Arts Beat Blog

Online Extra: Charleston Chamber Orchestra Plays Columbia

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:03:51 -0400

At a distance, one would presume that city would not have too much difficulty supporting its fine local orchestra

Spoleto Releases 2012 Lineup

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 13:54:22 -0400

If there's one thing that can be said about the Spoleto Festival USA, it certainly has expanded its scope in recent years

Cultural Council Hires Interim Director

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:31:07 -0400

Online Extra: USC Symphony and the Red Violin

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 20:18:41 -0400

People write about what to listen for in classical music in the academic world, in the performing world, and even in novels and comic strips. It's amazing what vast differences happen. Some see colors.

One Book Program Seeks Reading Advocates

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:57:40 -0400

Spearheaded by City Councilwoman Belinda Gergel, the One Book One Columbia program was launched in April with the goal of promoting not only literacy, but also community dialogue.

Letter to Travis -- A Poem for Occupy Columbia

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:34:30 -0400

I saw that photo of you, lean, grinning, skinny jeans,

flannel shirt, newsboy cap, and nearby,

Arts Commission Seeks Nominations for Verner, Folk Heritage Awards

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 16:14:58 -0400

The South Carolina Arts Commission is seeking nominations for two signature awards programs

Museum Names New Curator

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 10:00:36 -0400

The Columbia Museum of Art has named Dayton Art Institute curator Will South as its new chief curator. He replaces Todd Herman, who left in July to become director of the Arkansas Art Center.

New Magazine "Jasper" Launches with Familiar Cast of Writers

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 18:20:41 -0400

There's a new arts magazine in town -- "Jasper," named for South Carolina native son Jasper Johns, one of the leading artists of the 20th century.

Andy Smith Named New Director of Nickelodeon Theatre

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 15:44:21 -0400

Local arts lovers will likely feel a combination of emotions at the news that Andy Smith will be taking over for Larry Hembree as director of Columbia's independent movie theater, the Nickelodeon.

Artists Call for Legislators to Override Anticpated Veto

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:00:11 -0400

We are deeply concerned that Governor Haley has announced her intention to veto funding for the South Carolina Arts Commission.

Interview with Workshop Director Jeni McCaughan

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 16:46:37 -0400

There's a not-so-new face in the executive director's office at Workshop Theatre: longtime volunteer and former interim administrator Jeni McCaughan. McCaughan was born in Ohio, grew up in Virginia, and majored in psychology at the University of Tennessee; she later studied a

Local Composer's Symphony Featured on National Radio Program

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 15:17:25 -0400

Local composer Meira Warshauer's Symphony No.1: Living Breathing Earth was featured June 5 on the national radio show Living on Earth, produced by Public Radio International and broadcast locally on 91.3.

The View from Spoleto

Mon, 30 May 2011 20:51:20 -0400

Coming into this year's Spoleto Festival USA, I knew it was a big year for new music.

Sitting in the Dock Street Theatre Saturday waiting for a chamber music concert, my first event, I leafed through the big book of all things Spoleto. And it seemed like every page offered up new music, even more than I'd recalled in writing advance stories about the festival.

Update: Haley vs. Arts Commission

Fri, 20 May 2011 12:25:31 -0400

Across the country, state arts agencies are fighting for survival -- and in some cases, losing -- having been targeted by Republican governors.

Online Review: Colla Voce at Shandon Methodist

Tue, 10 May 2011 22:57:44 -0400

Ten years ago, Larry Wyatt formed a professional group of singers 
called Colla Voce.

Haley Targets State Arts Agencies -- Again

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 11:01:58 -0400

Republican Gov. Nikki Haley has again taken aim at two state arts agencies, the South Carolina Arts Commission and SCETV.

Nickelodeon to Celebrate Life of Bruce Bahr

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 17:20:40 -0400

The following is a message sent by Nickelodeon Theatre director Larry Hembree to members and supporters of the theater about board member Bruce Bahr, who died on April 16.

Online Review: USC Symphony Plays Liszt

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 14:53:45 -0400

If you investigate the fantastic career of pianist/composer/conductor Franz Liszt, you will find adoring references to his Olympian keyboard technique, and much about his romantic episodes that stretched from Vienna to Paris to Weimar and even Russia in the mid-1800s.

