Holiday Goodness - November 19th in Dillon

                                   “HOLIDAY GOODNESS”
 

New this year, the City of Dillon will partner with the Dillon County Chamber of Commerce for “Holiday Goodness”. This will be an opportunity for arts and craftsmen to sell their wares for the upcoming holiday season.

The event will be held on Sat. Nov. 19th from 9am – 5pm in the gym at the Wellness Center. Of special interest for churches and groups will be the opportunity to sell baked goods for the benefit of their organizations. A 10’ x 10’ space is $12.00 and comes with one table and two chairs.

Proceeds from space rental will go to the “Dillon County Free Medical Clinic”. Every hour during the event there will be drawings for “Holiday Bucks”, vouchers that can be spent with vendors.

Applications and guidelines are also available at the following:

www.cityofdillon.sc.com

Facebook: City of Dillon, SC

Or call Bridget Elvington, 774-5115 Ext 3

Or Johnnie Luehrs 774-8551

Printed applications are also located:

City of Dillon Wellness Center, 1647 Commerce Dr

Dillon County Chamber of Commerce, 100 N. MacArthur Ave

The day of the event, from 10am – 4pm, there will be free wagon rides, face painting, and Isabella the Magical Elf. Pictures with Santa for your holiday cards and lunch will also be will be available.

Isabella the Magical Elf

Mark Your Calendar: November 19th

The Florence Men’s Choral Society, joined by the Palmetto MasterSingers of Columbia and the Palmetto State BoyChoir of Florence, will perform in concert on Saturday, November 19th at the FMU Performing Arts Center in Florence, SC to celebrate their Fifth Anniversary Performance Season. 

The gala event, set to begin at 7:00 p.m. with a wine and cheese reception, will be a fundraiser for the 501(c)3 non profit male choral organization.  The concert will follow the reception at 8:00 p.m.  Ticket sales will be announced soon by the FMU Performing Arts Center Box Office.  For more information, please call Artistic Director, Julian Young at 843-206-5146 or email at jyoung.53@gmail.com.

Lake City Concert Series 2011-12

The Lake City Concert Series has been offering outstanding concerts since 1984; the 2011-12 season will be no different. 

2011-12 Lake City Concert Series Schedule

Thomas Pandolfi at the Lake City Presbyterian Church
Thursday, September 29th
7:30pm

Claflin University Choir at the Lake City Presbyterian Church
Thursday, December 1st
7:30pm

Poinsette Piano Trio at the Lake City Presbyterian Church
Thursday, January 26th
7:30pm

A Celebration of Blues & Gospel Arts Gala
at the National Bean Market Museum
Thursday, April 26th
6:30pm

The mission of the Lake City Concert Series is to provide quality professional, classical concerts for the community.  The LCCS is also committed to providing opportunities for children to be involved in the arts through its Arts in Education Program and our Arts Endowment.

Pee Dee Arts is dedicated to promoting the Arts and cultural activities in the Pee Dee Region of Eastern South Carolina.  To have your event, program or class promoted, email Bruce Douglas at peedeearts@gmail.com. 

This blogsite is our temporary eHome until our website is completed.

Distinguished Automotive Designer Visits Florence

 Above:  Designer Keith Helfet

Elegant and powerful. These are the kind of words that a person may use to describe a brilliant and timeless design, such as a sports car or a sculpture, or possibly even a piece of medical equipment. We’ll come back to that last part a little later.

Elegant and powerful are the same words we would use to describe the visionary automobiles designed by Keith Helfet, who just happened to be in the Florence area this past week. Helfet, originally from South Africa, is well-known for his involvement in Jaguar car designs for more than two decades, in particular his role in the creation of the Jaguar XJ220 supercar (1992-1994).

This automobile stylist was visiting family in Boston and knew he couldn’t leave the states without traveling to South Carolina to see his good friend – and brilliant local sculptor – Alex Palkovich. If you asked Helfet how he came to know Palkovich, he’d start by telling you “that’s a bit of a long story.”

