ArtFields Map

Calendar of Events

“ARTFIELDS^SM INVITES GUESTS TO LAKE CITY, SC FOR THE LARGEST ART

COMPETITION IN THE SOUTHEAST

LAKE CITY, SC—Art lovers of all ages will make their way to Lake City, South Carolina from April 19 – 28, 2013 for ArtFields^SM,the largest arts competition of its kind in the Southeast. This 10-day epic Southern artfest will feature a wide variety of art events, including an art competition, workshops, lectures, talks, public art and more. Most events are free, and ticketed experiences start at $5.

The full calendar and ticketing information can be viewed at:http://www.artfieldssc.org/attendees/events.

The spotlight will be on 400 pieces of two- and three-dimensional artwork selected from artists in 11Southeastern states. These original works will be exhibited in more than 40 downtown businesses and other venues during the ten days of ArtFields. Art Competition finalists are vying for $100,000 in total cash prizes. A special twist: attendees vote for their favorite to determine the $25,000 People’s Choice Award, which also factors into the $50,000 Top Prize.For full voting instructions, visit: http://www.artfieldssc.org/attendees/voting/. Winners will be announced at 7 p.m. on April 27 during the Awards and Finale Presented by IGA.

In addition to the art competition, other events scheduled for the 10 days include:

• Artist Lecture with Dr. Leo Twiggson batiking, a techniquethat uses dye and wax to color fabric (April 26).
• ConversationwithJonathan Green and Mary Whyte moderated by Angela Mack of the Gibbes Museum of Art ($10 advance/$15 at door; April 20).
• Artist Talks with Installation Artists of the Carolinas in front of their work (various dates, various locations).
• Public Art
  • Installation Art of the Carolinas created by Jonathan Brilliant, Jarod Charzewski, Jocelyn Châteauvert and Herb Parker.
  • “Before I Die”Wall allows the public to share their hopes and dreams on a chalkboard in a public space in downtown Lake City.
  • Mini Cine is aone-of-a-kind movie theater designed inside a 40-foot recycled shipping container (it traveled the world 120 times by sea!). It will include 33 seats and a 90” viewing screen playing art documentaries and short films by independent filmmakers.
  • Community Mural led by muralists who will guide the public in creating a very large piece of art.
• Artfields Portrait Contestwith local farmers as the subjectsis a high-speed, high-stakes paint-off. The best in show will receive $1,000 (April 27).
• Art workshops
  • Plein air paintingin rural Lake City and Moore Farms Botanical Garden with Andrea Hazel, West Fraser, Roy Paschal and Kelly Atkinson ($25 advance/$30 at door; limited space available; various dates).
  • Terrarium workshopwith Leesa Phippswill instruct guests how to create a low maintenance terrarium in a glass bell jar usingeasy to maintain plants, mosses and greenery ($50 in advance/$55 at door; limited space available; April 26).
  • CraftFields will be led by book binder Brien Beidler, who will demonstrate traditional paper techniques and book binding ($20 advance/$25 at door; April 21).
  • Screen printing pros will teach attendees about this ancient Chinese technique using woven mesh and an ink-blocking stencil ($5; various dates).
• Screen Printing Café (cost of merchandise)guests can curate their own merchandiseby selecting from a variety of goods and designs to be screen printed before their eyes.
• Live Painting on The Greenturns painting into performance as four artists from the Carolinas work in pairs to complete two large canvases beside the Music on the Green stage (April 20).
• ArtFields After-Dark: Exquisite Corpse Featuring DJ Rocky Horror ($5 in advance/$8 at door; age 21 and over; April 27) invites attendees to take part in an interactive art project based on the old parlor game created by surrealist painters in the 1920s.

In addition to the officially sponsored events, ArtFields will also feature a variety of free concerts on The Green—including a performancebyNew Orleans’ Grammy-winning Rebirth Brass Band (April 19).Home Grown Music Industry Nightwith Fork & Spoon Records of Columbia, S.C.(April 26) will also feature Hartsville’s singer/songwriter Dylan Sneed (an organizer of nearby ARTSVILLE),and musicians from across the Southeastwill perform throughout the artfest.

