Congratulations to the Jasper Project’s 2024 2nd Act Film Project Winners & Photos by Perry McLeod from the Event!

Art by Cait Maloney

Wednesday night was a brilliant night for local independent filmmakers at the Jasper Project’s 2024 2nd Act Film Project at 701 Whaley! With a sold-out house and fabulous arts energy, we celebrated all 14 SC filmmakers who were juried into the project, screened all 14 films, and awarded a total of $2500 in cash prizes to our participants.

Participants included Adam Weber, Idris Pearson, Nick Clay, Marley Gregory, Chad Henderson, Thaddeus Jones, Bakari Lebby, Silas Rowland, Taiyen Stevenson, Alex Steele, Andrew Smith, Ebony Wilson, Dustin Weible, and USC SGTV 1080c, a student film group from USC.

2024 welcomed the largest roster of filmmaker applicants thus far and, in keeping with the mission of the Jasper Project, there was no entry fee for participating in the project. Filmmakers also received a $100 stipend from the Jasper Project to help offset production costs.

2nd Act Film Project director, and Jasper Project Board of Directors president Wade Sellers had this to say about this year’s event: “The 2024 2nd Act Film Project confirms that the indie film community in the midlands is stronger than ever. Filmmakers and indie film fans gathered to watch 14 films created solely for the screening and a packed house of almost 230 people laughed and celebrated the strongest group of movies made for the second act project thus far. This group of films marks 84 movies that have been made by South Carolina filmmakers and produced by the Jasper Project. The Jasper Project is proud to take a leading role in supporting the growth of the new wave of indie filmmakers in the state.”

Sellers continues, “Our 2nd Act judging panel of creative professionals, faced difficult challenges choosing individual awards from this year‘s group of 2nd Act Film Project films. Each film exhibited highly professional approaches to the craft and awards came down to serious discussions between panelists. Quite simply, the talent in every category was just too good to pick an obvious winner. To witness the serious approach each filmmaker took toward the creation of a six-minute short film is humbling and the high quality of the end product is overwhelming. Our indie film community is as strong as ever.”

In addition to cash prizes, winning filmmakers were also presented with artisanal awards created by Columbia, SC - based visual artist Michael Krajewski.

Adjudicators included Kwasi Brown, founder of Black Nerd Mafia, indie filmmaker Robbie Robertson, and visual artist Michaela Pilar Brown, all of whom viewed the films in advance of the screening . The Audience Award was decided via secret ballot (one ballot per person) by attendees at the Wednesday night event. The awards were as follows:

Audience Award – Toreador, Chad Henderson

Producers Award (Best Film) – Toreador, Chad Henderson

Best Script – For He’s a Jolly Dead Fellow, Silas James Rowland

Best Director – the Easter Sunday Massacre, William Nicholas Clay

Best Cinematography – Toreador, Jonathan Palance

Best Editing – The Other Within, Collins White

Best Actor – Toreador, Cesar Davalos

Best Score – Ryde, Ebony Wilson

All 2nd Act Film Project screenplays are bound, given an ISBN, and filed with the US Library of Congress as a way of preserving for posterity some of the art created by the Jasper Project and art coming out of Columbia, SC.

This event, including our cash awards, was made possible by our generous sponsors. Please thank them for their support of local film art and patronize their places of business. Sponsors were Bill Schmidt, The Dragon Room, Fit Columbia, Sound and Images, Precision Garage Door of Columbia, Marketing Performance, Rikard & Protopappas, Columbia Arts Academy, Final Draft, and Coverfly.

Thanks again to everyone who came out to support LOCAL INDEPENDENT FILM in Columbia, SC! To keep up with future film arts projects and all of Jasper’s many arts projects, including the call for the 2025 2nd Act Film Project, subscribe to Sundays with Jasper. To put your name on the 2nd Act Film Project, the Play Right Series, Jasper Magazine, and all of our multidisciplinary arts projects, join the Jasper Guild of Supporters for as little as $25 at the Artist Peer Level.

Enjoy a few of the images captured Wednesday night by local photographer Perry McLeod.

Taiyen Stevenson - 15 Minutes

Chad Henderson - Toreador

Local indie filmmaker Chris Bickel

Ebony Wilson - Ryde

Delicious food by Chef Joe Turkaly is a tradition at 2nd Act Film Project

Jasper board member & visual artist Keith Tolen (r) with filmmaker Thaddeus Jones

Nick Clay accepting his award for The Easter Sunday Massacre

Alex Steel and Collins White — the Other Within

Silas Rowland with crew - For He’s a Jolly Dead Fellow

Filmmaker Ebony Wilson with Mom

Jonathan Palance and Chad Henderson — Toreador

Jasper Project Operating Director Bekah Rice

2nd Act Film Project director Wade Sellers with 701 Whaley’s Leeann Kornegay and Jasper Project founder & Executive Director Cindi Boiter

Working the door — Jasper Board members Christina Xan and Liz Stalker with Coal Powered Filmworks employee Jami Wiseman

Award artist Michael Krajewski with Jasper Magazine co-founder Bob Jolley, aka Bier Doc.

Sponsor Bill Schmidt with guests.

Jasper board member Kwasi Brown enjoying snacks by Joe Turkaly.

Cesar Davalos accepting his Best Actor award for Toreador

Wade Sellers with filmmaker Kari Lebby.

Jasper Partners with Black Nerd Mafia & Curiosity Coffee to Present the 3rd Annual Frightmare on Main Street 2024 featuring Autocorrect and Tyler Wise & So Much More!

We’re Back!

The Jasper Project is excited to partner once again this year with Black Nerd Mafia and our gracious host, Curiosity Coffee, to help kick off Halloween with one of our favorite and most fun events — Frightmare on Main Street!

Friday, October 25, 2024

5:00 PM 10:00 PM

Curiosity Coffee Bar — 2327 Main Street

The fun starts at 5 pm when you arrive and grab your bag(s) of votes for your favorite artisanally carved pumpkin, created for your viewing, voting, and purchasing pleasure by some of Columbia’s spookiest artists, including

Tennyson Corley

Devon Corley

Cynthia Bowie

Keith Tolen

Thomas Washington

Michael Krajewski

Regina Langston

Billy Guess

Artist - Olga Yukhno

5:00pm – Doors

$10 for all events and activities + 5 candy votes for the pumpkin carving contest.

Kids under 10 get in free!

5:30pm - Horror Movie Trivia

Bring your team and kick off the night with trivia hosted by Black Nerd Mafia.

6:30pm - Jasper’s 2nd Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest

These aren’t your everyday jack-o'-lanterns. Vote on your favorite pumpkins carved by local artists and bid in our silent auction to take one home. All proceeds benefit the Jasper Project and the winning artist takes home a fabulous prize!

Candy votes will be available for sale and 5 votes are included for free with the cost of admission.

Cosplay Costume Contest

Contest categories include Best Children's Costume, and Best Adult Costume.

Winners for the Pumpkin Carving and Cosplay Costume Contest will be announced around 8pm.

Pumpkin Bidding with close at 8:45pm

8:15pm – Autocorrect & Tyler Wise

Artist - Bohumila Augustinova

Artist - Kimber Carpenter

Huge thank you to our sponsors: Bierkeller Columbia, Gardener's Outpost, Curiosity Coffee Bar, Hoot Columbia, Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College, Koger Center for the Arts, The Dragon Room, and Sound Bites Eatery

Poetry of the People Featuring Lisa Spears

This week's Poet of the People is Lisa Spears. I first met Lisa at Aiken County Library for Art of Words. Her poetry blew me away. Since then, she has featured at Mind Gravy and I have heard her read in Charleston; I am hungry for more.

