COLUMBIA MUSEUM OF ART SHOWCASES THE GREATEST HITS FROM MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY COLLECTION
The Columbia Museum of Art showcases Modern & Contemporary Art from the Collection beginning August 2012, featuring over 30 paintings, drawings, photographs and sculptures that will remain on view indefinitely.
“Since arriving at the Columbia Museum of Art six months ago, it has been a pleasure discovering the depth and quality of the Museum’s collection,” chief curator, Will South, said. “The collection is so rich in number that for some time the museum’s modern and contemporary holdings have been in storage. For our visitors to have the most diverse and exciting experience possible here at the CMA, some of these greatest hits need to be back out and that’s what’s happening.”
Long-time CMA members will also find old friends on view, including works by Jasper Johns, Howard Thomas, Sally Mann and Edward Ruscha, whose famous image of the Hollywood Hills on view has become a staple of the art world.
“Modern & Contemporary from the Collection offers experiences both serious and sensual, designed to both entertain and enlighten,” South said.
Among the earliest works of art on view in Modern & Contemporary Art from the Collection is Leon Kelly’s energetic abstraction influenced by the then-new and radical art movement, Cubism. Kelly’s early embrace of Cubism was shared by a small, but enthusiastic number of Americans who were excited about the possibilities opened up by Cubism: objects are always viewed and understood from different angles and over time, so why not include time and space into image-making? Thinking in this way resulted in canvases that were baffling to the public when first made as they showed a flat surface fractured into space that analyzed objects with movement and changeability in mind. Kelly’s work is a classic American response to one of the most important art movements and a good starting place for visitors to either revisit Cubism or begin to appreciate it for the first time.
The dramatically large and brightly colored Gene Davis piece is in the same gallery. While early abstraction usually involved a figure or a still life as a point of departure, by the mid-20th century, artists were well versed in using color and shape alone to express complex ideas and emotions. Davis’ imposing canvas is visually scintillating with line after line vying for the mind’s attention. The purpose of such painting was not to describe known things such as a cat or a cup or a flaming sunset, but rather to orchestrate color (much as one would orchestrate musical notes, which are completely abstract and no one ever questions that fact) to stimulate a viewer’s reactions, reactions that need not (or cannot be) put into words. Artists often say that if they could write about what it was they felt, they would. Instead, they paint it.
As the 20th century moved on, art movements of all kinds emerged, often known as “isms”: Cubism, Fauvism, Surrealism, and Abstract Expressionism among them. Lionel Gilbert’s sensually compelling Breakfast Table is a prime example of how an artist fuses stylistic sources. Here, visitors see glimmers of Cubism in the faceted planes that make up the compote and cups, while the bold and paint-laden brush of Abstract Expressionism is present, too. Touches of arbitrary color speak to the influence of Fauvism. While Gilbert’s painting is a visual delight, it is also an object lesson on how artists think: good results often come from the blending of influences that came before us.
Small abstract oils by nationally recognized artist Pat Steir are also on view for the first time. These small, effervescent canvases, in the same vein as the large Gene Davis, exploit the potential of color alone as a path to expression. As opposed to Davis, Steir does not control the shapes and edges of color at all, but rather lets color flow down and around randomly, allowing gravity and chance to play a part in the mark making. The result is a series of fresh, glowing images that the artist arrived at after intense study of color. All of the works by Pat Steir are recent gifts from the nationally-known collectors, Herbert and Dorothy Vogel.
Modern & Contemporary Art from the Collection is located in the Lipscomb Family Galleries 5 & 6 on level one. For more information, visit columbiamuseum.org.
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AHA Recognition for Gibbons
Julian Gibbons, vice president for Community and Governmental Relations, has been honored as a 2012 Grassroots Award winner by the American Hospital Association. The award recognizes the exceptional work by Gibbons and Regina Brown in generating grassroots and community activity in support of a hospital’s mission. Congratulations
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NAI AVANT BROKERS SALE OF 18 ACRES TO WILCO-HESS,
HARDEEVILLE, SC
(May 14, 2012) Cam Kreps, a member of NAI Avant’s Senior Brokerage Team, recently brokered the sale of an 18 acre Land Tract in Hardeeville, South Carolina. Kreps represented the purchaser, Wilco-Hess in the transaction valued at approximately $2,550,000.