“I was in the design studio of Jaguar where I worked in 1993,” Helfet explained, “when I received a phone call from a very foreign sounding gentleman who talked about the fact that he was both a sculptor – and I couldn’t make complete sense of this initially – and also ran a company that made magnets for MRIs. All of which was complete Greek to me.”

The foreign sounding gentleman was Palkovich, who was indeed an accomplished sculptor in spite of the fact that he was a running a factory that made very clever body scanning equipment at the time.

Palkovich had seen Helfet’s very public artwork and was very impressed with his designs. He wanted the designer of the XJ220 to the design the next generation of MRIs. “I’ve said that Alex is a visionary because it’s not obvious to connect those two,” noted Helfet.

Having been trained as a car designer at the Royal College of Art in London, the idea of designing anything other than cars had never been on Helfet’s radar. However, he said Palkovich was so enthusiastic about it that he bought into the idea and they “had a go at it.”

The new MRI design was extremely successful -- described as mold-breaking and very sculptural. Helfet made an MRI feel “un-threatening,” which hadn’t been the case previously. “That bit of vision from Alex, that one phone call, changed a lot for me,” said Helfet. “It lead into a double-life of designing Jaguars as well as designing other things. We’ve been friends ever since.”

Helfet is not just a friend to Palkovich, but he’s also one of his biggest fans. He spent the week catching up with Palkovich and seeing some of his newest pieces, as well as some of his older works that he’d seen previously only in pictures.

“He sends pictures of his work on a regular basis, but with sculpture you need to see it in the flesh,” said Helfet. “You need to be able to touch and feel it to really see his work. [For example] I’ve seen pictures of his eagle in the [Florence] Veterans Park, but when you see it at full-scale in that setting it’s absolutely stunning. It is a fabulous legacy for the town, for the veterans and for Alex.”

He added that he has traveled to the states many times, before but had yet to see this part of the world. Helfet said being in the area had been a “real treat” and that he now understands why Palkovich has chosen Florence as his home. Helfet said that what he is doing for the community is “important.”

“Alex is an extraordinary bloke and a visionary in many ways. It’s been really wonderful to share this with him.”

Visit the Florence Veterans Park, located behind the Florence Civic Center, to see Alex Palkovich’s award-winning public memorial and visit his studio, located in downtown Florence at the Art Trail Gallery, to see some of his newest creations. For more information, please visit www.alexpalkovich.com.


For more information, please contact the Florence CVB at (843) 664.0330 or visit them online at www.visitflo.com. 



About Florence Convention and Visitors Bureau
Florence Convention and Visitors Bureau is the official destination marketing organization for the city and county of Florence SC whose primary mission is to market and promote the Florence area as the optimal site for conventions, sports, and leisure travel.  More information may be found at www.visitflo.com. 

Artists: Check out these opportunities from the South Carolina Arts Commission!

The South Carolina Arts Commission is currently offering two grants for individual artists.  One, Artists' Ventures Initiative, is for startup support for a business and the other is a fellowship.  Read below for more information:

Artists’ Ventures Initiative
Deadline: October 17, 2011
Maximum ask: $5,000

AVI grants are designed to enable professional-caliber working artists or groups of collaborating artists to launch a new venture or significantly alter an existing venture. S.C. artists may apply for grants up to $5,000.

Because this is a fairly thorough grant application, those considering this grant should participate in the webinar on Sept. 14; two identical webinar sessions are offered - one at 10:00 a.m. and one at 5:30 p.m. The webinar is free, but registration is required.
 
For more information, visit the S.C. Artists' Ventures Initiative (AVI) Grant guidelines page.

Artist Fellowships
Deadline: November 1, 2011
Fellowship amount: $5,000

Artists working in prose, poetry, dance performance or dance choreography may apply for a 2012-2013 Individual Artist Fellowship Award from the South Carolina Arts Commission. Up to four fellowships of $5,000 will be awarded.  The Arts Commission’s Individual Artist Fellowship program encourages the pursuit of artistic excellence and provides financial support to South Carolina artists of merit. Fellowship awards have no restriction on use of funds.

