Shaping the Summer Music Scene – USC School of Music’s Southeastern Piano Festival Returns for 2023

By Emily Moffitt

From June 11-17, 2023, Columbia will transform once again into a cultural destination for piano and classical music enthusiasts alike as the University of South Carolina School of Music’s Southeastern Piano Festival returns for its twenty-first year. The lineup this year includes distinguished pianists John O’Conor, Roman Rabinovich, Ying Li and Anthony de Mare. The festival has always had its roots in Columbia culture: founders Marina Lomazov and Joseph Rackers served as professors of piano at the School of Music. This year, Phillip Bush and Caroline Earp stepped into the leadership roles of Artistic Director and Executive Administrator respectfully. Earp believes one of the reasons that makes the festival so great is that “it’s a week of many different musicians showing off their own masterful interpretations of the instrument and the repertoire.” The festival draws in guests from across the Southeastern United States and gives pre-college age pianists an experience of a lifetime. Bush states that the festival is “an opportunity for the USC School of Music and particularly the piano department to showcase the work we are doing and the artistic values to which we are committed.”

Earp herself holds the piano in high regard; she credits the instrument as her first love. “Because the piano was my first love within the world of music, it’s extra special to me to serve in this role—it feels like a real full circle moment.” Earp said. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance, but she is ecstatic about working on SEPF since it allows her to share the wonder of piano with Columbia. She also addressed the power of the festival to attract prospective college students to the university; “The SEPF team and Tayloe Harding—the Dean of the School of Music—believe this is truly a wonderful opportunity to highlight what our school has to offer. Young musicians that participate throughout the week get to study with our illustrious faculty and get a personal look into USC’s School of Music.” Of course, it is difficult to isolate one specific thing that Earp is looking forward to the most about the festival; the idea is like picking a favorite child or song.

The festival will host several concerts that easily appeal to newer fans of classical music, or any interested guests who want to experience live music. The content ranges from unique works to standard repertoire, but accessibility to new audiences does not go unnoticed. “The opening celebration concert is very accessible, and we hope it will prompt attendees to attend more concerts throughout the week,” Earp said. The opening concert features the School of Music faculty including Bush and Associate Director of SEPF Nicholas Susi in a diverse and delightful program that features a few four-hand and eight-hand pieces. Later in the week, Anthony de Mare will perform selections from his project Liaisons: Reimagining Sondheim from the Piano. This project is a culmination of the efforts of de Mare and multiple modern-day composers like Steve Reich and Jonathan Batiste. Earp said, “De Mare’s Liaisons project consists of unique takes on recognizable show tunes. It appeals to fans of contemporary music and musical theatre all at the same time.”

De Mare will also host a lecture with Bush—who also serves as a professor of piano at the School of Music—to discuss the field of piano pedagogy. The lecture series formed in 2005 and was named after Marian Stanley Tucker, a staple of the Columbia music community who taught children the joy of piano playing for almost six decades. Earp highlights the importance of her impact on Columbia’s musical landscape, as there has been an endowment created in her name that supports the lecture series. “We always want to make sure that we recognize [Tucker’s] lasting impression on the lives of everyone she came across,” Earp said. “The lecture series in turn functions as educational outreach for piano teachers and connoisseurs who want to learn more about piano pedagogy.”

The SEPF team also includes Elizabeth Churchya, a doctoral candidate at USC in Music Performance who serves as the Associate Administrator, and Graduate Assistants Zhenyu Gao and Megan Rich. Earp considers the team, as well as School of Music Marketing Director Marlena Crovatt-Bagwell, invaluable to the planning of the festival. Outside of SEPF, Earp’s other role in the university is the Director of Alumni and Donor Engagement for the School of Music. When asked about the experience of working with the team outside of the academic school year, Earp said “getting to interact with my colleagues outside in separate roles and contexts, but still in the realm of music performance, has been a wonderful experience. This is something we are all passionate about, and I am overjoyed to see it all unfold and to watch everyone’s efforts come to fruition.”

Earp notes that every year, the Southeastern Piano Festival at the USC School of Music grows in its prestige. The Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition held at the end of the festival week is now considered one of the most prestigious piano competitions in the Southeast for pre-college students. The high rate of return from out-of-state attendees motivates the leadership staff to continue transforming Columbia into a cultural landmark for musicians everywhere. “It’s inspiring to hear piano artistry at the highest level from the visiting guest artists and to witness the talent and dedication of the young aspiring pianists attending the festival,” Bush said.

Tickets are available to purchase for each performance on the Koger Center website. Each performance will be held at the School of Music’s Recital Hall, and tickets for each performance are $20. More information about the Southeastern Piano Festival at the USC School of Music can be found online as well.

Tall Women in the Hall

Former Jasper Board member, visual artist and art educator Ginny Merett’s new exhibit Tall Women opens today, June 4, 2023 at The Hallway: Community Art at 701 Whaley. Each of these tall collage pieces, roughly 12x60”, showcase a beautifully constructed unique character with a big personality. According to Merett the series “pays homage to all women who stand tall even in the face of adversity”. The opening reception is today from 2-4pm and the show will be up until July 29th.

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

Ginny graduated from the University of Georgia with in Art Education and holds two master’s degrees from the University of South Carolina. She taught K-12 art for 30 years and spent many years as adjunct at the University of South Carolina working with pre-service teachers.

She has two children and 4 grandchildren, and lives in Lexington. Look for her on all social platforms.