Come hungry and enjoy numerous food and beverage (wine and beer only) options, including al fresco flavors from food trucks like Geechee Island, Bebe’s BBQ and Wallace’s Seafood. Sample fresh, South Carolina produce and wares at the SaturdayFarmers’ and Artisans’ Market(April 20 and 27). Guests can also enjoy a four-course Farm to Fork Dinner(April 24)paired with wine and an open bar with signature cocktails on April 24. Wrap up the weekend on April 28 at the How Great Thou Art – A Lavish Southern Tea featuring Community Gospel Choir (April 28)with bellinis, finger sandwiches, tea, petite desserts and more.

ArtFields is family-friendly. Free parking is available throughout town. Leashed dogs are permitted, no coolers or glass containers. Bring a beach chair or blanket to relax during Music on The Green.

The genesis of ArtFields is contained within the name and the town’s rich history of cultivating strawberries, beans and other staples of South Carolina’s agriculture. Now, ArtFields is serving as a fertile field for the cultivation of art and culture in one of South Carolina’s oldest communities, thanks to the generosity of local sponsors, including the Patron of the Arts IGA.

For information on sponsorship or participation opportunities, contact ArtFields at 843.374.0180 or info@artfieldssc.org. For more information on art activities, email artteam@artfieldssc.org.

Media contact:

Grace Newland

Grace@touchptcom.com

843-816-6684

Art contact:

Erin Nathanson

erin@artfieldssc.org

843-819-6505

On-site contact:

Rob Bockman

robtbock@gmail.com

803-319-9867″

Andy the Bum is set to perfom on Scholar’s Walk this Friday. Photo Courtesy of Jacob Hallex • hallexj@mytjnow.com

Andy the Door Bum has a phrase he came up with and lives his life by: “Life is a war. Art is the war. Create or perish.”

Andy is a performance artist in Charlotte, N.C. and will be performing at the Arts Crawl on Scholar’s Walk this Friday.

“I want everyone to present art without fear. People should say, ‘These are my innermost feelings, whether you like it or not,’” Andy said. “Be shameless in the art you put into the world.”

Andy believes everyone is an artist because even just being an individual is art. To him, the art is representing yourself.

“It is through the creation of art that we sustain as humans,” Andy said.

Andy said his goal with art is to get other people’s attention and “as the flower blossoms, show them things are not always what they thought originally.”

“The dance style is based off of the ‘20s era,” said Hilary Gay, a junior environmental studies major. “It’s a story about the night before. It starts with us waking up and we don’t know where we are. We hear music and it all comes back to us and turns into one great big party.”

Allie Nunweiler, a junior dance major, said perhaps the group should have called the dance “Slur, Slur, Slur.”

The dance features Gay; Nunweiler; Sarah White, a senior forensic science major; A.J. Sims, a senior sociology major; Danielle Cannon, a freshman dance major; and Montana Housand, a junior biology major. Each member of the group helped to choreograph the dance.

Gay described the dance piece as fun and upbeat. The group came up with the idea together after deciding they wanted to use a prop with their dance.

“We knew we wanted to use a couch,” Gay said. “It’s difficult to use a prop with a dance, but we wanted the challenge.”

Housand said the group faced another challenge.

“We come from different backgrounds since we are all different majors. It’s not something we are used to. We got to be creative in a different way,” Housand said.

There is not really a deep meaning to the dance. Gay said it is just purely for entertainment.

“I want the audience to walk away with smiles on their faces,” Gay said.

The dance is fun and upbeat with the idea of working backwards with flashbacks.

“It’s a feel-good thing,” Housand said.

The Johnsonian: Can you think of any bands that you would say you might relate to or sound similar to?

Nick: Honestly, it’s hard to pinpoint our sound and find a band we sound similar to. We sound most similar to Manchester Orchestra, but with some hints of My Morning Jacket and an underlying funk like Red Hot Chili Peppers.

TJ: Who are your biggest musical influences or idols?