For more information, visit the S.C. Individual Artist Fellowships grant guidelines page.

Pee Dee Arts is dedicated to promoting the Arts and cultural activities in the Pee Dee Region of Eastern South Carolina.  To have your event, program or class promoted, email Bruce Douglas at peedeearts@gmail.com. 

This blogsite is our temporary eHome until our website is completed.

2011-12 Chamber Music at the Art Trail Gallery

Chamber Music at the Art Trail Gallery—2011-12
Musical Conversation —“Art Music”— The Music of Friends

Performed in the intimate yet acoustically and esthetically superb Art Trail Gallery in downtown Florence, the 2011-12 Series of Chamber Music at the Art Trail Gallery promises all this and more!

Note the new time—5 PM—and mark your calendars so you won’t miss a note!

Concerts—$10
Special Season Subscription—Six Performances for $50

Sunday, September 25 @ 5 PM, $10
Amy PorterThree Time International Award Winning Flutist
“. . . fine controlled playing [matched] to a commanding, sensual stage presence.”

Sunday, October 23 @ 5 PM, $10
Juan Miguel Hernandez1st Prize at the 16th International Johannes Brahms Competition in Austria“. . . one of the finest young viola talents of his generation.”

Sunday, November 20 @ 5 PM, $10
Chamber Music Charleston

Sunday, February 26 @ 5 PM, $10
Greg JebailyFlorence Native Son and Dayton Opera 2011 Artist in Residence
“. . . a thrilling infusion of freshness and clarity to the lyric baritone voice in America.”

Sunday, March 25 @ 5 PM, $10
Atlantean TrioViolin, Cello, Piano—Encore Performance
“. . . high level of technical skill and perceptive musical interpretation.”

Sunday, April 22 @ 5 PM, $10
Chamber Music Charleston—String Quartet
“Meet the Artist” Wine Reception Follows Every Performance
135 South Dargan Street (The Old Kimbrells Building), Florence, SC

Tickets may be purchased in advance or at the door.

Season subscription requests should be sent to:
Attn:  Roger Malfatti
Chamber Music at the Art Trail Gallery
135 S. Dargan Street, Florence, SC   29506

Florence Symphony Orchestra Inaugurates New Hall

Mark Your Calendar:  September 12, 2011

The Florence Symphony Orchestra will perform an Inaugural Concert in its new home at the FMU Performing Arts Center on September 12, 2011 at 7:30PM and if you come at 7:00PM you can join in our welcoming celebration. This will be a performance you will not want to miss and we hope to see you there!

Under the direction of Music Director Dr. Terry Roberts, the Florence Symphony Orchestra will premier a new work “A New Day” by Barbara Gallagher for the opening of the new Performing Arts Center. The program will also feature the Piano Concerto in A, op. 16 by Edvard Grieg with guest soloist Paolo Andre Gualdi, and Symphony No. 5 in E minor, op. 64 by Tchaikovsky.

The Inaugural Concert will feature guest soloist, Italian pianist, Paolo Andre Gualdi. He has played recitals in Italy and the United States both as a soloist and a chamber musician. He has been a featured soloist with the Atlanta Philharmonic, Georgia Philharmonic, Ludwig Symphony, Parma Wind Orchestra, Warren Civic Orchestra, and the University of Georgia Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Gualdi began studying piano with his father at the age of five, and continued at the Conservatory of Santa Cecilia in Rome, Italy. He earned his Piano Diploma with highest honors at the Conservatory Arrigo Boito in Parma with Roberto Cappello.

Season tickets start as low as $112. Single tickets for the Sept. 12th concert are $33 and $28 for Adults, with senior and student discounts available. Contact the FMU Performing Arts Center for your tickets by either visiting or calling the box office at 843.661.4444 today. 