Potential: Quilted Abstractions by Janet Swigler

By Eden Prime,
Jasper Graduate Intern

On June 8 a new show is coming to Stormwater Gallery on Pendleton Street. Janet Swigler is a quilter and music educator located in Columbia. She is a student of Smithsonian quilter Nancy Crow and an avid creator, learner, and abstract thinker.

Nothing Stays the Same V

Time and memory fold into eachother in Janet Swigler’s work. As a quilter and professional music educator Swigler’s art is full of detail and exacting imagery. Her quilts are crafted deftly and with intention, exploring the synthesis of childhood impressions with experiences leading to the present–each piece carries forward a definitive picture of a passionate life devoted to creation.

Swigler lived on an airforce base in Japan as an adolescente. Her parents were intentional about teaching Swigler about the culture that surrounded them in Japan.

“The sensibilities and aesthtics of Japanese culture trained my eye,” said Swigler, “Their use of lines and wabi-sabi–I don’t think I realized it all at the time but looking back I think it influenced me a lot.”

Renowned quiltmaker Nancy Crow, who is a major influence on Swigler, encourages quiltmakers to dig into childhood memories. Studying under Crow is how Swigler discovered that she could bring organic beauty into the world, it was like she had opened a box of crayons and every color was hers to create with.

Repetition, balance, and form are disciplines that Swigler learned from being a music educator for elementary school children. She channels these balancing forms in table-like motifs depicted on her quilts. Like the Torii Gates in Japan, an architectural structure that has become a theme in Swigler’s work, they demonstrate balnce and harmony.

Swigler hopes that people come to her show ready to reach out and take the opportunities given to them to think creaitvly, look for memory portals of their own, and see the light through the cracks.

You can find Swigler’s work at Stormwater Gallery at 413 Pendleton Street. The show opening is Thursday June 8 from 5:30-8:00. The quilts will be on display from June 8-June 18 and there will be other events during that time. On Sunday June 11th there will be a gallery talk at 1:30pm and on June 18 there will be a “Pop-In for Pop-Corn” from 1pm-3pm to close the show. Come view Janet Swigler’s work any time the gallery is open Wednesday-Sunday 11am-3pm.

Tiny Gallery with Mana Hewitt – Aesthetically Pleasing, Conceptually Interesting

The month of June brings Mana Hewitt’s beautiful hand sculpted jewelry to Jasper’s Tiny Gallery. Hewitt is a recently retired Senior Instructor from the University of South Carolina’s School of Visual Art and Design, where she helped develop the jewelry making program in 2007. Other teaching endeavors include Columbia College for eight years and a year at a middle school. Her experience in painting, ceramics and metalsmithing has led to her cementing a prolific legacy in all disciplines. Hewitt grew up in a household surrounded by the arts; both her mother and grandmother studied art in college, and her and her siblings all grew to appreciate the arts through music and visual arts, passions that Hewitt eventually shared with her husband and daughter. Starting with oil paints and large-scale metals, she shifted to working with more small-scale media in 2006. This shift turned into the sterling silver/enameled jewelry work that Hewitt is so well known for to this day. Having an interest in the transformation of a section of metal can have lends to the endless possibilities for the jewelry design that Hewitt undertakes. “I am intrigued by metal’s transformation from rigidity to vibrant and fluid designs through hammering, etching, casting and effort,” Hewitt said.

Hewitt’s earrings are perfect statement pieces for those looking to spice up their jewelry collection. There are a variety of monochromatic pieces like the “Freeform” pairs, iridescent and colorful sets like “Drops” or “Fans” and even some statement piece sets like the “Rockets.” She always aims to meet her goal of creating jewelry that is both aesthetically pleasing and conceptually interesting. Working with metal for so long, Hewitt describes herself as someone who may just think with metal as well.

Aside from talent and drive, Hewitt has an abundance of ideas and inspiration when it comes to creating new works. “I have never had difficulty in finding inspiration or ideas,” Hewitt said. In fact, I probably have too many and feel there isn’t enough time to do everything I want to do.” Hewitt’s creations have been featured in both group and solo exhibitions across the Eastern U.S. She has collaborated with the Jasper Project before by being one of the featured artists in the Supper Table project, where she created a piece based on Eartha Kitt.

The marketability of jewelry and the small scale is appealing to Hewitt, who mentions that some of her favorite pieces are ones enameled in the champleve and cloisonne techniques. While very demanding, Hewitt says that "jewelrymaking provides endless challenges but provides such satisfaction when it all comes together.”

Hewitt’s earrings are available for sale on the Jasper Project’s Tiny Gallery site through the month of June. You can find more of her portfolio on her website.

Just An Exhibition: Marie Boyd’s Quilled Art and Illustrations from Her Debut Picture Book Just A Worm on Display at Richland Library Main Branch

Marie Boyd’s exhibition at the Richland Library Main Branch, called A Quilled Garden, opened May 12th, 2023, and is on display until June 2nd, 2023. This exhibit includes original images and illustrations from her first picture book, Just a Worm, which was published March 14th by Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins.

Quilling is a style of collage art that uses strips of paper which are cut, folded, and or rolled, looped, crimped, curled, and coiled to create intricate patterns and designs. Kirkus Reviews called the quilled designs in Boyd’s book “stunning.” 

Kirkus Reviews is not the only one to recognize Boyd’s prowess as an illustrator and children’s author, however; she has also been interviewed on The Sunday Show on MSNBC, and last month, she read Just a Worm to children at the White House Easter Egg Roll.

