GOOD NEWS: “A Community United” benefit set for Thursday

Staff reports | Charleston’s food and beverage community will honor the victims, families and congregation of Mother Emanuel AME Church with “A Community United” gathering from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, July 9.

“One hundred percent of the proceeds of the entire event will go to the families,” says organizer Mickey Bakst.

The event, which will be held in the Grand Ballroom of Charleston Place at 205 Meeting St., will feature a silent auction, which includes a safari trip and more than 100 works of art. Additionally, there’s an online auction that’s going on now that n filled with a host of donated gifts, such as special dinners, holidays, wine, art, outings and even an old pickup truck. As of July 6, more than $80,000 has been raised through the online action, which you can visit here:

https://bidr.co/events/acommunityunited

The link will also allow you to buy tickets for the $200 per person event.  (Video of A Community United from Hunter Boone on Vimeo)

In other good news:

• New exhibit to open July 18. “Remnants of the Rice Culture – Agricultural History as Art” is a new exhibit that will open July 18 at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park that features photography by David Shriver Soliday.

An opening reception for the exhibition, curated by Mark Long, will be 6 p.m. July 17. An artist’s talk is scheduled for 2 p.m., August 15. Both are free.

Harriet Tubman Bridge, Combahee River, S.C., by David Shriver Soliday

“Remnants of the Rice Culture – Agricultural History As Art” showcases the genesis and genealogy of the coastal rice production complex once known as the Rice Empire. This collection documents man’s 300-year-old record upon the landscape and explores the intersection between agricultural history and art. Soliday’s aerial perspective distinguishes the subtle fading imprints of rice production and frames the monumental scale of the precisely constructed fields, dikes and canals in ways otherwise difficult to apprehend. Highlighting the role of African-American labor and expertise in transforming the native swamplands into a highly engineered hydraulic machine, the artist’s compelling images, presented on infused aluminum sheet metal, prompt varied dialogues about the physical landscape, human capability and intervention, and the rice industry’s enduring environmental and social impact.

Soliday, a Connecticut native, is a graduate of Amherst College who lived near ricefields for 25 years starting in 1976. A commercial photographer, his works have been in National Geographic, National Wildlife and Smithsonian magazines. His first major exhibition was in 1977 at the Gibbes Museum of Art.

• Marketer of the Year. Gina Ellis-Strother, marketing director for the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission, recently was named “Marketer of the Year” by the American Business Awards. The award is known as the “Golden Stevie.”

Ellis-Strother

A marketing professional with 20 years of experience, she joined the commission staff in 2013.

Major accomplishments undertaken during Ellis-Strother’s first year as director included the launching of a rebranding effort, the consolidation of print material to allow for cross-promotional opportunities, and the debut of an aesthetically-pleasing new website with enhanced search and navigation capabilities, according to a news release. She also spearheaded TV, radio and promotional campaigns.

• For more information on The American Business Awards, visit StevieAwards.com.