The site is located at the intersection of Highway 17 and I-95 (Exit 5) in Jasper County. Wilco-Hess owns and operates 350 stores in 7 States. Construction of the new $7.5 million Travel Plaza will commence immediately and Wilco-Hess plans to make 50 new hires in the area; full and part-time.
About NAI Avant
NAI Avant’s commercial real estate business is one of the largest in the Southeast. With over 65 professionals, the firm provides comprehensive brokerage, leasing, development, property and project management services. For nearly three consecutive decades, the group has had more of its brokerage professionals recognized as top producers or recipients of the top awards than any other firm in South Carolina. As a member of the NAI Global Network, NAI Avant is affiliated with over 350 offices and 5,000 professionals in 55 countries across the globe. NAI Global is the largest independent commercial real estate service provider worldwide and a wholly owned subsidiary of C-III Capital Partners. NAI Avant’s Property and Project Management Group currently manages a multi-million square foot portfolio of properties across South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia. Through its Avant Healthcare Division, the firm provides comprehensive services to hospitals, clinics, and physician groups. NAI Avant, founded in 1966, is headquartered in Columbia, SC with an office in Charleston, SC. Find out more about NAI Avant and its services at www.naiavant.com. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @NAI Avant and like us on Facebook.
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NAI AVANT BROKERS 15,000 SQUARE FOOT INDUSTRIAL LEASE ON BLUFF ROAD, COLUMBIA, SC
COLUMBIA, SC (May 17, 2012) Dick Stanland, CCIM, SIOR, GRI, and Nick Stomski, SIOR, recently consummated a 15,000 square foot Industrial Lease on Bluff Road. Stanland and Stomski represented the Landlord. Masthead Industries, Inc currently occupies the space and extended its commitment.
About NAI Avant
NAI Avant’s commercial real estate business is one of the largest inthe Southeast. With over 65 professionals, the firm provides comprehensive brokerage, leasing, development, property and project management services. For nearly three consecutive decades, the group has had more of its brokerage professionals recognized as top producers or recipients of the top awards than any other firm in South Carolina. As a member of the NAI Global Network, NAI Avant is affiliated with over 350 offices and 5,000 professionals in 55 countries across the globe. NAI Global is the largest independent commercial real estate service provider worldwide and a wholly owned subsidiary of C-III Capital Partners. NAI Avant’s Property and Project Management Group currently manages a multi-million square foot portfolio of properties across South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia. Through its Avant Healthcare Division, the firm provides comprehensive services to hospitals, clinics, and physician groups. NAI Avant, founded in 1966, is headquartered in Columbia, SC with an office in Charleston, SC. Find out more about NAI Avant and its services at www.naiavant.com. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @NAI Avant and like us on Facebook.
Contact: Bruce Harper, President and Broker-In-Charge, Columbia Office, 803-744-9805, or bharper@naiavant.com
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For Immediate Release
On June 14th at 10 AM in the Palmetto Room at the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce, RVSoft Incorporated, of Columbia will launch a brand new web portal designed in partnership with the Tourism Department of the Republic of Maldives. The portal site contains in-depth information on the Maldives, including a business network, sales of Maldives items through e-commerce, an online broadband channel, and an online newspaper. The Maldives online portal site was developed using the powerful Comaxiam Content Management System (CMS) version 8, new software that allows for a large database of editable content controlled by the client.
The launch of the Maldives online site is being held here in Columbia in order to showcase our exciting new Content Management System and new E-Commerce software—both of which are state of the art technology. The CMS software allows clients to have dynamic websites that they can easily change themselves. In addition, our highly advanced E-Commerce platform works with almost all payment bridges for credit card companies, Paypal and Google payment methods.
Our RVSoft/Comaxiam CMS software is very easy to use—if clients can use Microsoft Word, they can make all the changes they will ever need to their websites without outside assistance. Unlike other content management systems, Comaxiam CMS 8 allows pure content changes from the front side of the website, as opposed to the less user-friendly backend versions utilized by most other systems. On the backend of our CMS platform, clients can make site changes like banner changes and flash animation, all of which are impossible in standard CMS formats.