Book Documents Columbia's Civil War Role; Ex-Curator Returns to McKissick

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 14:14:52 -0400

Been following the 150th anniversary of the firing on Fort Sumter? If you haven't gotten your fill already -- say, by watching the Ken Burns' Civil War documentary SCETV aired last week -- you mi

Poetry Straight To Your Inbox

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 10:49:50 -0400

Poets have long had a love/hate relationship with the month of April.

The Great Migration: Q&A with Isabel Wilkerson

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:26:39 -0400

Isabel Wilkerson is the first African-American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for Journalism and the author of the narrative nonfiction bestseller The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration.

Online Review: City Ballet's Dreamy Midsummer Night

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 13:12:24 -0400

William Shakespeare's tale of magic and mischief set in a forest of ethereal beings was beautifully articulated through music, movement and light as Columbia City Ballet performed the romantic comedy l

The Arts Cup Overfloweth: News Roundup

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 17:53:51 -0400

How much do the arts contribute to the local economy? That's what the national organizaton Americans for the Arts its trying to ascertain with an economic impact study it's conducting. Locally, the

South Carolinians Win Awards!

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:48:42 -0400

Look, we're not all dumb down here in South Carolina! Some among us are really smart, in fact -- and occassionally even get recognized for it.

Online Review: USC Symphony Orchestra Excels on Bartok

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:58:36 -0400

Bela Bartok's music always contains a curious series of events, ones that I always find rewardingly musical. Phrase length, thematic material, rhythmic logic and satisfying cadences all are present. His harmonic language is what is most inventive, yet it always seems to fit in a rather classical way.

Online Review: City Ballet's Cinderella

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 12:03:48 -0400

When Regina Willoughby took the stage on Feb. 5 in the title role of Columbia City Ballet's Cinderella, she didn't let it go until the final curtain fell.

Arts News: Students Compete on Practice Time

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 14:50:39 -0400

Also: H-tax deadline; call for artists; library web study

Online Review: Classical Ballet Delivers Stellar Night with LifeChance

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 11:04:22 -0400

There is no better dance deal in town than the night each January when Columbia Classical Ballet presents Life Chance: One Night for a Better Day, an invitational ballet performance of some of the finest dancers in the country, all on one stage, all for charity. Saturday night's perfor

Local Film Festival Named One of Coolest Anywhere

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:10:34 -0400

Sure, you and all your friends already knew that Columbia's Indie Grits Film Festival is one of the coolest independent film festivals around, but it sure is nice to get some external recognition no

Social Medium: Art in Winter

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 09:37:51 -0400

As I write, Columbia is blanketed by another climate-changed and rather beautiful amount of snowy, slushy weather. Along with the New Year, a time of resolute beginnings, it seems apropo

Read Locally: Origami and Cold Hearts in Zooville

Thu, 30 Dec 2010 10:22:41 -0400

Reading and writing are solitary passions, yet we often connect to others and learn about the world around us through words alone. So, writing and publishing are important — just look at how we all react to what is printed in Free Times or The State —

Social Medium: My Main Street

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 10:35:34 -0400

"Main Street USA", that somewhat magical confluence of peoples, traditions and crafts running through a city, perhaps dividing it, sometimes uniting it, has come into its own in our River City. Columbia's Main Street now hums with a regularity of social activities, continuously re

Arts News: New Theater at Midlands Tech, Hotel Embraces Art, Half & Half Show

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 16:43:04 -0400

Midlands Technical College has opened a 400-seat theater at its Harbison campus. That's good news for local performing arts organizations, because the college plans to w

Arts News: S.C. Native Wins National Book Award, Cultural Council Looking For You

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 10:38:12 -0400

Terrance Hayes -- a Columbia native and Spring Valley High graduate -- has won the National Book Award for Poetry. Here's how the National Book Foundation, which grants the awards, describes his winning collection Lighthead:

Social Medium: Art+Cayce

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 16:48:29 -0400

Art really is everywhere around Columbia, and no less present is the art that hides in plain sight.

Arts Roundup: Terry K. Hunter, Philharmonic and More

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 12:54:39 -0400

Even with a packed arts section in our print edition, there are always more things going on than Free Times can cover fully.

City Ballet's Dracula Lives On

Thu, 04 Nov 2010 14:08:05 -0400

My favorite part of Columbia City Ballet's Dracula: Ballet with a Bite happens before the curtain goes up. I remember years ago, the first time I saw the performance, being thrilled by the late Thomas Semanski's musical overture and Barry Sparks' eerie lighting

Local theater alum performs in NYC festival

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 08:27:54 -0400

In April Jonathan Whitton came home to Columbia to play the lead in the Trustus production of The Last Five Years, a two person musical about a relationship told from beginning to end and end to beginning simultaneously.

