its work with the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies and South Arts.
Christmas at Redbank: A Night of Traditional and Not-So-Traditional Songs of the Season
Leading the sing-along at Christmas at Red Bank — all photos by Leslie Ann Smith
If you’re a fan of local music and have lived in the midlands a while you are likely familiar with Christmas at Redbank. For seventeen years Redbank Methodist Church in Lexington has hosted an array of local musicians presenting their unique take on classic and sometimes completely original Christmas songs. Jasper Magazine’s music editor Kevin Oliver is the creator and founder of the concert and shares some inside baseball about the event, “Most of the acts perform acoustic, but some add electric instruments and bigger arrangements. We started acoustic simply due to logistical concerns with getting a dozen or more acts on and off a stage in two hours’ time, and it just became what we did.”
Along with music the audience can also now expect poetry and scripture readings. Oliver notes that last year the readings, “really tied the show together as less a string of performances punctuated by me talking, and more of a fluid, almost theatrical story.” They have chosen to do them again this year with Jasper board member, poet Al Black, narrating.
Al Black
Along with the new format Oliver says that what makes the event so successful and keeps the night fresh is, “outside of the requirement that songs be ‘sacred’ and not ‘Santa’ in theme/content, I allow the artists involved to pick what they want to sing. That usually includes familiar carols and hymns, but they can also throw me for a loop with a left field or unexpected selection. I try not to reveal too many of the song choices ahead of time, because that's part of the magic of the show--you know who's about to sing, but not WHAT they will come up with.”
Throughout the years the lineup has included an assortment of popular local musicians and bigger names who are just passing through or are returning home like Ryan Monroe, who is now in Band of Horses. Johnny Irion and Sarah Lee Guthrie, daughter of Arlo Guthrie, Mark Bryan, Jake Etheridge, Hannah Miller, and Danielle Howle are frequent performers, as well.
Todd Mathis
This year’s lineup includes Brent Lundy, Band of Pilgrims, Admiral Radio, Todd Mathis, The Water Kickers, Ashleigh Morse with Jim Morse, Chris Reed, Prettier Than Matt, Buck and Rhonda Mooneyhan, James Etheridge, Jr., Matt and Becky Goudelock, and Al Black. Oliver mentions that this year there are a few new names on the bill, “Chris Reed is a local musician that's burning up the local bar and restaurant scene but also performing original rock with his band The Bad Kids, and I'm glad to have him aboard this year as our rookie. The Water Kickers are a new group name, but the duo has both appeared at CARB before with other ensembles. Brodie Porterfield was in the Dawn Key Shotguns, while Kelley McLachlan Douglas Porterfield was in both Post Timey String Band and The Prairie Willows. Ashleigh Morse will be expanding the CARB family as well, bringing her father Jim Morse along for a song–he's been a Columbia musician for a long time himself.”
Kevin Oliver, founder of Christmas at Red Bank and Music Editor for Jasper Magazine
The show is Sunday, December 4th from 6:30pm-9pm. It is free to attend, but an offering will be collected for Mission Lexington (formerly LICS). This opportunity to give has been a part of the event from the start and each year they raise an average of $1,200 for the organization with last year's total reaching over $1,500. Find more details and get directions to the church from the Facebook event.
That Gentle Nudge -- CALL for SCRIPTS for Jasper's Play Right Series
DEADLINE DECEMBER 31, 2022
In an effort to enlighten and empower audiences with information about the process involved in creating theatrical arts, at the same time that we engineer and increase opportunities for SC theatre artists to create and perform new works of theatre arts , the Jasper Project is pleased to announce a new series of audience-friendly plays called the Play Right Series.
The play submission window is now open; it will close on December 31, 2022 at which time the Play Right Series committee will select a play for the next round of development.
“Development,” in this case, means round-table readings and discussions with paid professional director, cast, and crew, and attended by Community Producers and other professionals, followed by rehearsals, and a public presentation of a fully realized staged reading.
The development process will be facilitated by Community Producers—audience members invested in the development process and supportive of the state’s theatrical and literary talent who exchange a modest financial contribution for the experience.*
A final version of the winning play will be published and filed with the Library of Congress, with copies distributed to the winning playwright as well as industry leaders in the area and beyond.
Professor Jon Tuttle will serve as the Project Manager for the Jasper Project’s Play Right Series again in 2023.
NoMa Warehouse has a Holiday Weekend Planned for YOU!
2222 Sumter Street
in the
Heart of the North Main Cultural District!
From our friends at NoMa Warehouse:
It's the most wonderful time of the year at and we can't wait to spend it with you!
Mark your calendars and plan to join us for a full weekend of festive fun! This year’s holiday market highlights local art, culture, food, and of course, the fun of holiday shopping.
The market kicks off on Friday evening, December 16, at 6pm during the normal NoMa Flea from 6-9pm, and will run again on Saturday, Dec 17 from 3-6pm and Sunday, December 18 from 12-3.
There's something for the entire family; including free photos with Santa Claus, an ornament making station, a caricaturist, live music, food trucks, baked goods, hot cocoa, holiday spirits, gift wrapping, a preview of a Christmas Carol by Calliope Stage Company, and indoor and outdoor vendors who will be rotating throughout the weekend, so you can come all 3 days and visit different vendors each day!