She teaches English to marginalized high school students in Charleston; her book, Releasing Birds, is must read material for those who have triumphed over the trauma of living - "At first, it felt sinful"

-Al Black

Lisa Spears is a poet who resides in Charleston, SC. Her debut book, Releasing Birds came out earlier this year. It is written in memoir fashion–giving a personal testimony to her journey and healing from traumatic experiences. Often images from her work are stark, yet painfully beautiful. Spears moved to Charleston from the Midwest to follow her dream of writing while living by the ocean. She also teaches high school English to students experiencing trauma. She can be reached at Follypoet63@gmail.com

 Hope to the Brim

       When grief for the world assails me,

       and words avail me none,

       and rockets rain in succession in day blind wars

       and the amputee and the orphans cry

       and a lone woman pushes the grocery cart filled with a home,

       and there’s a bad accident on I-78  

       and  an Aunt Ida is ill,

       and the family cat ran away,

       And all hope is at the bottom of the barrel,

       I must cleave hope to remain 

       steadfast and standing

       in my heart’s recall for,

       Somewhere a baker is whistling to the day’s fresh start,

       and geese are flying south,

       and a boy is rejoicing to ride a two wheel bike,

       and a sliver of light passes through the curtain,

       and a toddler dances with a kite and they are twirling,

       and seagulls frame the beach

       and a grandpa baits the hook,

       and sheets dry on the line,

       and a child makes a wish with a dandelion flower,

       and a niece is in remission,

       and fall leaves keep falling,

       and wild horses run so free,

       and Morning Glories frame a white front porch,

       and church bells ring come Sunday morn’,

       and the people thereof keep on singing

,

       And they keep singing,

       I keep singing,

       we keep singing,

       until we know the words again,

       filling hope to the brim,

       And the cat came home.

       Somewhere, the cat is home.

“ Adverbial Pause”

               Another boy was murdered by another boy

               today, I got the news

               when the principal calls

               at six p.m.

               on a Saturday

               it’s never good at my school. 

               Where they share lunch

               and high fives and still love

               when I bring candy.

               Now, I can’t teach them about adverbs

               how splendidly, gleefully, beautiful

               it could have been

               to turn sixteen.

 “The Crossing (Yam Suph & Almamanu)”

                                                  Jewish and Arabic translation

                            Deir-al-Balah used to glitter by the sea

                            there among palms

                            families sang songs

                            a fisherman could hear

                            upon the water

                            Today, for a son

                            the house a hollow tomb

                            to hold his Um (mother)

                            The boy will go now

                            on the far side of land

                            to find Ab (father)

                            at the line drawn in the sand

                            Following the rockets by night

                            a myriad of faces

                            eclipse in shuttered flame

                            A piece of bread

                            for a child 

                            with no name

                            Slipping past soldiers

                            towering like false gods

                            At dawn he runs

                            to the great divide.

                            There a girl is weeping

                            for a bright, blue dress

                            Bobbe (grandmother) she cries

                            Beyond the expanse

                            there is no sky

                           He reaches her hand

                           across the world

                           of every side

                           Herein lies a Holy Land.       

A Special Jasper Project and South Carolina Pride Third Thursday Exhibit at the Koger Center

Join us on Thursday, October 17, from 5:30 – 7 p.m. at the Koger Center for the Arts for the opening reception of our special Pride Art Exhibition! This special exhibit in The Nook features four Columbia based artists who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. The artwork of Jahnna Blyden, Kimber Carpenter, Mahkia Greene, and Quincy Pugh will be on display from October 17 through November 19, 2024. The opening reception will also feature a live queer poetry reading curated by Liberation is Lit with poets Leigha Carson, Brandy del Rio, and Maggie Olszewski!

The reception is free and open to the public. Learn more about the featured artists below:

Jahnna Blyden is a dynamic artist and graphic designer whose work spans the realms of fine art and visual communication with remarkable finesse. With a background in both graphic design and traditional art, Blyden brings a multifaceted approach to her practice, seamlessly integrating elements of design theory with the expressive freedom of painting, resulting in pieces that are as visually arresting as they are conceptually rich.

In her role as a graphic designer, she leverages her artistic sensibilities to craft compelling visuals that communicate messages with clarity and impact. Whether it's branding campaigns, illustration work, or digital media projects, she infuses each design with a unique blend of creativity and strategic thinking. Jahnna’s dedication to her craft is evident in her commitment to continuous growth and innovation. Constantly seeking new challenges and pushing the boundaries of her creativity.

Kimber Carpenter is a self-taught acrylic and mixed media artist from Irmo, South Carolina. She loves creating art with bold colors and interesting content. Her love for music, the arts and the beauty of the human spirit is poured into every piece she works on and gives her daily inspiration to create. When she is not painting, she immerses herself in other art forms such as writing music or working as a freelance graphic designer.

She has exhibited with the Jasper Project, the Cottontown Art Crawl, Melrose Art in the Yard, Sound Bites Eatery, Rob Shaw Gallery, Land Bank Lofts, Aloft Hotel, NoMa Warehouse, Vista Lights, 14 Carrot Foods, Musician’s Supply, Frink Meeting Space, Pitter Platter, Nicky’s Pizzeria, Carolina Imports, Autumn Faire Arts Festival, The Mad Hatter’s Art Festival, The Artist Coop, Still Hopes Episcopal Home, Irmo Chamber of Commerce and Irmo Town Hall.

Carpenter has become known for her unique, quirky retro space series pieces. They include mixed media work as well as hand painted ray guns and robots. Kimber’s childhood love affair with science fiction has inspired her to create colorful, whimsical space art that she absolutely loves making.

Mahkia Greene (They/She) is a visual storyteller and teaching artist based in Columbia, South Carolina. With a BA in Media Arts from the University of South Carolina, Greene has dedicated nearly a decade to blending education with artistry through media literacy and creation. They served for several years as the Manager of Media Education at The Nickelodeon Theatre, a local independent cinema, and have led a diverse array of in-school, after-school, and field trips programs that explore queerness, rural culture, and race. 

Greene’s expertise extends nationally, with guest facilitation at notable events such as the 2017 Creating Change Conference in Philadelphia, the 2018 Obama Foundation Summit in Chicago, and the Picturing Democracy series at the College of Charleston in 2021. Their personal creative work as a Black, queer, Southern artist delves into the intersections of media and identity, producing subversive art that reclaims the means of storytelling and explores the expression of self. Their visual creations have been showcased across the East Coast, gracing venues and festivals including the Indie Grits Film Festival, the Nasher Museum of Art, the Columbia Museum of Art, and the Boston Center for the Arts.

Quincy Pugh was born on August 25, 1958, in Augusta, Georgia. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Studio Art from Augusta University in 1982 and a Master of Librarianship from the University of South Carolina in 1988. Pugh served as the Film and Sound Librarian/Manager at Richland Library (Columbia) from 1989 until his retirement in June 2018.  In that capacity, he also coordinated exhibitions and was in close contact with local, regional, and national recognized artists and illustrators. He also helped establish and served as chair of the library’s African American History and Cultural Events committee for numerous years. His position and love of music, literature and art kept him entrenched in Columbia’s cultural and arts community but didn’t allow much time for his love for painting. Since his retirement he has dedicated his time to developing a new and exciting body of work reflective of his community and southern heritage.      

We are so excited to include a live poetry reading as well – come by for the art and stick around to listen to local poets share their art as well!

From left to right: Leigha Carson, Brandy del Rio, Maggie Olszewski

Poetry of the People Featuring Jeff Gregory

This week's Poet of the People is Jeff Gregory. Before the printing press, poetry was carried to the people by balladeers and singer/songwriters; Jeff Gregory writes and performs as a twenty-first century balladeer, singer/songwriter.

I have known Jeff for several years. First from afar and later sharing the mic during his performance at a house concert and then between sets for a concert with several bands,  He has featured at Mind Gravy and I am honored to call him friend.

You may find him performing with his band, The Runout or with his wife, Kelley in The Run Out Duo. He also generously contributes his talents to performances of several bands and musicians both on stage and in the recording studio. Visit his website.

Bones and Stars

There are bones in the ground, and a wheel rolls on ‘cause it’s round
If you take all that you’ve found, where will it leave you, in the end.

Every bit of us was something else before.
And we stare across with open hearts and wonder what’s in store
And the layers to it all make it so much more mysterious….that I found you

There are stars in the sky that shine on us from back in time
And leave the questions in our minds but I’ll never find the answers

When I wake up and the sky had all turned grey
And I wonder if the stars I saw last night had gone away
Then I looked into your eyes and it seems that they sparkle the same way, the same way

We can do it if we want to. We can let our starlight shine
We can do it if we want to. We can let our starlight shine.