Arts News: Painted Pianos, Legal Help for Artists

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:11:16 -0400

If you've followed the South Carolina Philharmonic in recent years, you've no doubt heard of their Painted Violins fundraiser, in which artists do all sorts of creative things to fiddles -- yes, usually involving paint, but really it's much more involved than th

Five Questions for Morihiko

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 11:02:45 -0400

The South Carolina Philharmonic performs Oct. 16 at the Koger Center. For a feature on the concert, see "Prokofiev's Pyrotechnics Anchor Philharmonic Program." That feature includes exce

Local Author Makes Rolling Stone Hot List

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 16:36:56 -0400

What do Danish supermodel Freja, stand-up comedian Reggie Watts, rapper Nicki Minaj, French blogger Olivier Zahm, reclusive novelist Charles Portis, and Columbia's own David Axe h

Janette Turner Hospital Email: Bright Lights, Big Ego

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:24:24 -0400

USC's "Distinguished" Carolina Professor Janette Turner Hospital has never been afraid to let people know she's a big deal.

Coming Soon: Fortune-Cookie Fortunes as Public Art Downtown

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 13:24:08 -0400

If you saw artist Jonathan Brilliant's show a few months back at USC's McMaster Gallery, you know he can make everyday items into something quite extraordinary. In that c

Music School Dean Has Two Upcoming Performances

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 16:58:48 -0400

A new piece by USC Music School Dean Tayloe Harding will be performed twice in the next 10 days.

Treadmill Seeks Poets

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:27:30 -0400

Poets are always looking for some love -- entering contests, reading at spoken-word events, scribbling in the corner of a coffee shop hoping that someone will ask about what they're writing.

SC Arts Individual Grant Deadline approaching and new author series

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 11:12:39 -0400

You only have a few weeks left to submit applications for the South Carolina Arts Commission's Individual Artist Fellowships Grants. The $5,000 grants are awarded in four categories for the 2012 cycle: visual art, craft, music performance and music composition.

Mid-week poetry and a note on bureaucracy

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:21:32 -0400

Looking for a mid-week arts fix? Gotham Bagel, 1508 Main St., is hosting the Mind Gravy Poetry Venue Wednesday from 8-10 p.m. Paul Allen will be the featured poet.

Literary happenings and a retirement

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 13:09:56 -0400

Best-selling writer Eric Jerome Dickey, author of "Resurrecting Midnight" and "Dying for Revenge," will be in Columbia Sept. 2 to sign his new novel "Tempted by Trouble."

Fine amnesty, Carolina

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 09:50:40 -0400

Have you been ducking librarians because of your out of control over due fees? Worry no more - the Richland County Public Library is offering you a way out! August 22-28 is Forgive and Forget – a fine amnesty week that allows you to bring in your overdue items plus one new or gently used book and have all of your fines forgiven.

Southeastern Piano Festival on NPR July 26!

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 23:49:54 -0400

This time USC's very own Southeastern Piano Festival is in the national spotlight on NPR. Tune in to 91.3 FM in Columbia on Monday, July 26 between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. to hear Roberto Plano's performance of Chopin's Mazurkas on "Performance Today." Plano's recording is scheduled to air during the first hour.

New Audience Road Show is taking applications

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 09:01:39 -0400

A quick survey of the audiences at most of the traditional arts venues in Columbia like Trustus Theatre or the SC Philharmonic reveals one obvious truth - the patrons are aging. But there are groups trying to change that. The SC Arts Commission is its fourth year of New Audience Road Show, an outreach program that takes young adults ages 23-29 behind the scenes of arts organizations in hopes that exposing them to the inner workings of a symphony or a museum will prompt them to become regular patrons of the arts.

SCETV brings home the Emmys while SC Arts hands out cash

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 23:36:03 -0400

After weeks of grappling for its very survival in the face of massive budget cuts, SCETV was eventually spared Gov. Sanford's veto. And just to put the cherry on top – in late June the station was awarded four Emmys at the Southeast Regional National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ceremony.

Play With Your City, Tosh.0 and S&S Art Supply moves

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 11:25:58 -0400

What kind of public art could you create for $3,000? Probably not the next Busted Plug Plaza or Tunnel Vision – but who knows with the entire city as your canvas?

The SC Phil hits the national airwaves!

