Busy week for art exhibits
If you are a serious art connoisseur, you're in luck. There are several major events taking place this weekend that you should not miss.
At the Gibbes
Friday will be a busy one at the Gibbes Museum of Art as they open two significant concurrent exhibits: "The Art of Alfred Hutty: Woodstock to Charleston" in the Main Gallery and "Jill Hooper: Contemporary Realist" in the Rotunda Galleries.
For those of you who may not know every detail of Charleston's art history, Hutty was a major player.
Marla Loftus, director of museum relations, describes him as "the master painter and printmaker who is considered one of the principal artists of the Charleston Renaissance" (1920-45).
And if you don't know Hooper, you should find a way to meet her because she is an absolutely amazing young artist and very much alive and well here in Charleston. Although the museum has owned one of her pieces for quite some time now, this will be her first solo exhibition at the Gibbes.
Both of the exhibitions will be on display until April 22.
135 Meeting St., 722-2706, www.gibbesmuseum.org
Renaissance symposium
Since the Charleston Renaissance was such a big part of the city's history, and Hutty was such a big part of this Renaissance, it is only fitting that the Gibbes offer a symposium dedicated to that time period along with the Hutty exhibit.
The symposium, "Rebirth, Refinement, and Rivalry: A Charleston Renaissance Symposium," will take place Friday.
"The Charleston Renaissance, a period of time between the two World Wars, was largely the creation of a small community of artists that played an important role in redefining Charleston's cultural heritage," Loftus said.
Moderated by Gibbes Executive Director Angela Mack, the symposium will feature five speakers, a roundtable discussion of art collectors and a book signing of the newly published "The Life and Art of Alfred Hutty."
Tickets are available for the morning (9 a.m.-noon) and afternoon (1:15-2:45 p.m.) speaker sessions, and the roundtable discussion.
Tickets for one session is $40 for members, $65 for nonmembers. Tickets for the full day are $75 for members, $120 for nonmembers. Tickets include continental breakfast (morning session), light snacks and beverages.
The book signing at 3 p.m. is open to the public and does not require a ticket.
To purchase tickets, go to gibbesmuseum.org/events or call 722-2706, ext. 22. Limited seating is available, advance purchase is recommended.
Solo show at Halsey
The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art consistently produces interesting shows, and I'm really hoping this one is on par with the Aldwyth show that opened the new location in 2009.
Aggie Zed's "Keeper's Keep" is derived from the British term "keeper" meaning "curator," and plays on the double meaning of "keep" as both noun and verb.
Zed is an imaginative storyteller who uses various mediums to get her stories across: installations, sculptures, drawings and sketchbooks.
Halsey Director Mark Sloan describes her: "Zed's studio practice is eclectic and varied. Often starting with images from her sketchbook, she may develop some of these concepts into paintings and others into sculptural tableaux or installations.
"Her subject matter is nothing less than the sum of human civilization, with an emphasis on man's relationship to the animal kingdom. Human and animal figures collide with furniture or landscapes; rabbits sprout wheels or wings, while horses drown in collapsing scaffolding. Zed's dreamscape narratives probe the inner reaches of the subconscious mind."
There will be an opening reception 5-7 p.m. Friday with complimentary wine and light hors d'oeuvres. At 2 p.m. Saturday, the artist will give a walking tour.
This show will be on display through March 10. After this inaugural presentation at the Halsey, "Keeper's Keep" will travel nationally.
Halsey Center for Contemporary Art, 161 Calhoun St., 953-4422, www.halsey.cofc.edu
Portrait Battle
12 hours. 24 talented artists. 12 bearded models.
Three anonymous judges. One winner.
It's time to battle it out with the second annual Fr3shart 2012 Portrait Battle on Saturday at Redux Contemporary Art Center.
The first round of painting will begin at 10 a.m. with 24 artists paired off to paint 12 of the men from the Holy City Beard & Mustache Society as their models.
There will be three anonymous judges walking around throughout the day and four rounds of eliminations 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
The final round will be chosen by the audience present, and the finalist will win the coveted Champion's Belt and a $500 cash prize.
Diggity Doughnuts will make morning munchies, Hello My Name is BBQ will be on hand for lunch and dinner, and there will be beer and wine available. DJ Cassidy will be spinning all day.
All artwork will be for sale.
Redux, 136 St. Philip St., 722-0697, www.reduxstudios.org
Story of survival
When Sala Garncarz was 16, she was sent to a German forced-labor camp. It was 1940.
She was moved to seven different camps in Germany, Poland and Czechoslovakia over the five years she was imprisoned.
During that time, she somehow managed to receive more than 300 letters smuggled from friends and family on the outside or in other camps. As these were her links to the outside world and to loved ones, she cherished them dearly and actually hid them for five decades after her internment.
"Letters to Sala: A Young Woman's Life in Nazi Labor Camps" is on exhibit in Charleston, thanks to the College of Charleston theater department, on loan from the New York Public Library and the French Children of the Holocaust Foundation).
The letters are on display on the second floor of the College of Charleston's Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library (205 Calhoun St.) through Jan. 27.
The department of theater is particularly excited about this, as one of their teachers, Beth Lincks (who goes under the pen name of Arlene Hutton) wrote the play "Letters to Sala," based on the book "Sala's Gift" by Sala's daughter, Ann Kirschner.
Lincks will speak at 6 p.m. today at the Addlestone Library, Room 227. The department will present the play April 14-19 at the Emmett Robinson Theatre. It will be guest-directed by New York-based Eric Nightengale, who directed Arlene Hutton's "The Nibroc Trilogy" off-Broadway.
For info on the exhibit, contact Claire Fund at 953-8002.
For more on the upcoming production, including ticket sales, contact the theater's main office at 953-6306.
Fight racism
Friday and Saturday, check out this innovative and hilarious performance against racism.
"Fighting racism one joke at a time, 'The Most RACES Show on Earth!' " is a stand-up comedy show that examines racial differences through the lens of laughter and features fearless comics from various ethnic and geographical backgrounds.
By putting stereotypes in the spotlight, this show promises to provide a filler-free night of funny, edgy stand-up comedy," creator and producer Neil Bansil said.
"MRSOE! attests to the fact that ethnic stereotypes can be funny, at least when presented in the right light," Bansil said. "Comedy is one of the few art forms that allow raw expression; at times it is edgy, honest and ethnically influenced. What draws people to this show is that comedy transcends racial divides. It's no secret that on the surface, we have our idiosyncrasies; ironically, the more you realize our differences, the more we are the same because we all laugh at the same things."
After selling out shows in Canada and throughout the U.S. over the past six years, MRSOE! makes its Charleston premiere as part of the eighth annual Charleston Comedy Festival.
Showtimes are 9:30 p.m. Friday and 8 p.m. Saturday at the American Theater, 446 King St. Tickets are $12.50.
800-514-3849, www.etix.com, www.charlestoncomedyfestival.com, www.mrsoe.com
Jessy Carolina & the Hot Mess
New York-based early American roots andjazz music group JessyCarolina & The HotMess will perform at Spirit Moves Studio for a special version of the regular Friday night Roaring Twenties Hot Jazz Dance Club.
Specializing in music from the late 1800s to the 1930s, these guys have played some major gigs throughout the country and have some distinguished accolades.
Christof Bergman, composer and Metro-politan Opera affiliate, said, "Jessy Carolina's voice touches your soul the second you hear it. If Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald had a child together, it could not be more talented."
Spirit Moves Studio, 445 Savannah Highway, 557-7690, www.jessycarolinahotmess.com