Currency

There’s pattern of thought and pattern of form
And where they break off is where we go wrong
If something is human and we choose to speak it out loud
The next breath we take is closer to working it out

There’s love in the arms of someone like you
There’s barking dogs, setting suns, rising red moons
When the bottom line fades so far out of view
What currency matters to you

A new baby cries and old man does too
For all of the life that passes by you
So cast out your nets and see what the haul will bring in
And when the going gets rough let it out and bring it back in

There’s hope in the future for when we’ll share time
There’s laughter and music and stars that align
When the bottom line keeps us distracted and blind
What currency eases your mind

There’s love in the arms of someone like you
There’s brow sweat and birdsong on a cliffside in June
When the bottom line fades so far out of view
What currency matters to you

Ghost

The air is thick
Just like a dream
As if something happened here last night while I was still asleep
But now you’re gone or whatever that means
Cause your words echo inside my mind I feel you in my heart and I can see you in my dreams

And your ghost is so close to me
Even if I made you up in my mind ultimately
Your ghost is so close to me

Way down that road
The moon on the hill
Thought I felt your hand on mine the window’s down the other’s on the steering wheel
But you’re not there
I can’t take it anymore
There was a time we were together now I’m drinking and not even keeping score

And your ghost is so close to me
Even if I made you up in my mind ultimately
Your ghost is so close to me

Bio

Jeff Gregory is another wonderful former educator who the South Carolina public education system has run off. He and his wife, Kelley, are raising two children and two dogs somewhere between Lugoff and Columbia while he works at Anson Mills and pursues a creative life in music. "I take joy in the small stuff, and the things that memories are made of." (Jeff Gregory)

Jasper Announces The Roster of 2nd Act Film Project Filmmakers -- Tickets Going Fast!

RESERVE YOUR TICKET HERE

The Jasper Project is delighted to announce the return of the 2nd Act Film Project on Wednesday October 23, 2024, at 701 Whaley Market Space. A VIP reception with filmmakers starts at 6 pm, followed by the main event at 7:30 – a screening of 14 new independent films all created by SC filmmakers. 

The brainchild of Jasper Project SC board president and Emmy-nominated indie filmmaker Wade Sellers, owner of Columbia, SC’s Coal Powered Filmworks, 2nd Act Film Project is a unique take on the independent film project. Filmmakers are given the 1st and 3rd acts of a short film script. Their task is to write the 2nd act and make the movie.  

To date, the 2nd Act Film Project has produced a total of 70 indie SC films. 2024 welcomed the largest roster of filmmaker applicants thus far, with 14 filmmakers selected to participate in the project. In keeping with the mission of the Jasper Project there is no entry fee for participating in the project. Filmmakers receive a $100 stipend from the Jasper Project to help offset production costs. In order to help nurture the growth of the SC indie film community, filmmakers are also encouraged to reach out to the Jasper Project, Coal Powered Filmworks, and each other for advice and assistance with the technical and artistic challenges of creating an independent film. 

The 2nd Act Film Project roster of filmmakers includes Adam Weber, Idris Pearson, Nick Clay, Marley Gregory, Chad Henderson, Thaddeus Jones, Bakari Lebby, Silas Rowland, Taiyen Stevenson, Alex Steele, Andrew Smith, Ebony Wilson, Dustin Weible, and USC SGTV 1080c. With $2500 in cash prizes, awards include the top prizes of the Audience Award—every ticket holder may cast one vote—and the 2nd Act Producers’ Award, each at $500, as well as $250 prizes for Best Script, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Actor, Best Editor, and Best Original Score. Judges are award-winning SC filmmaker Robbie Robertson, visual artist and gallerist Michaela Pilar Brown, and multi-disciplinary artist Kwasi Brown, founder of Black Nerd Mafia.  

~~ Thanks to the following Sponsors ~~

Title Sponsor

Precision Garage Door Repair

Partner Sponsor

Final Draft

Program Sponsors

Bill Schmidt

Coal Powered Filmworks

Filmmaker Sponsors

Rikard and Protopappas

FIT Columbia

Columbia Arts Academy

Marketing Performance

The Dragon Room

Tickets are $20 for general admission and $75 for VIPs and are available at EventBrite

Insider Tip: This event is historically a sell-out with SRO — Don’t sleep on securing your seat!

REVIEW: Antigone at USC's Longstreet Theatre by Libby Campbell

Sophocles’ Antigone, written in the 5th Century BCE  is the final chapter of the Oedipus Trilogy. Our story starts in the city of Thebes. Didem Ruhi’s beautiful lamentation provides the perfect beginning to this tragic tale.

Oedipus’ sons, Polyneices and Eteocles, have killed each other in battle during a civil war fought over succession to Oedipus’ throne. Antigone and Ismene, sisters of the fallen soldiers, reside in the city of Thebes where their uncle, Creon, reigns as king by default. Polyneices attacked the city defended by Eteocles. Creon decrees that Polyneices proved himself a traitor, an enemy of the crown, and vows that Polyneices shall remain unburied, to be devoured by dogs and vultures. He warns the citizens that anyone disobeying his command will be punished.

Antigone mourns the loss of her brother and determines to give Polyneices the burial he deserves. Her sister, Ismene, warns her of  the price she will pay for disobeying the crown. Thereby hangs a tale…

Antigone, portrayed by Elaine Werren, is a strong-willed woman determined to stand up to the demands of her uncle. More than once women are referred to as “mere women” whose words are to be dismissed. Antigone refuses to back down from the misogyny of men in power and buries her brother, punishment be damned.

What a marvelous production. Director Lauren Wilson has done an excellent job of emphasizing the feminism inherent in the script. As we all know, the themes explored by the ancient Greek philosophers and playwrights still ring true today (more’s the pity). Wilson brought together a good, strong cast and crew to tell this story. Werren is a strong, unbending Antigone, willing to pay the price of her defiance. Kyleigh McComish’s Ismene is a hesitant heroine at first, begging her sister not to rebel against Uncle Creon then growing sympathetic to Antigone’s decision. Olan Domer gave a strong portrayal of Teresias, the blind seer. His impassioned warning to Creon of the price he will pay should he execute Antigone was one of the most moving scenes of the evening. (His costume and makeup were outstanding).

There is not a weak link to be seen in the cast. Dominic DeLong-Rodgers’ Creon is unbending and unforgiving in his power. He is a commanding presence. The chorus was beautifully choreographed, using their voices and movement to drive the action of the play. Haemon, Creon’s only surviving son and fiancé, is played by Carlos Turner. He brings a rationality and composure to the story and is put in the position of having to choose between loyalty to his father or loyalty to Antigone. He implores his father to listen to the wisdom of others, to no avail. Mel Driggers’ sentry is fearful of Creon yet sympathetic to Antigone; Driggers does a great job of portraying the tug-of-war between these two emotions.

The set is absolutely beautiful. Andy Mills’ scenic design combined with Jim Hunter’s lighting design and Danielle Wilson’s sound design come together to create what to me is the perfect setting. Kristy Hall’s costumes are timeless. My only quibble with this production is with the costuming. The costumes are   timeless, however, when Creon enters in his uniform, barefoot as is the rest of the cast, it looks as if he heard his cue and dashed onstage without putting his shoes on. And that’s the extent of “things I didn’t like about this show.”

Antigone runs October 9 – 11 at 7:30 pm, and October 12 at 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at Longstreet Theatre. The show runs a bit less than 90 minutes without intermission. Tickets range from $15.00 to $22.00. It’s worth every cent. Parking is at a premium, as usual. There is parking beside Drayton Hall; some street parking is available along Greene St.

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by Supporting Local Hispanic and Latino/a Creators by Christina Xan

National Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 – October 15 and highlights and celebrates Hispanic and Latino heritage and identity in the United States. Hispanic (those from Spanish-speaking countries) and Latin (those from Latin America) culture is rife with history that enriches the communities we dwell in.  Columbia is one of these diverse spaces, and the art that emerges from this city, specifically, is inundated with a multitude of cultural perspectives. This Hispanic Heritage Month, Jasper encourages all patrons to seek out multidisciplinary art from Hispanic and Latino/a artists and to explore how the creators’ backgrounds affect their work.  Don’t know where to start? Jasper talked with six Columbia-based artists about how their cultural identity affects their creative process. Learn about them and their work below.

Daniel Esquivia Zapata

Daniel Esquivia Zapata – Visual Artist

 Describe the kind of art you make.  