Quarterly Grant Program (Florence Regional Arts Alliance)

The Florence Regional Arts Alliance operates a quarterly grants program that provides funding for organizations, artists and teachers in Florence County.  Below are the deadlines for each quarter:

September 1st (for projects taking place in October, November or December)

November 15th (for projects taking place in January, February or March)

March 1st (for projects taking place in April, May or June)
June 1st (for projects taking place in July, August or September)

For more information, or to receive an application, contact Frank Crow at 843.665.2787 or fraa@florencescarts.org. 

Jazz! Carolina 2011 in Downtown Hartsville

Jazz!Carolina 2011 kicks off on Friday, September 30th with 3 evenings of Food, Fun & Jazz. The annual event is hosted by Hartsville Downtown Development Association and the City of Hartsville and is sponsored by Black Creek Arts Council, Care South Carolinas, JBE and Sonoco Products.

On Friday September 30th, Jazz Crawl Down Carolina Avenue begins at 6pm followed by the Jazz!Carolina Kick-Off Reception at 8pm featuring “...After Dark” at Black Creek Arts Center. (Advance tickets for this Red Carpet event go on sale September 1st.)

The main event, the Jazz!Carolina Downtown Block Party is scheduled for Saturday, October 1st at 7pm. The Jazz!Carolina main stage will feature the Hartsville High School Jazz Band as well as The Florence Jazz Messengers. Headlining the evening will be The Dick Goodwin Big Band. The main event is free to the public, however V.I.P. reserved seating is available through table sponsorship.

Our festival concludes on Sunday, Oct 2nd at 7pm with Sunday Evening of Jazz featuring the Hartsville Chamber Ensemble with special guest, Kenneth Wilmot, Jr. at St Bartholomew’s Parish on the Coker College campus. Admission is Free, but seating is limited.

Mark your calendars Friday, September 30th – Sunday Oct 2nd for  Jazz!Carolina 2011. For more information, visit us at jazz-carolina.com, or call the Hartsville Downtown Development office at 843-332-1600.

Pee Dee Arts is dedicated to promoting the Arts and cultural activities in the Pee Dee Region of Eastern South Carolina.  To have your event, program or class promoted, email Bruce Douglas at peedeearts@gmail.com. 

This blogsite is our temporary eHome until our website is completed.

The Friends of Florence County Library System Present: 

BOOKS 'n BOIL on Thursday October 27th

Event Info:

There will be a Chef Competition and Champagne Reception with Cookbook Author Holly Herrick.  There will be caterers and cooks representing all Library System Branches, as well as food, beverages, entertainment and a silent auction!

Champagne Reception 6-7pm
Tickets $75.00 per person

For sponsorship opportunities and more information, contact:
Mary Wiser - 843-413-7065 / mwiser@florencelibrary.org
Francie Dunlap - 843-413-7064 / fhdunlap@gmail.com

If you cannot attend the event donations are appreciated.

Call to Vendors: 2nd Annual Antiques-Crafts-Collectibles Show in Lake View

The Dillon County Historical Society and the Dillon County Chamber of Commerce are sponsoring the 2^nd Annual Antiques-Crafts-Collectibles Show on October 15^th from 10am until 6pm and on October 16^th from 1pm to 5pm.  The event will be held at the Lake View Community Center in Lake View, SC.

Applications from vendors are currently being accepted.  Interested vendors can get applications by calling 843.774.6122 or 843.774.8551.  Ten by ten spaces are $35.  A double-space can be purchased for $50.

Sept 16 & 17: The Hartsville Community Players at the Center Theater

The Red Velvet Cake War is Coming to Hartsville

The Hartsville Community Players and CareFIRST Carolinas Foundation are partnering to present “The Red Velvet Cake War,” a Jones, Hope, Wooten Southern-fried comedy, directed by Elayne Mahn.

Dates for the play are Sept. 16 and 17 at 8 p.m. and Sept. 18 at 3 p.m. at Center Theater, 212 N. Fifth St., Hartsville.

