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Tuning Up: Music, money, and more

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...


An exhibition for the birds. "If you're gonna do it, do it right," notable bird sculptor and South Carolina artist Grainger McKoy told the Wilmington Star News ahead of his new solo retrospective at the city's Cameron Art Museum. (You won't believe to what he was referring. - Ed.) Recovery in Flight runs through Feb. 17, 2019. Hours and admission vary. Florence Symphony goes platinum. The orchestra's 70th season begins tonight at the FMU Performing Arts Center. Barber, Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, and (Johann) Strauss (II) are on the program. 7:30 p.m. $25-$42. Get jazzed for the weekend. Staying with the music in the Pee Dee theme, more than 20 regional musical artists from the Carolinas will perform in an eclectic collection of venues during the South Carolina Jazz Festival in Cheraw this coming weekend. (Yes, we are gazing ahead longingly.) Dizzy Gillespie's hometown invites you to enjoy a multitude of things, including a parade, 5K, golf tournament, and lots and lots of jazz. Oct. 19-21. Weekend passes for $50. A NASAA nod to the SCAC. And staying with the blowing of horns theme (RIP, Dizzy), the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, gave a shoutout to a new partnership program from the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, S.C. Arts Alliance, and the S.C. Arts Commission you might remember us mentioning this summer: A Stronger Bottom Line. If you don't remember, the first cohort of nonprofit arts organizations from around the state is receiving financial management training as a result of the partnership.

SC Jazz Festival turns 10 on Dizzy Gillespie’s 98th birthday

Dizzy Gillespie’s hometown of Cheraw, S.C., ushers in its 10th year of the South Carolina Jazz Festival Oct. 16-18 as the Cheraw Arts Commission presents three days of jazz and community activities. The weekend, which coincides with the 98th anniversary of Gillespie’s birth, will showcase the unique bond Gillespie shared with his South Carolina roots and jazz. A wide variety of both free and ticketed concerts and events are scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Oct. 16-17. This year’s festival will culminate on Sunday, Oct. 18 with a Jazz Brunch at G.W. Long Church at 11:30 a.m. followed by a Jazz Mass at 3 p.m. on the grounds of First Presbyterian Church. More than 30 jazz performances are scheduled during the festival. The concerts will feature regional musicians from both North Carolina and South Carolina and beyond. Featured artists for the ticketed evening performances at the Theatre on the Green will be the Ignacio Berroa Quartet on Friday and the Carol Welsman Trio on Saturday. Joining Ignacio on Friday will be saxophonist Skipp Pearson and trumpet player Mark Rapp. These South Carolina musicians along with the Ignacio Berroa Quartet will pay tribute to Gillespie by performing some of his jazz compositions. Ignacio was a percussionist in many of Dizzy Gillespie’s bands and defined by Gillespie as “….the only Latin drummer in the world of American music that intimately knows both worlds: his native Afro-Cuban music as well as Jazz…” International jazz pianist and vocalist Carol Welsman comes to the festival upon the release of her new CD “Alone Together” in August. Weekend activities include a Centennial Park performance by the Freedom’s Groove of the Army Ground Forces Band of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, “Dizzy on Display” at the Southern African American Heritage Center, a Bebop Parade, family art activities, late-night jazz crawls, a jazz breakfast, Bebop & Bites lunch and a wine tasting. Music and dialogue will be presented at the Gillespie family’s church home. Art abounds during the weekend with an exhibit by jazz artist Eric McCray of Raleigh, North Carolina, Gillespie-inspired artwork by local students, an Italian Madonnari chalk competition and art and fine crafts by regional artists. Attendees can enjoy a self-guided historic Cheraw cellphone tour to more than 25 points of interest, including Dizzy Gillespie-related sites. Tickets for a single evening concert at the Theatre on the Green are $30 per person and a two-day weekend ticket is $50 per person. For more information, call 843-537-8420, extension 12, or visit www.scjazzfestival.com for more information on ticket purchases, festival events, lodging and restaurants. The Cheraw Arts Commission is supported by the S.C. Arts Commission, which receives funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. Via: Cheraw Arts Commission

S.C. Jazz Festival seeks artists for juried fine arts and crafts exhibit

Deadline is Sept. 30. Organizers of the South Carolina Jazz Festival are seeking artists to display and sell their work during the event’s juried fine arts and crafts exhibit in October. Categories include painting, photography, drawing and graphics, fiber, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, sculpture, watercolor, wood, clay, digital art, drawing and graphics. Only original work will be accepted with no imported, mass-produced or manufactured items allowed. The fine arts and crafts exhibit is planned from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17. The 10th annual S.C. Jazz Festival, honoring the life and work of Cheraw native Dizzy Gillespie, runs from Oct. 16-18 in downtown Cheraw. Interested artists must submit photos of their work via email to lbennett@cheraw.com and include contact information or mail the images to Cheraw Arts Commission, PO Box 219 Cheraw, SC 29520 by Sept. 30. No registration fee is required. Accepted artists will be notified on or before Oct. 2. Registration and information forms will be forwarded to participating artists with acceptance notification. For more information about the festival, visit www.scjazzfestival.com or call 843-537-8420, extension 12. Via: Cheraw Arts Commission

The link between the arts and the economy: spotlight on four communities

South Carolina Arts Commission staff presented "Cultural Arts as a Tool for Community and Economic Development" at the Fall 2013 meeting of the South Carolina Community Development Association, an association of the Municipal Association of South Carolina. This article in the February issue of Uptown, the MASC's newsletter, illustrates how four communities in South Carolina have used the arts to benefit community development.