The website framework is also Search Engine Optimization friendly, with digital marketing tools included in the framework. Email blasts, social media integrations, metatag creation, web content changes, search engine analytics, social media marketing tools, and digital advertisements can all be managed by the site owner.
We think Comaxiam CMS 8 will create a website revolution, allowing small businesses to save money and advertise in many ways through internet technology. We are pleased that the Republic of Maldives has partnered their Tourism site with us to allow RVSoft, Inc. to showcase our new software in a truly global application. We invite all media members and interested parties to attend the launch.
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COLUMBIA MUSEUM OF ART ANNOUNCES THREE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN FURTHERING ITS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
COLUMBIA, SC - The Columbia Museum of Art has seen tremendous growth since moving to Main Street in 1998. Thousands of people have visited the Museum and in 2010, a daily attendance record of over 2,000 people visited the CMA. As the Museum continues to grow its audiences, the board and staff look to the future with excitement and anticipation, as evidenced by a new strategic plan. This plan is a blueprint for the goals and strategies over the next three years, with its foundation being the overarching goal of community engagement. To reinforce this strategy, the CMA defined four supporting goals, refreshed the mission and vision statements, defined core values and established guiding principles. The plan employs measurable outcomes in support of the CMA’s commitment to be an audience-based, audience-relevant and audience-centered organization.
“We are eager to further our community engagement and impact throughout the state,” Karen Brosius, executive director, said.
The plan was developed in collaboration with a broad range of people including community leaders, board members, staff and museum planning consultants, VernerJohnson of Boston. In the last 18 months, the CMA put an emphasis on learning about audience, member and community perceptions of the Museum, their expectations, and what they want to see the CMA offer and do. “We want to be visitor and community centered in all that we do going forward,” Joelle Ryan-Cook, deputy director, said.
In order to provide critical background information for planning, visitor research was conducted using formal and informal surveys of the Museum audience, community and even non-visitors. Additional information was gathered through board and staff retreats, interactive audience games during programs and events, social media engagement strategies and focus groups.
The Museum also participated in the Association of Art Museum Directors mapping project, which is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. This project documents all education, community, and business partnerships, as well as members and donors. The most essential benefit of the project is to communicate the extent of the CMA’s service, impact and value in all sectors of society. This project shows a broad base of engagement across community, civic and educational institutions.
“The maps illustrate a growing public interest in the CMA from a larger geographic area, in addition to the capital city. We’re more than the “Columbia” Museum of Art and serve communities throughout the state, and to an extent, the region,” Brosius, said. The map below shows education, community, and business partnerships the CMA has engaged over the last three years. Over 500 touch points, including schools, community, civic and service organizations, libraries, senior groups, colleges/universities, faith-based groups, youth groups, cultural organizations and corporations represent the CMA’s broad reach.
The strategic plan, new mission and vision statements and results of the mapping project were formally announced on Thursday, May 17, at the 61st annual membership meeting in conjunction with the Columbia Art Association’s 96th annual meeting. Board president Duncan McIntosh officiated the meeting, which included the announcement of the board officers for 2012-2013.
Luther J. Battiste, III serves as president with R. Scott McClelland, vice-president; Dr. Suzanne Thorpe, secretary; and Joel A. Smith, III treasurer.
At the meeting, the following trustees were elected to serve for the Class of 2015: Lisa Arnold, Tom Collins, Dr. Carolyn Kressler-Greenberg, R. Scott McClelland, Dr. Allen Montgomery, Ann B. Oliver, Joel A. Smith, III, Dr. Suzanne Thorpe and Brenda Wheeler.
The President’s Award was presented to John Whitehead for his years of continued service and dedication to the Museum and the annual CMA gala.
The Director’s Award for employee of the year was presented to Sara Kennedy, manager of visitor services and technology.
The Chairman’s Award, presented by C. Carroll Heyward, Columbia Museum of Art Commission chair, was presented to Ada “Missy” McIver for her great enthusiasm and involvement in the Museum. She is not only a volunteer, but an outstanding example of a lifelong learner in art.
