As a member of the Vista Guild, the Koger Center for the Arts partnered with The Jasper Project to open a new rotating art space, titled The Nook, in celebration of Third Thursday Art Night. This month’s featured artist in The Nook is Thomas Washington.

Artist Bio:

Perhaps the most important pursuit of an artist is the facilitation of escapism. Perhaps each project is the equivalent of a Narnian door…or that lamppost beyond, coaxing a wanderer into another realm. Thomas Washington, Jr. (thomas the younger) functions on this premise. Since his childhood, he has produced multitudinous works in this vein–from being hired (out of high school) to illustrate in a local graphic anthology, he has subsequently striven to bring stories in every medium; to breathe life into the fantastical by imbuing it with the familiar…and, of course, to find fun and fulfillment along the way. As a result, it required the birth of his children to make him care about money. For years, he was perfectly fine living as a Bohemian: he laid his head in strange places among strangers, eventually becoming a pleasant strain of strange in the process. He thus entertains all sorts of bizarre notions: the importance of world peace, an unshakeable belief in fundamental similarities that make Humanity one big family, intense opinions on interstellar travel, and more.

Join us for a bite to eat, a drink and a chat with friends as we welcome Lucy Spence to First Thursday!

Artist Bio:
Lucy Kienitz Spence grew up in Arizona where she was surrounded by art and artists including her mother, a potter. Lucy also had a passion for teaching and moved to South Carolina to accept a position at the University of South Carolina. At USC, she began to formally study drawing and painting. Her work has been included in local and international juried competitions. Lucy currently resides with her husband John in Columbia, South Carolina, where they are designing their property, “Stone Garden.”

Artist Statement:
Growing up surrounded by artists, I held a lifelong passion for experimenting in my art making practice. Inspired by impressionist painters, both classic and contemporary, I work in both oil and watercolor.  In these media, I explore my relationship with nature, my ikebana practice (Japanese flower arranging), and memories of growing up near Japanese flower gardens in Phoenix, Arizona. I find focus and tranquility through making art. 

As a member of the Vista Guild, the Koger Center for the Arts partnered with The Jasper Project to open a new rotating art space, titled The Nook, in celebration of Third Thursday Art Night. This month’s featured artist in The Nook is Toni Elkins.

Artist Bio:

Toni M. Elkins has been selected a signature member of eighteen National Societies including the Nautilus Fellowship of The Society of Experimental Artists, National Watercolor Society (California), and Watercolor USA Honor Society. She has won more than 150 national awards including Best-of-Show in San Diego Watercolor and Top 10 in SC Watermedia 2015. She served as juror for the Union County Arts Guild 2015 exhibit and as a member of the jury for ArtFields Jr. 2015. In 1999, Governor Hodges awarded her with The Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Award for contributions to SC art. Her paintings are in collections all over the USA

Victoria Rickards and Perry McLeod

The Jasper Project welcomes Victoria Rickards and Perry McLeod to thehallway: communityart at 701 Whaley for a two-person exhibition titled How to Love, celebrating all the ways we show our love for the month of February. An opening reception is scheduled for Sunday, February 9th from 3-5 pm in the 701 Whaley Hallway - Community Art space.

Victoria Rickards was born in 1999 in Miami, Florida, and is currently based in Columbia, SC. A  multifaceted artist and lighting designer whose work challenges perceptions and explores themes of deception, fluidity, and surrealism, Rickards holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre, Lighting Design, and Technology from the College of Charleston and is pursuing a graduate degree in Lighting Design at the University of South Carolina.

Rickard’s artistic journey has taken her to prestigious venues, including the Columbia Museum of Art and Art Basel Miami and allowed her to collaborate on digital projects, contributing to innovative NFT designs and more. Her work has garnered recognition from respected institutions and media outlets, including features in Forbes. A passionate advocate for innovation in art and design, Rickards continues to push boundaries and inspire others through her creative vision.

Rickards paints with the heart of a storyteller, crafting narratives from her history. Her artistic evolution unfolds in stages of abstraction, beginning with faces and progressing into distorted bodies and maps. Latent representations emerge beneath layers of color, quietly rebelling against societal norms surrounding body and self. Her maps symbolize a metaphorical journey through physical and emotional landscapes, representing internal terrains of thoughts and memories.