Nick: Mine are Jesse Lacey (Brand New) and Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes).

Max’s are Tosin Abasi (Animals as Leaders) and Andy Hull (Manchester Orchestra). Cole’s are John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers), John Entwistle (The Who) and Billy Cox (Jimi Hendrix Band of Gypsies). Brad’s are Joshua Eppard (Coheed & Cambria), Patrick Hallahan (My Morning Jacket) and Steve Clifford (Circa Survive).

TJ: Can you give me a background of how the band formed?

Nick: We’ve actually not really been a band all that long, just over five months or so. We started back in December. Max and I were really good friends and he had started a Prog band with Brad on drums, and I started this as an acoustic project just to occupy time. Eventually I showed Max some things I’d written, he liked it, so we took it to Brad and it kinda started then. We practiced around their other band and eventually this just took precedence over it. We realized it was getting serious, so we posted a status on Facebook about needing a bassist. Cole messaged us, which was weird because he is a guitarist, but he said he wanted to give it a shot on bass. I had known him since high school, so we had him come over and jam, and that was that. We all just fit really well together and it’s been us four at Brad’s house ever since.

TJ: I found two songs available to listen to online. When can we expect to hear some more from you guys, such as the entire EP? Is there a theme or message?

Nick: We are working on our EP, “As Good as Gold.” We can’t say exactly when the whole EP will be released, but we’re aiming for the beginning of summer. We also will be putting up more songs as soon as we decide which ones to put up off the EP and which ones to keep under wraps until we release the EP. I wouldn’t necessarily say that there is a conscious theme to the EP; I’d say it’s more of an underlying theme of change because at this age, that’s something I’m seeing all around me and something I’m dealing with constantly and I know other people my age are as well.

Local band will be among the performances at the Arts Crawl this weekend. Photo Courtesy of Kid Flies Private

TJ: How did you come up with the name for your band?

Nick: I am a really big Will Ferrell fan. In the movie “The Other Guys,” he plays a cop, whose partner is played by Mark Wahlberg. In one scene Mark Wahlberg’s character tells Will Ferrell’s, “Just stay outta my life okay? The kid flies private.” I heard that line and told myself I’d make it a band name one day. It took a little convincing, but eventually the rest of the guys liked it too.

TJ: What influences you guys to write? You know, like Taylor Swift couldn’t possibly write anything if it wasn’t for all those darn breakups.

Nick: I am the primary lyricist and songwriter for the band. I usually think about something I’ve gone through or something that seems like it’s really prevalent in my life right now or at the moment when I’m writing the song. Like I said about the EP, I write a lot about change because right now I’m 20 years old, so I just ended the “teenage” years. I write about the way my feelings are changing and the way my life is going. Sometimes I put myself in the place of another person to write a song, to get a different side to the emotion I’m trying to put into it. Then I bring the lyrics and sometimes a rhythm riff to the band and let everyone put their own pieces to it.

Nesbitt, sophomore digital information design major, and Christian Coley, sophomore sociology major, are hoping their film “Disillusion” forces their viewers to do exactly that.

“We want them to question if what they’re seeing is actually what’s happening,” Nesbitt said. “In doing this, we take on the role of childhood.”

Nesbitt said that as a society, we don’t take the time to think about if what we show children is right or wrong. We simply assume that since it was acceptable for us, it’s acceptable for them.

“We never realize how much of an impact we truly have on children,” Nesbitt said. “They always watch us and learn from us, good or bad.”

The film features Coley’s seven-year-old sister as herself and Hannah Strong, freshman mass communication major, as “Barbie.”

“Essentially what we did was film his sister playing with dolls and real-life-Barbie is seen mimicking what the little sister is doing. Eventually, the little sister is admiring real-life-Barbie and trying to be as perfect as she is,” Nesbitt said.

The point is that as children, we learn a lot through play.

“It’s fun to play with dolls, but we need to offer a variety of different looking dolls. We need to take time to break boundaries of what one is supposed to look like,” Nesbitt said.