Sept. 17’s performance is a fundraiser for the CareFIRST Carolinas Foundation. Proceeds for the evening gala and performance remain locally in the five-counties CareSouth serves — Darlington, Chesterfield, Lee, Marlboro and Dillon — with proceeds going to help families in need of help with procedures and medications.

Before that performance is a wine and cheese gala reception with entertainment at Black Creek Arts Center. Tickets for the gala are $40 and include reserved seating for the play. Regular admission tickets also will be available for the performance only with ticket sales going to the CareFIRST Carolinas Foundation.

Tickets will be available soon at Burry Bookstore, the Greater Hartsville Chamber of Commerce in downtown Hartsville and www.hartsvillecommunityplayers.org. On the day of the performance, the box office opens 30 minutes beforehand for the purchase of tickets.

The play takes place in Sweetgum, Texas, during the hottest part of July. Three Verdeen cousins have picked the worst possible time to plan a family reunion.

Tongues begin to wag when one of the cousins plows her car into the wall of her soon-to-be ex-husband’s girlfriend’s doublewide. Another cousin is trying to outmaneuver her neighbor for the affections of the town’s newest widower while the other one is trying to decide if it is time to have her long-lost truckerhusband declared legally dead.

In comes a host of wildly eccentric family members for the summer reunion. Everything spins horribly and hilariously out of control when the neighbor’s pet eats the food, a one-eyed suitor shows up to declare his love and a wager is made on who bakes the best red velvet cake in town.

Regular admission tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for students with an ID.

The above story was written by:
Ardie Arvidson of the Hartsville Messenger

Funding Opportunity

FRAA Now Accepting Applications for Grant Funding

The Florence Regional Arts Alliance is currently accepting quarterly grant applications from artists, organizations, schools, and teachers for arts projects scheduled to begin in October, November, and December. Applications are due on or before 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 1.

The Alliance is committed to operation of the Quarterly Grants Program, as subcontracted to it by the South Carolina Arts Commission. Partial funding for the program is provided from budgetary allocation by the South Carolina State Legislature and from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as from a generous contribution by the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of the Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina. The balance of the funding is provided by matching funds raised on a 1:1 basis by the Florence Regional Arts Alliance. Since beginning of the program in 1987, The Alliance has awarded over $250,000 in financial support to individual artists, organizations, teachers, and schools. The Alliance also operates a Teacher Incentive Grants Program, which provides quarterly financial assistance for arts projects teachers want to pursue and/or for which there are no curricular funds.

Organizations and Individual Artists who apply for the Quarterly Grants may request up to a maximum of $1,000 per award, Applicants must match funds requested on a 2:1 basis for organizations or a 1:2 basis for individual artists. Those applying for Teacher Incentive Grants may request up to a maximum of $500; no matching funds are required. Projects must begin in the quarter for which application is made. Both Quarterly Grants and Teacher Incentive Grants require submission of Final Reports upon project completion. Funding is on a reimbursement basis after the project has been completed and upon the submission and acceptance of a Final Report.

For artists, financial assistance is available for professional development and/or career advancement. Support may be requested for pilot or short-term projects as well as longer-term enterprises, which may include (but not be limited to) such opportunities as production; exhibition; planning and promotion; and/or educational experiences to include seminars, conferences, workshops, and/or apprenticeships.

For organizations, schools, and units of government, financial assistance is available for arts projects, activities, programs, and events as well as for professional development opportunities to assist artistic and/or management staff. Support may be requested for projects that include but are not limited to exhibitions; performances; arts and cultural festivals; promotion, publicity, and printing; arts-related, contracted services and/or consultancies; and/or attendance at seminars, institutes, and/or workshops for artistic and/or management staff of board members of arts or arts-related operations.

Guidelines and Applications for both of the Quarterly Grants Programs and for the Teacher Incentive Grants Program can be obtained by contacting the Florence Regional Arts Alliance at 843-665-2787. Because application materials change from time to time, it is recommended that previous applicants request copies of the current materials. Those planning to apply are encouraged to consult with the Executive Director prior to submission.

