Party poopers?

A hefty tax debt forced Jill Hunter to sell off a good deal of her prized antiques and furniture in the past year. But rather than mourn her misfortune, she saw a unique opportunity in the loss.

A photographer and artist, Hunter decided she would use the free space in her downtown Charleston home as a quasi-gallery to celebrate creativity and the power of fun. She would host exhibits, theme parties and other unique gatherings that she could then document as an art project of sorts.

A disco party night in October -- complete with dueling DJs, mirrored globes and laser lights -- drew 160 people to the newly christened Gallery 57. Hunter and the crowd had a blast. But some of her neighbors on Chapel Street failed to share her enthusiasm and were taken aback by the noise, smoke and revelry.

Those concerns only grew when Hunter advertised plans for a Day of the Dead extravaganza on Sunday that would feature art, skeletons, a Mariachi band and fire dancing. People complained to the city, and authorities cited Hunter on Friday for operating an unauthorized business in a residential neighborhood.

Hunter, 54, said police warned that the vice unit and fire marshals would show up if she went through with the gig. She put out word that the event had been canceled "by threat of arrest." But she wasn't done yet.

Hunter hung signs on her white picket fence lamenting the cancellation and asserting that the "livability police" denied their rights to celebrate a religious holiday because of the complaints of a "joyless freak who clearly has no life."

"This is not a business. It's just my house," Hunter said Monday. "I'm not making any money on this. I'm just a girl who wants to have fun."

Her home is not easy to miss on a stroll through the Garden District neighborhood. Brightly colored plastic flowers hang from baskets and weave through the spindled railing of her porch, amid purple lights shaped like bunches of grapes. Wooden carvings of skeletons sit side by side on a bench, while an array of ceremonial candles lines the stairway. Inside, eclectic artwork covers the walls, surrounded by disco balls, Mexican altars, a zebra sculpture and cushioned chairs fashioned from old shopping carts. Neighbor Susan Flaster said Hunter is entitled to her individuality and the neighborhood certainly doesn't object to people socializing and having a good time. Hunter's events simply go beyond what is reasonable in a residential area, she said.

"We all know somebody for whom none of the rules ever seem to apply," she said. "In my opinion, she is one of those people."

Flaster and neighborhood association president Vangie Rainsford said they were very concerned about the prospect of a dancer twirling fire around at a crowded party in a dense neighborhood full of wood homes. "This has become an issue of safety," Rainsford said.

Hunter said the dancer is an experienced artist who posed no threat. She said she also took precautions at parties to ensure no underage drinking went on and that people had a safe, good time.

Hunter, a divorced mother of two, said she has held Day of the Dead parties for years to celebrate her love of Mexico, where she eventually plans to move. She wanted this party to be special, so she flew to Mexico two weeks ago to buy authentic supplies, art and offerings to place on altars to honor the dead. The event was to be free and open to the public.

Free or not, Hunter's gallery is not permitted in a residential home, said Yvonne Fortenberry, director of Charleston's division of Design, Development and Preservation. That's why she received a citation to appear before a city Livability Court judge in two weeks. She faces a possible maximum fine of about $1,000, she said.

Hunter can't bring herself to look at the summons. She still can't understand why everyone wouldn't want to join in rather than shut her down. "This was just for fun," she said.

Reach Glenn Smith at 937-5556 or gsmith@postandcourier.com.