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 21:33:47 -0400

The SC Philharmonic will make history on Friday, June 25. For the first time since it was founded 47 years ago, one of the group's performances will be broadcast nationally.

Creative economics and a T-shirt contest

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 20:18:32 -0400

With state funding of the arts currently sitting on the chopping block, funding for creative ventures if more important than ever.* The SC Arts Commission is offering a FastTrac NewVenture for the Creative Economy class Monday evenings from 6-9 p.m. June 21-August 30.

Dispatches from the Lowcounty: Spoleto's Second Weekend

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 13:11:16 -0400

Festival's second weekend featured delightful opera, sublime chamber music, ridiculous punk theater. Also: Erik Friedlander!

Killing time with conductors and learning the tango

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 10:43:11 -0400

Beginning today the Conductors Institute of South Carolina is welcoming the public to the Koger Center to observe conductors of all levels take the podium to lead the institute's ensemble.

Spoleto So Far: intense piano music, funny dance, a spare opera and a change at the top

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 12:07:35 -0400

Even after going to the Spoleto Festival for 20 years now, I kind of freak out about everything I've jammed into my schedule - usually 15 performances in five days - and how little I really know about most of it.

Summer arts classes and performances!

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 11:59:14 -0400

Instead of spending the entire summer by the pool, enroll your kids (or yourself) in one of these summertime art experiences!

Have a budding Pavarotti or Renee Fleming?

Opera at USC

is offering a one-week opera camp for children in fifth through ninth grade July 12-16 at the USC School of Music.

The Township is nearly complete

Sun, 30 May 2010 23:28:32 -0400

It's hard to believe a year has passed since the Township halted operations to begin a $12 million renovation. Saturday evening Ann Brodie's Carolina Ballet was the first to christen the new stage with a production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream".

Undefined searches for writers and more

Tue, 25 May 2010 14:13:20 -0400

Undefined, the all arts all the time magazine about town, is searching for some quality writing to feature in its July edition. The deadline is fast approaching – so if you have a short story, flash fiction or some poetry you would like to submit to undefined by June 7.

USC professor wins Guggenheim Fellowship and Phil announces new season

Sat, 22 May 2010 13:16:57 -0400

USC English professor Dr. Laura Dassow Walls is one of 180 artists, scholars and scientists to be awarded a 2010 Guggenheim Fellowship. The John H. Bennett Jr. Chair of Southern Letters was chosen from 3,000 applicants for the award.

Female aviators take flight while State Museum expands art collection

Tue, 18 May 2010 13:16:55 -0400

When it comes to women in early aviation - Amelia Earhart is a bit of an attention hog. But apparently there were plenty of women with their eyes on the skies prior to WWI.

Contemporaries name Artist of the Year

Fri, 14 May 2010 14:41:10 -0400

And the winner is…..drum roll please…. Thursday night the Contemporaries of the Columbia Museum of Art named their artist of the year at their sixth annual soiree.

Corporate alienation and a few arts deadlines

Mon, 10 May 2010 14:41:37 -0400

Artist Bob Trotman refers to his upcoming exhibition "Business as Usual" as a "corporate purgatory" – which to anyone who has slaved away in a cubicle typing TPS reports is a familiar concept. His installation of wooden sculptures is featured in three sections: Committee, Cover Up and Chorus.

Urban Tour rolls on

Thu, 06 May 2010 22:25:00 -0400

Last night Main Street was crawling with people – most gripping a plastic cup of Bud Light in one hand and the Urban Tour map in the other. This was the third year for the event and as I overheard one person say "it makes Columbia feel like a cool city."

Township looking for talent!

Mon, 03 May 2010 14:30:27 -0400

The soon-to-be reopened Township Auditorium is looking for local performers and artists to help christen the newly-renovated venue during its Community Open House Day June 13 from 2-6 p.m.

Arts Commission readies for Gala with big-time talent

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 12:28:00 -0400

The South Carolina Arts Commission has some big time talent lined up for this year's Gala on May 6 at the Columbia Museum of Art. Best-selling author Pat Conroy and Lowcountry artist Jonathan Green will be on hand to accept their Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Awards.

Unknown Time Capsule Found at Township

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:49:48 -0400

The time has nearly come! The newly-renovated Township Auditorium is slated to re-open on June 10 with a performance by Tony Bennett. Plenty of unusual things were found during the renovation, but the most interesting was an undocumented time capsule found last year during demolition.