Perry McLeod is a Fullbright scholar, retired high school teacher, and a photographer and avid traveler. He shoots sports, concerts, events, “and just about anything else I can point a camera at,” he says. “I love photography! Every day is a new adventure and I just want to capture the moments that will make people stop and think. Make people want to make a change. Make people smile. Make people go -"Damn", or "nice" or "wow". Photography is the most perfect art - we all get moments that will never happen again. It's frozen in time forever - how cool is that?” 

A USC alumnus, McLeod taught Social Studies and Digital Media Production in both Richland District One and Richland District Two for 31 years. During his teaching career, he established a digital media production program at Richland Northeast High School, which fueled his love for photography and his fascination with video production. After retiring from education, Perry's passion for photography continued to grow, and he has worked for several local and national media outlets. In addition to photography, Perry has a deep love for travel. He says, "When I travel, my mind races with all the new things around me. I see a face, an old building, or an amazing vista, and I have to capture that moment." He believes that "a photograph is magic!"

Join us for First Thursday at Sound Bites Eatery to grab a bite to eat, chat with friends, and see a fabulous new show by Sharon Funderburk!

Artist Bio

Sharon Funderburk is a native of South Carolina currently working in mixed media. Her focus is landscapes and florals. Funderburk studied commercial art in the 1970’s but is currently a Bob Ross instructor. She has participated in Cottontown Art Crawl as well as Art in The Yard, and is a member of SC Artists, Trenholm Artist Guild, and Camden Shoppes Artists.

Artist Statement

My theme for this show is “Funky Flowers”. I use paint pouring and spray painting techniques as a base and paint florals with oils and acrylics. Nature with the different colors and textures transform my art.

As a member of the Vista Guild, the Koger Center for the Arts partnered with The Jasper Project to open a new rotating art space, titled The Nook, in celebration of Third Thursday Art Night. This month’s featured artist in The Nook is Jordan Sheridan.

Artist Bio

Jordan Sheridan was born in Northeastern Arkansas in 1989. She became a mother to her son, Samuel, in 2017 and began graduate school at the University of South Carolina shortly after. As a mother pursuing an MFA degree, Sheridan’s work organically shifted to include a personal examination of motherhood. This change in research pushed her from working primarily in 2D painting to 3D artmaking via large-scale textile installations. Sheridan’s studio practice unites painting, sculpture, and installation as she explores the visual dimensions of identity and motherhood. Since completing her MFA degree, Sheridan has continued exploring these textile landscapes and vibrant paintings, all evolving with her multifaceted experience of motherhood and an underlying query of interconnectedness.

Sheridan is currently a full-time faculty instructor and discipline coordinator of painting at the University of South Carolina. She resides with her partner and young children in Columbia, SC.

https://www.jordansheridan.com/

Artist Statement

“My work documents and aestheticizes the multifaceted experience of motherhood, where boundaries dissolve and identities entangle. Each work serving as a visual narrative, capturing the paradoxical nature of this expansion–a tapestry woven with threads of care, connection, and infinite devotion, interspersed with moments of fragmentation, disorder, and flux. My installations offer a tactile exploration of motherhood’s complexities, encouraging reflection on identity shaped by relationships and societal norms. My work explores existential questions, influenced by my curiosity in quantum physics and the concept of molecular oneness. It acknowledges the interconnectedness of existence on both micro and macro levels, including the bond between mother and child. It is an odyssey that embraces fluid identity and finds beauty in the spaces between roles and expectations, resonating universally.”

Join us as we premiere our Spring 2025 artist at Harbison Theatre: Jeffrey Miller!

His opening will be held in the lobby of the theatre in the hour before Patrick Davis performs (tickets sold separately through Harbison's website; the gallery event is free).

Work featured in the cover image is Lino print "Folly of Icarus" (left) and woodcut print "Halfway In, Halfway Out" (right).

Miler Bio

Jeffrey Miller grew up in small-town Campbellsville, Kentucky, a typical child except for an oversized imagination and an unrelenting curiosity. Miller studied art at Campbellsville University and Murray State University, and he now creates in varied medium and form included oil, acrylic, charcoal and ink sketches, printmaking, and digital art. An award-winning multimedia artist, Miller served as an educator for the Lexington Library Adult Education Program for four years. He presently resides in Columbia, South Carolina.