Daniel’s work explores ideas about historical memory, official historical narratives, and what he terms the politics of remembering. He does this through life-size figurative drawings that combine historical texts, the human body, plants, and animals to generate strong spaces that work as poetic imagery, probing the dynamics of narratives in history and historical memory. This represents an exercise not only of why and what, but also of how we remember, especially in societies with conflicting narratives, obfuscated historical memories, and legacies of colonialism. He uses a combination of traditional figure drawing techniques, liquid charcoal and fragmented print and hand-written texts to draw on several layers of mylar, creating life size drawings that combine representations of the human body, plants, and animals to create news bodies that work as metaphors for political bodies intersected by history, newspaper articles and archives. With these drawings Daniel seeks to unveil the "place of memory" within our bodies amid intersecting discourses, making tangible the essence of our collective past and present. His work has driven him to create images that replace the common container metaphor of memory with one that understands memory as something dynamic and interconnected; something alive, inhabited by ideas, narratives, and discourses that live, age, die (or are killed); something like an ecosystem of memories and narratives, and ecosystem that is inhabited by beings of texts.  

Describe the role your cultural identity has in your work.  

In Daniel's life, a multiplicity of narratives and multinational experiences has made him think deeply about the dynamics of discourse and narratives in our societies, especially as an Afro-Latino in the Americas. For Daniel, the intersection of different identities has profoundly influenced his work. His experiences as the son of a human rights lawyer and a social worker in a multiethnic and multiracial family in Colombia; as a victim of forced displacement from his hometown in 1989; as an Afro-Colombian who studied at a HBCU in the US South [Benedict College]; and as a citizen living in Colombia and grappling with the legacies and present realities of its civil war; these experiences have all presented points of encounter with the forces of history’s multiple faces—unofficial, alternative, contested, surviving—that build and situate someone’s identity. 

Alejandro García-Lemos

Alejandro García-Lemos – Visual Artist

Describe the kind of art you make. 

Alejandro García-Lemos is a visual artist based in Columbia, South Carolina and New Orleans, Louisiana. He holds a MA in Latin American Studies from Florida International University in Miami, and a BA in Graphic Design from the School of Arts at the National University in Bogotá, Colombia. His work focuses on social issues, mostly on aspects of immigration, sexuality, biculturalism, religion, and community. His works have been shown mostly in the Southeast. Alejandro is a former member of the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC), as well as the founder of Palmetto & LUNA, a non-profit organization promoting Latino Arts and Cultures in South Carolina since 2007. Lately his work has been shown in Colombia. 

Describe the role your cultural identity has in your work.  

For this particular question I had to look up the exact definition of cultural identity … Cultural identity is a part of a person's identity, or their self-conception and self-perception, and is related to nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class, generation, locality, gender, or any kind of social group that has its own distinct culture. Therefore my cultural identity is omnipresent in my work, as I had mentioned many times before, I am three times a minority, I am Latinx, gay, and immigrant, how could you avoid those aspects as an intrinsic part of all your art? 

Emily Moffitt

Emily Moffitt – Visual Artist

 Describe the kind of art you make. 

The type of art I create boils down to what I have the most fun with. I'm still trying to make my way in and have my foot in the door of the Columbia art scene! Like most Gen Z artists, I got into art from a young age via immense media consumption: video games, anime, cartoons, comics, and the list continues. As a result, the kind of work I create typically falls under the "illustration" category. I go back and forth between illustration and fine art, and sometimes I still think the distinction shouldn't even matter! As a recent college graduate who has now experienced the adulthood rite of passage that is working a 9-5 while still having time for hobbies, as long as I take even 10 minutes of my day to get my hands moving and draw something in my sketchbook, it's a successful day for me. 

Describe the role your cultural identity has in your work.  

The "fine art" I created started with a body of work that explored my heritage and connected to it more after my grandmother passed away in 2021, and I aim to continue it either by maintaining the "dreamscape" title or by starting a new collection. My goal in the fine art world is to create a body of work that I'm constantly thinking about, called "My Mother's Kitchen," since the closest ties I have to my Puerto Rican heritage stem from cuisine, my relationship with my mom, and the amount of time I spent growing up in and around the kitchen watching my mother make the recipes she grew up making with my grandmother. At this point, it's just a matter of me finding the time, and holding myself accountable, that's preventing me from following through! I do find that my mixed heritage sometimes feels like an obstacle when I do work, however, and that's an internalized hurdle I try to overcome when I create, too. Taíno symbology persists throughout my heritage-based work, and I wanted to also focus on the importance of my relationships with my mom and sister. My Puerto Rican heritage has been driven and shaped only by women in my life, and I wanted to pay homage to that, especially since my sister and I feel the same internalized obstacle of sometimes feeling "not Latina enough."  

Claire Jiménez – Author

Describe the kind of art you make.  

Claire Jiménez is a Puerto Rican writer who grew up in Brooklyn and Staten Island, New York. She is the author of the short story collection Staten Island Stories (Johns Hopkins Press, 2019) and What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez (Grand Central, 2023). She received her M.F.A. from Vanderbilt University and her PhD in English with specializations in Ethnic Studies and Digital Humanities from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. In 2019, she co-founded the Puerto Rican Literature Project, a digital archive documenting the lives and work of hundreds of Puerto Rican writers from over the last century. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor of English and African American Studies at the University of South Carolina. 

Describe the role your cultural identity has in your work.

My writing is very much influenced by the work of past Puerto Rican writers, especially the Nuyorican poets. I am thinking of Pedro Pietri's "The Puerto Rican Obituary" and the work of Judith Ortiz Cofer. I remember reading Silent Dancing and "The Story of My Body" for the first time as a young person, who had a hard time finding books by any Puerto Rican authors in the bookstore in the nineties. These texts were inspiring to me as a young reader, and they definitely shaped me as a writer.

Loli Molina Muñoz

Loli Molina Muñoz – Author 

Describe the kind of art you make. 

I write poetry and fiction. I have just finished my first poetry chapbook manuscript in English, and I also have a feminist dystopia novella in Spanish, both of them searching for a warming publishing house.  

Describe the role your cultural identity has in your work.  

Being born and raised in Málaga, Spain, I grew up immersed in both Spanish and English language thanks to literature, music, and pop culture, which deeply influenced my work. However, I have also lived in Coventry (UK), Wisconsin, and finally moved to South Carolina in 2013. For this reason, my work explores themes of identity, feminism, migration, and the intersections between cultures.

[ALMA] SPANISH

Querida madre:

Estos días pienso mucho en usted.

Ayer me acordé de su guiso de 

carne y quise hacer uno yo. 

No me supo igual. 

Me faltaba el sabor añadido de sus 

manos y el olor de su delantal. 

Los niños dijeron que estaba muy 

bueno. Yo les di las gracias y sonreí.

Dos lágrimas que se escaparon 

disimulando para no ser vistas. 

Tampoco vieron las dos cartas del

banco avisando del desahucio. 

Les dije que vamos a pasar unos 

días en casa de Alejandra.

Les hizo ilusión pasar un tiempo 

con sus primos y eso me alivió. 

Luego recordé aquella vez que

usted me dijo que eligiera mi 

muñeca favorita.

Crucé el desierto de la mano de 

Alejandra con la muñeca pegada 

a mi pecho como un amuleto. 

Aún conservo mi muñeca.

Aún tengo a Alejandra. 

Voy a estar bien. 

No se preocupe. 

[ALMA] ENGLISH

Dear mother,

These days I think about you all the time. 

Yesterday I remembered your beef 

stew and I made one myself. 

It did not taste the same. 

It did not have that extra flavor from 

your hands or the smell of your apron. 

The kids said that they liked it. 

I thanked them and smiled. 

Two tears escaped trying not 

to be seen by them. 

They did not see the two eviction

 letters from the bank either. 

I told them that we are going to stay 

some days at Alejandra’s. 

They were happy about spending 

time with their cousins and that soothed me. 

Later I remembered that time 

you told me to choose my favorite doll. 

I crossed the desert holding Alejandra’s 

hand and the doll stuck

to my chest like an amulet. 

I still keep my doll. 

I still have Alejandra. 

I’ll be fine. 

Don’t worry. 

Giovanna Montoya

Giovanna Montoya – Ballet Dancer 

Describe the kind of art you make.  