As local officials continue to work toward making their hometowns thrive, some have started looking hard at the link between culture and the economy. Why do we live where we live and why do we stay there? A report released by the American Planning Association in 2011 entitled, “Economic Vitality: How the arts and culture sector catalyzes economic vitality,” outlines four key points to community development through the arts. This article uses South Carolina case studies to illustrate how the arts have enhanced local communities in South Carolina. Keypoint #1: Economic development is enhanced by concentrating creativity through both physical density and human capital. By locating firms, artists and cultural facilities together, a multiplier effect can result. Case study: The Salkahatchie Arts Initiative This is the story of five counties that felt under-recognized: Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Colleton, and Hampton. These counties make up the Salkahatchie region of the state. Before I-95 opened up in 1968, this region had plenty of cars driving through when people were traveling up and down the Eastern Seaboard. After 1968, the majority of travelers never saw those towns. A visitor driving through this part of South Carolina today may be struck by the abundance of old abandoned hotels. “This area was particularly hit by the fact that I-95 didn’t come through their counties,” says Susan DuPlessis of the South Carolina Arts Commission. According to DuPlessis, by creating the Salkahatchie Arts Initiative, the local communities have mined their existing cultural and natural assets instead of creating something new. The communities are making the region a destination for tourists interested in the arts, heritage and nature-based tourism. In 2006, the Salkahatchie Arts Center was created in Allendale. At the center, local artists sell their wares. More than 100 artists have sold almost $200,000 worth of items to date. Also, there is a storytelling element, according to DuPlessis. Local artists created “Salk Stew,” which is a play with music and stories that is updated annually. Here is an excerpt of a review of “Salk Stew” from an issue of the Hampton County Guardian. Sure, everybody loves a good classic community theater number like The Sound of Music, but this is a one-of-a-kind classic that you can’t get anywhere else: a play based on true stories from real people in our community, stories that are acted out on the historic planks of the Palmetto Theater by local actors. As far as community theater goes, it doesn’t get any better than that. “These artistic endeavors resonate with local residents about who they are and what they have,” DuPlessis said. “These endeavors are part of their authenticity,” and they are improving the economy and quality of life in the Salkehatchie Region. Keypoint #2: The recognition of a community’s arts and culture assets (and the marketing of them) is an important element of economic development. Creatively acknowledging and marketing community assets can attract a strong workforce and successful firms, as well as help sustain a positive quality of life. Case study: Hub City Writers Project, Spartanburg “Writers are very interested in a sense of place,” says Betsy Teter, executive director of the Hub City Writers Project. In 1995, a small group of writers in Spartanburg asked themselves what they could do to improve their city. “We created some books that celebrated what was uniquely Spartanburg. To date, we have published more than 500 writers and sold more than 100,000 books,” she says. In 2006, Hub City created an alternative arts initiative called HUB-BUB in a partnership with the City of Spartanburg. Headquartered in a former Nash Rambler car dealership downtown, HUB-BUB offers more than 100 nights a year of art, culture and entertainment, as well as a nationally recognized artists-in-residence program. The mission of that spin-off organization is to build community through dynamic arts and ideas in downtown Spartanburg. The City of Spartanburg provides $120,000 in funding each year to HUB-BUB. HubBub groupRight: HUB-BUB in Spartanburg offers more than 100 nights a year of art, culture and entertainment. In 2010, the Hub City Writers Project converted an 83-year-old, 5,000 square-foot Masonic temple in downtown Spartanburg into an independent bookstore, coffee shop and a bakery. “The Hub City Writers Project is at the center of our creative energy in our community in a unique and important way,” said Bill Barnet, Spartanburg mayor at the time of the project’s launch. “From the energy of that group comes a great deal of pride,” he added. Keypoint #3: Arts and cultural activities can draw crowds from within and around the community. Increasing the number of visitors as well as enhancing resident participation helps build economic and social capital. Case study: SC Jazz Festival, Cheraw Cheraw is an older, rural town with a population of 6,000. Many South Carolinians don’t know that Cheraw is the birthplace of jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie. After a Ken Burns PBS special about Gillespie aired in 2001, town officials decided to seize the moment and create a jazz festival honoring him. “We had already built a statue and created a park in his honor,” said Phil Powell, tourism director for the Town of Cheraw. “But we wanted to take this opportunity to educate our community about the arts.” According to Rusty Sox at the South Carolina Arts Commission, planning for the South Carolina Jazz Festival began in 2005 with the first festival held the next year. It was and still is organized by a committee of local residents and staffed by town employees and volunteers. In the second and third years, they received a Cultural Tourism Grant from the S.C. Arts Commission to help with marketing. Cheraw Jazz FestivalRight: Beginning in 2006, the South Carolina Jazz Festival is held each year in Cheraw Powell encourages other municipalities to not try to do too much out-of-the-gate when planning festivals for their town. “Jazz works well in hot, local, out-of-the-way places, so it worked well here,” he says. Lindsay Bennett, who partnered with town officials on the jazz festival and is the executive director of the Cheraw Arts Commission, stressed the importance of getting community buy in. “Town of Cheraw officials view the event as a cultural tourism experience and continue to provide financial support,” she added. Keypoint #4: Planners can make deliberate connections between the arts and culture sector and other sectors, such as tourism and manufacturing, to improve economic outcomes by capitalizing on local assets. Case study: Emerald Triangle, Greenwood “We think we’re the perfect example of how investing in the arts brings about community development,” explained Anne Craig, executive director of the Arts Center of Greenwood. According to Craig, the Emerald Triangle in Greenwood came to fruition by having all the pieces fall into place. As with many South Carolina cities, Greenwood’s downtown was saturated with office space causing many people to feel like the sidewalks rolled up at 5 p.m. In 2003, two important things happened. Greenwood officials drafted a master plan for a “clearly defined city center and outdoor gathering space.” A major aspect of the plan was to enhance the city’s cultural assets to bring people back downtown. From the plan, a vision for the Emerald Triangle emerged involving three major cultural institutions in downtown Greenwood: the Arts Council of Greenwood County, the Greenwood Community Theatre and the Greenwood Museum. Today, the Emerald Triangle has become a nine-acre triangular shaped area in the heart of Greenwood’s downtown business district. The second important thing that happened in 2003 was the closing of a 30,000 square-foot historic federal building, which housed an old courthouse and post office. A public/private partnership, created by the Greenwood Partnership Alliance, the Self Family Foundation, the Arts Council of Greenwood County and the Greenwood City Council, purchased and renovated the historic federal building. [caption id="attachment_11355" align="alignnone" width="280"]Greenwood Federal Building Greenwood Federal Building[/caption] Over the years, the three cultural institutions have experienced a huge increase in tourists. In 2010, the groups attracted about 8,000 tourists. In 2012, the figure rose to more than 18,000. [caption id="attachment_11368" align="alignnone" width="280"]Greenwood Tourism Report Greenwood Tourism Report[/caption] “We had a beautiful building, an excellent leadership team, and a city government with a vision,” concluded Craig. “We had the right people at the right time.”
Via: Municipal Association of South Carolina