Miller Statement

Being a good painter or good in whatever chosen medium is a technical evaluation—creativity is something more. People ask what I was thinking when I did this piece or that piece. The only answer is my thinking was absorbed in the piece I'm working on at the time. Anything else is an afterthought. I usually work from a fleeting mental image in response to something I've seen, heard, or read. The mental image may or may not come immediately but it always comes in the same way, like a light brush across the cheek or a fast. There is an ebb and flow, a push and pull, a transitoriness about life that must be reflected in one's art if that art is about life. The imagery, ideas, and concepts are a reflection of day-to-day life, which I personally tend to express through humor, audacity, absurdity, and juxtaposition. I was once told by someone that they did not know if they liked my work because I wasn't doing what everybody else was doing. I have never before been so complimented.

Join us as we celebrate the opening of our first quarterly show of 2025 at Motor Supply! We are honored to feature the work of Mary Ann Haven, which will be up through the end of March.

M Haven's Bio

We can begin again if we have a mind to.
​
I started painting abstracts later in life when the desire to create more spontaneously could no longer be contained. When the planning and constrictions of realistic subjects were put aside, space was created for being in the inspirational flow. It took courage, trust and a willingness to witness what surfaced, knowing that it might not be easy to understand or explain.
​
Being authentic requires the peeling back of layers built up from a lifetime of conformity. To paint in this manner is truly an ongoing adventure.
​
Graduate of the University of North Texas with a BFA in Design
​
My first positions in the professional world were as a space planner for an architectural firm and a commercial furniture specifier.
​
From 1986 - 2015 I was self employed as a Working Artist.
​
My specialties included:
Commissioned Art, Murals & Tromp l'eoil,
Custom Layered Plasters and Faux Finishes
Metal Leaf Gilding and Hand Painted Signage
​
Up until the Spring of 2021, I had been represented by three different galleries in South Carolina. After the transformative year of 2020, I decided to pull work back into the studio. Given half a chance, the year of forced introspection might birth something new.

*featured piece is "Storm Front", 3'x 3' acrylic & mixed media over silver leaf on gallery wrapped canvas.
**photograph of artist courtesy of Jeff Amberg, photographer.

Every Third Thursday, the Jasper Project opens a new gallery show at the Koger Center in our intimate space: The Nook. Directly opposite the second floor's main staircase, the space shows off work from a local artist; December's featured artist is Ellie Rose!

Artist Bio:

Ellie Rose is an MFA graduate of the University of South Carolina and a BFA graduate of Virginia Tech. Ellie is from Buffalo Junction, a small rural tobacco community in southeast Virginia. Since the pandemic, Ellie’s artwork has been more inspired by interiors than landscapes and instead of pure fantasy, she embraces her own life and relationships as subject matter.

Artist Statement:

My paintings are an expression of adoration for the people I love most. Articulating my emotions verbally can be challenging but creating imagery representative of my favorite people has always been my clearest communication of love. Since the beginning of the pandemic, I have been inspired by interiors rather than landscapes. And a bit of realism has blended with the fantasy. While teaching at USC has deepened my appreciation for classical art and master painters, I am now interested in combining both classical and modern painting techniques and ideas. Change is the only constant. People come and go. These paintings are about my relationships and how I perceive each individual. I pay homage to the people and places I love, even if they are sometimes a little fabricated and fantastical. The bonds I have with these people will unquestionably last a lifetime. My circle is small, and I want everyone to know how big my love is.

The South Carolina Academy of Authors and the Jasper Project invite you to join us as acclaimed South Carolina poets read selections of their works collected in Southern Voices: Fifty Contemporary Poets.

Black Nerd Mafia and The Jasper Project are proud to present the return of Frightmare on Main Street, a night of spooky fun, music, and prizes!

Food by Tacos Oink Oink
Drinks by Curiosity Coffee Bar
Music by Autocorrect, and Tyler Wise

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

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

Join us for a screening an awards ceremony at 701 Whaley.

VIP reception starts at 6 pm on the patio. Show at 7:30pm. Beer and wine for sale.

This Year’s Participants are:
Nick Clay, Marley Gregory, Chad Henderson, Thaddeus Jones, Bakari Lebby, Idris Pearson, Silas Rowland, Andrew Smith, Alex Steele, Taiyen Stevenson, Andrew Weber, Dustin Weible, Ebony Wilson, and USC SGTV 1080c

The 2nd Act Film Project is a unique take on the indie film team project. Presented by The Jasper Project, its mission is to encourage and promote the growth of independent filmmaking in South Carolina through collaborative and creative projects.