Established in 1984, the Florence Regional Arts Alliance is a community-based non-profit organization that is committed to preserving, supporting, and promoting a strong, active, and vibrant arts community by 1) providing grants to artists, organizations, teachers, and schools; 2) recognizing students, individuals, and businesses through a broadly-baased program of awards and scholarships; 3) offering community programming that showcases the visual arts, the performing arts, and the literary arts; and 4) serving as an advocate for the arts to business, civic, and governmental leaders.  All initiatives of The Arts Alliance are premised on the basic organizational core value and guiding principle that the arts are fundamental to quality of life, education, and economic development, particularly in the knowledge-based economy of today, an economy that will increasingly seek innovative, imaginative, and creative solutions to a variety of issues that will be faced during the 21st Century. 

Operating from facilities located at 412 South Dargan Street in the Emerging Arts and Cultural District of Downtown Florence, The Arts Alliance is funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.  In adition, The Arts Alliance depends on charitable gifts from individuals, businesses, and corporations in its area of service.

Pee Dee Local Author Expo at the Florence Library

Pee Dee Local Author Expo at the Florence Library

The Florence County Library System will host the Pee Dee Local Author Expo from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM on Saturday, January 21, 2012 at the Doctors Bruce and Lee Foundation Library.  The public will be invited to meet and talk with local and self-published authors.

Applications from authors will be accepted through Nov. 30th, 2011 for the 17 available slots.  In addition to the application, authors must submit copies of all the printed works they wish to showcase.  The 17 authors chosen by the library will be announced in December.  All types and genres of printed material will be considered from poetry and inspirational material to children's books and science fiction. 

The Expo will be free and open to the public. 

For more information or to receive an application, please contact Aubrey Carroll at (843) 413-7070 or acarroll@florencelibrary.org .
 

Sponsored by:

The Friends of the Florence County Library System 

Pee Dee Regional Art Competition 2011

The Pee Dee Regional is the oldest continuing art competition in the state and is presented by the Florence Museum Board of Trustees and sponsored by Chick-fil-A.  The mission of the Pee Dee Regional Art Competition is to highlight the best contemporary art in the eastern region of South Carolina, including the counties of Florence, Darlington, Marion, Marlboro, Sumter, Georgetown, Horry, Williamsburg, Dillon, Kershaw, Chesterfield and Lee.

Entries for this year’s competition will be accepted Friday and Saturday, August 19 and 20 at the Florence Museum (558 Spruce St.) between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.  Interested artists can download a prospectus and registration form by clicking here or below.  Each artist may submit up to four works in any medium at a registration fee of $12.50 per work. Museum members are allowed two entries free of charge.  All work must be hand delivered on the scheduled drop off dates.

The Opening Reception will be Thursday, September 15, 2011.

Pee Dee Arts is dedicated to promoting the Arts and cultural activities in the Pee Dee Region of Eastern South Carolina.  To have your event, program or class promoted, email Bruce Douglas at peedeearts@gmail.com. 

This blogsite is our temporary eHome until our website is completed.

Call to Artists from the McLeod Foundation

 

Call to Artists

 

Calling on Pee Dee Artists! This year the McLeod Foundation will hold An Evening of Hope on October 6th at the Florence Little Theater.  This benefit will celebrate the outstanding progress made in cancer detection, treatment and research. The event will feature a variety of acts performed by cancer survivors.  All proceeds will go toward supporting the mission of McLeod Cancer Center for Treatment and Research.

There will also be a silent auction of original, handmade items, donated by either cancer survivors or artists donating in honor or memory of someone who has battled cancer.

Please consider donating one of your works to support the McLeod Cancer Center!

Our deadline for collecting the auction items is September 23, 2011.

Please contact Suzanne Jebaily at sjebaily@msn.com for more information about submitting artwork.

Pee Dee Arts is dedicated to promoting the Arts and cultural activities in the Pee Dee Region of Eastern South Carolina.  To have your event, program or class promoted, email Bruce Douglas at peedeearts@gmail.com. 