Just a Worm tells the story of Worm, who has been referred to as “just a worm” by two young children. Worm then embarks on a journey through the garden to prove that they are a whole lot more than that. They meet several other creatures along their journey, all of which bring about Worm’s own discovery of self-worth.

Cover Art from Just a Worm

Needless to say, we are very proud to boast that Marie Boyd is from our very own city of Columbia, SC. In addition to writing and quilling, Boyd is a professor of law at the University of South Carolina. She lives in Columbia with her husband, Jaime Harrison, and their two children.

This exhibition was made possible by the South Carolina Arts Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as a generous award from the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund. The exhibition is located at 1431 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC 29201.

If you wish to learn more about Marie Boyd, or wish to view more samples of her work, you can visit her website. To listen to a “meet-the-author” recording with Boyd, visit the Teaching Books site.

NiA Celebrates 25th Anniversary with Lonetta Thompson's Play Jump at the Sun

The NiA Company will celebrate its 25th anniversary in conjunction with Family Fun Night at the Columbia Museum of Art on Friday, May 26, beginning at 5:00.  There will be DJ sets from DJ B Folks, arts activities, design challenges, scavenger hunts, and food and drink available for purchase.  At 6:00, NiA will reprise Lonetta Thompson’s family-friendly play “Jump at the Sun,” which it first performed ten years ago.  The play explores the historical events of the Great Migration and the Harlem Renaissance along with key artistic figures like legends Zora Neale Hurston and Jacob Lawrence.

Lonetta’s play “Therapy” is next in line for the Jasper Project’s Play Right Series.  Through July, she, her cast and an audience of Community Producers will meet to discuss the creation, development and marketing of a play, culminating in a public staged reading at the CMFA on August 6

Jasper sat down with Lonetta and NiA founding artistic director Darion McCloud for a quick Q and A:

Lonetta Thompson

JASPER:How did you get involved with JUMP AT THE SUN?  I realize you’re the author, of course, but what led you and NIA together for this project?

THOMPSON: If memory serves, NiA had the opportunity to perform during the time Jacob Lawrence's The Migration Series was on exhibit at the museum and Darion graciously allowed me write something (since I was running around calling myself a writer all the time).  

JASPER: Is this play connected to Alicia Williams children’s book?    Or does it come straight from Zora? 

THOMPSON: I wrote this over ten years ago, and I Alicia Williams' book was published in 2021. I was researching the artists from the Harlem Renaissance and came across a quote from Zora Neale Hurston where her mom used to always tell her to "jump at de sun" and thought that was the perfect title.  (The full quotation is: “Jump at the sun. You might not land on the sun, but at least you’ll get off the ground.”)

 

JASPER: What do you hope is the principal message an audience member might come away from the play with?  What do you want them to know or do or feel?

THOMPSON: First and foremost, I just want people to know these wonderful artists (a lot of whom came from the south) and how they came together and created magic. They were so gifted and talented and passionate and that community they created is still at the top of my list of times and places I would go if I had a time machine.  Beyond just exposing our audience to these artists, I want people to be inspired by all forms of art and the impact it has on our lives whether we realize it or not. 

JASPER: Your career as a playwright is suddenly getting a lot of sunlight, what with THERAPY going into development this summer by the Jasper Project.  How does this chapter of your life feel to you as a creative person?  And are there more developments afoot we should know about?

THOMPSON: I am definitely in awe of my reality right now! I've always fancied myself a writer but was hesitant to put myself out there. I was lucky to find a satisfying creative outlet by being on stage. I do have a few things I'm working on and just plan to continue to develop my voice (and confidence!). 

DARION McCLOUD

JASPER: What occasioned NIA’s performing this play ten years ago?  And why is now the right time to remount it?

MCCLOUD: I think it was more than ten years even but we’ll go with that. At that time I had a day gig as the Outreach Manager with CMA. And the Jacob Lawrence (one of my artistic heroes) Migration Series was on exhibit.  So I approached Lonetta with the idea of creating a piece about The Harlem Renaissance with Lawrence’s Migration Series at the center   

JASPER: Is NiA involved in/at the heart of the other activities going on at the CMA on the 26th?  Or is this a consortium of many other good organizations?

MCCLOUD: NiA is one of the museum’s offerings on that day including creation stations and of course access to the permanent collection.

JASPER: Now that COVID is lifting maybe, what can we look forward to next from NiA?  What changes will see from the pre-COVID NiA?  Perhaps a better way to put that: it’s been 25 years for NiA: how have you grown?  What have you learned?  Where are you going? 

MCCLOUD: After twenty-five years we grown exponentially. We first came together to give black actors opportunities. Now that mission has expanded with opportunities as the engine. That means opportunities for all kinds of actors, for audiences that don’t always get the type of work we present or can’t afford it. This idea of providing opportunities for those with little still drives us.

JASPER: You, personally, could rest on your many many laurels.  Why don’t you?   What motivates you?  This question never expires.  Your answer may change as time goes by, and if it doesn’t it needs repeating.

MCCLOUD: First, thanks for the kind words. But there is so much need. I still believe “art makes everything better” and the world is always in need of better experiences. We hope to contribute to making better fathers, better mothers, better leaders, better followers.. Yeah, all through the shared experiences of theatre…of Art.  