The "Ins & Outs" and more

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 18:52:36 -0400

"Ins & Outs" a collection of works by Jerry L. Slaton will be on display at the McMaster Gallery, 1615 Senate Street, through Friday. The images are created using computer graphics as "an extension of personal observation, experience, and expression." Also, "interior and exterior spaces reference the observable and cultural landscapes."

Artista Vista...what was missing?

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 15:30:19 -0400

It seems like every time I go to Artista Vista I leave wanting more. It could have been my timing (I didn't hit the Vista until 6:15) but it seemed like there were fewer people roaming the galleries than last year. But as I found out later, there were a few events I missed simply because I had no idea they were going on.

Make it an A(ugusta) Baker's Dozen

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:36:07 -0400

Lots of wonderful things come in dozens – donuts, cookies, the days of Christmas. But a baker's dozen is even better (one extra!). The Richland County Public Library honors a person who gave a little extra with the annual A(ugusta) Baker's Dozen: A Celebrations of Stories.

21 Sounds and 60 Cultures

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 00:52:30 -0400

An experiment was conducted Wednesday evening. Just below street level, the classical was melding with the hipster and it was a successful combination.

Music and Magic at Trustus Cabaret

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 14:02:32 -0400

"If I offend you too much I'm sure John Tudor can just make me disappear" hometown boy and NYC cabaret star Jonathan Whitton quipped Tuesday night during his turn at the NYC Cabaret Comes to Trustus benefit series. The crowd of theater-lovers wanted anything but to see the young tenor disappear.

Relic Room breaks record with Vietnam exhibit, Poetry Contest winners to be announced

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 23:54:12 -0400

The SC Confederate Relic Room & Military Museum broke all previous attendance records in March with a total of 2,253 visitors. The museum credits its first ever exhibition on the Vietnam War "Requiem: By the photographers who died in Vietnam and Indochina" with the increased traf

The music stops in Charleston, a book signing and more

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 16:12:01 -0400

It's not news that the economic recession is having a negative effect on arts organizations across the state, but it has been felt most recently in Charleston. Due to a critical cash flow issue the Charleston Symphony Orchestra announced last week that it would immediately halt all operations.

A soldier sells his soul...

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 10:01:59 -0400

It's a classic sell-your-soul-to-the-devil tale. A young soldier on his way home from war stops for a rest with his violin. A mysterious stranger shows up and instead of offering to take him in a fiddle duel, he tries to buy the violin - which just happens to contain the young man's soul.

S.C. Authors make the hall of fame and more news

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 15:07:44 -0400

Palmetto State writers William Price Fox, Dot Jackson, Ron Rash and George Singleton will be inducted into the South Carolina Academy of Authors Hall of Fame on April 17. All four will appear for the 6 p.m. reception, followed by the 7 p.m. ceremony and a sale and book signing at 8:30 p.m. Campus Life Center Ballroom at the University of South Carolina Upstate.

April Fools! and some other tidbits

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 16:26:42 -0400

It seemed that on Thursday Mother Nature played a huge April Fool's joke on us by skipping right over spring and charging straight into summer – it was only the dusting of sickly-green pollen on every Main Street surface that gave the prank away. Despite the seasonal confusion a sparse crowd was roaming the 1500 block of Main Street - taking in the evening's art fare.

Art for Toby!, Township bricks, fashion for tall women and creative writing...

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 16:16:13 -0400

"Art for Toby!" an art show and fundraiser for the family of USC photography professor Toby Morriss will be held April 1 from 5-8 p.m. at City Art. Morriss died February 28 from injuries he sustained following a hit-and-run motorcycle accident on February 21.

"The Last Five Years"

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 23:27:42 -0400

On Friday Trustus opened "The Last Five Years," an intensely personal musical ride through the lives of a young couple. The two-person show features Jamie, a newly-popular novelist and husband telling his story from past to present and Cathy, a struggling actress and wife, recalling their love affair from its fractured end, back to the beginning.

"Figaro" tonight and more!

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 15:19:42 -0400

Comedy, adultery and sometimes lunacy take place in Mozart's famed opera buffa "The Marriage of Figaro" – not to mention love, hate, deceit and plenty of powdered wigs.

Deadlines approaching for arts competitions

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 16:17:29 -0400

There are only a few weeks left to enter these artistic comeptitions.

The Columbia Museum of Art's Contemporaries are seeking candidates for the sixth Artist of the Year award to be announced during the group's Soiree and Silent Auction on Thursday, May 13 at 7:00 p.m. at the Columbia Museum of Art.

