Spartanburg artist explores mental illness, including his own
‘It’s okay to say mental illness.’
Spartanburg artist Bailie will debut his latest body of work—In The Midst of a Trauma, an extensive collection that probes the minds of people with mental illnesses—May 4-29 at Artists Collective | Spartanburg.
Bailie | Bipolar disorder. Click image to enlarge.
“After suffering through a mental block and finding help through therapy, I’ve spent the past two years working on this exhibit,” the one-name artist said. “I’m telling everyone that ‘It’s okay to say mental illness.’ That phrase or slogan is my mantra, and I want to bring mental illness out of the dark and explore it in a way that people can come to understand that we all have problems, that we all need a little help from time to time, that we can do better and even thrive.”
This multifaceted exhibition includes photography, paintings, multimedia sculptures, video, and creations that defy definition. To create much of this exhibition, Bailie worked with his therapist to interview five people diagnosed with various mental health problems, such as split personalities and manic depression. From those interviews he created six encaustic wax photographs (including one of himself) that depict the person’s mental health.
Also, he asked each person to describe his or her worst state of mental health, and from those descriptions, he made six sculptures, including one about his own state of mind. When the photography and sculptures are exhibited, they will be accompanied by the actual questions and answers. All but one person will use his or her real name.
“It takes true bravery to put your mental health problems on display for the world to see,” Bailie said. “However, speaking from experience, it is also freeing. It’s like telling the world you are not ashamed. In most cases, people with cancer are not ashamed. Or people with diabetes. Or people with COVID-19. Mental health problems are really no different than physical health problems. If you have a problem, get help, and live your life!”
In addition, Bailie will display Scribble Man, a sculpture of a man’s upper body made of wire; a video of an animated white figure crab-walking backward as the body is torn apart and blown away; and a plexiglass box full of pill bottles that represent the many type of mental illnesses and the drugs used to treat them.
Bailie | Encaustic portrait | 10x10. Click image to enlarge.
To give people insight into his own state of mental health, Bailie has painted several large canvases that depict times in his life that he either struggled with mental illness, looked for answers, and accepted the cards that life had dealt him. In what is probably the most telling creation, Bailie has painted a profile self-portrait that shows him in deep contemplation, emerging from darkness into light.
“That painting has more story behind it than what the average patron might get to know,” Bailie said. “Originally, the painting was done about 10 years ago, right after my parents died within two weeks of each other. To say the least, that was a hard time for me. I painted a dark picture with an anguished and agonized face in the center. It was pretty disturbing. To make it even more personal, I had mixed some of my parents’ cremation ashes into the paints that I used.
“After going through therapy and discovering some repressed memories about my family, I had to express myself in the most profound way I could,” Bailie continued. “So, I painted over that picture with my self-portrait, a picture that shows me finally coming to grips with why I felt so angry, so hurt, so damaged. Behind my exterior, there are some dark things. But I recognize them. I deal with them. I am passed them. I’m okay.”
Establishing professional credibility for this exhibit, Bailie has received both moral and financial support, including that of Mental Health America of Spartanburg, The Carolina Center for Behavioral Health, the Phifer-Johnson Foundation (a family foundation based in Spartanburg that gives primarily to the arts, education, health and human services), and various unnamed individuals.
In the Midst of a Trauma will open for public viewing Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. beginning May 4. Free. A free and public reception will be held Thursday, May 20, 6-9 p.m., during Spartanburg’s monthly ArtWalk, now returning to its regular third Thursday schedule.
Art exhibit spreads wings in the Upstate
'Wings of the City' on display in Greenville
'Wings of the City' on display in San Antonio, Texas.
It's no secret that Greenville has really taken off...
As further evidence, the city is first East Coast landing spot of a famed art exhibit called Wings of the City. The traveling exhibition of Mexican sculptor Jorge Marin's work has giant bronze wings outdoors in Falls Park and on the Peace Center campus. His "Alas de Mexico" sculpture, shown above, is part of the fun and obviously 'gram-worthy if you're so inclined. The Hispanic Alliance of Greenville, a partner of the S.C. Arts Commission, helped make the exhibition a reality. Bank of America, a Governor's Award recipient in 2018, is sponsor. Read more about this from Fox Carolina.Governor’s Award recipient lands new radio gig
ColaJazz to entertain on S.C. Public Radio
South Carolina Public Radio (SC Public Radio) announced a collaboration with The ColaJazz Foundation to produce and broadcast a new, weekly limited series focused on South Carolina’s jazz community.
