GOOD NEWS: Avery Center to present camp meeting exhibition

A new exhibition of black and white photography of the history and traditions of camp meetings will open with a 7 p.m. reception on Sept. 3 at the College of Charleston’s Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture Center.

15.0831.crownedglory“This Far by Faith: Carolina Camp Meetings, An African-American Tradition” will run through Jan. 25, 2016. The exhibition represents a 14-year journey of research, photographs, and audio and video footage by Minuette Floyd, associate professor of art education in the School of Visual Art at USC Columbia’s campus.

Since 2001, Floyd has travelled to seven African-American campgrounds and captured the rich tradition through photography, video and oral interviews.   The interactive exhibition, which consists of 42 large black and white photographs and has been displayed at the Charlotte Museum of History in North Carolina (2010), the Moore Methodist Center at St. Simon’s Island (2010), Georgia, and the McKissick Museum (2008) at the University of South Carolina.  Her book, entitled, A Place to Worship: Carolina Camp Meetings, An African-American Tradition will be published  in the near future through USC Press.

A graduate of Winston-Salem University, Floyd also holds a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a doctorate degree from Florida State University.  She currently is an associate professor at the University of South Carolina.

More good news:

Cannon Street Y All Stars: Several members of Charleston’s Cannon Street Y All Star team, civil rights heroes from 1955, were to travel over the weekend to Williamsport, Pa., to commemorate the 60th anniversary of their historic trip to the tournament. As guests of Little League, the former players will be recognized at the Little League World Series on the championship field.

In the summer of 1955, the Cannon Street team was the only African American organization in South Carolina that attempted to compete in Little League post-season play. All the white teams in the Charleston area refused to play the black team, and thereby forfeited the tournament. The Cannon Streeters could not find competition at the state or regional tournaments either, but were then forbidden to play in the Little League World Series. A Little League rule banned teams that advanced by forfeiture from playing in the World Series. Nonetheless, the players and their coaches took a bus to Williamsport and practiced on the baseball fields. But rather than competing they had to watch all the games from the stands. Little League has since included the Charleston team in its World of Little League Museum.

Players who were expected to make the trip to Williamsport are John Bailey, Allen Jackson, David Middleton, and John Rivers. Team historian Agustus Holt will accompany the team. For information on the Cannon Street Y All Stars, go to http://1955cannonstreetallstars.weebly.com.

15.0831.womanredNew artist. The City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department has named painter Daryle Halbert as its 2015-16 artist in residence. Born in Detroit and trained there and in Washington, D.C., Halbert moved to Charleston in 2011. Recent paintings show Lowcountry scenes of cuisine, agriculture, music and folklore. An exhibition of his work will come in January at the city’s gallery. More: NorthCharleston.org

Big Joe winner. Hats off to LS3P President, CEO and Chairman Thom Penney, who will receive the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce’s 2015 Joseph P. Riley Leadership Award on Sept. 10. The annual award “celebrates a visionary leader doing extraordinary work to strengthen the community, who is also an outstanding community volunteer that has demonstrated a lifetime of leadership,” the chamber said. More: charlestonchamber.net/honorsnight

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