← View All Articles

Slammed!! Sensationalism and Culture in the Squared Circle

  • Acadiana Center for the Arts (Lafayette, Louisiana)
  • Main Gallery
  • Feb. 12, 2021-May 8, 2021
Submission deadline: January 10, 2021

Acadiana Center for the Arts seeks submissions for it's February 2021 group exhibition.

[caption id="attachment_34666" align="alignright" width="150"] The world-famous Hub Calls for Art Megaphone.[/caption] Slammed!! Sensationalism and Culture in the Squared Circle is a juried group exhibition showcasing contemporary artists working in Louisiana, the greater Gulf South region and throughout the United States. Visual Arts Director at Acadiana Center for the Arts Jaik Faulk will partner with Benjamin Hickey, curator of exhibitions at the Hilliard Art Museum at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette to select works for an upcoming exhibition in the AcA’s 4,366 square foot Main Gallery. This exhibition takes as it’s thesis the culture, sensationalism and theatricality of the world of professional wrestling, past, present, and future. In the Gulf South, professional wrestling was massively popular in the 1970’s and 80’s, generations shared the experience of drama and exaggerated story lines embedded in one-on-one matches of super human strength and all-out brawls between heroes and villains. Since this time, the world of wrestling has changed and evolved from its naïve glory. In a way, the world-at-large has as well; it has a sense of fraught drama in the real. Social media, for example, offers countless moments of sensationalized performance at every turn and our current political climate is akin to a wild no-holds-barred cage match. What can the world of wrestling, it’s sensationalism and theatricality, a blending of “real” and “fake”, tell us of our contemporary moment? What would that look like in a “work of art”? You tell us.

Submitted material

Tuning Up: Myriad opportunities for artists + grant writing

Good morning!  "Tuning Up" is a morning post series where The Hub delivers curated, quick-hit arts stories of interest to readers. Sometimes there will be one story, sometimes there will be several. Get in tune now, and have a masterpiece of a day. And now, in no particular order...


This one's for you, #SCartists...

[caption id="attachment_34666" align="aligncenter" width="563"] The world-famous Hub Calls for Art Megaphone.[/caption] A spate of calls for art and/or fellowship opportunities came through in recent days, so we're letting you know what we've seen (which, dear reader, is not to be assumed is an exhaustive list of opportunities). Please visit links for deadlines and requirements/restrictions/guidelines! And now, here they are:
  • Submissions are being sought for the 701 CCA South Carolina Biennial 2019, the center's fifth survey exhibition of work by contemporary South Carolina artists. The exhibition will be held at 701 Center for Contemporary Art in Columbia. The 701 CCA S.C. Biennial 2019 will be presented in two parts with openings in September and November. Artists working in all media and styles are encouraged to apply. Artists must be a current resident of South Carolina. Please visit the website for specific details regarding the submissions.
  • Greenville Center for Creative Arts announced that 2019/2020 Brandon Fellowship applications will open June 7, 2019. The Brandon Fellowship is a 12-month program that aims to develop three emerging artists between the ages of 21-30. Brandon Fellows receive a university style studio space at GCCA, a $250 stipend for art supplies per six-month period, an artist mentor, access to one 6-week class per session, and participation in group shows & community events. Please visit the GCCA website for Brandon Fellowship information.
  • Spartanburg/Upstate musicians are encouraged to sign up for live street performances in the Spartanburg Downtown Cultural District. Currently, performances are scheduled to be held near four street intersections: Liberty & East Main streets, Church & East Main streets, Magnolia & Dunbar streets, and W. Main St. Pocket Park by The Coffee Bar. The live performances will take place Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, concluding in October. You must be a Chapman Cultural Center registered musician to perform. A link to join the registry and more information is on this page.

Oh, yeah, grant writing

The Central Midlands Council of Governments and Grant Writing USA will present a two-day grants workshop in Columbia, June 17-18, 2019.  This training is applicable to grant seekers across all disciplines.  Attend this class and you'll learn how to find grants and write winning grant proposals. Beginning and experienced grant writers from city, county, and state agencies as well as nonprofits, K-12, colleges and universities are encouraged to attend. Multi-enrollment discounts and discounts for Grant Writing USA returning alumni are available.  Tuition payment is not required at the time of enrollment. Tuition is $455 and includes everything: two days of terrific instruction, workbook, and access to our Alumni Forum that's packed full of tools, helpful discussions and more than 200 sample grant proposals.  Seating is limited, online reservations are necessary. Click here for full event details.

