Redwine and red wine at If ART

Apparently, my mind is pretty sophomoric. When I heard that the Roadies would be venturing to a local art gallery called if ART, the first thing that came to mind was the humorous reference to flatulence. Come on, I’m not the only person who thought this! I quickly moved on to more mature thoughts about art galleries (I’m a grown-up, after all) … like the thought of how delicious the free wine would be once I arrived at the art gallery.

The wine was quite tasty, but I digress.

Local artist Anna Redwine is an MFA graduate from the University of South Carolina. She has a typical 9 to 5 job, but her true passion is in making visual art and utilizing it as her language with people (as contrast to the spoken word).

Redwine discussed her current series of artwork, which she put simply, "drawing life." Her drawings reflect her one-on-one moments with another living thing (ex. mosquitos, spiders, fish). She quickly explained that "drawing" doesn’t just mean to put pencil to paper, but to "extract" or "take in" the life that the other living being brings through their experience with her. The multiple drawings on one panel reflect a sense of movement. Once the moment with that living thing is gone (ex. the mosquito flies away), the experience is complete and the drawing is finished.

if ART owner Wim Roefs, who had graciously opened his gallery to us, talked to us about the challenges of getting people to recognize the value of purchasing art. Even though 10% of the general population may visit art galleries, only 2-3% of people from this sector are moderately serious about actually purchasing art. Roefs explained that the majority of his time is spent convincing people to recognize the value of purchasing art … and keeping artwork in his gallery on the minds of his potential buyers.

He told us about the market for art in Columbia, and explained that even art galleries in New York (which you may think has the art market tapped) have unique challenges in creating a distinction from the hundreds (thousands?) of other art galleries within the NYC.
Roefs discussed the relationship between gallery owner and artist and how he makes the distinction between "career artists" who have an authentic passion for making art as a form of expression and "Sunday artists," who tend to dabble in art every so often. Seeing as how I buy my art supplies on-sale at Kmart, I would probably fall into the second category.

I’m certainly no Anna Redwine.

Lauren

The Nick and Nan

I set out on my Road Show journey on Tuesday as we all have before, not knowing what to expect. Heading down to the basement of the Nickelodeon Theater, I was warmly greeted with good company, home cooking and an ice-cold beer. While I knew this would not be an average movie experience, I did not realize this night would be my Road Show "ah ha" moment.

After dinner, Andy Smith, the Nick’s Director of Programming, gave us a brief history of independent film and the Nick. It’s hard to believe that a bed sheet screen hanging on the basement wall could morph into a venue that provided a movie experience like no other.

Our experience like no other was provided via Lost and Found from local filmmaker Betsy Newman. It is an extremely personal documentary about the search for Betsy’s sister Paula, who disappeared 33 years ago. Driven by a 1999 New York Times photo, we travel west with Betsy to San Francisco, seeking out a mentally ill woman whom she believes may be her missing sister. Her story not only grabbed me, but also shook loose feelings of hope, sadness, empathy, curiosity and pain. My perspective of independent film had changed – "ah ha". There was no scare factor, no political statement, no verbosity. It was a simple journey of sisterhood and lasting hope. We all have a Paula - someone we loved, lost, yet hold onto forever.

After the film, we had the pleasure of meeting Betsy Newman. She spoke of the filmmaking process and of what motivates and inspires filmmakers. They so often eschew popularity, and with it monetary gain, to share their experiences with the world. Betsy’s film is a gift, a contribution from pain and loss given to further our understanding of mental illness and homelessness.

After such seriousness, we sat down with Executive Director Larry Hembree, Andy and Betsy. They shared more about the Nick’s past, present and future and its role in the community. Not only does the Nick entertain, but it is also a non-profit which seeks to reach out and give Columbia a culture shot. Larry discussed the capital campaign efforts to raise $3 million for the refurbishing of the Fox Theater located on Main Street. The theater will not only have two screens for films, but will also provide educational programs and series.

On November 30 we will be viewing Lust, Caution and will enjoy an after party at the Fox Theater. I can’t wait to see the new digs and to continue my independent film experiences and "ah has". Thank you to Larry, Andy and Betsy for an enjoyable and educational night. Nan

We're at the Nick in November - Sharon blogs about our first visit!

