Hub E-vents: McKissick Museum ‘Quarantunes’ adds performances
You want art. You crave art.
#SCartists and arts organizations want to fill that void.
They live for that. It’s a calling.
Yet in times of social distancing, that’s hard to do. Through the wonders of modern technology, many are trying and succeeding. So while we’re all staying home to protect vulnerable family, friends, and neighbors, The Hub is stepping up to fill the void between artists and arts lovers. (
Learn more about Hub E-vents here.)
TONIGHT: Ron & Natalie Daise
Quarantunes, the popular virtual music series from the University of South Carolina’s McKissick Museum is adding several new performances in the last two weeks of June. Fans of the Facebook Live series will be thrilled to see additional performances by Queen Quet, Sol Sabor and the J’s Family, The Edisto River Singers, and Charlton Singleton. The entire list of performances include:
- Friday, June 19th – Ron & Natalie Daise
- Saturday, June 20th – Queen Quet
- Thursday, June 25th – Sol Sabor and the J’s Family
- Friday, June 26th – Seitu Solomon
- Saturday, June 27th – The Edisto River Singers
- Sunday, June 28th – Charlton Singleton
Tune into Facebook Live to hear these sounds of the south from the comfort of your own home. All performances will begin at 7 p.m. EDT and will be posted on McKissick Museum’s
Facebook Page and in the discussion tab of each individual
Facebook event. For those unable to attend the event, a recorded version of the performance will be uploaded to the McKissick Museum YouTube page.
This celebration of the south’s traditional artists will mark the end of the
Quarantunes series, which has been going strong since April.
Quarantunes is made possible with generous support from the
South Carolina Arts Commission.
The University of South Carolina’s McKissick Museum tells the story of southern life: community, culture, and the environment. The Museum, located on the University of South Carolina’s historic Horseshoe, has more than 140,000 objects in its collection, including one of the most extensive natural science collections in the Southeast. For visitation information, online exhibits, and more, please visit sc.edu/mckissickmuseum.
SLAY, Lowcountry artists, slay
"Support Lowcountry Artists Y'all" debuts Wednesday
Local artists have joined together to respond to the havoc that SARS-COV-2 and Covid-19 have caused for the world and the arts community.
SLAY is an acronym for "Support Lowcountry Artists Y'all." This is a relief effort for the arts community led by noted Bluffton based artist
Amiri Farris. Farris wanted to do something about the many Lowcountry artists who experienced a significant loss of income when the COVID-19 virus caused the cancellation or rescheduling of many local art shows, festivals, and galas. Knowing that many in the art community are facing similar difficulties, he assembled SLAY as a collaborative of artists to create content to inspire and engage the community, recover some of that income, and raise funds at this critical time.
[caption id="attachment_44582" align="alignright" width="175"]
Handwashing artwork by Amiri Geuka Farris[/caption]
SLAY’s founding roster includes:
- Amiri Farris
- Natalie Daise
- Michael Dantzler
- Sophie Docalavich
- Dr. Thaddeus Jones
- Ment Nelson
- Victoria A. Smalls
- Calvin Woodum
Heather Bruemmer, executive director of SLAY, knows well the challenges SLAY wants to address.
"Many artists, musicians, and other creatives will be left behind by The CARES Act," Bruemmer said. "If you are selling your artwork here and there at shows, or are a recent graduate just getting started, you are going to be left out. The relief only covers people who had an established LLC filed prior to January 31st or were getting paid as independent contractors via IRS Form 1099. Many small independent artists won't qualify."
Bruemmer continued, "Worse, recent art school grads who were claimed by their parents last year won't receive the $1,200 per person assistance either. We could lose a generation of young artists who have to set aside their craft. These are the types of artists who are often also without health care. The need is urgent and legitimate."
The group is moving quickly to respond to these challenges. SLAY has incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit and is expected to launch the website www.SLAYart.org April 1. The initial site will accept donations and requests for relief. As it grows, plans call for the site to be monetized through a membership model. Through this virtual co-op, donor members will receive unique content created solely for this platform from SLAY's roster of established and emerging Lowcountry artists, all of whom have experienced cancellations in recent weeks. A mix of online content, downloads, and mailed deliverables is planned.
Farris states that the group will welcome new artists who are passionate about this work and have a connection to the Lowcountry of South Carolina and Georgia to join the effort. At this time the group is focused on serving the coastal counties of South Carolina and Georgia, along with the rural areas that comprise the South Carolina Promise Zone.
BONUS CONTENT: Does his name sound familiar? Learn more about Amiri Farris at the South Carolina Arts Commission COVID-19 response page.
SLAY’s goal is to be able to offer financial support to all kinds of artists and creatives who experience financial hardship during this difficult time. They will be able to apply for relief through a simple application on our web portal and can receive up to $500 in assistance rapidly via the Zelle app.
This work will benefit the general public as well as the art world. SLAY will create high quality, contemporary art that comforts, inspires, and educates about practices which will need to be a long term "new normal" in our world long after the immediate threat from COVID-19 has diminished. To this end, public health experts have been engaged to advise on messaging and content that will be beneficial to the overall fight against the virus.
Ron and Natalie Daise to perform God’s Trombones
The South Carolina African American Heritage Foundation received a South Carolina Arts Commission Performing and Presenting grant to help support this performance.
From the Darlington News and Press
Black Creek Arts Council and the South Carolina African American Heritage Foundation will present husband and wife duo Ron and Natalie in God’s Trombones at the Center Theater in Hartsville on Sunday, February 21, 2016 at 3:00 p.m.
“‘God’s Trombones’ was a major part of black culture at one time,” said Ron Daise. “Children and adults learned and presented the poetry of James Weldon Johnson at church, school, and civic events. “I saw presentations of ‘God’s Trombones’ by the Henderson Davis Players of S.C. State College throughout my childhood. The performances were magical, filling the stage with color and energy and life. Then afterward, the stage would be as bare as it had been before the production started, and the actors would not be the larger-than-life characters they had portrayed. That inspired me early in life to be transformative in onstage presentations.”
The theatrical performance of James Weldon Johnson’s “God’s Trombones: Seven Negro Poems in Verse”includes a cappella selections of Gullah spirituals and appeals to lovers of inspirational writing, scholars of African American culture, and persons who appreciate great poetry.
Ron Daise, Brookgreen Garden’s Vice President for Creative Education, is an author, performing artist, and cultural preservationist. Natalie Daise is a visual artist, storyteller, and creative catalyst. The husband and wife team is a recipient of the 1996 SC Order of the Palmetto and the 1997 State of South Carolina Folk Heritage Award and served as star and cultural consultants of Nick Jr. Many families remember their show “Gullah Gullah Island” from the 1990’s.
“The cultural and artistic components of this project or program are funded in part by the Black Creek Arts Council of Darlington County, which receives funds from the South Carolina Arts Commission, the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of the Coastal Community Foundation of SC, and the National Endowment for the Arts.”
The South Carolina African American Heritage Foundation supports the efforts of the South Carolina African American Heritage Foundation identify and promote the history and culture of African Americans in South Carolina.
This event is also supported by the City of Hartsville Accommodations Tax. Tickets for the event are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Tickets can be purchased at www.scaaheritagefound.org or by calling 843-917-3350.
