This photo shows the scaffolding that was put into place to allow artisans to restore the dome of the Gibbes Museum of Art during a two-year renovation. The museum reopens this week capping a full week of arts in the Charleston area, as outlined in our Focus piece below. (Photo provided.)
Staff reports | If there ever were a week for the arts in Charleston, it’s this week, which marks the May 28 reopening of the Gibbes Museum of Art after a two-year renovation and the start of the annual 17-day festival season featuring Spoleto Festival USA and the 2016 Piccolo Spoleto Festival.
Four new shows opening May 28 (of course they’re new … the museum has been closed for two years!) include:
The Things We Carry: Contemporary Art in the South (Gallery 8), which features paintings, sculpture, photos and mixed media by a diverse group of artists who address the South’s troubled history, including responses to the 2015 Emanuel AME Church tragedy.
Beyond Catfish Row: The Art of Porgy and Bess (Gallery 9) celebrates the George Gershwin opera as interpreted by visual artists.
Still-Life Painting in America (Gallery 2), a series of works drawn from the museum’s collection. Paintings range from works by Thomas Wightman’s from the 1840s to Jill Hooper’s contemporary works.
Whistler and Japonism (Gallery 3), featuring prints from James McNeill’s Whistler’s etchings and woodblock prints from Japanese masters.
The revamped Gibbes also will feature familiar works in Galleries 1, 4 and 5 (18th and 19th century American paintings and sculpture), Gallery 5 (miniature portraits), and Gallery 6 (20th century American regionalism and the Charleston Renaissance).
The updated museum reportedly takes inspiration from the past in the new design. The first floor will continue to hold a museum store and have a new cafe, as well as dedicated classroom space, artist studios and a lecture hall. In essence, it will be public space. The second and third floors will showcase the art, including an extra 2,000 square feet for the museum’s permanent collection.
NOT TO BE OUTDONE by the renovation, this year’s festivals offer new, exciting art for the community.
The 2016 Piccolo Spoleto Festival will present more than 500 events by performers, writers and visual artists across town.
“In a cultural capital like Charleston, you will discover that just about everyone has something to contribute to our rich artistic life and to our shared cultural heritage,” said Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg, who once coordinated the Festival’s jazz programming. “We look forward to seeing you in several new venues and location s throughout Charleston, from large-scale concert settings to family-friendly community gatherings in neighborhood parks.”
Some key events for Piccolo Spoleto:
May 27, 8 p.m. — Sunset Serenade at the U.S. Custom House with music by the Charleston Symphony Orchestra.
May 28, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. — Family Day at Marion Square.
June 4, 10:30 a.m. — Reopening of Colonial Lake park.
June 8, 8 p.m. — The Ben Folds Orchestra with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Volvo Car Stadium, Daniel Island.
Piccolo Spoleto Juried Art Exhibition at the City Gallery and the Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibition at Marion Square.
Ballets, musicals, comedies and more by theaters and dramatists across town.
Jonathan Green’s painting is on the 2016 Spoleto Festival USA poster.
The festival that started it all, Spoleto Festival USA has thrilled people across the area with the announcement earlier this month that the locally-inspired opera, Porgy and Bess, will be broadcast live in Marion Square at 7:30 p.m. May 30, followed by an outdoor screening at West Ashley High School at 7:30 p.m. May 31. Both shows are free and presented in association with Piccolo Spoleto. Click here to read about more Porgy-related events around town.
While tickets to live performances of Porgy and Bess are sold out, the festival has scores of great shows and art during its 40th season. Among the big draws for Spoleto:
Music: Chamber music | Brandi Carlile | Celebration Concert | Festival Finale
Jazz: Jason Moran Fats Waller Dance Party | Rene Marie
Opera: The Little Match Girl and La Double Coquette
Theatre: The Importance of Being Earnest | Every Brilliant Thing | A Gambler’s Guide to Dying
Dance: Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company | L.A. Dance Project | Havana Rakatan
There are many more shows and offerings: Click to see all Spoleto events | See the 56-page ticket brochure
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