Filmmakers submit their names and examples of work to be considered for participation. A group of South Carolina media professionals and artists will select the final group of 14 filmmakers. Filmmakers are given the 1st and 3rd acts of a short film script. Their job is to write the second act and make the movie.

Every Third Thursday, the Jasper Galleries hosts a show at Koger Center's The Nook. For the month of October, we're teaming up with SC Pride and Pride Week to bring a pride themed show with local queer artists!

Join us for our final quarterly show of the year at Motor Supply Co. Bistro, one of our six Jasper Galleries locations in the Midlands.

From October-December, we will be featuring the work of Michel McNinch.

Artist Bio:

Michel McNinch is a professional visual artist and art instructor based at Stormwater Studios in Columbia. She specializes in creating landscapes and works-in-series employing a realistic painting style with an interpretive approach.

As an artist, McNinch finds inspiration in the beauty around her. She attempts to paint works that will connect emotionally with her viewers. “My art is meant to be shared and enjoyed by all who love the beauty of our natural world,” says Michel.

In addition to her work as a painter, McNinch is deeply committed to art education, and has a successful history of sharing the pleasure of making art to a variety of groups. She developed an art program at District Five's Alternative Academy where she taught at-risk middle and high school students. Midlands Technical College’s Continuing Education Program awarded her Adjunct Faculty of the Year for her working teaching adults to draw and paint. The Caring Colors Program, sponsored by the Alzheimer's Association and the South Carolina Arts Commission, was a favorite project. She has extensive experience teaching art to various age groups of children in surrounding schools and her private studios.

McNinch holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Carolina-Columbia and an Associate of Arts degree from Midlands Technical College. Her artwork is represented in corporate and private collections along the eastern seaboard of the United States, as well as in Germany, Sweden, and the Cayman Islands.

Artist Statement:

My paintings for this show reflect my personal experiences and surroundings in several ways.

Nature and landscapes: Finding inspiration in the beauty of everyday surroundings and natural environments, I paint landscapes featuring locations like state parks, beaches, and natural landmarks. Often they reflect on the soothing and healing power of nature. In this show both studio and plein air paintings are included.

Figures/Portraits: I have always loved painting the human figure. With more than a decade of learning from drawing and painting a live model, my paintings are designed to capture the personality of my subjects through pose, emotion, and symbolism.

Wildlife and small creatures: My Stormwater Studios Wildlife series gives me a chance to elevate the animals and insects found in the environment around my studio, such as cicadas, turtles, bird, etc. to highlight the importance of these small lives in nature. Included in this theme are oysters, which have always intrigued me. They clean our water diligently while being pristine on the inside and living in the bottom sludge of our waterways. So important and so delicious.

Mandala Series: The word Mandala is used loosely here. Inspired by mandalas in general, I then take them my own way and style during evenings in a practice I call sketchbook vespers. Each is a form of prayer for me. The act of creating keeps me focused as I ponder each night’s prayers. It is very rewarding to spend time with my thoughts in a creative way.

Please join us for another down-home potluck supper as we celebrate all the artists honored in the fall 2024 issue of Jasper Magazine.

Bring a dish to share and a cooler with whatever you’re drinking (we don’t care) and rub elbows with some of the visual, theatre, film, literary, and musical artists who make our hometown such a rich and beautiful place to live. We’ll have one of our featured DJs spinning for us, art from some of our featured visual artists, poetry readings, and all kinds of surprises. Feel free to bring lawn chairs or blankets to spread out in the co-op’s backyard. Kids are welcome, too!

The event is free (but we love donations to help offset the cost of publishing Jasper Magazine!)

A new play by Chad Henderson and the winner of the 2024 Jasper Project Play Right Series, Let It Grow will be showcased in a staged reading directed by Marybeth Gorman Craig. 

Let It Grow is a popular horticulture and gardening show hosted by Mary Lily on S.C. Public Television. After losing a cast member at the hands of “The Legal,” newly promoted co-producer Charlotte has to figure out who will fill the void. When Christoph Marion, best-selling author of “50 Shades of Stamens,” comes to the show – things get upturned. Let It Grow is a discussion about changing times, second chances and plants.

