Just getting some ‘AIR’

Notable arts organizations announce artists-in-residents 


North Charleston

The City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department is proud to announce the appointment of Katherine Hester as artist-in-residence (AIR) for FY2019/20. The city’s AIR serves as a key resource for the department’s outreach programs, especially in the area of art instruction. Katherine will share her unique skills, talents, and experiences by providing residencies and workshops to public schools, seniors, and various community groups in North Charleston through June 2020.

Hester is a local artist working in oil and mixed media. She paints outdoors, onsite when painting landscapes in order to capture the changing light of the Lowcountry. Katherine also enjoys creating portraits, working in mixed media in order to put a modern twist to the classic genre. She is a Lowcountry native and graduate of the College of Charleston. She holds a master’s in education and worked as a studio art, art history, and science teacher before leaving the classroom in order to pursue her painting career full time. She’s been represented by galleries in Charleston and exhibited her work throughout the region. Hester holds numerous awards and participates in the annual Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibition each spring.

As North Charleston’s Artist-in-Residence, Katherine will offer instruction in painting and drawing.

The North Charleston City Gallery will host an exhibition of Katherine’s work throughout December 2019 and January 2020. The gallery is located within the Charleston Area Convention Center (5001 Coliseum Dr., North Charleston). School liaisons, arts teachers, and the general public are invited to meet the artist at a free gallery reception on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019, from 5-7 p.m.


Spartanburg

HUB-BUB, a division of Chapman Cultural Center, announced artists-in-Residence who will begin their 2019/2020 terms in September. The purpose of the HUB-BUB artist-in-residence program is to continue to build a vibrant and healthy artistic community through opportunities for cultural enrichment.

Masimba Hwati (left) is a mixed media artist living and working in Zimbabwe; Cape Town, South Africa; and Detroit. His work explores the transformation of indigenous knowledge systems and cultural resistance. He juxtaposes cultural objects and symbols with ephemeral mainstream symbols. His work is preoccupied with contemporary and historical themes working with found objects performance and sound he creates antennas, gadgets of memory and experiences. It has been shown in Germany, France, Canada, London, Australia,southern Africa, and in the U.S. In 2015 he represented Zimbabwe at the 56th edition of the Venice Biennale in Italy. Hwati has conducted research in Cape Town, Avignon, Nova Scotia , and Detroit.

Shuk Han Lui (right) is a multidisciplinary artist who works predominantly in mixed-media paintings and artist’s books. Her practice takes a meditative focus and explores relationships between drawing, painting, piano, and the use of space. She is the recipient of several research grants and fellowships, including the Don Bachardy Fellowship, the Wilson Center Graduate Research Award, and the Looney Foundation Graduate Fellowship. Lui earned her Master of Fine Arts in drawing and painting from the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia.