The best local events of 2008

A month-by-month account of last year's best art events

2008 proved that local events rule. Small ideas executed by few and enjoyed by hundreds, sometimes thousands of people. You may have forgotten how much fun you had in 2008. Let me remind you how I saw you walking the runway, dancing your heart out or expressing new talents.

JANUARY

2008 was still brand-spankin' new when I rolled into the now-defunct Map Room in West Ashley, ready to support and ready to dance. Even into the holidays, skateboarding advocates for Charleston's Pour It Now foundation were happy to keep on giving right through the new year. Local skaters were on hand to raise funds and awareness. Their goal? To build a skatepark on the peninsula of downtown Charleston, providing a safe haven to skate. Local bands, such as Motormouth Mabel, A Decent Animal, FLK, the V-Tones and White Boy Crazy, provided tunes while event goers snatched up prints and artwork donated by local artists. And if you think you just missed another art show fundraiser, you're wrong. You also missed the opportunity to see Kevin Taylor's epic documentary "The Pool," showcasing Charleston's original skate park in the '80s - the empty George Street Pool. Unfortunately, the Map Room closed its doors in 2008, but Pour It Now is still going strong. Go check them out online at www.pouritnow.com.

FEBRUARY

In Charleston, you breath art. Count yourself lucky to stumble upon art shows, design walks, local musicians playing in all of our fine restaurants, bars and clubs just by leaving your house. Because of this, the Metamorphosis art fete in North Charleston this past February transformed Park Circle. Organized by Phillip Hyman and sponsored by the NoChuck Mixon development, the open-air event brought the art scene to Park Circle.

Metamorphosis flooded the streets, parks, empty buildings, sidewalks, galleries, bars and restaurants - with collaborative art exhibits. Pooling from established local artists to those perfecting their trade, the interactive event spiced up the art scene in North Charleston and made itself its own little home. Kudus to Phillip Hyman for constantly pouring his heart and soul into the local arts.

And for those of you who caught his traveling Evolution art show during Spoleto in June, you'll agree we can expect many awesome surprises in 2009. Year round, he just never stops creating.

MARCH

Charleston Fashion Week 2007 inevitably put Charleston on the fashion radar. In 2008, fashion surged, hitting up catwalks from Local Color at Chai's to Smashion at the Map Room to a whole fabulous week in Marion Square. My favorite? Side Show. In March, a small army of creative people banded together and unleashed the show and it roared! A wild fashion event behind the glass of an abandoned storefront on upper King Street, those with the golden tickets watched as models strutted the clothes of local designers and boutiques from Max Jerome, Global Awakening, B'zar, Philadora, Spinster and Magar Hatworks. Gutsy and untamed, Side Show gave some serious street cred to upper King Street.

Also in March, Blume brought the string of underground art shows into the public realm. Guerilla marketing piqued city-wide interest with hand-made flyers and invitations, at an unconventional location: Club Pantheon. Blume proved to be an iconoclastic student-launched art show. To that add a healthy dash of edgy perks ranging from live art, bike valet, body painting, onsite T-shirt screen printing, breakdancing, LED hula hooping to experimental DJs, and you begin to get a voyeuristic taste of the participatory arts that exploded in 2008. And by the end of the year, Blume blossomed thrice.

APRIL

In April, Night Vizzion Promotions brought Charleston's best dressed event, Flip the '08 Back to the '80s. It was time to relive all those awkward yearbook-worthy moments in the '80s. Bad hair? Check. Parachute Pants? Check. Neon colors? Check. Roller skates? Check. One white glove? Check. Razored eyebrows? Definitely. With boxes of cheesy accessories at the door, B-Boys and B-Girls hit the dance floor with all the right moves. On stage, graffiti artists raged while the boyz from the Lucciono Double-Platinum Salon set up shop, popping out slick designs for those who got their "hair did." Thriller. Decked-out guests crossed state lines to show off at the Music Farm.