Read more about the Play Right series.

Tickets are $20

At 6:30 PM, Nate will be available to speak and give you the opportunity to enjoy his work prior to the opening curtain for Jasper Project Play Right Series, “Let It Grow.” During intermission, you’re invited to revisit the art. His work will be available for purchase. Learn more about Nate and his work below. 

The exhibition is free and available for viewing starting September 2024.

Artist Bio

Nate Puza is a South Carolina based artist, designer, and illustrator with over a decade of experience working with some of the biggest bands and brands in the world including Jason Isbell, the Avett Brothers, Chris Stapleton, Phish, and more. Internationally known for his meticulous attention to detail and high level of craftmanship, Puza created the new design for the Columbia, SC flag. When not creating art for your favorite band Nate can be found playing music with friends, being outside, wrenching on his motorcycle, mowing the lawn, or drinking a beer on the back porch.

Journaling With Cassie Premo Steele, Author of Beaver Girl

Join us for our FREE Forest Wellness Program with Cassie Premo Steele, the author of the new novel, Beaver Girl, an environmental novel set in Congaree National Park. Relieve the stresses of your everyday life by taking the time to reconnect with nature and learn more about the importance of this special ecosystem. The program will include a 2-mile (round trip) meditative walk and a journaling workshop. In this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to participate in mindful reflection, meditation, and journaling.

No previous experience is necessary, and all writing will be kept private. A free Congaree National Park journal and pen will be provided to registered participants.

Please meet at the Harry Hampton Visitor Center. All you need to participate is yourself, a water bottle, comfortable shoes, and comfortable clothing. Space is limited, so please sign up ahead of time. For questions or more information please email e-mail us

Pets are not permitted on this program, but service animals are welcome.

Registration details to come.

Moderated by Ruth Smyrl, Store Manager at All Good Books

After a brief summer hiatus during Koger's carpet replacement, Third Thursday's at the Nook are BACK! This month we're featuring Marius Valdes and his crew of zany, colorful figures.

Artist Bio

Marius Valdes is an artist currently based in South Carolina in the United States. He is a Professor in Studio Art concentrating on design and illustration at The University of South Carolina. He lives in Forest Acres, South Carolina with his wife Beth, daughter Emma, and very lazy but adorable dog, Mary.

Valdes received his BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Georgia and his MFA in Visual Communication from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2005.

Marius Valdes has been recognized by design publications such as Graphic Design USA, HOW, Print, Communication Arts, Creative Quarterly, STEP, and industry competitions including World Illustration Awards, American Illustration, and Valdes was selected as one of 20 illustrators to follow by Creative Boom. In 2017, Valdes completed a one-year residency as the first visual Artist in Residence at the award-winning and innovative Richland Library. Valdes received critical recognition for his mural work with the Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Join us for the reception and screening of the short documentary "Ties That Bind Us", created by Jasper Intern and recent UofSC Honors College Graduate, Liz Stalker. There will be a Q&A with Liz and her uncle Michael after the screening.

Food and drinks will be available for purchase from the Attic Lounge.

"Ties That Bind Us" is centered around Michael Stalker and his public health work during the HIV/AIDS Crisis. The piece examines how Michael’s relationship to his identity and his experiences as gay man were impacted by the AIDS Epidemic, shaping his relationship to mortality and defining his professional career. The film is narrated by the voice of his niece, and filmmaker, Liz Stalker, and is filtered through this familial queer relationship, demonstrating the way that AIDS continues to shape the following generations of LGBT community members and their understanding of their community, its history, and its relationship to society.

Artist Bio:
Liz Stalker is a recent graduate from the University of South Carolina. To fulfill her Honors College thesis requirement, she chose to make a documentary about her Uncle Michael and his life experience as a gay man living through the ‘80s and ‘90s–a piece of familial history she has been fascinated by since her own coming out as a lesbian in her freshman year of high school. A poet and aspiring screenwriter, Liz is very excited to add documentary filmmaker to her list of artistic accomplishments.

Join us for the opening celebration of our new artist at Motor Supply, Darren Young! His beautiful oil paintings are rife with texture and shift at every angle. You won't want to miss seeing these.

Artist Bio

Darren Young received his BFA in Painting at East Carolina University and his MFA in Painting at Indiana University before studying with Wolf Kahn and Janet Fish at Vermont Studio Center. He now resides and paints in South Carolina.