Titled "ColaJazz Presents," the series will air Sundays at 8 p.m. on all eight SC Public Radio stations, with the first episode slated to debut on April 4 – a fitting premiere date as April is recognized as National Jazz Appreciation Month. The first episode will spotlight the Columbia-based ensemble Les Flat Out Strangers.
Host Mark Rapp (right), executive director of The ColaJazz Foundation, will feature performances from a diverse group of South Carolina’s top jazz musicians, as well as interviews with those musicians offering an intimate glimpse into their lives, communities and passion for music. Consisting of 13 episodes, with the last one slated for broadcast on June 27, the series will utilize The ColaJazz Foundation’s ever-growing library of concerts, many of which were recorded over the last year in socially distanced recording sessions where COVID-19 safety precautions were followed.
Ed. note: Rapp is no relation to the author of this article.
“South Carolina is home to a growing jazz community consisting of some incredibly talented musicians and charming venues that provide a home to their performances. We couldn’t be more excited to partner with The ColaJazz Foundation to launch this new series and shine a spotlight on this burgeoning community,” said SCETV President and CEO Anthony Padgett.
This project is the result of SC Public Radio’s ongoing strategy to ramp up local programming. Now in its 48th year of broadcasting, the SC Public Radio network covers not only most of the Palmetto State, but also communities that border South Carolina, including Charlotte, Augusta and Savannah. This broad coverage area allows the network to reach an average weekly listenership of approximately 300,000 individuals. “It is with great honor and excitement for The ColaJazz Foundation to partner with and to be supported by SC Public Radio. The weekly Sunday night ‘ColaJazz Presents’ radio show expands our ongoing mission in style, and we can’t wait to share the incredible jazz music being made in South Carolina by South Carolina jazz artists,” Rapp said. Established in 2014, The ColaJazz Foundation is a community-minded 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization focused on growing, supporting and promoting jazz in the Midlands through events, education, recordings, resources and advocacy. The ColaJazz Foundation is a recipient of the 2021 South Carolina Governor’s Awards for the Arts, the state’s highest award for achievements in practicing or supporting the arts. For more information on ColaJazz Presents, click here.
Artisphere, Ag + Art Tour announce spring plans
In-person opportunities continue to increase
That bright thing is back in the sky today.
One's thoughts inevitably turn to spring on days like today. The days are zipping toward March and there's a warmer weather pattern to enliven the spirit and enhance mood. With so many people yearning for some semblance of routine to return, and time drawing nearer to outdoor events being more palatable, two South Carolina (outdoor) arts festivals announced plans to come back after joining so many on an unfortunate (but understandable) one-year hiatus.South Carolina Ag + Art Tour (weekends May 29-June 27)
This is an annual crawl across several South Carolina counties that showcases things South Carolina does well. (You probably guessed what from the event's name.) Starting the final weekend in May, and every weekend in June, explore the agriculture and artistic heritage of South Carolina through the South Carolina Ag + Art Tour. This experience is a free, self-guided tour of designated farms in South Carolina, featuring local artisans and farmer's markets. This year you can plan to make visits in these counties: Charleston, Chester, Chesterfield, Colleton, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lancaster, Lexington, Newberry and Richland + York. The festival is organized by Clemson University Cooperative Extension.Artisphere (May 7-9)
Hailed as one of the country's top arts festivals, Artisphere announced yesterday that it's returning to Greenville's Main Street for its usual Mother's Day Weekend run. Like so many things, it won't quite be the same—at least not yet. Masks will be mandatory, attendance will be limited and everyone will be funneled through one of three entry points. And, just for this year they say, it will be confined to the West End Historic District on South Main. Reservations for 2.5-hour time slots will be available to the general public starting March 15 for a $5 fee that will be returned upon admission as a credit to buy art. Sign up for notification and learn more about Artisphere 2021 here. (Disclaimer: the S.C. Arts Commission provides operating support to Artisphere that is tangential to this newsworthy item.) The Hub will try to keep readers updated on additional festival announcements as they occur.Image by kie-ker from Pixabay
McKissick Museum announces reopening date
Museum resumes telling story of Southern life next week
The University of South Carolina’s McKissick Museum is excited to announce that it will reopen to the public on Monday, Feb. 8, 2021.