I’m a professional ballet dancer, so my art is dance. Ballet is a theatrical art form that integrates music, dance, acting and scenery to convey a story, or a theme.

 Describe the role your cultural identity has in your work.

My cultural identity represents who I am; a dedicated, driven, disciplined, strong woman, which stands up for what’s right, and never gives up. I am always aiming to move forward, trying to do better every day, even if it is little by little, and working hard to achieve my dreams and goals. These have been imperative assets to possess, that have helped me to become a professional ballet dancer with 15+ years of experience. Ballet is a beautiful but difficult art form, which requires a lot of time, sacrifice, effort, love, endless hours of training, and a great deal of discipline and dedication. I would never have become a professional ballet dancer if it weren’t for the commitment, dedication, responsibility, and integrity that my parents showed and instilled in me from a young age. Coming into this country as an immigrant it’s very difficult, and you have to work very hard to achieve success. That’s something my parents made very clear to me from the beginning, and they led by example. Always working hard, never giving up and excelling in their fields. My dad is a statistician for the Mayo Clinic. My mom is a Veterinarian doctor and was a University Professor in my home Country Venezuela. I’m so thankful for my parents and my cultural identity that has shaped me, and played a pivotal role in the person that proudly I am today.

PHOTOSC CELEBRATES 100 YEAR ANNIVERSAY WITH SURREALISM TRIENNIAL

Exhibition features unique and diverse photographic images from around the nation.

A scholarly talk and a surreal-fun mask-making workshop.

Masked people, spacemen, mannequins, women falling thru time, time suspended, and stuff of unconscious dreams – all of this photographic imagery make up the PhotoSC Surrealism Triennial. PhotoSC joins museums around the world in celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Surrealism art movement with a triennial photographic exhibition, a scholarly talk ‘InConversation on Surrealism,’ and a surreal-fun mask-making workshop, all this October.

The PhotoSC Surrealism Triennial exhibition opening reception is October 17, 2024, from 6-9 p.m. at 918 Lady Street in the Vista. The photographic exhibition features 25 photographic works by photographers from around the nation, with the show hanging a total of 32 photographic prints.

Photographer Francis Crisafio of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania took first place in the Triennial with his image, Hold Up in the Hood 3. The work was created as part of an afterschool program with Pittsburg students exploring “personal and communal exploration of self.” Crisafio was a LensCulture Exposure Award recipient in 2015 for his work with the program.

The group show was juried by Sheryl Conkelton, curator, editor, and writer focusing on photography and modern and contemporary art. She has held senior curatorial positions at the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and Henry Art Gallery (Seattle), and has worked at other museums, including the Art Museum, Princeton University, and the Smithsonian Institution. A noted researcher and writer her books on photography include Lewis Baltz: Works (Steidl), Uta Barth, In Between Places (Henry Art Gallery), Annette Messager (MOMA), Aaron Siskind, The Fragmentation of Language (Robert Mann Gallery), and Frederick Sommer (Clio Pess).

Amid the backdrop of World War II, French writer and cultural theorist André Breton (1896-1966) is credited with authoring the first Surrealist Manifesto in October 1924. The Surrealist movement spans a vast breadth of artistic creation with its roots reaching into the Middle Ages, its influence on the visual arts and the other arts worldwide has inspired the photographic artists, past and present, and lead to the abstract expressionist movement.

Scholars Peter Chametzky, Ph.D and Susan Fellerman, Ph.D will present a fascinating conversation on the evolution of the Surrealist movement and its impact on modern photography and art over the past 100 years. Their InConversation talk will be held Saturday, October 24, 2024, from 2-4 p.m., at 918 Lady Street in the Vista with the gallery opening at 1 p.m. to view the exhibition.

Peter Chametzky is Professor of Art History and has been on the SVAD faculty at the University of South Carolina since 2012. His research focuses on 20th and 21st century German art and culture. He received the 2024 Russell Research Award in Humanities and Social Sciences, University of South Carolina. His recent book, Turks, Jews, and other Germans in Contemporary Art received an honorable mention, art history, Hans and Lea Grundig Prize, Art History, 2021. Peter teaches courses in 20th and 21st Century art, theory, and culture, as well as the art history survey, ARTH 105 and ARTH 106.

Susan Felleman, Ph.D. is a Professor of Art History + Film and Media Studies at the University of South Carolina who specializes in the relationship between film and other visual arts, history and theory of avant-garde film and video and the art film; history and theory of Hollywood cinema; modern art and theory; psychoanalytic theory; feminist theory and videographic criticism. She is the author of four books, numerous scholarly articles and two video essays. She recently wrote and co-directed (with Hannah Shikle) a feature-length, personal essay film, In Production: the Life and Career of George Justin.

Later, on the same day, at 918 Lady Street, from 5-7 p.m. Columbia artist Michael Krajewski dives into surrealism by leading a paper bag mask workshop a’la Saul Steinberg. All materials supplied at this highly creative artistic masquerade in celebrating the 100th anniversary of Surrealism. Michael Krajewski, a talented neo-expressionist artist, will conduct a workshop in which participants create a surrealist paper bag mask in a manner similar to Saul Steinberg’s masks. The adult workshop will be held on October 26 and will use collage, paint, pen, and crayon to create the artwork, all of which will be photographed and promoted across PhotoSC’s social media. Both Neo-expressionism and surrealism draw upon a variety of themes including the mythological, the cultural, the historical, the nationalist, and the erotic.

The PhotoSC Triennial Exhibition and Surreal Paper bag Mask-Making Workshop, a’la Saul Steinberg: Workshop with Michael Krajewski is sponsored by the SC Arts Commission and Abacus Planning Group.

InConversation with Peter Chametzky and Susan Fellerman on Surrealism is sponsored by the SC Humanities Council.

PhotoSC is a 501C3 non-profit arts organization dedicated to the exploration of photography and visual culture.

Jasper Welcomes Olivia Pope to Tiny Gallery by Emily Moffitt

Our newest resident artist in the Jasper Tiny Gallery is Olivia Pope, an artist with many hats who primarily works with stained glass. Pope is no stranger to visual arts – she has taught herself dozens of forms of art and creation over the years, such as watercolor, sewing, cosplaying, oil painting, crocheting, and more. Over the last four years, however, Pope fell in love with the art of stained glass.

“I was initially drawn into working with glass by an initial spark of inspiration from watching a game show where glassblowers compete with one another,” Pope says. “The hands-on nature and sheer intensity of the whole process is fascinating, and one I hope I get the chance to try one day. Shortly after looking into glass as a medium, I realized creating art with stained glass was more accessible than I originally assumed.” Pope got to collect the necessary tools to break into the foray of stained-glass work, all in the comfort of her own home.

The process of creating a new work of art with glass is both meditative and exciting for Pope. It is also extremely rewarding. The versatility and variations within each piece of glass provide unique challenges that she encounters every time she comes back to work on a glass project. Throughout a lifetime of working with various media, Pope typically would learn to create something by starting with the basics, then learning from mistakes, and eventually stopping when satisfied with the project altogether, keeping the medium in the back of her mind to return to for a potential future project. Working with stained glass felt different, however. “Every step of stained glass is its own challenge with varying difficulty levels,” Pope says. “No two pieces are the same, even if they are literally the same pattern. There is always something to learn, a trick to discover, an “a-ha!” moment.”

Pope’s life has been surrounded by the arts and she engages in them almost every day. If there was one moment to pinpoint as a catalyst for the arts continuing to shape her life, she recalls a moment from when she was an anchor vendor and artist in the former NoMa Warehouse. “I was chatting with a shopper who told me that the work that I was creating will become family heirlooms – valuable works of art that deserve to exist from generation to generation,” Pope says. “That comment struck me in such a way that completely reframed my thinking on so many levels. The reality that visual arts have become—and will become—the legacy of so many people, even me, is profound.”

Pope’s artwork is available for purchase through the rest of October. She also plans to donate 10% of her sales to hurricane relief.

REVIEW: Trustus Theatre's People Places & Things by Kristine Hartvigsen

The Trustus Theatre stage play People, Places & Things by English playwright Duncan Macmillan is not feel-good entertainment. But don’t let that stop you from seeing it. 

It isn’t pretty, this sobering depiction of the messy, meandering journey from drunken debauchery to addiction to detox to denial to relapse to denial to acceptance to the beginnings of lifelong recovery.  