The Vendor Service Award was given to Michelle Motchos, PE of Stevens & Wilkinson of South Carolina, Inc.
The Docent of the Year Award was given to Susan James for her dedicated service to the Museum’s educational mission.
Mac Arthur Goodwin presented his namesake award for excellence in education in the arts to Josh Keiper, White Knoll High School art teacher.
Additional Information on the Strategic Plan available:
http://www.columbiamuseum.org/newsroom
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Pay Two-for-One Admission with the Return of Toucan Tuesdays at Riverbanks Zoo
Popular Summer Offer Kicks-off June 12 to Benefit Harvest Hope
[Columbia, SC] – Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is pleased to announce the return of Toucan Tuesdays—a partnership with Harvest Hope Food Bank to help feed hungry families in the Midlands.
Every Tuesday this summer, beginning on June 12, two can visit Riverbanks for the price of one with a donation of two cans of non-perishable food to Harvest Hope.
“Harvest Hope is thrilled to partner with Riverbanks Zoo for the third year of Toucan Tuesdays, and we look forward to the outpouring of donated food that will help us so much in our mission this summer,” said Harvest Hope CEO Denise Holland. “It is wonderful that a family-based organization like Riverbanks Zoo can be so instrumental in providing food and comfort to families in need in our community.”
Riverbanks visitors generated nearly 2,000 pounds of food during last year’s Toucan Tuesdays drive.
Buy-one, get-one admission isn’t the only perk guests will receive for visiting on a Toucan Tuesday. Riverbanks will also offer $2 ICEEs and 2-for-1 specials in the Elephant’s Trunk Gift Shop.
In addition, visiting on a Toucan Tuesday is a perfect opportunity to check out the Zoo’s newest pair of residents—Riverbanks’ Komodo dragons. The juvenile dragons, born last August, are now on exhibit in the Desert Gallery of the Aquarium-Reptile Complex.
Toucan Tuesdays will run for 12 consecutive Tuesdays throughout the summer, ending on August 28. The promotion applies to general admission rates only (purchase one admission and get the second for equal or lesser value free; Explorer wristbands and memberships are not included). Donation bins will be located at both the Zoo and Garden entrances. For more information, visit www.riverbanks.org.
About Riverbanks Zoo and Garden: For nearly 40 years, Riverbanks Zoo & Garden has connected individuals, families and groups with the world’s wildlife and wild places. It is the mission of Riverbanks Zoo and Garden to foster appreciation and concern for all living things. Riverbanks is located at 500 Wildlife Parkway, Columbia, SC 29210. The Botanical Garden entrance is located at 1300 Botanical Parkway, West Columbia, SC 29169. The park is open daily from 9am to 5pm, except for Thanksgiving and Christmas day. Admission is $11.75 for adults, $9.25 for children ages 3 – 12 and free for children 2 and under. Group rates and other discounts may apply. Year-round membership packages are also available. For more information, call Riverbanks at 803.779.8717, visit www.riverbanks.org or www.facebook.com/riverbankszoo.
About Harvest Hope Food Bank: The mission of Harvest Hope Food Bank is to provide for the needs of hungry people by gathering and sharing quality food with dignity, compassion and education. Learn more about Harvest Hope by visiting www.harvesthope.org.
As a part of a two-day statewide base tour, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham visited the Columbia Chamber today (May 30, 2012) for a press conference warning of the severe negative impact the looming budget sequestration will have on our national security.
After the luncheon, Graham traveled to Fort Jackson for meetings with the Army base’s leadership. Leading military officials including Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta have warned that sequestration will decimate our Armed Forces. He noted that if the military sustained $1 trillion in cuts over the next decade, “we would have the smallest ground forces since 1940, the smallest number of ships since 1915, and the smallest Air Force in history.”
COLUMBIA, S.C. – After four months of dedication, perseverance and teamwork, the Leadership Columbia (LC) Class of 2012 has completed renovations to the Free Medical Clinic, 1875 Harden St. A ribbon cutting will be held at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 16, 2012, to welcome the more than 10,000 clients who are treated each year at the clinic to the updated facility. The mission of the Free Medical Clinic is to provide quality healthcare at no cost to residents of the community who have no health insurance and cannot pay for such services.
