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Nation’s largest free farm + arts crawl announces 2023 event

No bull! Annual event has ... bumper crop of counties


The annual South Carolina Ag + Art Tour is adding Aiken and Sumter counties while returning eight previously participating counties to feature a cornucopia of more than 100 tour sites during the 2023 iteration of the event—the largest such in the U.S.

[caption id="attachment_52401" align="alignright" width="300"] Click to enlarge.[/caption] Will Culler, Clemson Extension agribusiness agent and tour director, bills the free, self-guided farm and art tour as a great way to educate people about where their food and fiber come from while they're introduced to local artisans. Now in its 12th year, it has seen steady growth in length and counties and sites participating. Ag + Art Tour is looking for #SCartists who want to exhibit! Go here for information and to apply. Have a farm? Tour sites are being sough to apply too. “We are proud of the commitment of our farms, artisans, and county teams. Because of that, we can sustain continued growth,” Culler said. “One of our goals has been to give people a better knowledge of what is produced in their backyard and help them to support local businesses while making healthier food choices. This event does that by putting food and product with a face.” The 2023 tour include farms and artisans in Aiken, Chester, Colleton, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lancaster, Lexington, Newberry, Richland, Sumter, and York counties.

2023 schedule

Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1-5 p.m.
  • May 6: Lexington
  • May 13-14: Aiken, Lancaster, Sumter
  • May 20-21: Colleton, Newberry
  • June 3-4: Kershaw
  • June 10-11: Richland, York
  • June 17-18: Fairfield
  • June 24-25: Chester
Tour stops include farms and farmers' markets, with art at each location. Artisans on the tour range from weavers, painters, musicians, storytellers, metalworkers, and craftsmen to poets and live musical performances. Some farms will offer value-added products, such as jarred and canned foods, honey, baked goods, or even farm-fresh meals.  There is no fee to attend; visitors can start and stop their tour at any location.
The tour began in York County in 2012 and has added at least one new county each year since. The interest in the South Carolina Ag + Art Tour continues to be high, and it is the largest free farm tour in the nation. More than 85,000 visitors have enjoyed it since its inception. More information about the participating farms, markets, artisans, and ancillary sites can be found online at www.agandarttour.com and its social media accounts:
  • Facebook: @agandarttour
  • Instagram: @agandarttour
Various counties have accounts too, so do a quick search for yours. And don't forget the hashtag: #agandarttour. Plan your mooooooves now.
About the South Carolina Ag + Art Tour The South Carolina Ag + Art Tour is a free self-guided tour of farms and farmers' markets featuring artisans at every stop occurring every weekend in June.  The first Ag + Art Tour was held in 2012 in York County to blend agriculture and art. The tour began to expand in 2013 and has continued to do so yearly. It is the largest free farm and art tour in the nation. The tour is coordinated by leadership and county-level planning teams led by Clemson University Cooperative Extension. Partner organizations include economic development agencies, chambers of commerce, tourism bureaus, farm and artisan organizations, education and extension offices, arts councils, and community volunteers.
Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/corn-fields-under-white-clouds-with-blue-sky-during-daytime-158827/

Jason Rapp

Tuning Up: Columbia Children’s Theatre moves

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...

Over the river ... and to the Midlands' new hotspot

Columbia Children's Theatre is making a move across the Congaree River from Richland County to Lexington County. The company announced that effective Feb. 1, it will have a new home in fast-growing West Columbia. After-school classes, summer camps, rehearsals and administrative services are to relocate soon to the Brookland-Lakeview Empowerment Center. Read more, including when to expect performances in their new home, from Alexia Greene at ColaDaily.com.
Got arts news? Remember to submit it to The Hub! Got arts events? Listings are free on the only statewide arts calendar—Arts Daily!

Jason Rapp

Hub Quick Hits: Showcasing Columbia area artisans

Columbia area makers have a new opportunity to showcase themselves according to local reports.

From Carolina News & Reporter:

"A new art market in West Columbia debuted Sunday with more than 20 local, creative vendors.

The market was held inside the New Brookland Tavern music hall and bar and featured food and shopping."

That's the "where" and "what," so visit the story by Addison Hinkle for the "who" and "why" details on this new venture at the Midlands entertainment mainstay. Also, remember to shop local and support local art this holiday season (and beyond).
Ed. note: Your friendly Hub editor served on the then Carolina Reporter in fall 2002.