Arts awards and recognitions roundup

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 12:38:55 -0400

Columbia artists, organizations and advocates have been busy during the first quarter of 2010 gathering awards, honors and grants. Here's a roundup.

Wadsworth hosts Russian evening, plus poetry at the Columbia Museum of Art

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 11:02:19 -0400

The fourth concert in the Wadsworth series will feature Tchaikovsky's Piano Trio and Stravinsky's Suite from L'histoire du Soldat performed by three internationally-known chamber musicians - pianist Gilles Vonsattel, clarinetist Jose Franch-Ballester and, for the first time in Columbia, violinist Yehonatan Berick.

Fun with library cards and more

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:50:20 -0400

Find a way to express yourself through a variety of offerings from fashion to storytelling and even old library cards.

USC's library system is saying so long to its card catalog for good, but not without a proper send off.

Arts Roundup: Jonathan Green at USC, Native American Studies Week and More

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 15:49:49 -0400

From poetry to dance and painting, there are many events coming up that focus on how arts and culture intertwine.

The Business of Art

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:11:31 -0400

Most creative types hate to mix money and art, but it's just a fact of life. Several Columbia artists are exploring ways to fund their ventures to promote art and philanthropy.

Larry Wyatt Leads Choral Triumph at Trinity

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:35:12 -0400

A significantly different musical experience took place March 7 with the USC School of Music. It was a performance o

Book Festival Poet: Worthy Evans

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 12:06:41 -0400

As the book festival concludes this weekend, a final post -- and a preview for SC Book Festival 2011!

Book Festival Poet: Ray McManus

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 15:25:08 -0400

Ray McManus says that he didn't grow up with poetry in his house. He had to steal it. He insists that act alone is one of the five most important things he has done in his life.

Book Festival Poet: Atsuro Riley

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 23:06:52 -0400

One of the real highlights of this year's book festival will be Atsuro Riley, a poet who grew up in South Carolina and now lives in California. Earlier this year, Riley was chosen by US Poet Laureate Kay Ryan for the annual Witter Bynner Award.

Book Festival Poet: Linda Annas Ferguson

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 08:24:18 -0400

Another poet reading at this year's book festival will be Linda Annas Ferguson, born in North Carolina but living in the Lowcountry. She is the author of five books of poetry, the fifth of which, Dirt Sandwich,

Book Festival Poetry Countdown: Ron Rash

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:58:51 -0400

I know, I know, Ron Rash is a novelist. Everyone knows Ron Rash is a wonderful novelist, so lots of folks will probably turn out at the book festival to hear him read from his n

Book Festival Poetry Countdown: Marjory Wentworth

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 10:00:07 -0400

South Carolina's Poet Laureate, Marjory Wentworth of Mt. Pleasant, who has also recently published a children's book, will be reading at this year's book festival. Wentworth has published two books of poetry, Noticing Eden (published by Hub City Writers Project in 2003) and Despite Gravity (Ninety-Six Press, 2007). The title poem of Despite Gravity was written f

Book Festival Poetry Countdown: Susan Meyers

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:09:17 -0400

Also reading at this year's festival will be Summerville poet Susan Meyers. Her book, Keep and Give Away, was the first winner of the South Carolina Poetry Initiative's annual book prize contest, selected by Terrance Hayes. Published in 2006, the book went on to win the 2007 Brockman-Campbell Book Award, presented by the North Carolina Poetry Society, as well as the 2007 SIBA book award in poetry, the annual award presented by the Southeastern Independent Booksellers Assocation.

Book Festival Poetry Countdown: Ashley Mace Havird

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 23:32:57 -0400

The final selection from the new batch of chapbooks published by the South Carolina Poetry Initiative and Stepping Stones Press this year is Ashley Mace Havird's Dirt Eaters

Book Festival Poetry Countdown: Libby Bernadin

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 23:48:40 -0400

Libby Bernardin's The Book of Myth is a big book, despite its small size. Bernardin's book is another winner from the South Carolina Poetry Initiative's 2008 chapbook contest. It is, as the title says, a book filled with myths and stories

Book Festival Poetry Countdown: Brittney Blaskowitz Prichard

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 11:26:37 -0400

Continuing with winners from the South Carolina Poetry Initiative's 2008 chapbook contest, our next poet is Brittney Blaskowitz Prichard of Charlotte, N.C. Her book, Lessons in Disaster, is filled with what series editor Kwame Dawes calls "prankster poems" -- quirk