Ibrahim Almunive

Ibrahim Almunive is a freshman computer information systems major from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Almunive has also lived in Cairo, Egypt for about three years.

Almunive said that one of his favorite memories from living in Riyadh is going camping every weekend with his friends from high school. He said that he loves camping because he loves to cook.

While living in Egypt, Almunive said that he enjoyed the simple things such as going on weekend trips with his parents to Alexandria, Egypt and just having lunch and getting coffee.

Almunive said that he decided to study in the United States because of the advice of his uncle who received a Ph.D. in Portland, Oregon.

“My uncle said that it is important to be here (the U.S.) and that the people are friendly,” Almunive said.

Something peculiar that Almunive has experienced in the United States these past two years is that “people can say ‘hi’ by just waving their head, not even waving.”

Almunive said that he is thinking about applying his degree in some form of law enforcement and is excited about what a major in computer information systems can bring him.

Ngoma dance group from Benedict College. Photo Courtesy of Curtis Boyd

The Ngoma dance group from Benedict College is known for their energy, smiles and unique global experience.

Curtis Boyd, a graduate student in the Masters of Arts Teaching program (MAT) for music, was planning the Ngoma dance group event for the Arts Crawl as part of the interdisciplinary arts and production class with professor Jill O’Neill. Boyd said that this class has been a great avenue for him because he is changing to a program for a master’s in arts administration next fall.

Ngoma is a student run African dance group that travels and performs all over the state. The group is also ran with academic professor and artistic director Dr. Rodney Hopkins of Benedict College.

The group originated at Norfolk State University in 1994 with Dr. Hopkins, and he brought it to Benedict College when he transferred his education in 1998.

Boyd wanted to bring the Benedict Ngoma group to Winthrop’s Arts Crawl because he used to be a student artistic director at Benedict college during his undergraduate study.

The Ngoma dance group was also of particular interest to him when helping to plan the Arts Crawl because of his love for dance in the arts.

“Artists love to be heard and to be seen and so I’m just trying to help them out and have them be seen,” Boyd said.

“It was my idea to get them to perform here, to get them around to as many places as possible. The students (of the Ngoma dance group) like to go around and travel to show people what they are doing, so it’s interesting for them too,” Boyd said.

Boyd said that there is always a lot of energy from this group with “smiles, maybe some freestyling with about four or five drummers, males and females, freshmen, sophomores and alumni” as regular occurrences.

There are at least 17 performers in the group from Benedict College. Boyd said that they used to travel to Africa to perform and a group came to Benedict from an African country to perform as well.

Speaking on the African origin of the Ngoma dance group, Boyd said that while he thinks that many groups come from Eastern Africa, many styles have merged between the groups from various African countries.

The Ngoma dance group is open for anyone in the community to join, “as long as you’re willing to learn,” Boyd said.

The youngest participant he has seen in the group was about five years old.

This Ngoma group was scheduled to perform during the Arts Crawl around 1:45 p.m. in Byrnes Auditorium, but have faced unforeseen circumstances and will no longer be able to make it to this year’s Arts Crawl.

On a positive note, the Ngoma dance group is just one example of the caliber of artistic performance and display that students can expect from the Arts Crawl.

Speaking on the global experience that this group is known to bring, Boyd said that it is always good to have, “more culture to digest, more alternative ways of dancing, different moves than may have seen from the normal popular culture dance moves – sometimes when students get in there we have like a freestyle session and sometimes they might add a popular dance into the African dance just to mix it up.”
Boyd thinks that there is something inspiring about live performances.

“Live performances are so raw, you can’t go back and press rewind, once it’s out there it’s out there – its a life in motion kind of thing,” Boyd said.

Boyd said that the group’s presence would be an interesting comparison for many African students at Winthrop.
“I talked to a lot of international students here from Africa and they speak of a different kind of dance,” Boyd said, “Some students from Nigeria said its a different type of dance, different body parts are used more in different styles. One might use their hands, one might use their hips more, some might use their chest more – there’s a lot of things that differentiate the different types of dance.”
Boyd’s interest in music in the arts comes from his appreciation of his view as art as a part of everything.
“I think of everything as art, from the way you talk,the way you walk, the way you write,” Boyd said, “We just don’t put everything on the same level – if I could find a painter to paint every element in the period table and write a song about it or something, that’s what I imagine, art is always interesting.”