Exploring Jasper Tiny Gallery Artist Tennyson Corley’s Whimsical and Charismatic Ceramic Creations

Tennyson Corley has been making art in Columbia for years, but in the past couple of years, a chance encounter with clay led to an exciting journey rife with whimsical characters. Her current Tiny Gallery show features a snack-hoarding hoodie-wearing raccoon, a photography-loving frog in stripes and a young opossum boy playing a dead cowboy. 

A few years ago, when Corley signed her son up for a homeschool clay class at the Columbia Art Center, friend, and artist Bohumila Augustinova convinced Corley to take her own beginner wheel throwing class—and she did—eventually having her own wheel at the center. 

“By the end, I didn't want to stop so I put my name on a very...very long waiting list and a year later I was playing in the mud again. Cut to 2022, I had just completed a mural for The Audubon Society at Folly Beach and that felt like a completion to my painting journey,” Corley shares, “I began experimenting with sculpting creatures and I gave them little stories. Like a golem, or something, they needed a story to bring them to life.”  

Though her 2D art may not always have made this evident, Corley has “always been drawn to the illustrative art of children's books, and even deeper, descriptions of folkloric creatures and mythology,” made even more evident by her penning of companion stories.

“I never felt like those concepts fit easily into my 2D work. Clay opened a door for my true, weird essence to flow in some respect. I also have a dark sense of humor. I think giving my creatures certain traits acts upon a social commentary of society,” Corley intimates, “Like, is it ok to act like this just because they are cute? Or this one is quite different, but hey, they're just like me! Can we look past appearances and accept what is below the surface. I enjoy coming at it in a playful way.” 

The process for making these creatures is always different. Corley jokes that her mind is always running to the point she wishes she could shut it off. She may start with a specific animal and then create a story around it, or she may have a story in her mind that needs a creature. Something as simple as a song lyric or a quote may “ignite a spark that becomes a flame that [she] can't damper until it is out of the kiln.”  

Though all art has a story, Corley’s pieces have full narratives pulled right from her imagination that describe the identities, characteristics, and backgrounds of the characters. While everyone, including her, tended to ask, “what is this painting about,” she wanted the characters to speak for themselves. 

“I wanted to open the introductory door, so-to-say, for the viewer, the patron, to be able to compile upon the story. I also like the idea of making them more like a quick read children's story for adults. And maybe hope that if a child reads them, they wouldn't get the dark bits,” Corley details, “It's also fun to see people at events linger over the sculpture and their stories and even strike up conversations with complete strangers.”  

In this show, Lulu Leatherhead, Otis the Opossum, Snack-coon, and Artemis are Corley’s current favorites—but her decision always fluctuates: “It is actually really hard for me to pick a favorite. I spend so much time with each piece. From idea, to construction, to glazing, and story. I feel like they are all my weirdo children. I know them, and then I have to see them off to collectors.” 

Corley’s creations have been catching eyes even beyond Cola lately. She was recently published in San Antonio’s Pepper Magazine and asked to be an Arts Contributor. Each magazine will feature one of her ceramic illustrations (sculptures) along with its story as an evolved/revolutionized comic strip.  

You can find her works on Jasper’s Tiny Gallery until May 31st and continue to follow her on her Instagram @tennyson_corley_art. Corley is currently planning a small workshop with the Columbia Art Center for the fall to introduce people to her process.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

REVIEW: Chad Henderson's HUNDRED DAYS at Workshop Theatre

This is a show for those who love live music. Even if you don’t typically like musicals this is a show for you. Honestly if you have ears and a heart this is the show for you. I’m only partially kidding, but I have a hard time imagining anyone not enjoying themselves. Hundred Days feels like a concert, but better, and tells the real-life love story of Abigail and Shaun Bengson through songs they wrote as a family band. I won’t go into details, but their love story, like most, is not easy. This musical memoir illustrates well what happens when past trauma and anxiety go head-to-head with true love. 

Director Chad Henderson consistently delivers great theatrical productions to Columbia, and this was no exception. He has pulled together an excellent cast of local musician-actors, and it was obvious he had been thinking about producing this show for years. Well-known local actress and musician, Katie Leitner, was the perfect choice for lead, Abigail Bengson, and probably one of the few actors in Columbia with the vocal chops to play her. Katie along with the band elevate Abigail’s songs and put a polish on them that make them sound more modern than the original cast recordings. Her incredible voice and magnetism on stage draws you in so much so that this could have easily become the Leitner show. Thankfully, Henderson balanced the show well and cast co-star, Taylor Diveley, to play Shaun Bengson. Diveley held his own next to Leitner with equally exceptional vocal ability and a number of endearing qualities.  

Making up the rest of the family band we have singer and cellist Catherine Hunsinger, front-woman for local band Rex Darling, and multidisciplinary director and performer, Bakari Lebby, on bass. Both have speaking roles throughout the show, providing levity where needed, and sing harmony on the majority of songs. At times, the harmonies in these songs were overwhelmingly good – chill inducing and magical. USC professor, musician and musical director for the show, Tom Beard, sings, speaks, and plays accordion as well as synthesizer throughout the show. Drummer and vocalist, Patty Boggs, rounds out the band with near perfect dynamics. Both are stellar musicians and great in their roles.  

Musically the songs in this production run the gamut from Indie folk to electronica with several more traditional musical numbers sprinkled in. Be warned you will leave with songs from the show stuck in your head.  

