CALENDAR: North Charleston gallery features two Lowcountry artists

Painting by Katherine Hester.

Staff reports  |  Two Lowcountry  artists are showing their work in the North Charleston City Gallery through Jan. 31, 2020, in exhibitions that celebrate the beachy outdoors and microcosms of nature.  

In an exhibit titled Ebb and Flow, artist Katherine Hester of Pinopolis presents a series of mixed media paintings of the ocean that explore the romantic idea of a day spent at the beach versus the reality of humans’ impact on coastal life. Ebb and Flow features a collection of small studies of figures on the shorelines and within ocean landscapes that are set among large canvases that reflect what remnants are left behind when humans carelessly interact with coastal environments. A native of the Lowcountry, Hester grew up on her father’s wildlife center, where conservation became a lifelong interest.  Proceeds from the sale of her work in this exhibition will be donated to the South Carolina Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Care Center. Hester is currently serving as the City of North Charleston’s artist-in-residence.

Photo by Jenion Tyson.

Photographs by North Charleston photographer Jenion Tyson are featured in A Bug’s Eye View: Macro Photograph in the Garden.  Started as an exploratory series prior to the arrival of Hurricane Florence, the exhibition shows small, often overlooked, flowering plants common to South Carolina yards.

Admission is free.  The North Charleston City Gallery is situated in two corridors of the Charleston Area Convention Center, located at 5001 Coliseum Drive in North Charleston. The gallery is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. 

Also on the calendar:

Author talk:  6 p.m., Dec. 12, Charleston Library Society, 164 King St., Charleston.  Hear from G. Wayne Clough, the former Secretary of The Smithsonian Institution, G. Wayne Clough, as he talks about his book, “Things New and Strange: A Southerner’s Journey through the Smithsonian Collections.”   Tickets are $5 for members and $10 for nonmembers. To purchase tickets, call 843-723-9912 or click here.

Cheers on the Pier:  4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., Dec. 14, Mount Pleasant Pier, Mount Pleasant.  This free event offers guests the opportunity to enjoy scenic views of the Holiday Parade of Boats in Charleston Harbor at the foot of the Ravenel Bridge. Live music will be provided by Michael Duff on the pier. Beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase on site. The pier’s Riverwatch Café offers made-to-order sandwiches, ice cream, hot chocolate, coffee, fruit smoothies and more.

Elf the Musical:  Seventeen shows through Dec. 22, Dock Street Theatre, 135 Church St., Charleston.  Based on the beloved and hilarious 2003 Will Ferrell film, Elf The Musical by Charleston Stage tells the story of Buddy who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole.  Tickets are $29 to $71. Learn more.

Black America: Resilient:  Through Jan. 25, 2020, Redux Contemporary Art Center, 1056 King St., Charleston.  The center offers this solo show that highlights the work of Dontré Major, a College of Charleston art graduate whose work takes a look at Black/African Americans in the United States during different periods throughout time. Each photograph is meant to emulate the feelings individuals had during these specific times, and touch on the struggle they went through to be seen as equals.  There’s an opening reception from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Dec. 6.

Holiday Festival of Lights:  Opens 5:30 p.m., through Dec. 31, 2019, James Island County Park.  Now in its 30th year, the Holiday Festival of Lights is open every evening, rain or shine, with closing set for 10 p.m., except Fridays and Saturdays, which close at 11 p.m.  The show returns to make merry magical memories with its vibrant light show is one of Charleston’s most cherished holiday events, featuring an estimated two million dazzling lights.  More.

Lights of Magnolia: 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., through March 15, 2020, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, West Ashley.  Enjoy nine acres of Chinese lanterns, dragons and more at the venerable garden’s new evening attraction.  The lantern festival includes custom-designed installations of large-scale thematically unified lanterns, a fusion of historic Chinese cultural symbols and images that represent the flora and fauna of Magnolia. Learn more online.  Tickets are $11-$26.  On-site parking is limited, but shuttles are available.  For more information and frequently asked questions, click here.

Early morning bird walks at Caw Caw:  8:30 a.m. every Wednesday and Saturday, Caw Caw Interpretive Center, Ravenel.  You can learn about habitats and birds, butterflies and other organisms in this two-hour session.  Registration is not required, but participants are to be 15 and up. $10 per person or free to Gold Pass holders.  More:  http://www.CharlestonCountyParks.com.

AREA MARKETS

Holiday markets are springing up all over.  Click here to read where you can find 20 area holiday markets so you can buy local and be local.  More: Charleston City Paper.  In other regular markets:

• FRIDAYS/SATURDAYS:  Night Market.  Every Friday and Saturday from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. for the rest of the year, you can shop with 108 vendors, including artists and craftsmen, at the night market on Market Street between East Bay and Church streets.  It’s more than four blocks of local shopping and fun. Free.
• SATURDAYS:  Johns Island Farmers Market operates each Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. year-round with more than 50 local farmers and vendors, food trucks, music and more.  The market is located on the campus of Charleston Collegiate School, 2024 Academy Road, Johns Island

• If you have an event to list on our calendar, please send it to feedback@charlestoncurrents.com for consideration. The calendar is updated weekly on Mondays.