On a cool November night the "Roadies" made our first visit to Columbia's very own Art House Theater, the Nickelodeon. I settled into my comfy theater seat not knowing what to expect. Not knowing what to expect is a standard for our New Audience Road Show evenings. The uncertainty of the evening is one of the many fantastic aspects of this program!

We learned that there are less than 30 Art House Theaters in the US. Larry Hembree, Nickelodeon's Executive Director, welcomed all of the Roadies along with many theater patrons as this was a normal evening for business at the "Nick". The lights were dimmed and the movie began after the standard fare of previews. The film for the evening was an Indian film and the 2007 Berlin International Film Festivals winner for Best Debut Film, Vanaja. I am a very fascinated with the Indian culture. Growing up I had a very good friend that was Indian. I enjoyed spending time with her family, experiencing Indian cuisine, Indian music and art as well as the very popular "bollywood" films. Bollywood is the informal name given to the well known Mumbai-based Hindi-language film industry in India.

As the movie started I began to realize that this was not "one of those". I was quickly sucked in though and thoroughly enjoyed it. I will not give the details of the movie away so that anyone wishing to see Vanaja will still enjoy the movie. I will highly recommend the movie though! The audience is immediately charmed by the lead character, Vanaja, played by Mamatha Bhukya. She is a spirited young girl that ignores the chains of the caste system when dreaming of being a dancer. Anyone interested in more information should visit the following websites: www.nickelodeon.org or www.vanajathefilm.com .

After laughing, sniffling, feeling good and feeling bad during this brilliant film the Roadies headed downstairs below the Immaculate Consumption (a GREAT place for a cup of coffee!) to discuss the film and the Nickelodeon. Many of us recounted our first visits to the Nick. This is an amazing theater and seeing a film there is not just "going to the movies". As many people described their visits to the theater it became apparent that seeing a move at the Nickelodeon is really an "experience".

Larry and Andy Smith, Nickelodeon's Director of Programming, provided great insight into the theater's many programs, the process of selecting and acquiring films to be shown, their efforts in reaching out to the community and providing films to meet specific audiences as well as information regarding the new location in Columbia's old Fox Theater. There will be two screens in the new theater. This feature will provide great opportunity for showing a multitude of new films as well as providing the rare opportunity to enjoy film noir as one can only experience in a theater setting.

Next week the Roadies will return to the Nickelodeon to enjoy another film and learn more about the theater, how it is run and what their budget planning entails for 2008 among other topics. The Nick is a non-profit art house film theater run by the Columbia Film Society. It is the only theater of its kind in South Carolina. This is just one more of the rare jewels housed in the Columbia area!

To close I would like to say that the movie and the time spent with Larry and Andy was… well, Jhakaas! Sharon

Mayotard, not leotards - Brad blogs about the Power Company

The Roadies were back on the campus of Columbia College Tuesday night for their encore experience with the Power Company, South Carolina's leading contemporary dance company. Thanks to Katie, we were given a full hour’s warning that there might be a little more body movement than the week before.

After a quick dinner of turkey and mayotard sandwiches with gallon-size cups of iced tea, we made our way back in to Martha Brim’s studio. We found out last week that Martha is the founder and artistic director of the Power Company. This week we would quickly discover that she is also a master of subtle persuasion. As Misty mentioned in the blog last week, the thirty foot wall of mirrors in the room can be quite intimidating for novice dancers like the Roadies. Martha reminded us that the people we see in the mirror are not ourselves, but our evil twin that can’t touch our dance skills. That mind trick was helpful at the time, but offered little comfort when I noticed the tripod and video camera hiding in the back corner.