Jason Rapp

Female #SCartists selected for CAE program

Airport to exhibit four through next February

[caption id="attachment_49221" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Clockwise from top left: Works by Cait Maloney, Laura Rohlfing, Emily Ward, and Marie Boyd.[/caption]

Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE as it's known to fliers) announce the four local artists who were selected to participate in the 2022/2023 Art in the Airport program.

The selected artists, an all women, represent some of the outstanding talent and creativity found throughout the region, according to an airport news release. The four artists selected to exhibit their artwork during the upcoming season include:
  • Emily Ward (March 2022-May 2022)
  • Marie Boyd (June 2022-August 2022)
  • Cait Maloney (September 2022-November 2022)
  • Laura Rohlfing (December 2022-February 2023)

About the Artists

Emily Ward is an artist from Columbia and has had a passion for all things art related since kindergarten. Ward’s love for art continued in college and into graduate school where she earned a bachelor's in art history from the College of Charleston. Ward enjoys painting places and things that bring her joy – and the South Carolina Lowcountry has been a recurring subject for her many landscape paintings. Marie Boyd is a writer, illustrator, artist, educator and scholar. She creates quilled illustrations and art from colorful pieces of paper that she collects, cuts into narrow strips and designs modern, bold, bright images that leap off the page. In addition to being an artist, Boyd is an associate professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law. She is originally from Salt Lake City and now lives in Columbia with her husband and two young children. Cait Maloney is a published illustrator, award-winning graphic designer, muralists and exhibition artist. In 2008, she earned her bachelor’s degree with a focus in illustration from Syracuse University. Maloney says that her recipe for her work is, “… a mix of a little real, a little surreal, a good helping of humor and a lot of color.” Laura Rohlfing hails from Leesville in Lexington County but spends several months out of the year traveling and exploring with her wife to new places. A graduate of the Harris School of Art in the early 1980s, she focused her time there studying oil painting. She now prefers graphite and loves shades of gray and the effects of shadows and light on pictures.

Jason Rapp

Hold my beer… no really, I have to play a set

Soda City orchestra's ensembles to pop up in watering holes

[caption id="attachment_49073" align="aligncenter" width="950"]A string quartet plays music in a rustic indoor setting in front of a small seated group. An SC Philharmonic string ensemble.[/caption]

There's an old joke in the orchestra world that attempts to juxtapose baseball and things orchestral by referring to the basses being "loaded."

The Hub wants on the record as hoping that won't be the case. Depending on the makeup of the ensemble, you can't rule it out though. Yep, we're using the Bad Puns tag today. The South Carolina Philharmonic (a general operating support grantee, among others, of the SCAC) announced its intention to begin presenting a Chamber Crawl Series this month around the Midlands, with the first taking place Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. at Craft and Draft Irmo (7583 St. Andrews Rd.). A string quartet comprised of two violins, a viola, and a cello gets the first call: Concertmaster Mary Lee Taylor Kinosian (violin), Principal Violin 2 Damir Horvat, Principal Viola Audrey Harris, and Tzu-Ying Liao (cello) might or might not open up a tab. For patrons (orchestra and drinking establishment alike...) beer and wine will be available at a cash bar. General admission tickets are $15, and concert-goers may add a charcuterie board for $10. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the concert starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets may be purchased at www.scphilharmonic.com.
The idea for the SC Philharmonic’s Chamber Crawl Series sprang from successful community outreach events that brought classical music to non-traditional performance spaces during the orchestra’s last performing season season. Venues like The Hunter Gatherer Hangar and Historic Columbia properties provided the symphony the opportunity to steal take classical music from the Koger Center stage (it's home plate, if you will) and take it to other communities in the Columbia area. The Chamber Crawl Series, being led by Education and Community Engagement Director Susan Cafferty, aims to broaden the service area of the organization by bringing chamber ensembles to neighborhood watering holes around the region. The SC Philharmonic says it is excited to partner with Craft and Draft (Irmo) for the series’ inaugural performance, citing the restaurant’s connection to the Irmo area and an event space that lends itself to an excellent listening experience for patrons. Providing a cash bar with expert-chosen beers and wines for the event also serves the "The Phil’s" ongoing goal to make classical musical accessible and, "unbutton the perception that the experience may be buttoned-up," according to a release. “Music is universal in the way it connects with people. This series is a great opportunity to make more connections with the music by bringing it to Midlands bars and restaurants that are craving new experiences for their community and customers,” Cafferty said.
The South Carolina Philharmonic is committed to performing live symphonic music and providing dynamic educational opportunities in the Midlands. We carry forward a legacy of passion for the music and embrace our responsibility to be a vibrant part of the cultural fabric of our diverse community. For more information about the South Carolina Philharmonic, please visit SCPhilharmonic.com or follow on FacebookTwitter and Instagram