The hour and a half performance kept the audience’s attention the whole time, and in the age of TikTok with our ever-shortening attention spans this is an impressive feat. Patrick Faulds the lighting and set designer did an impressive job of making the stage feel like a music venue, while also keeping it interesting. There were constantly little things I noticed on stage throughout the show, and like any good modern concert, video was a big part of the performance. Screens on the stage complemented each song and reinforced major themes throughout the show.  

100 Days runs through May 27th and is definitely worth the ticket price and your time. It is moving, fresh, and thoroughly entertaining. Learn more about the show at Workshop Theatre’s website.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

An Ode to Garage Rock (In Appreciation of the Woggles) by Kevin Oliver

(Photo: Steven W. Terrell)

Rock ‘n’ roll is old enough to have a Hall of Fame and a museum, and enough subgenres to confuse even the most dedicated music fan. One of the constants, however, has been “garage rock,” a subgenre of rock that’s indebted to raw, unfiltered sounds coming from a basic guitar/bass/drums band from the 1960s. Think Sam The Sham and the Pharaohs, The Kingsmen (of “Louie Louie” fame), The Standells (“Dirty Water”), The Troggs (“Wild Thing”) and many more. It’s an energetic, danceable style, something that has probably fueled its enduring popularity over the years, to the point where there are now “Garage Rock Revival” acts keeping the original style alive in various ways. 

One of the latter is the long-running Atlanta band The Woggles, which has been around in some form or another for over 30 years, so to call them “revivalists” may not be entirely accurate–they probably influenced many of the newer bands themselves.  

Featuring a two-guitar lineup, classic bass and drums rhythm section, and the irrepressible frontman “The Professor” Mighty Manfred, The Woggles have taken the garage rock blueprint and built their own sound on that foundation. 60s British Invasion, R&B and soul music classics and more form the border-less abandon of a Woggles show, with Manfred holding court up front as a slightly lunatic ringmaster of his own rock ‘n’ roll circus. It’s like a “Nuggets” compilation manifested in human form on whatever stage they appear on. 

The problem with writing about a band like The Woggles is that there’s no real substitute for actually hearing them or seeing them live. So, in preparation for this Friday night’s Art Bar show, here’s a quick primer on some of the best Woggles tunes:

“My Baby Likes To Boogaloo” 

From their 1992 debut LP “Teen Dance Party,” this is a cover of an obscure 60’s tune from Don Gardner; it’s typical of the dance numbers they would make their name on. 

“Sweet Tea”

From 1998’s “Wailin’ With The Woggles,” this one shows off their mostly instrumental surf rock tendencies, a fun side of the band. 

“Zombie Stomp”

A must-have for your Halloween playlists, this one from 1996’s “Get Tough!” is another surf-rock style number but with spooky sounds added.  

“Take it To The People”

A veritable mission statement for the ever-touring Woggles, this one’s a great showcase of the slightly unhinged vocals of Manfred. From the 2012 album “The Big Beat.”  

“Collector of Broken Hearts”

While not quite a ballad, this one proves that The Woggles can slow down a bit and throw out some great melodic pop tunes when they want to. Great harmonica solo here, too.  

“I Got a Line On You”

A terrific cover of the Spirit classic that takes the dizzying speed of the original and fuzzes everything up even more. From the 2005 collection of singles, “Soul Sizzling 7” Meltdown.” 

The Woggles with the Capital City Playboys:

Art Bar

Friday, May 19th 

9:30 PM

Facebook event: 

Muddy Ford Press Announces Launch of New Book LOW COUNTRY LAMENTATIONS by Frank Malmsteen with Party at Bourbon Patio

Broad River Books, an imprint of Muddy Ford Press, the boutique publishing house located in Chapin, SC and the original underwriter for Jasper Magazine, announces the release of their newest novel, Low Country Lamentations by Frank Malmsteen. Lauded by Kirkus Review as “[a] striking, character-driven tale. . ,” Low Country Lamentations may be this year's favorite summer read for anyone who enjoys a tongue-in-cheek take on the likes of Dorothea Benton Frank, Anne Rivers Siddons, or Pat Conroy. As an added bonus, Malmsteen offers an atypical take on the classic book-within-a-book trope by fully integrating excerpts from a second Southern novel, a road novel not-coincidentally entitled Lowcountry Lamentations and ostensibly written by Erica Edwards, within the pages of his larger and more encompassing volume. 

The release of Low Country Lamentations will be celebrated with a launch party on the Bourbon Columbia patio, 1214 Main Street, on Thursday May 18th from 5 – 7 with food, music, and a cryptic theatrical element.

 A scholar of literary tradition, the reclusive author, Frank Malmsteen, has studied the genre of Southern fiction for decades and created a tome that will not only engage and enthrall, but will keep readers questioning long after consuming the final pages of the book. This will be the only North American appearance by Mr. Malmsteen, whose previous work includes Recondite Oblivion (2022), an enigmatic look at aesthetics that generated vast opportunities for interpretation. Only recently, the ascetic Malmsteen has agreed to come out of his self-imposed seclusion for one night only and we are thrilled that he has selected this specific launch party on Main Street, Columbia, SC as the singular location at which he will meet with the public to sell and sign his newest book, Low Country Lamentations.

Workshop Theatre Premieres Contemporary Musical Memoir Hundred Days Directed by Chad Henderson

“It's Columbia. We are better served by seeing something for the first time rather than a variation on what we've seen before. We've all seen that. We need new, we deserve it. We deserve the newest things now.”