The museum is set to debut two new exhibits, Child’s Play, and the final iteration of the popular exhibit, Piece by Piece: Quilts from the Permanent Collection. Visitors will be able to enjoy the entire museum—including A Laughing Matter? Political Humor Through the Years and the Museum’s permanent exhibition, Natural Curiosity with new safety measures in place. Protective measures will include timed admission tickets, limited gallery capacity, an increased cleaning schedule, and the required use of face coverings and physical distancing. McKissick will continue to be free and offer a robust digital events calendar for 2021. Timed admission tickets will be available by the hour and up to two months in advance via Eventbrite or by calling 803.777.7251. Guided tours are available by request and are capped at 8 participants.Reopening event
Guests are invited to celebrate McKissick’s reopening on February 11th for an evening of curator-led tours of our newest exhibitions. Guests will take a trip down memory lane with Curator of Exhibitions Giordano Angeletti and explore the messages we send and receive from toys in Child’s Play, and explore the final iteration of the ever-popular exhibition, Piece by Piece: Quilts from the Permanent Collection, with Chief Curator of Folklife and Fieldwork Saddler Taylor. Free timed tickets are available on the half-hour from 5:30-7:30 p.m., with quantities limited. Guests can reserve reopening reception tickets online or by calling 803.777.7251. Use of face coverings and physical distancing will be enforced.State Art Collection returns to Greenville this evening
‘Contemporary Conversations’ at Greenville Center for Creative Arts
Selections from the 466-piece State Art Collection go on exhibition at Greenville Center for Creative Arts (GCCA) in “Contemporary Conversations” starting Thursday, Dec. 4 and running through Jan. 27, 2021.
WHO: Greenville Center for Creative Arts + South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC)- WHAT: The State Art Collection: Contemporary Conversations
- WHEN: Friday, Dec. 4, 2020 through Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021 Wednesdays through Fridays from 1-5 p.m.
- WHERE: Greenville Center for Creative Arts (101 Abney St., Greenville)
Established in 1967 as one of the first programs of the SCAC, the State Art Collection has grown to include 466 works in a variety of media and styles by 288 South Carolina contemporary artists. It serves to encourage, support, and promote South Carolina’s creative visual artists (#SCartists) and is of historic and cultural importance to the people of the state. Small exhibitions featuring work from the collection are organized on a regular basis for rural and isolated areas inside and outside of the state. The collection is supported in part by the South Carolina Arts Foundation.
‘Communal Pen’ virtual writing workshop is back in October
Two-part writing workshop continues S.C. tour
Medlock Bridge ParkChattahoochee River National Recreation Area
Communal Pen, a creative writing workshop presented by the S.C. Arts Commission and South Carolina Humanities, is back for more on Saturday, Oct. 24 to help you write to celebrate memories, stories, and traditions of place... continuing its reimagined virtual format with a brand-new theme!
What are the memories, stories and traditions that make your community home?
What landmarks, customs, sights and sounds connect us with family, friends and neighbors, while highlighting our unique experience and identity?
Sometimes, you’ve just got to write it down!
Facilitator EBONI RAMM will lead the virtual workshop as you write to celebrate and explore connections to place and community. Often, it is in our written words that memory lives. The writing process can itself help us to awaken and preserve thoughts and traditions, offering insight, understanding and respect to present and future generations. In conjunction with the traveling exhibit, Water/Ways, the South Carolina Maritime Museum in Georgetown is hosting this two-part writing workshop, which will be conducted over two Saturday mornings next month:
- 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24
- 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31
The Communal Pen writing workshop draws inspiration from the new Smithsonian exhibit, Water/Ways, which is touring South Carolina with the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street (MoMS) Traveling Exhibition Service from June 2020-April 2021. MoMS provides access to the Smithsonian for small-town America through museum exhibitions, research, educational resources, and programming. Exhibit themes and images are a springboard for igniting our own stories, giving voice to our shared and individual experience of place. Communal Pen is developed through the S.C. Arts Commission’s place-based initiative, "Art of Community: Rural SC," a new framework for engagement, learning, and action in rural communities. The writing workshops are coordinated through the SCAC’s Folklife & Traditional Arts and Community Arts Development programs, with generous support from South Carolina Humanities.