Boyd said that art in the context of education can inspire more enthusiasm in the way that people perceive art because an educational context makes relevant connections throughout the expression.

“This is a greater way to teach – everything is brought out more in the arts,” Boyd said.

Boyd wants to work as an arts administrator because he wants to be an advocate for the arts.

“I want to sit on educational boards and tell them you can’t take funding away from this program,” Boyd said, “Once people get in certain positions like that they kind of forget about the arts and the fun of learning and they start putting things in a box and arts can not be put in a box – art is always changing and always evolving, people get new ideas through creativity.”

Boyd said that there are openings for last minute performers who might get inspired and decide to perform something that day.

“I’m looking forward to seeing people that say ‘I got inspired by this’ or people that decide they want to read their poem, even if its only thirty seconds long – I’m looking forward to seeing who it inspires,” Boyd said.

Noor demonstrates threading on a customer. Photo by Frances Parrish • parrishf@mytjnow.com

The American Dream–a house, a picket fence and a stable job–is something that can be almost intangible and difficult to obtain. The movies and history books make it seem so glamorous, but for one couple it was not so.

Paul Hamu and his wife ,nicknamed Noor, opened up their business just seven months ago. One of their daughters named it Best Eyebrow.

Noor and Paul moved from Iraq to seek asylum in America in 2008 because of Iraqi political unrest.

However, it was not easy getting their business started. In Iraq, Noor was an elementary school English teacher, and in America, she didn’t think she would have a great opportunity for a teaching job because of her English speaking skills. Her husband had a job in Columbia, S.C., and after his contract ran out she decided she would get a job as well.

She explained that her 7-year-old daughters depended on her, so she found a place in the Rock Hill Galleria Mall to start her business.

“I’m sure God helped me,” Noor said.

During the first six months, Noor didn’t have any customers at her beauty salon. She lived by herself in an apartment in the city and slept on the floor with a blanket and two pillows for four months to keep her cost of living down until her business picked up. Her husband and two daughters had not moved up to Rock Hill with her.

Noor’s store is a beauty salon specializing in threading and sugaring. “In the big city, it is popular,” Noor said. “Here it is not so popular.” According to Best Eyebrow’s website, threading is the use of a thread twisted around the hairs. The process is less painful than waxing and it does not irritate the skin as much.

Sugaring is a form of waxing. According to the website, sugaring does not use heat and therefore will not burn the skin. The paste is made of sugar, water and lemon juice.

Both practices are from ancient Middle Eastern times and were used by the Egyptians.

Paul, Noor’s husband, said that she has a smile on her face for the customers.

“I don’t worry about the tips. I like what I’m doing,” Noor said.

Noor explained that the road to finding your dream job is not always easy, and that one must keep fighting.

“We have to start with a job, then find what you want,” Noor said.

According to the website for the awards, the medal “recognizes the unique roles of individuals and groups who have made a significant contribution to the arts, as well as those who have positively impacted the quality of the cultural life in communities across the Carolinas.”

This year the recipients of award are Karen Collins, Larry Barnfield, Jerry Helton, and Brookgreen Gardens.

Karen Collins is a Winthrop Alumna and is being recognized for her Emmy nominated television productions that focus on life in the Carolina’s. She is also known to hire students to help on film sets, including the 2008 horror film “Asylum” shot on campus. Recently she has delved into photography and currently is the director for the Underexposed Film Festival hosted by the York County Art’s Council.

The work of the Brookgreen Gardens was America’s first sculpture garden and a national landmark. The operators are being recognized for their continued investment into teaching history of the Lowcountry through art.

Larry Barnfield is the director of fine arts for Dorchester County School District Two. He has made efforts to expand arts education not only around South Carolina, but also the nation. His efforts have been recognized by the Kennedy Center on three separate occasions. Barnfield also started the “Rising Stars” program for the Spoleto U.S.A. Festival. “Rising Stars” features gifted and talented South Carolina middle and high school students.