- Chad Henderson

Hundred Days is a musical memoir based on a true story that premiered for the first time in 2018. This fresh, contemporary take on the goal of loving and living fully is coming tomorrow to Workshop Theatre. Running from May 12 – May 27, the show is directed by Chad Henderson with music direction by Tom Beard and a cast that features Katie Leitner, Catherine Hunsinger, Taylor Diveley, Kari Lebby, and Patty Boggs. 

The show has been described as “luminous,” “exhilarating,” and “raw,” and Leitner herself asserts that “people can expect to be immersed in a multi-media, emotionally gut-wrenching story accompanied by powerful folk- blues ballads, dense and haunting harmonies, uplifting folk pop toe-tappers, and clap-along rock tunes.” 

Jasper sat down one-on-one with director Henderson to get more details on the show.

JASPER: How did you decide to direct this show? 

HENDERSON: This show has been a three-year journey for me. My friend and collaborator Jonathan Whitton sent me an email about this play with a message that read something like "You need to know about this. You're welcome." He was right. It is entirely the type of work I seek and savor. I kept my eyes on the licensing for the show, because in this market you are at the whims of the licensing companies. This was all before the closures of the pandemic. Fast-forward some time later, and Workshop Theatre took my submission seriously. They were willing to produce a "little musical that would be one of the hardest things to achieve." I'm so glad that Jeni McCaughan and the script selection committee committed to this production—they have been absolutely amazing to work with.

JASPER: What makes you excited about this musical, specifically? 

HENDERSON: Honestly, this is the kind of work that I gravitate towards, having spent four years in a rock band and being a lover of live music. I have directed theatrical works like "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," "Spring Awakening," "Passing Strange" and "American Idiot." These all have a special place in my heart because they closely align with my personal aesthetic and have an impactful connection to the type of storytelling that moves me as an artist.

JASPER: Why this story here? Why now? 

HENDERSON: It's Columbia. We are better served by seeing something for the first time rather than a variation on what we've seen before. We've all seen that. We need new, we deserve it. We deserve the newest things now. Also, love is timeless—and that is still (somehow) a revolutionary thing to explore presently.

JASPER: How long have y’all been working on this?

HENDERSON: I've been working on this for three years now in my mind. I've been dreaming of a local cast for that long as well. I'm very lucky that two of the original people I dreamed of are working on this production (Katie Leitner and Catherine Hunsinger). Even luckier to have one of my favorite collaborators, Tom Beard, reach out to me to ask, "what are we doing next." Then after a string of auditions and conversations we found the remaining alchemy that this production needed: Taylor Diveley, Kari Lebby and Patty Boggs.

JASPER: Have there been any unique challenges in this show? 

HENDERSON: Once the casting was complete, the challenge fell to the actors. They have to be a band. They have to create that synergy. They also have to be open to the unknown due to the fact that the show is a live set from a band, and the story that arises from their performance must be a sneak attack.

JASPER: What’s special about your rendition? 

HENDERSON: I'm me and this is me doing what I love to do: make it as hard as possible for everyone. So, while the cast is rehearsing tirelessly to become a band with 90 minutes of music and banter to memorize—while also being able to live truthfully in the moment—we have added a film element to the production. We spent three weekends filming auxiliary storytelling that is presented through on-stage media.

JASPER: Have there been any exciting “oh my god this is it” moments? 

HENDERSON: I've had many "Oh My God" moments. They've happened at every rehearsal, which is a testament to this cast. Damn, they're good!

JASPER: The music in this show is described as “anthemic folk-punk music” — what can a not music-savvy person expect?  

HENDERSON: If you have heard the works of Mumford and Sons, Ani DiFranco, Frou Frou, Queen, Jump Little Children, Son Volt, or anything else that sounds totally relatable but also entirely singular—that's what it sounds like. The music lifts your heart because the compositions have that effect. It's also very Americana. There's no banjo or mandolin, but plenty of cello and accordion. It also doesn't sound French. I don't know...the music is singular. It's the Bengsons [group who originally created and performed the show]. Just come hear for yourself or get a taste on Spotify or Apple Music.

JASPER: How would you summarize this story in your own words? 

HENDERSON: It's about love (cue memories of Christian in Moulin Rouge). It's about the rewards, challenges, magnetisms, insanities, and fears of love. It's about the weight of commitment: the work that comes with it, but ultimately the joys.

JASPER: Why should people see this show?  

HENDERSON: Simply put: It's one of the few contemporary shows you can experience in the coming months. To call it a musical is misleading. You're coming to see a band. A very good band. It just so happens they are going to make you relate to their crazy story in 90 mins flat. Also, the bar is open throughout the show because...that's just civil, isn't it? It's a show and space where you'll be comfortable, and you'll leave with plenty to talk about. You might even kiss somebody (if they consent).

It’s hard to describe what to expect, but in attending Hundred Days, you are guaranteed a once-in-a-lifetime story. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll groove. For more details about and to get tickets, visit Workshop Theatre’s website.

Lucy Bailey and K. Wayne Thornley Challenge the Boundaries of Form in LIFE.FORMS

Lucy Bailey and K. Wayne Thornley are no strangers to making and testing the limits of their art—separate and together—but their new exhibition is a deep dive into experimentation for both of them. LIFE.FORMS: Interpretations in Mixed Media is inspired by the “what if” conversations we all have about how our life ended up being, well, our life. 

