Book Club: The Namesake
The Columbia Museum of Art has teamed up with Richland Library for a virtual book club. Mona Verma, a research and readers advisory professional at Richland Library, will lead a Zoom discussion on Pulitzer prizewinner Jhumpa Lahiri’s bestselling debut novel, The Namesake. The discussion will explore how the narrative exemplifies the diaspora experience for many NRIs (non-resident Indians) and how themes like globalization intersect with ideas raised by artists in the CMA's exhibition, Visions from India. The event is free, but registration is required.
This program has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor.
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Lecture – Betwixt and Beyond: Toward a New Indian Art and Identity
The Columbia Museum of Art hosts an opening weekend virtual lecture for "Visions from India: 21st-Century Art from the Pizzuti Collection." In "Betwixt and Beyond: Toward a New Indian Art and Identity," Dr. Siddhartha V. Shah of the Peabody Essex Museum discusses the ever-evolving story of India; one quite distinct from the fantasy of a timeless, unchanging India that so many have. By discussing his own research and writing as well as topics within the exhibition, Shah reveals the challenges that Indian artists and creatives face in being from a country both ancient and new and how they find great opportunity to reinvent and unravel centuries of ignorance and prejudice about India and Indian-ness. CMA curator Dr. Catherine Walworth will give an introduction, and a live Q&A with Shah and Walworth will follow the lecture. The October 18th event is free on Facebook Live.
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“Visions from India” Virtual Evening for Educators
The Columbia Museum of Art invites educators to a virtual sneak preview of the fall exhibition Visions from India: 21st-Century Art from the Pizzuti Collection, highlighting work from 20 contemporary artists from India and across its diaspora. Works in the show range from delicate beadwork to large-scale kinetic installations. The October 14th event will also include virtual tour offerings and lesson plans, and a talk and Q&A with Curator Catherine Walworth. Free, but registration is required, and space is limited to 100 participants. Professional development renewal credit forms are available.
Sponsored by Bank of America.
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Halsey Talks: Virtual Exhibitions
Halsey Talks are an ongoing series of roundtable discussions of intriguing concepts in art, hosted by the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston. While they may take advantage of exhibitions on view at the Halsey Institute, the are open-ended in nature. As a platform for a deeper understanding and discussion of fascinating ideas in art, Halsey Talks are open to all. October 14th at 7 p.m., the focus will be on the essential characteristics of virtual exhibitions. What makes a virtual exhibition virtual? Are successful virtual exhibitions analogues of physical exhibitions? Or are there qualities that make them entirely different mechanisms for presenting work? The discussion will look at virtual exhibitions created by the Halsey Institute and other museums, many out of necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic. To join the conversation, RSVP to Bryan Granger at GrangerBW@cofc.edu.
Online Film Screening: ART/new york No. 39– Robert Colescott: An American Original
The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston presents a virtual screening of "ART/new york – Robert Colescott: An American Original," September 29th at 7 p.m. The 1993 film looks at paintings by Colescott as seen in a 1982 mid-career exhibition at the Phyllis Kind Gallery in SOHO. In a lengthy interview, Colescott addresses issues that pertain to his role as an African American in contemporary art, depicting race relations, politics, religion, social status, and historical events with irony and an acerbic sense of humor. Viewers will be able to submit questions for a Q&A with the film's director, Paul Tschinkel, following the screening. RSVP to halsey@cofc.edu.
NC Writers’ Network Writingest State Online Conference 2020
North Carolina Writers' Network presents its Writingest State Online Conference 2020, a five-day festival for writers held online November 10th through 14th. The festival features classes and conversations on the craft and business of writing, as well as a keynote address by North Carolina Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green, a Pre-Conference Tailgate, a Prompt Party to get creative juices flowing, online Open Mic readings, Happy Hour virtual gatherings, and an Agents & Editors panel discussion. The registration deadline is November 9th.
Online Film Screening: Feathers of Fire
The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston presents an online screening of the film version of "Feathers of Fire," a shadow puppet play based on the Persian epic poem, "Shahnameh." The vibrant graphics, derived from the visual tradition of the Middle East, are rendered as puppets, costumes, masks, scenography, and digital animation, all of which come to life in a “live animation” shadow casting technique performed against a cinema-size screen. The story is an action-packed tale of Zaul and Rudabeh, two star-crossed lovers of old Persia. The screening begins at at 7 p.m. October 27th, followed by a Zoom Q&A with designer and director Hamid Rahmanian. The event is free, but an RSVP is required; reserve your spot by emailing Bryan Granger at grangerbw@cofc.edu.
Dis/placements Conversation | Hamid Rahmanian + Mark Sloan
Visual artist Hamid Rahmanian’s work intertwines reality and fantasy to reflect on what it means to be an immigrant in a global narrative that defies borders. Rahmanian was paired with writer Mark Sloan for Dis/placements: Revisitations of Home, a virtual exhibition presented by The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston. The project features 10 artists whose works deal with issues of displacement from their ancestral homeland. Each artist was asked to submit works that speak most directly to the idea of "home." Artists were paired with writers who have offered their own reflections on the work and its relationship to the concepts of home and displacement. You're invited to a Dis/placements Conversation with Hamid Rahmanian and Mark Sloan on Facebook Live, November 5th at 6 p.m.
Dis/placements Conversation | Tanja Softić + Dr. Marian Mazzone
Tanja Softić works across the media of printmaking, drawing, photography, and book arts to explore questions of cultural belonging, hybridity, and memory. Softić was paired with writer Dr. Marian Mazzone for Dis/placements: Revisitations of Home, a virtual exhibition presented by The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston. The project features 10 artists whose works deal with issues of displacement from their ancestral homeland. Each artist was asked to submit works that speak most directly to the idea of "home." Artists were paired with writers who have offered their own reflections on the work and its relationship to the concepts of home and displacement. You're invited to a Dis/placements Conversation with Tanja Softić and Dr. Marian Mazzone on Facebook Live, October 22nd at 6 p.m.
Dis/placements Conversation | Dr. Fahamu Pecou + Ruth Rambo
Dr. Fahamu Pecou is an interdisciplinary artist and scholar whose work combines observations on hip-hop, fine art, and popular culture. Pecou was paired with writer Ruth Rambo for Dis/placements: Revisitations of Home, a virtual exhibition presented by The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston. The project features 10 artists whose works deal with issues of displacement from their ancestral homeland. Each artist was asked to submit works that speak most directly to the idea of "home." Artists were paired with writers who have offered their own reflections on the work and its relationship to the concepts of home and displacement. You're invited to a Dis/placements Conversation with Fahamu Pecou and Ruth Rambo on Facebook Live, October 8 at 7 p.m.