MAY

With skyrocketing gas prices in 2008, vintage street bikes sold like adjustable rate mortgages used to sell, as Charlestonians abandoned their cars in favor of the bike. For real, it's so hip to be green. In May, the Midnight Mystery Ride was launched, and it was one of my favorite bike events, hosted by Portland transplant Sam Cee. The event was free and the idea was so simple: meet at an agreed-upon location around 11 p.m., and at midnight, join your fellow bike riders to pedal off toward a mystery location. The inaugural event launched from Voodoo in West Ashley, but with growing support of over almost 100 riders, including members of the Holy City Bike Co-op, the event blew up downtown with bike lights.

JUNE

In June, the Park Circle Irish pub, Madra Rua, packed a full house for its Big Lebowski Celebration. Seriously? Yes. Instead of the usual soccer or rugby games screaming from the TVs, the pub blared the Coen brother's cult classic film and slung White Russians across the bar. Hosting a serious "Big Lebowski" trivia game, in-character guests, from The Dude to Jesus to Maude and The Nihilists, proved there was nothing amateur about this prinked costume contest. You know this - come abide in 2009.

JULY

The Starbucks on East Bay cracked the corporate mold in July and hosted its first Patio Palooza. It was time to jam! This ad-lib fundraiser encouraged both java and music aficionados to gather on the patio and bring canned goods in exchange for tunes. Benefiting the local Crisis Ministries, celebrated locals The Holy Trinity Family Band, Kentucky Shoes and The Cart Wheels tapped into this spontaneous outdoor music festival for a good cause. Have you seen the size of that parking lot? Charleston music venues, beware.

AUGUST

In 2008, Redux Contemporary Art Center changed hands, caught the attention of local media and art advocates, and scrambled to raise the much needed cash to keep them afloat. In August, Redux and B'zar pulled a gaggle of hipsters and ardent local art advocates into cramped quarters for the vinyl crazed Munny Show 2.0. This art auction party raised over $5,000 for the teetering organization and its youth-focused art programs. Decked out, donated Munny dolls poured in from over 30 local and national artists (including: Kevin Taylor, Julio Cotto, Nathan Durfee, Ishmael) and local business. A brave step in the right direction by Redux in 2008 blazed a path for the organization to leave its doors open through 2009. Fingers crossed.

SEPTEMBER

Manifest in hand, women took to the streets of Charleston in September for the first Lady of the Alleycat urban bike race. An event hosted by and benefiting the Holy City Bike Co-op, unconventional check points kept the bike riders guessing.

OCTOBER

Talk about mind bending. In October, the Daily Dose out in James Island hosted A Dark Circus, a carnival of local talents that dropped jaws, literally. Organized by Rogue Dynamic Productions, the bacchanal event featured a tribal fusion bellydance troupe, Qabeelah, fire-lit hula hooping by the women of Homespun Hoops, dance-offs by the Charleston Capoeira and the Hipnotik Bodyrock groups, with a fire poi grande finale - all to the beats of DJ Sonar. These stunning local performances were Coney Island worthy, right in our own backyard. Hands down, I vote A Dark Circus as my favorite event of the year. I really look forward to what they'll bring in 2009.

NOVEMBER

Did you miss Pecha Kucha Night in November? A now international event, local creative bon vivants brought this expose event to Charleston to stretch the creative vernacular. The format is simple: 20 visual shots allotted 20 seconds a pop.

The result is a 6 minute and 40 second verbal/visual parade. Guests of the first event included urban planner Jacob Lindsey, artist Colin Quashie, film maker Justin Nathanson, architect Whitney Powers, writer Jonathon Sanchez, designer Brady Waggoner, photographer Tim Hussey, Preview editor and spoken word poet Marcus Amaker, and chef Nico Romo. The next Pecha Kucha Night is slated for early 2009, so pay attention. The event is free, but the sign-up list is short.

DECEMBER

Many of you know the Eye Level Art Gallery on Queen Street for its fine art and vintage clothing and jewelry, from the ripple of downtown art walks. The gallery also has an experimental uptown warehouse space on Heriot Street, where in 2008 they hosted an array of inventive art shows. In December, the gallery hosted a challenging group show with a twist, 4Square. Given merely a 4X4 square to display art, 16 contemporary artists (such as Max Miller, Sermet Aslan, Boo Glider, Helen Rice, Yvette Dede, and more) displayed their miniature collection, while guests enjoyed a Polaroid photo booth, square snacks, a golden ticket raffle, and more.