“Last summer we [Wayne and Lucy] were having a conversation about the vast range and incredible impact of those variables [that affect life]: heredity, time in history, societal context, environment, family, geography, individual choices, etc.,” the pair share, “We both had separately been thinking about how these ideas might be expressed in our art and the conversation led us to explore it together. We signed on the line for this show before we had produced a single piece, which lit the motivational fire we needed.”  

As they began creating, some ideas and influences kept repeating, particularly nature versus nurture and the butterfly effect. Together they kept searching through the tension between these major life moments that permanently define us and the small, seemingly innocuous moments whose ripples we often have no idea alter us so intensely. The title itself came from Thornley, who sees forms as “both a noun and verb, reflecting biological forms of life and the dynamic process of forming a life. The show has remained pretty true to those initial thoughts.”  

Viewers of the exhibit can expect an inventive use of materials and techniques from the experimental duo who both “[took] a great deal of pleasure in the process of pushing materials into unintended uses.” Specifically, Thornley’s work is rooted in biological imagery or, “the essential building blocks of life forms as we know them,” whereas Bailey’s “focus is more rooted in narratives around environmental determinants.” 

Bailey is well-known for her clay sculptures but made an intentional effort to move away from clay while still working with malleable materials. Her main material in this show? Vintage children’s clothes—specifically the unisex baby and toddler gowns popular in the early 1900’s.

“Combining textiles and mixed media invited exploration of new techniques, which was challenging, fun, and messy,” Bailey reveals, “I rust-dyed, embroidered, and burned the clothing. I transferred photographs onto fabric. I worked with silkworm cocoons and cicada wings. I learned some very basic slow stitching and couching techniques and I distressed fabric by pulling out individual threads.”

Bailey’s work is typically rife with personality as faces and figures pervade her work. However, these faceless pieces are no less emotional and full of life in her opinion: “Absent a face or figure, clothing is still highly personal, and it holds an echo or remembrance of the person who once inhabited it, so I feel like this work remains figurative in a sense.”

Thornley agrees that his process has been adaptive and constantly evolving, though in some ways it is almost a natural extension of the branching out into mixed media he has explored recently. Thornley has been painting 2D for decades, but in the past couple of years, he has begun creating more 3D works—specifically houses with miscellaneous objects.

“Some of the outcomes have been successful and inspiring; others have been disastrous. For me, those successes and failures become part of the evolution of my own creativity,” Thornley intimates, “As for my experiments with form, I definitely think our concept for this show served as a catalyst for me to merge my love of wire forms with mixed media.”

With this show, Thornley began with materials familiar to him before incorporating brand new ones—ones he plans to continue his relationship with: “I see many of these new objects as maquettes for much larger pieces. Just as cells divide and multiply, creating matter that can be microscopic or gargantuan, I think the ideas sparked while making these new works will give new life to future creations.”

Regardless of the materials used, both artists are exploring the edges of and pushing the boundaries of form, while crafting narrative around/with ideas and images of life itself. Each piece will present a unique experience for the viewer and no one person will have the same encounter with the show.

“Hopefully, contemplating what forms this ‘one wild and precious life’ (as Mary Oliver says in her poem ‘The Summer Day’) will prompt people to consider not only the influences shaping our own lives but how we effect the lives of those around us,” the duo details, “How people react to the work will actually reflect the LIFE.FORMS theme: each persons’ interpretation will be a result of their own experiences. We hope the art will kindle something unique in everyone.”

LIFE.FORMS will be featured at Stormwater Studios with an Opening Reception on May 11th from 5pm – 8pm. An Artist Talk will take place on Sunday the 21st of May at 2pm. Stormwater Studios is located at 413 Pendleton Street.

“In terms of what it means to be human, we are contemplating the tension between how simultaneously fragile and resilient we are in the face of everything that happens in our lives,” the artists emphasize, “What magic of genetics and epigenetics sets us in motion? How many potential courses might a life take based on what happens or fails to happen for us? How much of this are we aware of as it unfolds and how much is only visible from the vantage point of time?”

REVIEW: Fairview at Trustus Theatre

So as not to “bury the lede,” this show must be seen. By everyone. More than once.

I went into Trustus Theatre’s production of Fairview with no expectations. I knew nothing about the script, except that it had a brilliant cast and director. What I got in return was one of the best productions and some of the best performances I’ve ever had the pleasure of witnessing.

Fairview has multiple definitions here. You can’t pick just one.

The play opens in the dining room of an upper-middle class family. Beverly, played by Marilyn Matheus, is preparing a dinner party to celebrate her mother’s 80th birthday. The rest of the family trickles in, some to help, some to hinder. Dayton, Beverly’s husband, Beverly’s sister, Jasmine, and Beverly & Dayton’s daughter, Keisha. It’s a pleasant, unassuming scene. (I was reminded of the Huxtable family). This is the easiest act to discuss.

Beverly is obsessed with the perfection of this dinner. More than once (or twice or thrice) she mentions she wants the evening to go well. The relationship between Beverly and her husband, Dayton, is charming. Dayton is sweet, flirty, supportive, and playful. Their affection for each other is evident, though there are numerous opportunities for Dayton to fail (intentionally and unintentionally) at some of Beverly’s requests for assistance. Jasmine, Beverly’s sister, joins the party. If Beverly is the “responsible” sister (and she absolutely is), then Jasmine is the “fun” sister. (She’d rather not admit it, but Jasmine is a bit envious of Beverly). The energy, the banter, the spirit of these three characters is infectious. Keisha, Beverly, and Dayton’s daughter, appears and that energy goes through the roof. A high school senior with a bright future ahead of her, but she’s less than excited at the prospect. The path laid out for her is not necessarily the path she would choose. So far, so…. Comfy and cozy.