Nevertheless, we threw caution to the wind, formed a circle and started moving. Without the shackles of rhythm or technique we creatively and fluidly moved our arms, shoulders, hips and feet through space. As the music began to play, we all somehow lost sight of the camera, the giant mirror, and the twenty-five people watching as we searched deep inside for our inner cowboy or cowgirl. Led by Martha and the Power Company apprentices, our circle began to rotate and swirl and our lasso-throwing, gun-slinging, and spurring evolved into a group interpretation of a bonfire as Johnny Cash’s "Ring of Fire" blazed in the background. Somehow, through the sweat and emotion, credulity set in and we failed to realize that we weren’t just dancing for our own enjoyment; we were auditioning for next week’s performance: Blaze! A Shakti Rodeo! Martha’s artful arm-twisting subdued the Roadie resistance and we agreed to perform under the lights next Friday night.

We moved upstairs to catch the real dancers for their last hour of rehearsal. They performed two dramatic numbers from the upcoming show that are in sharp contrast to the whimsical boot-scoot opener featuring the Roadies. The first was a number choreographed by former Power Company member Christian von Howard titled "In Memory of...." It powerfully illustrates the interpersonal relationships that flow through an individual’s life. The second dance they rehearsed was "Same Moon," an autobiographical piece written by current Power Company member Stephanie Wilkins. "Same Moon" dramatically captures the pain and sorrow caused by a broken relationship. Hearing the stories behind these two compelling pieces allowed us to go beyond mere observation and feel the emotions that the writers were trying to convey. A brief question and answer session with Martha and the Company furthered our appreciation for their work. Each of the members work a day job (and some work two!) in addition to the time they put in at the Power Company. They rehearse together two evenings a week year-round and practice solo sections in their limited spare time.

The experience Tuesday night brought home Martha’s statement from last week that everyone has within them the power to create dance. We learned that contemporary dance is as much or more about creative expression than it is about skillful technique. This was encouraging to us Roadies who, next Friday, will attempt to be as expressive as our two left feet will allow. For a great opening laugh followed by an entertaining and inspiring performance, come check out The Power Company’s performance of Blaze! A Shakti Rodeo! Brad

Misty blogs about our first stop with the Power Company

So it is 5:50 pm and I am sitting at my desk trying to remember what I did with the directions to Columbia College, home of the Power Company, which happens to be the next stop on the Road Show tour. As I am changing into "comfortable" clothes I try to remember what Katie told us at our last meeting. She did say to wear "comfortable clothes" and NOT "shiny spandex" right? Or was it the other way around? I look at my exercise pants and try and convince myself they are nowhere near shiny spandex but deep down I am more concerned about what it is that I will actually be doing in these pants.

Let me go ahead and be honest with you, I am not a dancer. I don’t even come close to being a dancer. Most of the time I can’t even keep up with the "Rock your Body" cardio dance mix workout DVD that I OWN. In fact, all I know about dancing is what I have seen over and over again on the movie "Center Stage" and the "inspirational" dancing that occurs after a couple of beers with friends during late night karaoke. Regardless of my dancing capabilites or lack thereof I have to be at the college in a couple of minutes wearing my "comfortable" clothes and it is quite possible that we might have to "participate" in tonight’s event.

After we meet up on the campus for dinner we walk over to the dance studio to meet up with our hosts for the evening. We take off our shoes, enter the studio and sit with backs facing the "Wall of Mirrors" (thank goodness because I am tired of worrying about these pants and how I look in them). It is here that we meet the founder and director of The Power Company, Martha Brim. Martha, who is very excited that we joined her tonight, is joined by a small group of younger women. She explains to us that The Power Company comprises of a body of professional dancers but also a handful of apprentices. The apprentices are mainly of college students who are working toward their BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography; they are also joined with junior apprentices, usually high school aged students, who happened to be working with the company tonight. Not long after Martha begins to tell us the story behind The Power Company I can hear the actual sounds of the company practicing above me.

Martha tells us that The Power Company, which started about eight years ago, brings a very different type to dance to our city of Columbia. I mean have you ever heard of a director trying to explain to the dancers how to move like "amoebas" through a "smokestack"? The Power Company itself is a completely different venue. The company gives not only Brim but other contemporary choreographers’ the chance to showcase their innovative dance productions to a large audience. It is also a great resource for students, considering that it is housed on the grounds of Columbia College and Martha Brim has been a professor of dance at the college for about 25 years.