This blogsite is our temporary eHome until our website is completed.

Chamber Music at the Art Trail Gallery

The Art Trail Gallery has announced the dates for its Fall & Spring Chamber Music Series.  

Fall Schedule

September 25 – Amy Porter, prize winning Flutist and Professor at the University of Michigan School of Music and a graduate of the Julliard School.

October 23 - Juan Miguel Hernandez, violist from the New England Conservatory and the Harlem Quartet.

November 20th – Chamber Music Charleston

Spring Schedule

February 26, 2012 - Greg Jebaily, Baritone with the Kentucky Opera

March 25, 2012 - Alantean Trio from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington

April 22, 2012 - Chamber Music Charleston – String Quartet

Tickets are $10 for each performance.  Refreshments are served.

Make your check payable to FDDC Art Trail Gallery and send to:

Chamber Series

Art Trail Gallery

135 S. Dargan St.

Florence, SC  29501

Pee Dee Arts is dedicated to promoting the Arts and cultural activities in the Pee Dee Region of Eastern South Carolina.  To have your event, program or class promoted, email Bruce Douglas at peedeearts@gmail.com. 

This blogsite is our temporary eHome until our website is completed.

9/10/11 at the FMU PAC

9/10/11 will be a performance-packed day at the Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center on Dargan Street in Florence. 

Performances taking place are:

Dance Recitals featuring Regional Dance Companies

Show times are 11 am & 2 pm in the BB&T Amphitheatre.

Shakespeare Showcase

by the FMU Theatre program 

Show times are 1 & 4 pm in the Black Box Theatre.

An Evening with Judy Collins

Show time is 7:30 pm on the main stage.

Craig Beshures to Play at Saffron on August 11th

Join Craig Beshures at Saffron in Hartsville on Thursday, August 11th.  Beshures will be playing blues, rock and acoustic music, while you enjoy some of the Pee Dee's finest culinary dishes.  Beshures will be playing from 7-9pm.    Check out the Saffron menu for August 10th - 12th by clicking the link below: Saffron Menu (scroll down after clicking for the dinner menu) Saffron is located at 110 East Pinewood Street in Hartsville. To make reservations, call 843.857.1978. Pee Dee Arts is dedicated to promoting the Arts and cultural activities in the Pee Dee Region of Eastern South Carolina.  To have your event, program or class promoted, email Bruce Douglas at peedeearts@gmail.com.  This blogsite is our temporary eHome until our website is completed.

Bean Groovy & the Midnight Rooster to host Elicia Seawell

The Pee Dee's very own Elicia Seawell will be signing her book, Shadows: The Story of the Kayouta, at two local coffee shops in August.

The first signing will be at Bean Groovy in Florence on August 16th.  The signing will begin at 7:30.  The event is free to attend.  Elicia will be selling her book for $8. 

Bean Groovy is located at 848 Woody Jones Boulevard in Florence.

Elicia will be signing her book at the Midnight Rooster in Hartsville on Tuesday, August 30th.  The signing will begin at 7:30.  As with the first event, admission is free and Elicia will be selling copies of her book.

The Midnight Rooster is located at 136 E. Carolina Ave. in Hartsville.

For more information, contact Elicia directly at eliciaseawell@gmail.com.

Pee Dee Arts is dedicated to promoting the Arts and cultural activities in the Pee Dee Region of Eastern South Carolina.  To have your event, program or class promoted, email Bruce Douglas at peedeearts@gmail.com. 

This blogsite is our temporary eHome until our website is completed.

Art Exhibit to Open at Coker College on August 22nd

The 2011-12 season at the Cecelia Coker Bell Gallery will open on Monday, Aug. 22, with an exhibition by painter James Allen, Daemen College Professor Emeritus.

The exhibition, Signs of Life: Cut-Out Paintings, will open with a reception from 7 to 8 p.m.

