It has been such a whirlwind weekend (if you can count Thursday as part of the weekend)! Thursday night kicked it off with a stop by the opening of Part II of The State Art Collection: Contemporary Conversations, put on by the South Carolina Arts Commission at the 701 Center for Contemporary Art.  Before the reception amongst the fascinating and thought-provoking contemporary pieces from the collection, a panel discussion was held which revealed facts about some of the artists, processes, and works presented.  Also during this discussion, a new logo and awareness campaign was revealed, called “Art in Sight.”

“Art in Sight” is a project conceived by Arts Commission Chairman Bud Ferillo (those of you who live in SC or who closely followed the education portion of President Obama’s election platform may recall Bud’s eye-opening movie, Corridor of Shame). “The State Art Collection is a gem as dynamic and diverse as the span of history it represents. It’s one of our most valuable cultural assets and chronicles the history of art development in South Carolina,” he says.  The goal of the program is to create more opportunities for South Carolina’s citizens to enjoy the State Art Collection in their communities, opening up access to a unique visual and educational opportunity.  The program will enable organizations around the state to arrange for the collection to be shown in their own community.*

Established in 1967 as one of the first programs of the South Carolina Arts Commission, the State Art Collection now includes 448 works in a variety of media and styles by 277 artists. Since it’s inception, the collection has been featured in many exhibitions across the country and even internationally.

Edmund Lewandowski; Blast Furnace Cooling; 1975; Oil on canvas 46 x 63

Artist Casimer Kowalski and SC Arts Commission Director of Visual Arts, Harriett Green

Gina Gilmour; Rescue; 1985; oil on canvas; 52 x 52 (triptych, each panel)

The reception following the panel discussion was a delight.  The works of art drew everyone’s rapt attention, and the crowd was chatty and thrilled to stay.  There is nothing like a well-planned arts event to brighten up a dark, cool evening toward the end of the week.  If you missed it, you can still view the collection at 701 CCA until December 6.

Carol Harper and myself at the reception

Ede No. 2 from the "Slew" Series, by Linda Williams McCune. An interesting retrospective of the artist's stages of reproductive life through her 50s.

Claudia Seeger and Cerelle Centeno

*Organizations interested in hosting an exhibition or displaying works from the collection should contact Harriett Green at (803) 734-8696. In addition to Contemporary Conversations, two other traveling exhibitions are available: Points of Departure: Vessel Forms from the State Art Collection and the African American Voice.