The play follows Emma, a troubled actress, through the process of acknowledging her debilitating addiction to drugs and alcohol. Portrayed with authenticity and skill by Christine Hellman, Emma is a drunken, self-absorbed mess who suffers from imposter syndrome on the stage. As a result, she is crippled by self-doubt and has difficulty distinguishing between her stage roles and her often mind-bending, party-filled reality. “If I am not in character, I am not sure who I am,” Emma reveals. 

The most riveting scenes in People are when Emma is agonizing through detox. She shakes and writhes and suffers a terrifying madness complete with hallucinations as many versions of herself emerge repeatedly from her hospital bed like cloned apparitions also seizing and retching and screaming in pain. All the Emmas together reach a cacophony of terrifying volume.  

Incredibly compelling stage design, lighting, and sound convey the emotion and multi-sensory torture Emma experiences. Background screens run video behind the actors that further strengthen the performance. Recorded sound, including broadcast static and echoing narratives, as well as flashing overhead lights contribute to the feelings of confusion and mania. 

When Emma expresses that the therapist and administrator of the facility cannot possibly understand what she and the other patients are going through, it is poignantly revealed that each themselves is a longtime recovering addict.  

In her alternating roles as doctor, therapist, and “mum” to Emma, Erin Wilson is believably straightforward, authoritative, and empathetic as group therapy facilitator. Josh Kern is equal parts likeable and knowing as the rehab facility’s administrator Foster. Each patient’s story adds depth and complexity to the multi-faceted struggles of recovery. Some of the therapy role-play scenes dragged some but included notable performances from William Paul Brown and Alex Malvern. 

While Emma’s first attempt at inpatient rehab fails, she has taken the lessons of therapy to heart and finds her way back to pick up the pieces once more. In trying to rationalize her substance abuse, Emma says things common among addicts like: “I needed something to take the edge off,” and “drugs and alcohol have never let me down.”  

There are moments of needed comic relief that emphasize the subtle contradictions inherent in the culture of substance abuse. In one nonsensical scene, the patients almost competitively spit out stories demonstrating how much more “fucked up” they are than the others — as if there was a certain dysfunctional pride in fucked-up-edness.  

Ultimately, the patients agree contextually that “The problem is not us; it’s the world.” However they also take responsibility for their behaviors and find comfort in realizing “We’re all the same.”  

Director Dewey Scott-Wiley is to be commended for delivering a brilliant play that bravely takes on an ugly topic with empathy and wit. The entire cast performing in People tackle unflattering and starkly challenging roles to tell an insightful story that touches nearly every American family on some level.  

The play does end on a positive note, with Emma acknowledging the “gift of desperation” and — having done the work — eventually resuming the necessary practice of going to auditions. This recovery milestone shows that it is possible to return to some semblance of a normal life. This revealing play is well worth seeing.

People, Places & Things (produced in partnership with LRADAC and The Courage Center) runs at Trustus Theatre through Oct. 12.

Review: The 39 Steps Opens at Chapin Theatre By Jane Peterson

The 39 Steps, a comedic gem originally crafted by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon, debuted at Chapin Theatre Company Friday night to a packed house. Directed by Frank Thompson, this farcical adaptation spoofs Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 film and John Buchan’s 1915 novel, blending the intrigue of a murder mystery with a comedic flair reminiscent of Monty Python, Mel Brooks, and chaotic productions like Noises Off and The Play That Goes Wrong.

In this witty reimagining, the entire plot of the 1935 Hitchcock film is recreated by just four actors, a feat that leads to boundless hilarity. George Dinsmore shines as the lead, Richard Hannay, an unsuspecting hero entangled in a spy conspiracy. Jennifer Kraus takes on the roles of three women (Pamela, Annabella, and Margaret), each of whom Hannay encounters in his desperate bid to clear his name. Ripley Thames and Julia Hudson steal the show as they juggle dozens of other roles, from innkeepers to police officers, to businessmen, showcasing their talent for rapid character shifts and physical comedy.

The plot centers on Hannay’s efforts to prove his innocence after being accused of murdering a mysterious spy, played with captivating charm by Kraus. Her portrayal of the dark-haired femme fatale Annabella sets the stage for the wild ride that follows. As Hannay evades capture, he crosses paths with a variety of eccentric characters, all hilariously brought to life by Thames and Hudson, who skillfully switch between personalities and accents with minimal costume changes. Their impeccable comedic timing keeps the audience in stitches as they bring the absurdity of the story to life.

Dinsmore plays Hannay with both charm and earnestness, effortlessly embodying the role of an accidental hero. His scenes, particularly the daring stunts—like hanging from the side of a train—are a delight to watch. Kraus, as his three love interests, excels in her ability to bring distinct personalities to each woman, with perfect comedic timing and facial expressions that add depth to the humor. Thames and Hudson, as the "clowns" of the show, provide endless gags, sight humor, and quick-witted dialogue, managing to make each character memorable despite the dizzying pace of their transformations.

A highlight of the production is the creative use of multimedia and projections, which are brilliantly integrated into the minimal set. Black-and-white and color images are used to transport the audience to various locations, riding on a speeding train, and in a car. We even witnessed a plane crash. Thompson’s direction ensures that the actors' movements, particularly in scenes involving the moving train and car chases, are synchronized perfectly with the projections, adding another layer of visual comedy to the show.

Though a few of the set changes felt slightly prolonged on opening night, it’s a small nitpick in an otherwise polished production. The actors' chemistry and energy more than compensated for any technical issues, delivering an engaging and highly entertaining experience from start to finish.

The 39 Steps runs from October 10 to 20 at Chapin Theatre, with evening performances and weekend matinees. Tickets are $15 in advance and range from $18 (seniors) to $20 (adults) at the door. Don’t miss this uproarious homage to classic cinema—this is a theatrical event full of laughs that you won’t want to miss! Visit www.chapintheatre.org for tickets.

Eclectic Mix of Short Plays Featured in USC’s 10 Minute Play Festival Oct. 24 – Nov. 3

The USC Dept. of Theatre and Dance will present the 10 Minute Play Festival, a fun and eclectic evening of short plays, October 24 – November 3 at the Lab Theatre.

Show times are at 7:30pm, October 24-26 and November 1-2, and 3pm on Sunday, Nov. 3.   Tickets are $10 and are available online at sc.universitytickets.com or at the door.  The Lab Theatre is located at 1400 Wheat St. on the first floor of the Booker T. Washington building.  

Enjoy a fast-paced evening of laughter, heartbreak and everything in between as we present a collection of (very) short plays, each directed by a different member of our theatre performance faculty. “A ten-minute play is a streak of theatrical lightning. It doesn’t last long, but its power can stand your hair on end.” (Take Ten, Vintage Books).

Featured plays include:

The Lobster Quadrille (Directed by David Britt)
Playwright Don Nigro’s quirky story depicts a casual encounter that quickly becomes a chaotic dance, as two lovers navigate the neurotic pitfalls of a one-night stand. 

So I Was Visiting Dad on His Birthday... (Directed by Lyle Browne)
In this sensitive and witty script by DC Cathro, a chance meeting between two women in a cemetery – one visiting her deceased father and the other hoping to join him in the afterlife – sparks an unlikely bond. 

Dead Giveaway (Directed by Mario Haynes)
Daniel Guyton’s unorthodox exploration of romance is set on Valentine’s Day, as Robert gifts his wife arrangements of the "final" variety, leading both to question the meaning of “’til death do us part.”

Tea Time (Directed by Patrick Michael Kelly)
Stabbings. Missing tea. A dropped goose. Something is afoot in Lady Gertrude's manor, and it is certainly not a game. Class and reality are dissected in Will Dunne's absurd comedy of manners and murder.

Cast in the plays are undergraduate students Isnerys Carrasquillo, Josh Cooke, Calvin DeLude, Donovan Dempsey, Destiny McCorvey, Reagan Michael, Aza Nyberg, and Morgan Passley.

While the wide variety of situations presented in these compact stories makes for a uniquely entertaining experience for the audience, the faculty directors say that the actors’ work is just as challenging and fulfilling as doing a full-length play.

“While the audience only sees these characters for 10 minutes, the actors have to develop characters that have lived full lives up to [the performance of] the play,” says instructor Lyle Browne. “Just as with a full-length play, that time has to be spent to engage the audience and bring them in.