Jason Rapp

Lexington 2 begins search for leader of new performing arts center

Executive Director for Fine Arts Programming and Facility Development

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Open until filled

In December, Lexington School District Two broke ground on a $52 million performing arts center.

Now, it's looking for someone to run it. The center will be on Platt Springs Road in Springdale and is scheduled to open in two years' time. Here's what the district superintendent said about it in December:

Lexington Two Superintendent Dr. Nicolas Wade told the crowd gathered for the ceremony that the “large, state-of-the-art venue will offer a space for performances,  special events, and district-wide occasions, something many schools do not have.“ The center will include a two-level balcony with seating for roughly 1,550, as well as four meeting and event breakout spaces.   Upgraded systems in stage lighting and sound, along with dressing rooms, set storage and backstage areas, will ensure that the center is outfitted for a range of opportunities in dance, music, theater and more.

“This facility, I believe, firmly states we are a district that is central, innovative, and attractive,” Dr. Wade added. 

Position summary

With the construction of the new performing arts centers underway and the district's recommitment to fine arts, it has been previously discussed about the enormous tasks set before the district with articulating current and expanding on fine arts opportunities for students across grade levels, recruiting and retaining fine arts instructors, developing local relationships that foster student interest and engagement, addressing current facility and equipment needs, developing a comprehensive management plan, and researching possible educational and cultural events for the district and its communities. This position is written as such that it can address the immediate need of ensuring the district's $60 million capital project and vision for fine arts is followed through upon with fidelity. It is assumed this position may be restructured in a few years, but the district office is continuing to be responsive to current needs and adhering to a particular vision. The posting is available on this page, and the position description is available here.
Image by Ziaur Chowdhury from Pixabay

Jason Rapp

S.C. Farmers Market announces bluegrass festival

It's not the picking you normally associate with farming or farmers. This kind is much more festive.

In fact, it's a festival. The South Carolina State Farmers Market announced a partnership with West Columbia institution Bill’s Music Shop & Pickin’ Parlor to create a family-friendly bluegrass festival at the market. The inaugural festival will be held this Saturday, Oct. 30, from noon to 5 p.m. The announced featured performers are to include the following bands:
  • Willie Wells & The Blue Ridge Mountain Grass
  • Savannah River Bluegrass
  • Pinehill Ramblers;
  • Blue Faith.
Expect food trucks and, owing to its family-friendly nature, a bounce house will be on site for children. And, owing to it being fairly informal being at the farmer's market, guests should bring chairs. No coolers are allowed. Admission is $10 for those 12 and older, and $5 for those under 12. The South Carolina State Farmers Market is located at 3483 Charleston Highway in West Columbia. For more information, contact Market Manager Brad Boozer at bboozer@scda.sc.gov or 803.737.4664 or Sonia Brazell at sbrazell@scda.sc.gov or 803.737.4614. Reach Bill’s Music Shop and Pickin’ Parlor at 803.796.6477 or billsmusicshop.com.

Jason Rapp

2021 Folk Heritage Awards recipients announced

Proving S.C. traditions 'long-lived and ever-evolving'


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COLUMBIA, S.C. – In 2021, the Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Awards will be presented by the General Assembly to two recipients being honored for work keeping the state’s traditional art forms alive.

