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
$10 for all events and activities + 5 candy votes for the pumpkin carving contest. Kids under 10 get in free!
Bring your team and kick off the night with trivia hosted by Black Nerd Mafia.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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
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!
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.
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.
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
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
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
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 K. Wayne Thornley
K. Wayne Thornley is an artist working in mixed media painting and assemblage.
His award-winning work has been show in group and solo exhibitions throughout the Southeast and purchased for several private and corporate collections including The Greenwood Genetics Center and Wells Fargo.
Recent juried exhibitions include the South Carolina Watermedia Society Annual Exhibition (Signature Member) and the Greenville Artists Guild Annual Small Works Exhibition.
Mixed media work by the artist has been selected for exhibition at Artfields (2018 & 2019), an annual art competition and survey of Southeastern art held annually in Lake City, SC.
He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina where he studied art, design and marketing.
Sponsored in part by Samuel C. Waters & Dr. Mary Baskin Waters.
Sterling Elliot sponsored by Truist.
AN ARTISTIC COLLABORATION WITH THE JASPER PROJECT
The SC Philharmonic closes the 59th Season with an inspiring interdisciplinary integration of classical music and visual art. Collaborating with the Jasper Project, the SC Phil welcomes 14 SC artists to respond to the works and movements presented on this program, creating new pieces to express their reactions. These new creations will be projected on the sides of the concert hall during the performance, providing audiences with a distinctive artistic experience.
The SC Philharmonic also welcomes guest cellist Sterling Elliot to perform Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme. Acclaimed for his stellar stage presence and joyous musicianship, cellist Sterling Elliott is a 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient and the winner of the Senior Division of the 2019 National Sphinx Competition. Already in his young career, he has appeared with such major orchestras as the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Detroit Symphony, and the Dallas Symphony.
In addition to the Tchaikovsky, audiences will delight in Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 and Rose Absolute, a contemporary work by Japanese composer Karen Tanaka that was inspired by a perfume of the same name. Don’t miss the dynamic and exhilarating finale of our 2023/2024 Masterworks Season!
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 is limited to 20 and opens March 26 on Eventbrite
The public is invited to join the Jasper Project, One Columbia, and All Good Books, along with our host, Bierkeller Brewing Company on Sunday afternoon, April 21st from 3 – 5 pm for the announcement of our new book selection for Columbia’s 2024 ONE BOOK project!
As an Earth Day Eve event, the Bierkeller has invited representatives from local environmental organizations to be on hand to help us set the stage for the announcement of this year’s book selection. A few hints: the author lives, works, and writes in Columbia, the book’s theme centers around nature, environmental responsibility, and climate change, and there are characters in the book that transcend perceived racial, gender, sexual orientation, and even biological divisions to remind us that we are all citizens of this planet.
Columbia city poet laureate Jennifer Bartell Boykin will read a poem dedicated to the city, and southeastern regional poetry event host Al Black has created a new poem inspired by the selected book. Dr. Melissa Stuckey, USC professor of History, will speak as will One Columbia’s Xavier Blake, All Good Book’s Jared Johnson, and the Jasper Project’s Cindi Boiter. There will be an interactive arts table for the children, environmental information booths, and various arts and crafts vendors will share their wares and talents with attendees. And, of course, beer, wine, and authentic German dishes will be available from the Bierkeller.
In addition to announcing the calendar of events for Columbia’s 2024 ONE BOOK celebration, the pre-Earth Day event will also allow for the announcement of a Jasper Project – sponsored and ONE BOOK - inspired visual art, literary art, and singer-songwriter competition open to Midlands area artists with prizes and a 2024 ONE BOOK culminating party on September 22, 2024.
A collaboration between Richland Library and the Jasper Project, this show features 22 previous Tiny Gallery artists. Opening on March 15th, the show will be up until April 26th.
Tiny Gallery is a virtual gallery that gives artists an opportunity to show a selection of smaller pieces offered at affordable price points attractive to beginning collectors and patrons with smaller budgets. Pieces can be any medium but must be under 15” x 15” and under $200, with no more than 50% of works being above $100; artists show around 15-25 pieces.
Starting in 2018, Tiny Gallery began in Tapp's Art Center with a goal to get local art in as many homes as possible. This celebration of Tiny Gallery's specific participants are:
Adam Corbett
Benji Hicks
Christopher Lane
Crush Rush
Fredrick Townsend
Ginny Merett
Jeffrey Miller
K. Wayne Thornley
Kathryn Van Aernum
Keith Tolen
Lindsay Radford Wiggins
Lucas Sams
Mary Ann Haven
Michael Krajewski
Pascale Sexton Bilgis
Regina Langston
Richard Hill
Ron Hagell
Sean Rayford
Tennyson Corley
Thomas Washington
Vanessa Hewitt DeVore
The SC Philharmonic closes the 59th Season with an inspiring interdisciplinary integration of classical music and visual art. Collaborating with the Jasper Project, the SC Phil welcomes 14 SC artists to respond to the works and movements presented on this program, creating new pieces to express their reactions. These new creations will be projected on the sides of the concert hall during the performance, providing audiences with a distinctive artistic experience.
Opening during Jasper Galleries usual monthly Third Thursday slot at Koger Center's The Nook, the show's featured artists are:
Alejandro Garcia-Lemos
Anthony Lewis
Eileen Blyth
Fred Townsend
K. Wayne Thornley
Keith Tolen
Laura Garner Hine
Lindsay Radford Wiggins
Lori Starnes Isom
Michael Krajewski
Regina Langston
Stephen Chesley
Thomas Washington
Wilma Ruth King
Jasper Galleries features monthly artists at Koger Center's The Nook, and our featured Third Thursday artist for the month of March is Josef Berlinger!