SC professional artists under 40 invited to apply for 701 CCA Prize

Application deadline is Sept. 3; eligibility requirements have changed. 701cca_logo701 Center for Contemporary Art in Columbia, S.C., announces the third installment of the 701 CCA Prize, a biennial art competition and exhibition for professional South Carolina artists 40 years and younger. This juried project will result in a November – December exhibition for the competition’s three finalists and an award celebration announcing the winner. The application guidelines and package can be downloaded at www.701cc.org. Applications are due by Sept. 3. The application fee is $25. With this third installment of the 701 CCA Prize, 701 Center for Contemporary Art has dropped the requirement that applicants should have had a solo exhibition in a professional exhibition venue in the past two years. “During the past two installments, we noticed that several serious, talented young artists wouldn’t apply for the 701 CCA Prize because they hadn’t had a solo exhibition in a professional venue in the two previous years,” 701 CCA board chair Wim Roefs said. “To open up the competition and exhibition and include all young, major talents in the state, we, therefore, have decided to drop that particular requirement.” The 701 CCA Prize’s purpose is to identify and recognize artists 40 years and younger whose work is exemplary in its originality, shows awareness of artistic development and is of high artistic merit. The 701 CCA Prize will be awarded to one young, professional South Carolina artist for outstanding art production since January 1, 2014. The winner will receive a six-week, paid residency at 701 CCA; a solo exhibition at 701 CCA; and an ad in a national art publication. The previous two winners were James Busby of Chapin in 2012 and Shannon Rae Lindsey of Columbia in 2014. (Lindsey's work is pictured above.) For further inquiries, contact info@701cca.org or call Wim Roefs at (803) 238-2351. About 701 Center for Contemporary Art 701 CCA is a nonprofit visual arts center that promotes understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of contemporary art, the creative process and the role of art and artists in the community. The center also encourages interaction between visual and other art forms. 701 CCA is located at 701 Whaley Street, 2nd Floor, Columbia, SC 29201.  During exhibitions, hours are Wed, 11–8; Thu-Fri, 11-5; Sat, 11-5; Sun, 1-5. For more information, visit www.701cca.org.

Spartanburg Art Museum launches new program for the art-savvy senior

Spartanburg Art Museum has launched a new program to provide senior citizens, ages 55 and older, a creative, educational, and social outlet. Classic Contemporaries is designed to encourage arts enthusiasts to explore contemporary visual art through interactive presentations, exhibition tours, and art-making activities in a studio environment. “This new initiative offers an in-depth look into our current exhibition, Cognitive Dissonance,” Executive Director Elizabeth Goddard said. “Classic Contemporaries encourages discussion about concepts and specific works of art within the exhibition. We will provide some historical connections that directly relate to the materials and creative practices within Cognitive Dissonance, which is a group show featuring contemporary ceramics by nine artists.” Four main components within the Classic Contemporaries program bring education, socializing, and creative exploration together. Participants will take part in a presentation that gives some historical background to the medium of ceramics, followed by a tour of the current exhibition, Cognitive Dissonance. Lunch is served, and for those feeling encouraged to stretch their creative muscles, there is time to learn about working with ceramics in an informal studio setting. Spartanburg Art Museum and Janna Phillips, a graduate student of Savannah College of Art and Design, have been working together to develop this program over the course of many months. “Spartanburg is such a wonderful community. Classic Contemporaries is an excellent program for anyone who wishes to engage in the arts, education, meet new people, or become more involved in the SAM community,” Phillips said. Classic Contemporaries launches on Tuesday, Feb. 23, from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. and includes the presentation, exhibition tour, and lunch. Space is limited, and registration is required. Tickets are $25 for SAM members ages 55 and older and $30 for non-members. The two-hour studio portion of the program is an additional $7 for members and $10 for non-members. Register at spartanburgartmuseum.org, by phone (864.582.7616), or in person at the museum's main reception desk.  For more information, contact museum@spartanarts.org. Via Spartanburg Art Museum