Jerry Helton is professor emeritus of music at Winthrop. He began teaching in 1970. Through his guidance as an instructor many students have achieved success at district, regional, and even national voice competitions. Students of his have performed well in competitions hosted by the Metropolitan Opera and San Francisco Opera. Through Helton’s guidance many students have gone on to perform with respected opera companies from all over the globe, including the New York Opera and Metropolitan Opera. Helton has achieved success himself as a singer. He has performed with opera companies from Cincinnati, New York, Charlotte, and even in Barcelona.

The ceremony will also include the awarding of a Medal of Honor scholarship to a deserving student whose work and community involvement goes beyond what is expected of them. This year the winning student is Rhiannon Bode. She is a junior design student who was chosen for her hard work in her major and her skills in illustration. She also works in the RVRC lab and volunteers as a Winthrop Ambassador.

The medals and scholarship will be awarded Wednesday in Johnson Hall. A reception will follow with performances from members of the College of Visual and Performing Arts.

O’Neill is the adjunct lecturer of music. She teaches flute at Winthrop and directs the Winthrop Flute Ensemble; she also teaches a class that organizes the Arts Ball and Arts Crawl. Her and her husband run the theatre company Shakespeare Carolina, and O’Neill composes all of the music for the company.

Her life seems to revolve around music, and she admits she doesn’t have any hobbies other than music.

“My hobbies are just practicing the flute, teaching flute, running the theatre company with my husband and subbing for several orchestras,” O’Neill said. “I know that sounds like work, but I’m lucky enough to take my hobby and make it my profession.”

O’Neill also teaches four classes at York Technical College, but she doesn’t seem to mind having such a busy schedule.

“I never stop. But you know what, never once in 17 years have I felt like I’ve had to ‘go to work,’” O’Neill said. “I’ve never woken up and thought, ‘oh man, I don’t want to get up and work today.’ I’m the luckiest person in the world.”

O’Neill earned a piccolo major with a minor in dance. She completed her

undergraduate studies at West Virginia University and her graduate studies at the State University of New York, commonly known as the University of Buffalo, and the University of South Carolina.

After moving to Tallahassee, Fla. with her husband, where they both planned to continue their schooling, her friend, a composition professor at Winthrop, became sick with cancer for the second time. Her and her husband decided to move to Rock Hill to take care of their friend.

“The flute professor left right before she passed, and [her friend] talked me into going to Winthrop to teach,” O’Neill said. “I had degrees in performance, not teaching. I was a performer. I never in a million years imagined being a professor.”

“She’s the coolest person that I’ve ever met. She’s so nice and so supportive. Some people have insane ideas, but Jill will never say, ‘you can’t do that.’ She will always push us to try new things and makes everything we do interesting. She’s really involved with us and makes an effort to get to know us and help us in any way she can,” Gay said.

Danielle Cannon, a freshman dance education major, agrees with Gay.
“She is a great teacher,” Cannon said. “She treats us all as adults, while staying on our tails to make sure work gets done.”
O’Neill offers great advice to her students.

“Here’s my motto as a teacher: I tell all of my students, ‘never say no.’ You never know what path it will take you down. You just never know who you might meet or who you will get to work with and what experiences you can gain.”

O’Neill is a self-proclaimed “interdisciplinary person.” She says she tries to teach her students the same thing. Her Interdisciplinary Arts Production Class offers students from all majors a chance to learn this.

“I really like that anyone can sign up for the class so we have different backgrounds and majors, and we can all come together and work together,” Gay said.

Gay said she grew up dancing and was a dance major, but decided not to purse a career in it. To her, the class is a way to continue to dance.
“My major isn’t really creative, so this class is my creative outlet for once a week,” Gay said.

O’Neill has certainly had influence on her students, and has a life that seems to be exhilarating from sun up, to sun down.
“My mom says I live like a rockstar,” O’Neill said.