One practicing artist and one arts advocate are to be recognized as ambassadors of traditions significant to communities throughout the state. Their traditions embody folklife’s dynamic, multigenerational nature and its fusion of artistic and utilitarian ideals. The 2021 recipients are:
  • Jugnu Verma (Lexington): Traditional Indian folk arts
  • Robert Hill, III (Plantersville): Advocacy, American long rifles and accoutrements
The Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Award is named for the late State Rep. Jean Laney Harris of Cheraw, respected as an outspoken advocate and ardent supporter of the arts and cultural resources of the state. Up to four artists or organizations and one advocate may receive awards each year. The program is managed jointly by the South Carolina Arts Commission and the University of South Carolina McKissick Museum. Community members make nominations to recognize exemplary artistic achievement/advocacy. An independent advisory panel appointed by the lieutenant governor and president of the Senate select the recipients, who must be living and practicing in the state. “From a gun-making tradition that hearkens back to colonial America, when Carolinians commonly used rifles for hunting, to the art of rangoli—a patterned ground decoration created with colored rice and flower petals that community members have more recently brought with them from India and introduced to South Carolina—the state’s folklife is both long-lived and ever-evolving,” observes McKissick Museum Executive Director Jane Przybysz. “By their very definition, folk arts illustrate both the rich heritage and broad diversity of who we, as South Carolinians, are as a people,” South Carolina Arts Commission Executive Director David Platts said. “It is sometimes said that we are a state where change and changelessness co-exist, and this year’s award recipients reflect something of this balance between preserving South Carolina’s traditions and opening ourselves to new and exciting art forms and experiences from around the world. Both artists do exceptional work on our behalf, and we are all grateful for what they do.” The Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Awards and South Carolina Governor’s Awards for the Arts and are presented at the South Carolina Arts Awards ceremony. The pandemic forced the shift of last year’s ceremony to a virtual format in July rather than May. A virtual ceremony is planned once again for 2021, but it will revert to its normal timeframe in the spring. The SCAC and UofSC McKissick Museum will announce a date and time later.

About the 2021 South Carolina Governor’s Awards for the Arts Recipients

Jugnu Verma | Lexington | Traditional Indian Folk Arts Growing up in the Indian state of Bihar, Jugnu Verma found herself surrounded by Madhubani artists, whose painting was characterized by distinctive geometric patterns and depicted people, nature, and scenes featuring Hindu deities. An early interest led to learning the art form from neighbors in the community, as well as rangoli from the neighbor’s grandmother. From her mother, Verma learned the art of Henna, an integral part of Indian weddings and festivals where a plant-based dye is used to create temporary designs on the body. Verma is eager and enthusiastic about sharing her artistic traditions at various venues, which include her work as a Diwali (Indian Festival of Lights) Kick-off Party Organizer, workshops, and exhibitions at the Columbia Museum of Art, the rangoli educator at Overdue: Curated for the Creative, Richland Library Main Branch, and as a lead artist at Artista Vista in Columbia. She has served as Artist in Residence at Lexington District One’s New Providence Elementary, River Bluff High and White Knoll elementary school where she taught students Madhubani and other art forms. Verma feels it is important for South Carolinians to know about India and its culture and she serves as a cultural ambassador through her work throughout the state. Robert W. Hill, III | Plantersville | Advocacy: American Long Rifles and Accoutrements From Plantersville, Robert W. Hill III grew up an avid outdoorsman eager to learn the skills to support his passion for decoy carving, forging knives, and carving gun stocks. His paternal grandfather had been an accomplished blacksmith, woodcarver, and gun stocker who, unfortunately, did not live long enough to teach Hill his skills. But he was nonetheless an inspiration to Hill pursuing his passion. Hill had the opportunity to watch and learn from master engraver Jack Spain and developed a relationship with master gunsmith Frank Burton. After a year of studying and experimenting, Hill completed his first rifle. He recognized the need to preserve the craft and continued his training by studying historic firearms from the Carolinas. Today, he is recognized by gunsmiths across the region as both an exemplary artist and an advocate. In 1994, he co-founded the South Carolina Artist Blacksmith Association, later to become the Phillip Simmons Artists Blacksmith Guild of South Carolina. Through demonstrations and lectures, he has educated people about gun makers from South Carolina to recognize and preserve the artists of the state’s past. Hill passes his skills onto others, including his son and grandson, assuring a legacy of continued preservation, study, and celebration of the traditional craft of gunsmithing.

About the University of South Carolina McKissick Museum

The University of South Carolina’s McKissick Museum tells the story of southern life: community, culture, and the environment. The Museum is located on the University of South Carolina’s historic Horseshoe with available parking in the garage at the corner of Pendleton and Bull streets. All exhibitions are free and open to the public. The Museum is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. The Museum is closed Sundays and University holidays. For more information, please call at 803.777.7251 or visit sc.edu/mckissickmuseum.