The event is free to attend.
Giving Thanks: The Jasper Project Board of Directors Share What They Are Thankful for in the Midlands Arts Community
“Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: It must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all.”
- William Faulkner
We asked the Jasper Project Board of Directors and Jasper Magazine Editorial Staff to share what they are most thankful for from the Midlands Area Arts community and here’s what some of them said.
I will be forever grateful to Anastasia Chernoff for encouraging me when I thought "I'm not good enough" and for Bohumila Augustinova's continued encouragement and inclusion in all things art. Columbia has a wonderful arts community with amazing talent and I am happy to know so many of them.
- Diane Hare, Jasper Board Secretary
I am thankful for the USC art department annual holiday art sell - I always get something really cool from the art students and staff.
I am thankful for the restaurants and businesses that let Jasper Galleries show artwork in their spaces. Shout out to: Motor Supply, Harbison Theatre, Sounds Bites, Bourbon, and the Meridian building.
I am thankful for Cindi and Bob who are very generous all year with their time, talents, and donations to keep Jasper Project going for the Midlands.
- Bert Easter, Jasper Galleries and Projects
This is such an easy question that it’s difficult. I am thankful first and foremost for having so many gifted friends who are so easy to admire. Sometimes I forget that not all lives are filled with rich conversations and deep laughter, so I must take this moment to heartily congratulate myself on the quality of my associations. But if I have to be specific, and I feel I do, I must thank Trustus Theatre for opening their arms and hearts and doors to me—doors to opportunity, to a life in the theater, to a wider arts community, to moments of great joy. I’m thankful for Trustus Theatre who continually strives to bring lively and poignant shows to Columbia. I’m grateful for both the ridiculously talented actors who bring these performances to life and to the passionate staff & crew who make Trustus so perpetually welcoming and warm. Without Trustus my life would have been very different and much, much, much smaller. But now, in my second act, it’s Jasper and Muddy Ford Press who have given me a sense of validation and Things To Do that I find worth doing. If you’re reading this—and you cannot deny that you are—you are very likely one of the people who has made my life a good one, and I’m thankful for you.
- Jon Tuttle, Jasper Play Right Series Manager
I am thankful for First Thursdays. Being able to go to a free monthly art and music event is really special.
- Bekah Rice, Jasper Digital Manager, Sundays with Jasper, Projects
I am truly thankful for the vibrant arts scene in Columbia SC which ranges from classical to cutting edge! For a city of this size, the breadth, depth, and quality of our arts and entertainment industry is truly amazing. I am grateful to Jasper Magazine for the way it covers all of what’s going on in this space. And of course, I am grateful that The Palmetto Opera can be part of it all!
- Paul Leo. PRS Community Producer and Opera Liaison
I’m thankful for Trustus Theatre who continually strives to bring lively and poignant shows to Columbia. I’m grateful for both the ridiculously talented actors who bring these performances to life and to the passionate staff & crew who make Trustus so perpetually welcoming and warm.
- Christina Xan, Jasper Board Treasurer, Galleries and Projects
I’m thankful for this job at Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College, a place that allows me to be a creative programmer as well as to support the local arts community. What a gift when your work brings you so much joy.
I’m thankful for Jasper Magazine. Jasper has introduced me to so many new friends and artists. People who I now consider my chosen family. What a gift to have this beautiful publication to showcase the myriad of artists and arts opportunities in the area.
I’m thankful for my latest theatrical opportunity and the NiA Company for taking a chance on me with their production of Riff Raff. What a gift to perform and to challenge yourself as an actor.
- Kristin Cobb. Jasper Board VP, Harbison Theatre ED
I'm thankful for the vibrant and active venues in our local music scene; from the locals-friendly mainstay Art Bar to the seemingly endless supply of touring acts (with local support, yay) that Carlin Thompson has been booking into New Brookland Tavern, the opportunity to see even bigger acts at The Senate and even smaller ones at Uncle Festers, Foxfield, Curiosity Coffee, and more. In my 30 years of being involved in the local scene, I think this may be the most active period I've ever seen.
- Kevin Oliver, Jasper Magazine Music Editor
I’m incredibly thankful for this cohesive community of artists and arts patrons. I especially appreciate three sets of people including the restaurant owners and managers who allow Jasper to hang the art of Columbia-based artists on their walls, which supports both artists and the Jasper mission. Thank you Motor Supply Bistro, Sound Bites, and Bourbon Columbia.
I’m also very thankful for the advertisers in Jasper Magazine who are, in fact, more sponsors than clients. They recognize that advertising in Jasper is less a business decision and more a decision to support our entire community of artists via the work of Jasper. Believe me, we know who our friends are, and we support them as much as we can, too. Thank you, Columbia Museum of Art, Harbison Theatre, Trustus Theatre, Workshop Theatre, Palmetto Opera, and University of SC Department of Theatre and Dance.
Finally, I’m thankful for the friends and colleagues who have gone to the trouble of joining the Jasper Guild. From the Artist Peer level at $25 all the way up to the Hero level at $1000, your support is a vote of confidence for those of us on the Jasper Project Board and the Jasper Magazine Editorial Staff. The money helps us fulfill our mission, yes, but the gesture continues to us keep going and moving forward for the past 11 years.
- Cindi Boiter, Jasper Project ED