Artist Statement

I am an artist who paints and draws primarily from observation. I am primarily concerned with creating interesting compositions with shape, color, and light. My subject matter is usually of places and people I am familiar with.

New day this month! To give everyone time to celebrate the 4th in their own style, this month's Sound Bites gallery will take place on SECOND Thursday!

Join us on the 11th to see new art from Elisabeth LaRose -- might be a different Thursday, but it will be the same old fun!

Artist Bio

My earliest memory is of my artist mother showing me how to create shading with crayons. I always knew from those early days that being a creative was my passion. I attended USC for 3 years, studying art while working a full-time job. During the years after leaving USC, I continued to work, raised a family, and was only able to do art in my spare time. I spent these years living in Winnsboro, where many of my watercolors of historic homes in the area can be found hanging in businesses and homes today. I continued to hone my artistic skills across a variety of mediums and taught art lessons to local residents.

Once my children were beginning to build their own lives, I moved to Charlotte, NC,
where I spent several years painting murals in homes on Lake Norman. Upon returning to Columbia, I worked at Mill Creek Greenhouses, where I sold paintings on rocks, windows, and wood.

Working with plants further inspired my passion for nature and spiritual symbols, leading to a newfound love of paining in the round and incorporating the sacred into my work. Joining the South Carolina Artist Guild has provided opportunities for showing my work around Columbia in businesses and local art shows. My enthusiasm for my work is greater than ever, and I look forward to finding new inspirations to integrate into my craft.

Artist Statement

For as long as I can remember, every time I see something that touches me deeply, I automatically start to think about how I can portray those feelings creatively. Nature is my muse along with a love of spiritual symbols; so much of my work contains these elements. The garden is my happy place, and my hope is that my paintings evoke a feeling of peace and foster a love of all things natural in our beautiful world.

Join us as we celebrate the opening of Barbara Yongue's show with Jasper Galleries at Harbison Theatre, just before the performance of Grammy-nominated saxophonist Chris Potter.

Tickets for Potter's performance are available at Harbison's website; Yongue's show is free and open to the public!

Artist Bio

Barbara Alston Yongue, born in Memphis Tennessee and raised in Ohio, has studied and continues to study art for almost as long as she has been alive. An art major in college she has continued her education with such well-known artists as Daniel Greene, Nelson Shanks, Janet Fish, Tony Ryder, Charlie Hunter. She is a member of Oil Painters of America, Trenholm Art Guild and the art group known as About Face. She enjoys Portraiture, Still Life painting and Plein Air.

Artist Statement

I paint primarily from life because it is my belief that what is created by doing that gives a certain touch of LIFE that cannot be achieved any other way. Most of all …I try to paint Beauty

“Biosphere preserves are learning places for sustainable development when approaches are rooted in participatory conservation and community.”
-John Kupfer

As part of the series of events surrounding Columbia’s 2024 ONE BOOK Project featuring the environmental novel, Beaver Girl, by Cassie Premo Steele and sponsored by the Jasper Project, One Columbia for Arts and Culture, and All Good Books, you are invited to join us for a discussion of the unique aspects that the biodiversity in the Congaree National Park and the diversity of the Columbia Metropolitan Area have to offer residents and visitors. The panel features locally based scholars, writers, artists and activists invested in the intersectionality of racial, social, economic and environmental justice, including:

Cassie Premo Steele, Ph.D., Author of Beaver Girl

Jessica Elfenbein, Ph.D., Chairperson of History at the University of South Carolina

John Kupfer, Ph.D., Professor of Geography at the University of South Carolina

Rhonda Grego, Ph.D., Dean, School of English and Humanities, at Midlands Technical College

Tameria Warren, Ph.D., SE Rural Community Outreach Organization Board Member and Instructor in the School of Earth, Ocean & Environment at the University of South Carolina

Bios

Dr. Jessica Elfenbein is Professor and Chair of the History department at the University of South Carolina. She had the great good fortune to oversee the 2019 Historic Resource Survey for Congaree National Park which led her to her current multi-faceted project, Wood Basket of the World: Lumbering, Manufacturing, and Conserving South Carolina’s Forests which includes a traveling exhibit, anthology, and oral history project, among other things. Jessica is spending lots of time learning about Sumter, South Carolina - for nearly a century the center of the state’s wood products industries. She is especially interested in the community’s transition from agriculture to wood products, the history of furniture production, and the environmental degradation that followed.

Dr. Rhonda Grego was born in Florence, SC and earned degrees from Wilson High School, the College of Charleston, and Penn State. Over the past 40+ years she has taught and/or served as writing program director and grant administrator at Penn State, the University of South Carolina, Benedict College, and now Midlands Technical College. At MTC she was named the 2018 Albin S. Johnson Teaching Excellence Award winner, and since 2020 has served there as Dean of the School of English and Humanities. Throughout the years, she and collaborator Nancy Thompson pioneered and developed Writing Studio programs that ensure access and support for college student writers nationwide. Another passion has been promoting greater local awareness of Tales of the Congaree, a 1920s collection of African American folktales from Lower Richland County.  Since 1989 she and husband John have lived in Columbia where they raised two daughters and are long-time members of Friends of Congaree Swamp. She is an avid amateur photographer.

Dr. John Kupfer is a Professor in the Department of Geography and Senior Affiliate in the School of the Earth, Ocean, and Environment at USC. As a landscape ecologist and biogeographer, his research explores the ecological effects of habitat loss and fragmentation, climate change, and disturbances, with a special interest in protected lands management. He has served on the Senior Advisory Panel for the National Science Foundation’s Geography and Spatial Sciences Program and as a Fellow of the University of Arizona’s Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy. He was also a member of the National Academy of Science’s Committee on the Long-term Management of the Spirit Lake/Toutle River System in Southwest Washington. He is currently one of the Principal Investigators for the Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center and is a member of the National Working Group for the U.S. Biosphere Reserve Network and the Congaree Biosphere Region’s Advisory Council. He has recently served on the organizing committee for the 2022 and 2024 Congaree National Park Research Symposia and helped to organize a community workshop associated with the visit of the Smithsonian Water/Ways Exhibit to the park and Columbia in 2021.

Dr. Cassie Premo Steele is an environmental poet, novelist, and essayist whose writing focuses on the themes of trauma, healing, creativity, and mindfulness. She holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and is the author of 18 books, including 3 novels and 7 books of poetry. Her poetry has been nominated 7 times for the Pushcart Prize.  She was a Finalist for the Rita Dove Poetry Award judged by the former US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo. She has also been awarded The DuBose and Dorothy Heyward Society Prize, the Stephanie Ellen Siler Memorial Prize, the John Edward Johnson Prize, the Carrie McCray Literary Award for Poetry, and the Archibald Rutledge Prize named after the first Poet Laureate of South Carolina, where she lives in Columbia with her wife.

Dr. Tameria Warren is a native of Detroit, Michigan, but has lived in the Columbia area since 2008. Tameria serves as the Senior Environmental Specialist at Samsung Electronics Home Appliances in Newberry, as well as an adjunct professor in the School of the Earth, Ocean, and Environment (SEOE) at the University of South Carolina. She also provides technical assistance for environmental justice grants with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Prior to her current positions, she worked as a Senior Environmental Scientist at U.S. Army Garrison Fort Jackson and as an Environmental Engineer in multiple Midwest facilities with General Motors. Tameria works with the South East Rural Community Outreach (SERCO), which has partnered with such entities as the Congaree National Park and Congaree Biosphere Region to educate the Lower Richland community about its rich environmental history and cultural significance. Tameria has a deep interest in understanding the connections African Americans have with nature and the environment.

We're excited to kick-off another Jasper Galleries at Sound Bites Eatery, our monthly show premiering on First Thursdays. This month we're featuring Sean Madden

Artist Bio:

I was born in 1971 of artist parents. My mother was an accomplished oil painter and my father was a master carpenter and quite a scratch painter and sculptor. Being raised in an such an environment, art came quite naturally to me, but I would spend most of my formative years pursuing music. However, the influence of my parents came full circle in the early 2000s when I began working for a piano and antique restoration company and my knowledge of wood carving and ability to work an artist's brush proved invaluable.

When my mother died in the spring of 2019, I was inspired to return to my roots and decided to pick up the brushes again. Since then I have devoted most of my 'spare' time to the craft. I have had my work displayed in various venues around Columbia and Myrtle Beach and have become a successful as a part time commission artist and have works in fourteen states and two countries.

