Local author brings historical exhibition to Aiken middle school
During March 2022 and beyond, Aiken Center for the Arts connects students at Schofield Middle School with local author Dr. Walter Curry through an author in residence program to enrich the study of South Carolina and African American history as it is depicted in his books.
Curry’s work brings Aiken County’s African American history to life through the narratives of his own family. Discussions of the narratives in his books initiate conversation about the past to help students shape the narratives of their future. Combining education, creativity, and passion into student engagements, Dr. Curry shares real life ancestral stories in his books, The Thompson Family: Untold Stories from The Past (1830-1960) and The Awakening: The Seawright-Ellison Family Saga, Vol. 1, A Narrative History, which connect to the 8th grade South Carolina Social Studies Standards. [caption id="attachment_50193" align="alignright" width="450"]
Dr. Curry speaks to students from the floor of the school gymnasium as they look on from bleachers. Provided photo. Click to enlarge.[/caption]
Schofield students are reading Curry's second book The Awakening: The Seawright-Ellison Family Saga, Vol. 1, A Narrative History, and discussions focus on the sharecropping experiences of Dr. Curry’s ancestors who lived in Barnwell and Aiken counties.
Curry points out that “this book is pertinent to Schofield students as it also incorporates Schofield Normal and Industrial Institute history with the story of Schofield graduate Floster L. Ellison Jr. who was a World War II veteran and co-founded the Palmetto State Barbers Association during the Civil Rights Movement in 1960.” Dr. Curry talks about these narratives that are in the book and engages students by leading them through an exhibition of artifacts and images exploring sharecropping life of his ancestors in the book, showing that history is alive and an important source of connection to our communities.
Mrs. Whetstone, who teaches South Carolina history and African American History to 8th graders at Schofield, speaks to the project's relevance.
“When you teach history, you teach a lot of dates and sometimes we don’t make the connections. Dr. Curry’s work is the connection. It shows that this happened to Dr. Curry’s family it happened to your family. It happened to all of us. We study the diaspora of African American culture starting from slavery. When you get to reconstruction you understand that we already had those civil rights but had to work through it. Society is not going to be able to move ahead unless we can have these kinds of discussions,” she said.
Aiken Center for the Arts believes in the importance of this Author in Residence program because it uniquely delivers our mission by sharing a local voice of untold stories from Aiken County’s African American history, by inspiring area youth through the personal story Curry shares of his journey to authorship alongside the educational enrichment Curry’s books provide as those narratives give real life examples of the concepts taught in the standards. Supporting local artists and authors through the Author in Residence program celebrates rich human resources that are among us while opening opportunities for deeper understanding of the human experience.
This project is funded in part by SC Humanities, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The South Carolina Cotton Museum and Jerry Morris, author of the book Barnwell County, are also contributors to this engagement.
For more information contact Caroline Gwinn, executive director of Aiken Center for the Arts: execdir@aikencenterforthearts.org or call the Arts Center at 803.641.9094.
Good morning! 
The 701 CCA Prize 2020 winner receives a six-week paid residency at 701 CCA. A solo exhibition following the residency will feature work created during it.
701 CCA in Columbia provides the time and place for conversations and reflection. The 701 CCA Prize is an art competition and exhibition for South Carolina artists 40 years old and younger. The project identifies and recognizes young professional South Carolina artists whose work is exemplary in its originality, shows awareness of artistic developments and is of high artistic merit.
Rhodes submitted to all four previous prize competitions. The printmaker and mixed media an installation artist holds both bachelor's and master's in fine arts from Winthrop University and has exhibited widely and often throughout the Carolinas and beyond. Recognitions of her career so far include being South Carolina Arts Commission visual arts fellow in 2020, selection for the 701 CCA South Carolina Biennial in 2019 and 2021, and the recent region-wide exhibition Coined In The South at the Mint Museum in Charlotte.
“My work is about relationships, and the complexity of closeness- the simultaneous struggle to separate from your past and return to it in the same breath.
As a medium based in the creation of multiples, printmaking becomes a method for creating structure. This framework, indulging a desire for order, creates space for disruption. Using prints as modular components allows the work to inherit visual information across pieces. I am interested in how this repetition of imagery and motif reflects recurring thought patterns.
Tedious handwork is an anxiety response, reflecting an obsessive desire for control, which is undone through woundings within the work. In a world of instant gratification, the act of sitting with heavy thoughts and repetitive processes for an extended time becomes a statement in itself, bringing that act to the content and context of the work."
Mary Whyte and Lilly Jones (l-r) are all smiles in front of "Lilly." Charleston Post & Courier photo by Henry Taylor.[/caption]
The May/June 2012 issue of Jasper Magazine - the Word on Columbia Arts.[/caption]
The party begins at 6 p.m. with a VIP champagne reception then opens to the public at 7 p.m. for a night of music, art, food, and fun. A limited number of tickets are available at 
Richland Library's Pop Up Art Shows aim to highlight the work of local, emerging visual artists and their unique personal ties to the specific communities where our libraries are located. Stop in (763 Fashion Dr., Columbia, 29229) to meet Bradley Williams and Ashlan Bishop, browse the art or make a purchase.
Bradley Williams is an artist living in Camden who has been painting and drawing since he can remember. Williams paints life as a visual journal and is currently working on a series of paintings inspired by his time living and working in Yellowstone National Park.
Ashlan Bishop is a South Carolina native fiber artist with a focus on needle-felted wool art pieces. Affectionately known around town as “the ghost lady,” Bishop's needle-felted wool art allows folks to keep the spirit of Halloween going all year.
The April 16 pop-up art show is the first of the Spring exhibition series and will be followed by two additional opportunities to view the works of South Carolina artists on:
Charleston Jazz is excited to announce the lineup for the Charleston Jazz Festival, April 21-24, 2022.
From April 21-24, the 2022 Charleston Jazz Festival will feature student musicians, local jazz groups, and internationally acclaimed performers including the Emmet Cohen Trio, the Jorge Luis Pacheco Quartet, Kandace Springs and Etienne Charles in multiple venues around Charleston.
The festival will open on April 21 with Lowcountry Jazz Day, hosted by Forte Jazz Lounge. Expect a host of Charleston's own top musical talent and an appearance by the city Poet Laureate, Marcus Amaker.
From April 22-23, the Charleston Music Hall will host internationally-acclaimed artists Emmet Cohen Trio (pictured above, with Lucy Yeghiazaryan and Bruce Harris), the Jorge Luis Pacheco Quartet, Kandace Springs, and Etienne Charles & Creole Soul.
The festival will close with Family Jazz Day on Sunday, April 24 as Charleston's brightest young musicians carry on the torch of the city's jazz art form in a special showcase at Royal Missionary Baptist Church.
The Charleston Jazz Festival is made possible, in part, by the Medical University of South Carolina.
Exhibition runs March 4-April 27