The signature affixed to all of my work is "Jobey." Jobey is the more outgoing and confident alter ego of Josef Berliner. Behind the mask is a thoughtful, somewhat shy, and introspective artist. Armed with the knowledge that I am not alone in this attribute, I seek through all of my art, but most especially my portraiture, to go behind the surface facade of my subject matter and search for the deeper and often hidden and complex personae beneath.
As I delve deeper and deeper into my paintings, I feel an almost organic connection between myself and the canvas, as if our combined energies feed off of one another and a mutual bonding process emerges. There is never a precise moment when this melding occurs, but I know that it will, and while I may anticipate it eagerly, I also understand better than to try to force or rush it, as it must happen naturally and at its own pace.
To quote the artist himself, " I feel that it's my mission (and duty) to try to make the world a more beautiful place, even if it's only one canvas at a time."
The artistic journey of Josef Berliner began in early childhood, when his parents noticed that his favorite birthday and holiday gifts were sketchpads, young readers instructional books, and drawing pencils. His relatives (particularly his aunt, who was an artist herself) nurtured his interest, encouraging his creative spirit and inquiring mind. Cited for his renderings throughout his formative school years, his artwork was selected to be part of the national touring exhibition of the Scholastic Art Awards, where, at sixteen, he first exhibited at a stop on the tour at the Columbia Museum of Art.
He attended the University of South Carolina, with a double major in Theatre and Studio Art, surrounding himself with creative and brilliant instructors and classmates, many of whom have remained lifelong friends. Although he was determined to make his mark in the art world, fate had other plans for Josef, and his ear and skill with mixing dance music beckoned, so for many years he became best known as a premier nightclub deejay, performing at many of the largest and best-known clubs in the Southeast, winning a multitude of awards and commendations along the way. During this period, he met his biggest supporter and the most honest critic of his work, his husband Josh. it should be pointed out, however, that while the years behind turntables were both personally and professionally fulfilling, art still remained a driving passion.
He began accepting commission work on a limited basis. Clients appreciated what he was capable of achieving. Josh gave his full and complete support, backing his desire to assume the mantle of professional artist. He then became a fixture in both solo and group gallery shows.
He has been recognized as a contributor to many charitable causes, always willing to give of himself as much as possible. He has been cited for his participation in organizations such as Bullets and Band-Aids, the University of South Carolina Department of Dance Gala (in which he also serves as a board member), the Atlantic Institute, and most recently was honored to be a featured artist for the Artists for Africa winter event, an organization he has fervently supported for a number of years. His artwork has been seen in local theatre, where he has provided lobby art, touring exhibitions, as well as private collections not just on a national level, but internationally as well.
Josef works predominantly in oil on canvas, with a keen eye for detail and the innate ability to look far deeper than the mere surface, all the while seeking for a level of perfection that, while perhaps unattainable, is indeed his ultimate and far-reaching goal.
NEVER STOP REACHING....
A collaboration between Richland Library and the Jasper Project, this show features 22 previous Tiny Gallery artists. Opening on March 15th, the show will be up until April 26th.
Tiny Gallery is a virtual gallery that gives artists an opportunity to show a selection of smaller pieces offered at affordable price points attractive to beginning collectors and patrons with smaller budgets. Pieces can be any medium but must be under 15” x 15” and under $200, with no more than 50% of works being above $100; artists show around 15-25 pieces.
Starting in 2018, Tiny Gallery began in Tapp's Art Center with a goal to get local art in as many homes as possible. This celebration of Tiny Gallery's specific participants are:
Adam Corbett
Benji Hicks
Christopher Lane
Crush Rush
Fredrick Townsend
Ginny Merett
Jeffrey Miller
K. Wayne Thornley
Kathryn Van Aernum
Keith Tolen
Lindsay Radford Wiggins
Lucas Sams
Mary Ann Haven
Michael Krajewski
Pascale Sexton Bilgis
Regina Langston
Richard Hill
Ron Hagell
Sean Rayford
Tennyson Corley
Thomas Washington
Vanessa Hewitt DeVore
Benji Hicks was born in 1970 in Columbia, South Carolina. With no formal training, he is a self-taught artist and woodblock print maker.
Working professionally as a carpenter and painter, including murals and sign painting, he has always enjoyed drawing, painting and wood carving.
After discovering the art of Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock printing), he decided to combine his skills to create woodblock prints.
He is just as passionate about the tools, materials and techniques of woodblock printing, as he is about the images he creates. Benji draws inspiration from art, culture and the natural world around him.
Benji also uses his carpentry skills to make frames from reclaimed wood to add that finished touch to his prints.
For this show, I wanted to show some of the paintings I make when coming up with woodblock print designs.
These paintings are an essential part of making my woodblock prints. Especially for figuring out all the different color blocks needed to make the print.
Traditionally, Japanese woodblock prints were made by three artisans and then sold by a publisher.
First, an artist would create a painting. Then, a carver would carve all the woodblocks needed for every color in the print.
The blocks would then go to a printmaker who would make the prints. The prints would then go to the publisher for sale.
My prints are self drawn, self carved, self printed and self published. I have found that, for me, these four stages tend to line up with the four seasons.
In the winter, when it’s cold and the days are short, I find myself inside my art studio drawing and painting.
In the spring when the weather starts to warm up, I find myself in the woodworking shop, cutting, sanding and carving woodblocks and making frames.
During the hot days of summer I will be back inside my studio making new print editions and framing everything for the upcoming holiday season.
Then during the fall, my focus is on selling. These months are always the best for sales.
Once the holidays are over, it’s back to the drawing board to do it all over again .
This show is a collection of some of my earlier prints along with some new ones and also some of the original paintings made to create my prints. I have even included a series of new paintings that will be the inspiration for my next woodblock prints.