Artist Statement:

My main goal when I sit down behind the easel is to find some way of bridging reality with nostalgic fantasy. I tend to be drawn towards images centering around water and the play of light and shadow. While I began as an oil painter, I embrace all mediums and believe that it's important to use whatever resources may

at hand in order to achieve an end result.

Please join us as we celebrate the release of Fall Lines - a literary convergence Volume X on Sunday May 19th from 3 - 5 pm at Richland Library 1431 Assembly Street in Columbia.

We'll be awarding the Saluda River Prize for Poetry, the Broad River Prize for Prose (both sponsored by the Richland Library Friends and Foundation), and our newest prize, the Combahee River Prize for a SC Writer of Color.

Contributors are invited to read from their published work in the order in which it is published in the journal.

Guests are invited to attend.

Join us for a picnic party celebrating the spring release of the magazine at 1013 Duke Avenue from 6-9pm May 17, 2023.
The night features readings from authors in this issue, live music from Milah, Ben Gar, and The Water Kickers, a pop-up art market, food, drinks, and more!

More details to come.

Jasper Galleries features monthly artists at Koger Center's The Nook, and our featured Third Thursday artist for the month of May is Malik Greene!

Artist Bio

Malik Greene (b.1997), a South Carolina-based artist started working professionally in 2021 after earning his Bachelors in Psychology from Coastal Carolina University in 2019. Greene is a self-taught artist whose development of his painterly style has been aided by media such as manga and animation. By connecting himself to the numerous facets of historical, political, and popular culture, he hopes to capture an intimate personal narrative through his art, which has enabled him to reveal his own truth. Malik Greene's art conveys a narrative of his life, his aspirations, and the minute details that influence his perception of reality.

Artist Statement

Malik Greene’s art is a means of expression, honoring the people in his immediate environment as an act of resistance and existence. Based on his personal experiences, his large-scale figurative paintings address themes of identity, kinship, and the residual effects of cultural traumas. By expressing these sentiments in his work, Greene is able to consider the societal intricacies surrounding his Black experience.

Greene juxtaposes archival materials and shared memories with an ethereal vision to create works that acknowledge reality while maintaining his painterly sensibility. His use of textural brushstrokes, sensuous colors, and irregular forms evoke intimacy and emotion within his paintings. The subjects in his work possess a level of humanity that is not dependent on societal suffering, however, the figures he creates subtly communicate the lingering effects of their surroundings and how this may innately shape an individual's identity.

In addition to providing the audience an intimate and empathetic glimpse into the lives of people who may not look like them, his work demonstrates the universal relevance of art while also empowering and elevating his cultural identity. His art is a storytelling technique that reflects his ongoing journey of creative self-discovery.

A Panel Discussion with Author Cassie Premo Steele, Scholar Emily Fairfax and, Moderator Elizabeth Vernon (E.V.) Bell

Author

Cassie Premo Steele (she/her), the author of the new novel, Beaver Girl, the 2024 selection for the One Book Project for Columbia, South Carolina, is an environmental writer who holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She is the author of many books, including 7 books of poetry and 3 novels. She is the recipient of numerous writing awards , among them the Archibald Rutledge Prize, named after the first Poet Laureate of South Carolina, where she lives in Columbia with her wife.
Cassie’s Website

Scholar

Dr. Emily Fairfax (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Geography in the Department of Geography, Environment, and Society at the University of Minnesota, and has been featured on PBS, BBC, CBS, the New York Times, LA Times, NPR, Science Friday, and other media outlets. Her research, which was a major source of inspiration for the author Cassie Premo Steele in writing the novel, Beaver Girl, focuses on the ecohydrology of riparian areas, particularly those that have been impacted by beaver damming. She uses a combination of remote sensing, modeling, and field work to understand how beaver damming changes these landscapes and on what timescales those changes operate. She also has an interest in science education research, particularly curriculum development.
Emily’s Website

Moderator

Elizabeth Vernon (E.V.) Bell (she/her) is the Marine Education Specialist for the SC Sea Grant Consortium and a recipient of the 2023 South Carolina Environmental Awareness Award. Among many other programs and achievements, E.V. coordinates the “All Booked Up” environmental book club for South Carolina, and she frequently hosts virtual book club and author discussions as a part of this role. Her background in environmental and marine science, and her love for books and for authors, make her the perfect choice to moderate this event. 
Elizabeth’s Website