Tapp’s Arts Center developing an Artist in Residency program

The Tapp’s Initiative is a juried Artist-in-Residency program developed by the Friends of the Tapp's Arts Center that is aimed at bringing contemporary art production, practice and community engagement to the Columbia/Midlands area. Each resident will have access to their own studio space at the Tapp's Arts Center in downtown Columbia for three months to develop a site-specific project and invite the public to interact with the artwork during open-gallery events. At the end of the studio time, the artist will close with an exhibition of work produced during the residency. The residencies will be open to artists from all areas of South Carolina. The success of a current Kickstarter campaign will determine whether the program can begin accepting applications in early February 2015. Campaign proceeds will help support the artist during the residency; if funds permit, the residency can be extended to four months. For more information, visit the Tapp's Arts Center website. About the Tapp's Arts Center Tapp’s Arts Center is Columbia’s community center for visual and performing arts located at 1644 Main Street. Our mission is to provide communal space, studios, and exhibition opportunities to strengthen artistic voices and enrich the lives of Columbia’s diverse communities. The center boasts 32 artist studios on two floors, two multi-use performance/event venues with room for up to 300 guests and dedicated gallery space accommodating painting, sculpture, installation and performance. Local artists may rent studios, gallery space and featured Tapp's original window displays to both create, show and sell their work. The center is free and open to the public Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Via: Tapp's Arts Center

Memory Ship exhibition at Spartanburg Art Museum “unlike anything exhibited in the past”

Memory Ship will be a large-scale and site-specific art installation that Savannah-based artist Chris Nitsche will construct in Spartanburg Art Museum (SAM) over many days. The exhibition opens on November 7 with a reception from 5-8 p.m. During the reception at 6:30 p.m., Nitsche will speak about his work. SAM is located in Chapman Cultural Center in downtown Spartanburg, SC. The ship, like much of Nitsche’s site-specific work, will be created from salvaged and reclaimed wood. This 50-foot ship’s hull will bisect gallery walls and offer viewers access to several portals within the ship to see small vignettes that express the artist’s ideas and associations with memory. Included in the exhibition will be Nitsche’s drawings, based on deconstructing the familiar ship form and his smaller found-object sculptures. Nitsche grew up outside of Chicago in close proximity to Lake Michigan, where boats and sailing were part of everyday life. Although he never developed a passion for being on the water in a boat, he did fall in love with the shape of boats and has been creating artwork based on this form for almost two decades. Suzanne Deats, a friend of the artist and professional writer on the arts, recounts how Nitsche has created an “ongoing series of ships, both wall-mounted and on pedestals that features related found materials, such as sunglasses, words, light bulbs, poker chips, mouse traps, and toys, each with its own freight of philosophical baggage. Nitsche works in the moment, deliberately eschewing pat answers. Like a ship in uncharted seas, he has no idea where the story is going – only what it is carrying and why.” Memory Ship will be unlike anything SAM has exhibited in the past. “One of my goals when I began working at SAM last fall was to bring extraordinary contemporary art into the galleries,” Elizabeth Goddard, executive director of SAM, said. “My professional background includes years of curating contemporary art, and it is incredibly relevant to today’s culture. I love art history, but I can really sink into the ideas contemporary artists bring to the foreground of visitor’s experiences. Memory Ship will not only be visually stunning and impressive, it will be conceptually accessible to all whom engage with it because we all have memories and can relate to the memories of others individually as well as collectively. SAM is very fortunate to provide visitors with such an impactful exhibition, and working with Nitsche has been an honor.” SAM has created several programs, workshops and events centered on Memory Ship, from November’s Family Program to a College Night in January to a special over-the-top party, Shipwreck: The Anti-Holiday Party on Dec. 5, from 8-11 p.m. School groups are invited to register for a tour of the exhibition and participate in hands-on activities in the studios. For a complete list of Memory Ship events, visit SpartanburgArtMuseum.org. Memory Ship will be on view from Nov. 7, 2014, until Feb. 5, 2015, and is made possible in part by Bank of America, Dunbar Construction, Ken’s Lumber, Don Dean, the South Carolina Arts Commission and The Arts Partnership for Greater Spartanburg. For more information call (864) 582-7616. Via: Spartanburg Art Museum