Bebop on down to the S.C. Jazz Festival in Cheraw!

The historic town of Cheraw, South Carolina, honors its famous native son, jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie at the South Carolina Jazz Festival October 17-20. Born in 1917, Gillespie was a founder of modern jazz, an innovative trumpeter known for his bent horn, bulging cheeks and sense of humor. Gillespie, who was famous around the world, almost always opened his performances with “I'm Dizzy Gillespie from Chee-raw, South Carolina.” The festival offers more than 20 regional artists from the Carolinas performing in venues ranging from restaurants, churches and parks to downtown streets. Headliners include Charlton Singleton, artistic director and band leader of the Charleston Jazz Orchestra, and soloist Jaimee Paul. A Bebop parade, early and late night jazz at restaurants, a Madonnari-Southern style chalk competition, kids’ activities, Dizzy's birthday party and more attract locals and tourists eager to experience top quality jazz and soak up the history of a musical legend. The event kicks off Thursday with Evening Jazz on the Green, a free street party. Tickets are $25 for a single evening pass, which includes the featured concert on Friday or Saturday evening, and $49 for a two-day weekend pass, which includes both concerts. Many other events are free and family-friendly. Visit the S.C. Jazz Festival website for a complete schedule. For additional information, call (843) 537-8420 ext. 12. Via: Cheraw Arts Commission

Bebop on down to the South Carolina Jazz Festival!

Jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie’s hometown of Cheraw hosts the annual South Carolina Jazz Festival Oct. 18-21. In addition to headliner jazz musicians Katie McGarry and Think Jazz Orchestra, the festival offers more than 20 regional artists from the Carolinas performing in venues ranging from restaurants and parks to downtown streets. A Bebop parade, jazz crawls, a fine arts and crafts exhibition, a Madonnari-Southern style chalk competition, kids' activities and more attract locals and tourists eager to experience top quality jazz and soak up the history of a musical legend. New this year is Evening on the Green, a free street party. Don't miss the self-guided walking tour of Dizzy-related sites and Dizzy's birthday party. Many events are free and family friendly. Visit the S.C. Jazz Festival website for a complete schedule and ticket information. Via: Cheraw Arts Commission

Milly