Scene change. Except that the scene is exactly as the opening, sort of. This time, however, the cast members go through the identical motions but are pantomiming the scene. Their voices are not heard. Instead, the onstage scene is overlaid by the voices of individuals giving  commentary about race and how those very white voices perceive it. The repeated question in this commentary is “if you could choose to be a different race, what race would you be?”  The answers are cringe-inducing. Every stereotype/assumption/contradiction you’ve ever imagined is tossed about. I was embarrassed by the fact that comments such as those were being spoken aloud. The effect was one of watching a television show or movie and having people around you speak over the action.

Scene change. In which the disembodied white voices of the previous scene appear as caricatures of Black individuals, specifically Mama (Grandmother) and Tyrone, Beverly’s brother. The dinner party grows increasingly surreal, even absurdist. The pace, the energy, gets faster and faster and culminates in a bizarre food fight.

Keisha, watching in amazement/horror from the sidelines, stops the madness. And I can’t really tell you anything else or it spoils the ending. Suffice to say the watcher becomes the watched.

Exhausting. Provocative. Uncomfortable. This Pulitzer Prize winning piece takes a hard look at racism, family, privilege, and racial perspective.

Terrance Henderson’s direction is ferocious, and his casting impeccable. There wasn’t a weak link anywhere. Marilyn Matheus (Beverly) brings strength and insight to every role she plays. Deon Turner (Dayton) continues to grow from strength to strength in every show in which he’s cast. Katrina Garvin plays Jasmine to tipsy, smart-mouthed perfection. Rayana Briggs’ energy and intensity, from her entrance to show’s end, is electric. Ilene Fins, Brandon Martin, Katie Mixon, and G. Scott Wild all bring strong thought-provoking performances to the story.

Fairview runs May 4 through 7 and May 11 – 13. The May 7 show is a 2:00 p.m. matinee, other performances begin at 8:00 p.m. Talkback sessions will take place after the May 7 and May 11 performances. A grant from the NEA  has been used for training sessions and support for the cast and crew.

Housekeeping:  The show runs nearly 2 hours without intermission. I promise it won’t feel like it.

Libby Campbell

Jasper Magazine Theatre Editor

A Message from Cindi for Midlands Gives 2023

Please Consider Supporting the Jasper Project This Year During Midlands Gives.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Steven White speaking to theatre goers at Harbison Theatre

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cindi

April 2023

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

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

Me judging the Mad Hatter Art Show

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

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

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

Point person = Bekah Rice

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Congratulations Lonetta Thompson!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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What is a Community Producer?

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

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

• Meet the Playwright: Lonetta Thompson

• Meet the Director: Elena Martinez-Vidal

• First Table Reading with your host, Jon Tuttle

• Behind the scenes with the Cast of Therapy

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

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

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

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

Ready to sign up as a Community Producer?

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

How does this work?

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

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

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

But there’s more.

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

What is expected of Community Producers?

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

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

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

Play Right Series History

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

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

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

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

Pure, Childlike Joy in Pascale Sexton Bilgis’ Little Flat People

This month, Jasper’s Tiny Gallery has featured the work of Pascale Sexton Bilgis, a French mixed media artist currently located in Charleston, South Carolina. She is predominantly concentrated on expressionist landscape paintings, which are inspired by the vast majesty of the French countryside she grew up in, and sculpture. 

Bilgis’ sculpture work is highlighted in particular in Tiny Gallery, which is currently showing a collection of works from her Little Flat People series. These Little Flat People are all made of the same clay, same color, fired in the same kiln at 2000 degrees, and if it weren’t for their various poses—and their surroundings made up of shells, rocks, and other bits of painted clay—they would all look virtually the same.  

Still, through these aforementioned other elements, the Little Flat People take on lives and personalities of their own, reflecting many of the lives Bilgis notices around her. Of her inspiration behind the Little Flat People, Bilgis says on her website, “I found my inspiration in humanity and the people I see every day; especially, the purity and innocence of children, and their innate empathy for others.”

This childhood innocence and purity is certainly reflected in many of Bilgis’ works, including “Flying on a Mushroom,” which depicts two Little Flat People holding each other’s hands at the peak of an oversized mushroom, positioned in a sort of Superman-esque pose with their legs dangling off the mushroom’s cap; and “The Oyster Playground,” which depicts several childlike Little Flat People climbing up stone steps and sliding down a playground slide made out of an oyster shell, all in various modes of play, their limbs turned about in wild expressions of anticipation and enjoyment. 

Throughout the entire series, the Little Flat People take on a variety of activities, from fishing to reading to playing to drinking to simply being with one another, like in the piece “Golden Green Dad and Son,” which depicts a Little Flat Person standing proudly with his Little Flat son on his shoulders, looking out over a little clay pot. Each of the pieces is imbued with a kind of pure joy; no matter the occasion the Little Flat People may find themselves in, the kind of joy that can serve as a reminder of the wonder of life’s little things or simply provoke a smile in whoever may be so fortunate as to gaze upon it. 

All pieces are available at the Jasper Project’s Tiny Gallery until the end of April and are priced between $25 and $50.