“There are no heroes or villains in my paintings,” explains James, “only ordinary people attempting to get through trying circumstances, large or small, provoking the actions or inactions that shape their identities. I strive to combine the impact of a human presence with a painterly surface rich in anomaly, one that conveys a sense of transience and mutability, even vulnerability.”

The pieces feature cut-out canvas figures—virtually life-size in scale—the shaped forms of which are mounted as ensembles on the wall. The empty wall serves as a timeless, generalized place where the narrative of the piece unfolds.

“In some sense these works operate similarly to sculpture, in that the human figure is allowed to communicate a condition of life by the power of gesture and expression and the formal qualities of the surface, exclusive of elaboration of an environment,” Allen said.

“My work is socially oriented.  It’s about human circumstances and conditions about which I feel quite deeply.  I hope that when visitors stand in front of a piece they will be struck deeply enough that they will pause to contemplate their own reactions to the circumstances involved.”

While Allen says much of the subject matter in the exhibition involves fairly difficult issues such as war and conflict, one piece takes a humorous twist. The artist says that he is always curious about which piece will connect most strongly with any given viewer.

Allen has taught drawing and painting for more than forty years and holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts from the University of Notre Dame, and an MFA from Wayne State University. He has exhibited his work in venues across the United States and in Canada, winning awards and purchase prizes in regional and national exhibitions.

The reception for Signs of Life is free, refreshments will be served, and the public is invited. James will be present for the reception and will discuss his work and answer questions at about 7:15 p.m. The exhibition continues through Sept. 16.

The Cecelia Coker Bell Gallery is located in the Gladys C. Fort Art Building on the Coker College campus. Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, while classes are in session.

Coker College upholds and defends the intellectual and artistic freedom of its faculty and students as they study and create art through which they explore the full spectrum of human experience. The college considers such pursuits central to the spirit of inquiry and thoughtful discussion, which are at the heart of a liberal arts education.

Photo: Mideast Madonna, 97x106.4 inches, acrylic on canvas cut-outs, 2008.

-------------------------------------------------

Coker College readies undergraduates for personal and professional success through a distinctive four-year program that emphasizes a practical application of the liberal arts as well as hands-on and discussion-based learning within and beyond the classroom. Coker is ranked among the “Best Colleges” in the South by U.S. News & World Report as well as The Princeton Review. Located in Hartsville, Coker is within two hours of the cultural, financial and recreational resources of Charlotte, Columbia, Charleston and Myrtle Beach. For more information contact Barb Steadman: 843-397-9959 or bsteadman@coker.edu.

Silhouette artist Clay Rice coming to Burry Bookstore in Hartsville

Above:  Video of Clay Rice

Burry Bookstore in Hartsville will be hosting South Carolina silhouette artist Clay Rice on Monday, September 12, 2011.  Various packages are available.  Appointments must be made in advance.  Call Burry Bookstore for more information, 843.332.2511.

Pee Dee Arts is dedicated to promoting the Arts and cultural activities in the Pee Dee Region of Eastern South Carolina.  To have your event, program or class promoted, email Bruce Douglas at peedeearts@gmail.com. 

 

This blogsite is our temporary eHome until our website is completed.

Go Dutch With Dylan: Get Your Tickets Now

The War Song

Go Dutch With Dylan, Dylan Sneed's sendoff performance for his European tour, will take place at the Black Creek Arts Center in Hartsville on August 27th.  Show times are 7pm and 10pm. 

Get tickets online at Brown Paper Tickets.  Online ticket packages range from $20 - $75.  Buy advance tickets at the Black Creek Arts Center or the Midnight Rooster in Hartsville.  Advance tickets are $20 (2 seats).  Tickets purchased at the door will be $25, so act now. 

For more information, call Allison Pederson at the Black Creek Arts Center, 843.332.6234.

For the full press release, click here.

Pee Dee Arts & Culture is dedicated to promoting the Arts and cultural activities in the Pee Dee Region of Eastern South Carolina.  To have your event, program or class promoted, email Bruce Douglas at peedeearts@gmail.com. 

 

This blogsite is our temporary eHome until our website is completed.