As far as the art of Dance is concerned, I learned a couple of things. First of all there are four things that you need to remember about contemporary dance: Bodies, Moving through space, Effort and Time (or as fellow roadie, Andria, pointed out "BMET".) Brim explains to us that it takes each of these elements working together to create contemporary dance. Here is a really rough breakdown: It is the action of our BODIES which MOVE through space, the EFFORT used in that space plus the measurement of TIME, or pace/rate of movements, that creates the dance. No dance can possibly be the same because everybody creating the "dance" sees and feels in a different way. Brim points out to us that we all posses the power to create dance. The tricky part is learning to harness the ideas and meld them together with physical realities. For example: I have this music, this type of costume, this idea and this deadline - what is it that I can create? She admits that having a deadline always makes creating the "dance" a little easier. It is after rounds of questions about origins of contemporary dance, how the dancers are chosen, who choreographs what, where they get their music and what exactly is "Shakti" that Brim asks us to spread out. Here it comes, the moment we’ve al been waiting for..our participation in tonight event. The next thing you know everyone is doing a little ditty to Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire and the room becomes filled with continuous laughter. I don’t know about everyone else but I was certainly enjoying myself. Who knew this could be so much fun?

Next we move upstairs to meet the dancers who will be performing in this year’s annual cabaret. With a name like: Blaze! A Shakti Rodeo how can you possibly go wrong? As we moved into our seats the dancers were working on the last piece of the cabaret’s showcase, called OA. (which stands for Orgone Accumulator, which I recommend you look up online). It was so amazing to watch them move with such fluidity. Brim had explained to us earlier that the "Shakti Rodeo" idea had come to her because she wanted to showcase the fluidity of "shakti" - force/energy - through the different senses and ways that movement that can be produced. Even though Brim told us that the dancers were still very much in the creating process of the piece I was astounded at how everything they did seemed effortless whether it was lifting, rolling or swaying in unison with one another. It was absolutely incredible! Next thing you know it is 9:15pm and I am still trying to figure out they’re counting patterns, plus how do they know where to be at what point in the song to meet up with their partners? It seems so complicated.

How do they do it?! I guess I will have to wait until next week to find out. Stay tuned. PS be sure to check out more info about The Power Company and the different dancers on their website: http://www.thepowercompany.org/

Katherine blogs - we're back at the museum!

On Tuesday, September 11^th, the Roadies made their second trip to the Columbia Museum of Art to get a taste of the behind the scenes work and dabble in the arts 3D style. And, I think the Roadies will all agree that the second art museum adventure was just as amazing and awesome as the first!

We started off the evening with a tour of the basement, which in an art museum is not a location to be scoffed at one bit. Todd Herman, chief curator and curator of European art, was our tour guide. Our first stop was the workshop where art crates, art supports, frames, and picture mats are made when needed. Next, we traveled down the hall and around a few corners to the “mock set-up” and de-accession room. In the “mock set-up” area, staff will unpack 3D works of art like plates, bowls, figurines, etc. and arrange them how they might appear in a case in the upstairs gallery. This process is more efficient then hauling all of the works of art upstairs and then trying to figure out how to best arrange them. In the de-accession area, staff place works that have been damaged or works that will most likely never be shown. The purpose of this process is to remove works that are only taking up space within storage because they cannot be shown due to quality or due to the particular taste of the art museum visitors. Some of these works are sold at auctions. Todd told us that this process is controversial because some feel that once a piece is bequeathed or donated to a museum they should always keep it. Others feel that even though some works have gone out of style they might come back into style years down the road; so, an art museum should not risk the chance of getting rid of anything.

After finding out that the value of an artist’s proof and the number of a print don’t affect the value of the work, we headed into the storage room. This room is quite expensive to maintain because the temperature and humidity have to be constantly monitored and kept at certain levels to preserve the 6,000 pieces of art that are housed there. First, Todd showed us the row of metal art racks on which pictures are hung. He pulled one rack out, and there was what looked like Henry VIII looking back at us! Then we moved over to the cabinets that house 3D art. Todd opened the top doors to reveal figurines and vases; then he pulled open one of the sliding trays to reveal rows of saucers. Every single piece of the museum’s collection is cataloged by the year it was received and the order of which it arrived that year.