About the South Carolina Arts Commission

The mission of the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC) is to promote equitable access to the arts and support the cultivation of creativity in South Carolina. We envision a South Carolina where the arts are valued and all people benefit from a variety of creative experiences. A state agency created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967, the SCAC works to increase public participation in the arts by providing grants, direct programs, staff assistance and partnerships in three key areas: arts education, community arts development, and artist development. Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., the SCAC is funded by the state of South Carolina, by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts, and other sources. Visit SouthCarolinaArts.com or call 803.734.8696, and follow @scartscomm on social media.

Jason Rapp

Midlands school’s dance team receives honors

Brings home 8 awards from international competition


From ColaDaily.com:

Dancers from East Point Academy competed in the virtual Taoli World Dance Competition in December, earning a total of eight awards. East Point competed against more than 600 nationwide performers in the competition.

“I feel their performances were outstanding," said dance teacher, Yihao Chen. "I am proud to teach them.”

In addition to winning eight awards, the team also earned the opportunity to compete in the final round of the competition in California in the upcoming summer.

Read more and see a list of dancers receiving awards in Meera Bohnslé's ColaDaily.com story here.

Jason Rapp

New entertainment venue planned for Midlands

Concerts announced today include Ranky Tanky


Announced yesterday, Innovation Arts & Entertainment (IAE) and The Roberts Group have partnered to launch Cola Concerts presents Columbia Speedway Entertainment Center.

The new partnership will bring major touring artists and well-known comedians to the Soda City providing the live entertainment experience people have been missing. Cola Concerts will build a new venue from the ground up at historic Columbia Speedway (2001 Charleston Highway, Cayce). An initial artist lineup for Cola Concerts presents Columbia Speedway Entertainment Center was just announced and includes Charleston-based Grammy Award winners Ranky Tanky on Nov. 22, 2020. Live concerts are set to begin this Nov. 14. Fans will be able to get early access to tickets by signing up for the Cola Concerts Speedway Club at ColaConcerts.com. The Cola Concert Series at the Columbia Speedway Entertainment Center will feature a pair of 40-foot state-of-the-art digital screens allowing for picture-perfect viewing even during daylight hours. With a capacity of 3500, the site will be one of the largest entertainment experiences operating in South Carolina. Fans will be able to safely experience live music, comedy and live broadcasts of professional and collegiate sports from special coves, which are 12’x12’ areas enclosed by posts and ornamental rope. The coves will be big enough for up to four fans to safely socially distance from others.

A proven model

IAE is a boutique live entertainment company known for national and international theatrical tours, as well as live music events including the Beach Road Weekend Music Festival on Martha’s Vineyard and the Yarmouth Drive-in on Cape Cod in Yarmouth, Massachusetts. Launched in June 2020, the Yarmouth Drive-in has hosted more than 50 live music and comedy shows this summer including performances by Marcus King Trio, Chase Rice, The Disco Biscuits, Goose, and comedians Bert Kreischer, Nikki Glaser and Iliza Shlesinger. Employing more than 100 people, the venue provided a boost to the area economy during the pandemic. The Yarmouth Drive-in has become the blueprint for the return of the fan and band interactive experience at live entertainment venues. “We are excited to take what we learned at the drive-in this summer and use it to create the best live entertainment venue in South Carolina,” said Adam Epstein, founder and CEO of IAE. “We have had an overwhelming response from artists that are ready to bring music back to Columbia.” The Roberts Group is a national live entertainment promotion company. They have a deep connection to Columbia, having brought more than 100 theatrical performances to the city through their Broadway in Columbia series, which launched in 2003 at the Koger Center for the Arts. “When we began talking with Adam and IAE about launching a live entertainment series, the first place we thought of was Columbia,” Managing Director of The Roberts Group Daniel Hampel said. “Every time we bring a show to Columbia the fans are so warm and kind. We couldn’t be happier about bringing live entertainment back to the Soda City.”

Venue will create jobs

The Cola Concert Series is expected to hire more than 100 local employees to handle everything from ticketing to security. Additionally, there will be space for 10 local food vendors at the Columbia Speedway Entertainment Center, providing concessions to 3,000+ fans at every show. A schedule of initial shows is available now at ColaConcerts.com. While at the website, fans are encouraged to sign up for Cola Concerts Speedway Club to get all show announcements and early access to ticket presales, and they can follow them on Instagram and Twitter using @ColaConcerts and "Cola Concerts" on Facebook.

Jason Rapp