Former SCAC fellow set for ‘immersive’ Columbia exhibition

Opens this evening at Richland Library

Summer officially arrives today.

There’s this natural urge to do, to take advantage of extra daylight. Vacation, staycation, doesn’t matter—you just want to be out and about.

But… this heat. It’s finally here. Uncomfortable for most; a problem for many.

We like to think we’re in the solutions business, so how about this? Indoor art from 2024 S.C. Arts Commission fellow in time-based art, Brittany Watkins. Today, Richland Library in downtown Columbia opens Material Malady, an exhibition of mixed-media works by Watkins, who is the library’s current artist-in-residence.

The exhibition is intended to serve as a powerful exploration of psychological and political unrest, emerging from Watkins’ practice of collecting  discarded, worn, or otherwise forgotten physical remnants then turning them into a provocative visual narrative.

Watkins says Material Malady “[draws] a line between the object and the individual, underscoring widespread socio-economic concerns and fluctuations in stability.”

Experience the collection during the opening reception tonight beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Richland Library Main (1431 Assembly St., Columbia). Free. Watkins will deliver an artist talk to offer insight into the inspiration and evolution of her work at 7:15 p.m.