Senior instructor David Britt concurs. “It really gives the actors a chance to study a character and flesh them out in one scene. It’s all or nothing, and that is exciting to an actor.” 

For more information on the 10 Minute Play Festival or the theatre program at the University of South Carolina, contact Kevin Bush by phone at 803-777-9353 or via email at bushk@mailbox.sc.edu.  

Welcoming Jean Lomasto to Jasper’s First Thursday Gallery at Sound Bites Eatery

This Thursday!

After an abbreviated showing of her work in 2023, the Jasper Project is delighted to welcome back Jean Lomasto to our First Thursday celebration by featuring the artist and her work in the Jasper Gallery space at our beloved soup, sandwich, and salad home, Sound Bites Eatery at 1425 Sumter Street.

Visual artist Jean Lomasto was born in Brooklyn, New York, but  when she was 15 years old her father took a job in Greenville, SC and moved the family to the SC upstate area. After attending college at the University of South Carolina and pursuing Costume Design, two of her undergraduate teachers, Lyn Carroll (costume design) and Terry Bennett (scene design) encouraged her to go to graduate school.

Lomasto says, “Many principles of design transfer easily from theatre to painting or seemed to for me. I have a Master of Fine Art in Costume Design from UVA. I have taken a few introductory painting classes locally and in LA. I took drawing classes at the Art Students League in New York, when I was working there in the field of costuming.”

With an MFA in Costume Design and a cover piece in Theatre Design and Technology magazine, Lomasto traveled to NYC where she worked in many costume shops, including the Julliard School as well as for a few Woody Allen films designed by Santo Loquasto. She became wardrobe supervisor for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and toured the world with the company, designing Dudley William’s finale costume for his performance at City Center.

Jean has two sons. While they were growing up, she taught elementary school in California for steady income and health insurance, occasionally doing some theatre work. They lived in Mestre, Italy for several years. 

She returned to Columbia, SC in 2014 and designed many shows for Trustus Theatre:  Peter and the Starcatcher, Marie Anntoinette, Appropriate, Marly’s Christmas Carol, among others.

“One of the greatest influences for my painting was Nicholas Wilton,” Lomasto says. “I signed up online at the start of COVID for a 10-week painting course. Design elements and using paint were important, but the biggest factor for me in this course was psychological.  ... meaning Nicholas Wilton encourages students to find what is in them and then paint. Locally, I find Columbia to be filled with amazingly talented people who support each other, but the following two take the cake for me: One day I was working in the library and Stephen Chesley walks up to me and says, ‘Hi, I like your work. Go bigger...just go bigger.’ I picked myself up off the floor and said, okay. I have had the opportunity to reconnect with Philip Mullen, who is kind enough to really look at my work and comment on it. This is such a generous thing to do on his part.” 

Lomasto says that she has “no official university training in painting. I was married to an art student as an undergraduate and hung around the art department a good bit, when I wasn't at the theatre.” Lomasto goes on to explain that “Philip Mullen was my husband's teacher in undergraduate school. I have always lived in places with easy access to art.”

1st Thursday w/ Sound Bites Eatery & The Jasper Project

featuring

Visual Artist Jean Lomasto

Thursday, October 3rd 5:30 - 8 pm

Sound Bites Eatery

1425 Sumter Street

SC JAZZ FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 2024-2025 LINEUP: ORGANIZED

The SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble, South Carolina’s premier jazz big band, will kick off its new season on Saturday, October 26, 2024, at Harbison Theatre with “The Birthday Concert,” featuring internationally renowned jazz organist Mike LeDonne.

Following the October 26 concert, this season features the ensemble in Swingin’ Holidays, Dec. 8, 2024; Jazz is for Lovers, Feb. 15, 2025; An Evening with Cyrille Aimée, April 12, 2025; and Season Finale Virtuoso Trumpet Star Sean Jones, June 14, 2025. The SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble, under the musical direction of Dr. Robert Gardiner, features some of the most prominent and outstanding jazz musicians, soloists, and bandleaders from across the Carolinas.

“Mike LeDonne is one of the finest jazz pianists and organists in the world,” said Robert Gardiner, Executive Director of the SC Jazz Foundation. “We’re glad to be working with such talented guest artists, and I think each concert will have something that everyone can enjoy,” Gardiner said.

Tickets for each of the five concerts are on sale now, priced from $25 - $65 depending on show and seating section. Patrons may purchase a season subscription by visiting www.SCJazz.org through October 1 for guaranteed seats to each concert. 

Poetry of the People with Evelyn Berry

This week's Poet of the People is Evelyn Berry. Over a decade ago, led by Evelyn Berry, an inspired group of Aiken High School students would pile in a car and journey to Columbia to attend Mind Gravy Poetry. I am fortunate to still know several of them through the wonder of Facebook—and Evelyn continues to lead and soar above us all. Some day, we will say we knew and were energized by Evelyn Berry on her way up and be grateful for the experience.

-Al Black

Evelyn Berry is a trans, Southern writer, editor, and educator. She's the author of Grief Slut (Sundress Publications, 2024). She's a recipient of a 2023 National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Fellowship and lives in Columbia, South Carolina.

Self-Portrait at Nineteen 

All summer, I worked shifts at Old Navy

& snorted molly from an iPhone screen

in the backseat of a car parked nowhere,

a happy heathen not yet grief-plundered.

Once, I was a boy unafraid to die.

I would swallow almost anything meant

to kill me if, at first, it got me high:

pills left over from surgery pilfered

from my parents’ medicine cabinet,

coffee cups of dark liquor, gas station

feasts, bounty of grease, sugar, cigarettes.

How else to parachute from the body?

Aliveness, this useless extravagance

I have wasted once before, but no more.

prodigal daughter 

what I know of sin, i learned in the sty

amid the swine, slurped mud and called it wine.

femme-fouled boy, faggot-spoiled sacrifice

offered at the altar and abandoned.

forgive my reckless want, lord, to belong

as more than soiled sacrament, fat sow

knife-split to gorge the prophets of gendered

violence. prayer, in their hands, a blade.

what do i know of penitence, patience,

except once the lord sent frenzied demons

into a drove of blameless pigs to drown?

how did we decide which beast to slaughter?

lord, i too am an impure animal.

i left home a son, return a daughter.

Eos 

After Mary Evelyn Pickering De Morgan

Once, the goddess of dawn cried out, forlorn,

her son cast into dirt beyond the walls of Troy,

Achilles’ sword drawn through his chest,

his soul gone, replaced with a feathered flock.

Her tears poured graceless as swans,

like a vase overflowing with morning dew

until grief bloomed new gardens.

Describe to me the weight of this.

Mourning replenishes the earth, ushers

Soil into rebirth, new river traced

from the boy’s doomed blue veins.

What is a song worth without its wound?

Let me, for once, taste paradise without the tinge of blood.

Let me glimpse the cusp of dawn without the flood of night.

The Decoy

            After John Collier

To be painted femme fatale, condemned fatal:

a woman’s beauty is a dangerous deception

in the hands of a man who demands

to own her like a plucked rose.

Let me be the decoy instead,

damsel in undress, glinting

luminescent like a knife

bound to my ankle.

Two Greek Tragedies Kick Off the Season for USC Theatre & SC Shakespeare Company

Elaine Werren as Antigone

In this politically fraught time, how clever of two of our local theatre companies to program political productions that focus on the power of the individual – in both cases, individual female characters – to rise up in protest against their own uniquely perceived injustices. USC Theatre opens their 2024 – 2025 season with Antigone, and SC Shakespeare Company opens similarly with Electra, both during the first weekend in October.  

Both plays are based on characters from ancient Greek mythology, both are being performed in Columbia, SC, and both open the first weekend in October, but most of the similarities end there. 

While the SC Shakespeare Company’s production of Electra runs from October 3 – 5 and 10 – 12, outside in Historic Columbia’s beautiful Woodrow Wilson House Gardens, the University of SC’s Theatre program presents Antigone October 4 – 12 at the historic Longstreet Theatre on campus. 

The mythological characters of Antigone and Electra are both examined frequently by writers of antiquity in a number of classic plays, each serving as a catalyst for the call of moral fortitude by the titular women involved.  