Deeply rooted in South Carolina, "Communal Pen" writing workshop creator and facilitator Eboni Ramm fell in love with the arts at a very young age and was encouraged throughout her youth to express herself. Today, an accomplished poet and jazz singer, she invites audiences of all ages to share her passion for combining these art forms, highlighting her belief in the powerful influence of jazz on the American literary experience and aesthetic. She has taught her unique Jazz Poetry Salon at residencies with the Richland County Public Library, Arts Access South Carolina, Youth Corps, Fairfield Middle School, McKissick Museum, and ColaJazz’s partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center, among others. Other selected accomplishments include her publication, Within His Star: The Story of Levi Pearson, celebrating Eboni’s ancestor who added strength to the unprecedented Brown vs. The Board of Education case, and the release of her poetry CD, Passion, and her jazz CD, The Look of Love. Learn more about Eboni at www.EboniRamm.com.
"Communal Pen: Water/Ways" coordinator Laura Marcus Green is program specialist for community arts & folklife at the S.C. Arts Commission, where she provides statewide outreach and project coordination through the Art of Community: Rural SC initiative and other projects, while managing folklife grant and award programs. She holds a Ph.D. in folklore from Indiana University and an M.A. in folklore/anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin. Selected prior positions include folklife & traditional arts program director at McKissick Museum, community engagement coordinator for the Museum of International Folk Art’s Gallery of Conscience, and work as a folklife fieldworker and researcher, writer, curator and consultant for various arts and culture agencies nationwide. Having attended, coordinated, and facilitated diverse workshops, she is a devoted believer in the power of community writing.
Turn on tha radio, nah… really, turn it on
#SCartists gets national airtime July 22
Movements 2, 3 and 4 from Meira Warshauer's Symphony No. 1: Living Breathing Earth will be the last piece on the 2nd hour of the Wednesday, July 22 edition of Minnesota Public Radio/American Public Media's Performance Today program.
The second hour of "PT" is broadcast from 10-11 a.m. on South Carolina Public Radio news and music stations. It will be re-broadcast on their weekend edition, and available on the show's website for 30 days.
The performance will be the Feb. 3, 2007 world premiere by The Western Piedmont Symphony; John Gordon Ross, conductor, at First Baptist Church in Hickory, North Carolina. The movements Tahuayo River at Night, Wings in Flight and Living, Breathing Earth will be aired.
Warshauer writes, "The title Living, Breathing Earth came to me in contemplating the image of the rainforests as lungs of the earth. I felt our planet, alive with all variety of creatures and plants living in symbiosis with each other, breathing in and out, and the planet as a whole, pulsing with breath. I also contemplated the earth rotating through space, a spinning orb of blue and green, at just the right distance from the sun to support life, and our protective blanket of air, the atmosphere of the earth, providing the medium for our breath. Since the 2007 premiere, Climate Change has markedly worsened, with the balance of Earth’s “breath” more untenable. In this symphony, I honor the planet which sustains us, with the prayer that we will change our course of destruction and choose life." Read her complete notes here.
The piece was recorded for Navona Records by Petr Vronsky conducting The Moravian Philharmonic for the release Living Breathing Earth (NV5842).
Warshauer received music composition fellowships from the South Carolina Arts Commission in 1994 and 2006. Read more about the Columbia-based composer on her website.
Decorated #SCartists highlight new gallery exhibition
SCAC fellows, Governor's Award recipients featured
Unnamed by Edward Rice. 2019-2020. Oil. 84x42.
What's going on? What does it mean? What's next? What really matters?
These are questions asked by Hampton III Gallery at its new exhibition, In Times Like These, which runs July 9 through August 29, 2020. From the gallery:As our world changes, artists continue to create and explore through visual language. In Times Like These is an exhibition that allows the viewer to enter into the personal space of 20 Hampton III Gallery artists.These artworks were created from March through June 2020. All are on display in the center gallery. Visitors are welcome to view the exhibition during regular hours. Social distancing will be observed and masks are required during this time.
Featured among the 20 Southern artists in the exhibition are several from South Carolina represented by the gallery, including recipients of two of the South Carolina Arts Commission's highest honors: individual artist fellowships or the Governor's Arts Award.SCAC Fellows
- Alice Ballard
- Dr. Philip Mullen
- Edward Rice
Governor's Award recipients
- Jeanet Dreskin
- Dr. Philip Mullen
- Edward Rice
- Tom Stanley
- Dr. Leo Twiggs
Going? Hampton III Gallery is located outside Greenville in Taylors at 3110 Wade Hampton Blvd., Suite 10. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Friday from 1-5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and other times by appointment. Free.