We then moved over to the drawers where paper works are stored. Todd explained the importance of using acid-free paper and mate to conserve works. He advised us to keep paper works out of intense light because the colors, especially green and red, will fade over time.

With not much time left in the tour, Todd led the group upstairs to the exhibit gallery. We got a sneak peak at the Seeing Ourselves exhibit that’s scheduled to open to the public on September 14^th. Todd explained the tedious process of deciding how to arrange the works in terms of theme and size. He noted that the best gallery design is one that is not noticed because it just flows naturally.

Now it was time to create art! The first step was to take a sketch book to the collection gallery and sketch a pattern that caught our eye. This pattern would then be translated onto terra cotta clay that would be covered with plaster to make a 3D object. We were intensely examining picture frames, statues, and paintings when the lights went out. The security guard didn’t realize we were all still in the museum, so he was closing shop. But, he came to the rescue.

We then headed to the workshop and re-created our patterns in the clay. After the clay was layered with oil and covered with a plaster mix resembling a watery-Frosty, we were done!

What have I learned from Columbia’s New Audience Road Show’s stop at the Columbia Museum of Art? I’m reminded of a quote I once read by Patrick Mimran: “Art is not where you think you’re going to find it.” I feel that I have a greater appreciation and understanding of not just the Columbia Museum of Art but of art museums in general. I found it fascinating to learn about the significance of every choice the Museum makes. There’s art in planning and managing the facility. There’s art in handling a calendar that plans 5 years in advance. There’s art in delivering works of art and determining the best way to display them. There’s art in teaching art classes with students of various degrees of experience. The masterpiece that the Columbia Museum of Art staff creates was unseen by me before this Road Show stop. But, as Todd said, the best design is one which you don’t notice; what you notice instead is the actual art on display.

Several new memberships to the Museum, including mine, were inspired from this Road Show stop. There is so much the Museum offers, and every visit promises to hold new discoveries. So, I encourage you to visit the art museum and pay attention to the detail of the art, of the building, and of the layout. Enjoy the whole experience! Katherine

Lindsay blogs about the Columbia Museum of Art!

The Columbia Museum of Art offers more than I ever thought. . . this is truly a place not to be missed! We had the opportunity to not only view the different galleries but also become familiar with the structure of the building. Taking a tour with Joelle taught us the beginnings of analyzing paintings through lines and shading. In addition to viewing some amazing Renaissance pieces, Joelle informed us as to how the architecture of the building truly effects the exhibits and potential future shows.

Behind the scenes of The Columbia Museum of Art is truly amazing; from the planning aspect for various exhibits (did you know that the museum typically plans three years in advance?) to the building’s layout. One of the most interesting aspects of the tour was standing on the roof of the building and discussing how the walls, roof, and HVAC system make an impact on the museum. The museum is much larger than I ever expected; future plans include an expansion into currently unused portions of their space.

Once getting down from the roof, we had the opportunity to discuss a future exhibit entitled Seeing Ourselves. Currently, the behind the scenes work is underway, including choosing appropriate wall color and laying out the photographs. The show is divided into five subjects and will open on Thursday, September 13th, 2007.

After the grand tour was over, we had an opportunity to make our own prints with fish molds. I was a bit worried about an "art project" since I am not an artist. However, this was an attempt in trying something new. I enjoyed making a few prints and plan on framing one of the two. (Hey, it’s my first piece of artwork since elementary school!) The group enjoyed becoming more hands-on and this opportunity was not missed by a single member.

So, what have we learned so far from Columbia’s New Road Show? The Columbia Museum of Art is constantly evolving, pushing the borders of its audience through various mediums that are meant to challenge your mind and spirit. So get out there and challenge yourself! Lindsay

The Road Show Launches this Tuesday!

Hey All,

Columbia's New Audience Road Show kicks off our tour of the capital city's arts offerings this Tuesday, September 4. We're starting by going behind the scenes with the Columbia Museum of Art. Check the blog regularly, as different roadies will blog about their experience in the Road Show.

Columbia's New Audience Road Show is a program of the South Carolina Arts Commission.