Antigone is a tale of civil disobedience. When her two brothers are killed while fighting each other for the throne of Thebes, newly seated ruler Creon forbids the burial and mourning of one of her brothers, Polynices, and Antigone rebels by mourning and burying him against Creon’s decree.  

Elektra, whose story has received treatment by everyone from Sophocles and Euripides to Richard Strauss and Eugene O’Neill, is best known for her part in the Trojan cycle, as well as for being the namesake of Carl Jung’s psychological Elektra Complex. 

Here’s what you need to know to take in both promising productions: 

Electra will be performed outside at the historic Woodrow Wilson Gardens at 1705 Hampton Street. The performance starts at 7:30, is free, and attendees are invited to bring blankets and picnics to enhance their viewing experience. The cast and crew include Hunter Boyle, Katie Mixon, Brittany Lewis, Nekoda Moses, Kira Nessel, J B Marple, and Tristian Brown and is directed by Tracey Steele.

 Antigone will be performed at Longstreet Theatre, 1300 Greene Street, with showtimes at 7:30 Wednesday through Saturday with 3 pm matinee performances on October 6 and 12. Tickets are $15 - $22 and may be purchased here. Lauren Wilson will direct the play. The cast and crew include Elaine Werren (Antigone), Dominic DeLong-Rodgers (Creon), Olan Domer, Didem Ruhi, and Elizabeth Wheless; undergraduates Meagan AuBuchon, John Ballard, Eliza Dojan, Ben Doub, Mel Driggers, Ash Leland, Kyleigh McComish, Angie Tamvaki, Carlos Turner, and Olivia Wamai; and guest artist Talha Karci.

-Cb

Jasper Galleries: Ellen Yaghjian, The Newest Nook Resident by Emily Moffitt

As a member of the Vista Guild Association, the Koger Center for the Arts is proud to partner with the Jasper Project in Third Thursday Art Night. A different artist is featured every month in our rotating gallery, The Nook, with an opening reception on the month's Third Thursday. September 2024's featured artist is Ellen Yaghjian. The opening reception is on September 19, from 5:30 – 7 p.m. on the second floor of the Koger Center.

Ellen Emerson Yaghjian was born in Atlanta, GA, and grew up in Larchmont, NY. She received a BFA in sculpture from the University of Georgia and an MMA in media arts from the University of South Carolina. For ten years, Ellen worked in television production, first with South Carolina Educational Television and later as an Associate Producer at Turner Broadcasting. In 1990, she shifted her focus to sculpture. She began by designing commissioned based copper fountains for outdoor gardens and indoor offices across the southeast. In 2000, Ellen began creating figurative works with copper, hammering and heating the metal to produce sculpture reflective of the human body. She enjoys the warmth of copper and the colors that emerge through her process. During the pandemic Ellen took up painting in acrylic. Ellen resides in Columbia, SC with her husband, David.

Ellen’s Artist Statement:

“The focus of my art practice is to bring my attention to one place in time and to explore the ideas that come to mind. Reflecting on the grace and strength of the female form, I am drawn to the medium of copper. I use heat and my hammer to move and shape the metal into subtle lines of the human body. Observations of landscapes and natural elements lead me to my paints. I simplify 3 dimensional elements on paper and panels and in the process find gratitude and wholeness.”

If you can’t make it to the reception, the art will be up through mid-October, and can be viewed from 9-5 Monday through Friday, and an hour prior to any Koger Center event. You can follow Ellen’s work on Instagram (@ellenyaghjianart) and her website (ellenyaghjian.com).

Black Nerd Mafia Presents: “Live from the 803,” An Exclusive Local Arts Experience By: Liz Stalker

The only catch to these epic nights of entertainment is as of now, “Live from the 803” events are invite-only

Local arts organization Black Nerd Mafia continues to uplift indie artists in Columbia, particularly from the thriving though often underrepresented Black arts scene, through their new event series, “Live from the 803.” Hosted by The Player’s Club, “Live from the 803‘s” monthly main events consist of visual artist/musician duo, presenting a unique opportunity to experience the impressive range and passion that the Columbia indie arts scene has to offer.  

This month, “Live from the 803” will host visual artist Jakeem Da Dream (AKA Dominique Negus Hodge) and singer-rapper-songwriter JB SamSon. The event will take place Saturday, September 28th starting at 8 p.m. with a catered cocktail reception, where guests are invited to sit back, relax, and enjoy a curated display of artwork by Jakeem Da Dream, and will even be given the opportunity to chat with the artist himself about his work. Following the reception, JB SamSon will take the stage in a very intimate concert setting, allowing guests to get up close and personal.  

Such memorable special touches, from the box of worms to the live painting, truly set a remarkable expectation for what’s to come as the event series continues.

If the second installment in this series is anything like its debut event, which took place on Saturday, August 10th, the energy is sure to be electric. Painter and muralist Ija Monet set the tone for the evening with her stunning collection of work, which innovatively combined the mediums of painting and tapestry. She also gave attendees the chance to watch her genius in action, painting live at the center of the reception and impressing spectators with her speed and her technical prowess.  

For the musical portion of the evening, guests were escorted into a smaller room with a stage to watch alternative hip hop artist patX’s concert farewell to Columbia. The room was packed, but patX did not allow that to hinder his connection to the audience, a connection that he prioritized from the start, cultivating an environment of authenticity, and displaying a clear passion for his work. Alongside Airborne Audio–Live from the 803’s wickedly talented full time DJ–patX launched into a set of incredible musical diversity, showcasing his talent as a rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer. In the middle of his set, he unveiled a surprise that evoked shock, delight, and perhaps some disgust: a box of dirt and worms for audience members to dig through for mixtape souvenirs. He ended the night by taking requests, once again centering that connection between artist and fans (some old, some brand new). 

Such memorable special touches, from the box of worms to the live painting, truly set a remarkable expectation for what’s to come as the event series continues. The only catch to these epic nights of entertainment is as of now, “Live from the 803” events are invite-only—in other words, you have to know someone, or at least know someone who knows someone, to receive an event ticket. That being said, “Live from the 803” also hosts a variety of smaller-scale events and meetups at The Attic Lounge–including jam sessions, DJ sets, artist networking events, and other opportunities to both appreciate local arts or show off your own skills–which provide the perfect opportunity to express your interest in the exclusive Player’s Club events.  

To stay up to date with “Live from the 803” and all of their awesomeness, follow them on Instagram @803.live.

The Attic Lounge

Al Black's Poetry of the People with Duna Miler

This week's Poet of the People is Duna Miller. I first met Duna over a decade ago at a poetry reading. She can be seen haunting the poetry scene and the Mind Gravy mic when her church choir takes its summer break. Duna is a delightful human being and is a better poet than her humility allows her to project in our literary community. I am honored to call her friend.

-Al Black

Duna Miller began life in Vienna, Austria, as the first of eight daughters. When her father retired from the Army in 1964 their family moved to Columbia and she has resided in the Columbia area ever since. She met James Dickey in Fall 1969 at USC and continued to be his friend and student until he left for the starry place in 1997. Most of her working life was spent in education, and she retired from the USC School of Medicine in 2014.

____

To My Sister Bo

(1949-2024)

The sun left the sky

The morning you died.

I will always be sorry,

I will always be grateful -

You were part of my life

All the days of yours.

Inspiration

In the night, in the mind,

The untrained fingers find the keys -

Elusive harmonies,

Unwritten melodies unwind.

In the light, we are blind.

The pinpoint eyes behind us seize

Vague shadows through the leaves.

The unseen vision frees mankind.

Set loose like cats at play,

Imagination’s day begins

Before the dawn sheds light,

Obscuring in that brighter way

The truth the darkness wins.

The webless spider spins by night.

Skyfish

A school of silver minnows turn

In unison against the clouds.

Here and there a jellyfish rises

To the surface and plummets with a blink.

Sometime during the differentiation

Of the fetal eye, bits of matter left over

From other structures lodged in the jelly

Between the lens and retinal wall.

When this debris floats into our field of vision,

And the retinal corpuscles twitch,

The sky becomes a motion picture screen

For an ocean of finite depth.

Dialectic

Angels are guiding my hand.

I stand in a clearer light.

There is no right way to go.

The shadow is always near.

I hear but cannot tell why,

Just follow my inner voice.

Choice is the dream of angels.