North Charleston City Gallery to Exhibit Works by Susana Berdecio & Jazz Artists of Charleston Photographers

The City of North Charleston’s Cultural Arts Department is pleased to present concurrent exhibitions at the North Charleston City Gallery throughout the month of April featuring photographs by Susana Berdecio as well as Jazz Artists of Charleston’s resident photographers. The exhibitions will be on view from April 3-30, 2014. The artists will host a free public reception at the gallery from 5:00-7:00pm on Thursday, April 3.

Discovering a Sense of Place – Photography by Susana Berdecio 

Discovering a Sense of Place by Susana Berdecio

In Discovering a Sense of Place, Susana Berdecio presents a collection of photographs that capture the artist’s vision of the unique Lowcountry landscape. Spending her childhood in Mexico and living most of her adult life in the western part of the United States, Berdecio became accustomed to photographing the vast open landscapes, tall mountains, dense forests, and winding rivers that surrounded her. Since moving to South Carolina five years ago, she has learned to adapt and adjust her techniques and artistic approach to connect to her new landscape, which she describes as dense, lush, and full of seemingly chaotic forms. “The light is spectacular, sometimes so bright that color is muted,” she says. “The creeks, the marshes, the ocean, the clouds all offer an exquisite variety of light, tone, color and texture.”

Susana spends hours exploring with her camera. She then sits down with her photographs to recreate them into images that reveal the feel of the landscape, the mood of the light, and the intricacy and movement of its details. “Sometimes the images require few changes,” she explains. “Sometimes, the final result is just a small piece of the original capture where I have tried to recreate what I felt being there, adding all of the subjective elements from my past as I express how I have learned to see the Lowcountry.” For a look at Susana Berdecio’s photographs, visit susanaberdecio.com.

See Jazz - Jazz Artists of Charleston Visual Exhibition

Charlton Singleton by Ben Williams

See Jazz presents a stunning visual perspective of Jazz Artists of Charleston (JAC) and Charleston Jazz Orchestra (CJO) events from over the past six years. The carefully curated collection of images includes photographs from Jazz Artists of Charleston’s resident photographers Alice Keeney, Pricilla Thomas, Ben Williams, and Reese Moore. The photographs highlight the people, places, and moments that have shaped JAC and CJO, and capture the rhythm and swing of the jazz music that the groups perform, promote, and work to preserve. In the words of the late Jack McCray, one of JAC’s founding board members and an icon in the Charleston jazz scene, the exhibit invites viewers to “listen with their eyes” and “think and feel beyond the category.”

Jazz Artists of Charleston is a non-profit organization incorporated to work to foster a solid and professional environment for jazz musicians, artists, students and enthusiasts in the Charleston area. Its mission is to develop, promote, and support a vibrant and creative jazz culture through concerts, special outreach events, and educational programs. The Charleston Jazz Orchestra is produced, presented and managed by Jazz Artists of Charleston. The orchestra is a twenty-piece big band made up of many of the finest musicians in the Charleston area. CJO, now in its sixth season, has firmly established itself as the Lowcountry’s resident big band ensemble and continues to refine its sound. For more information about Jazz Artists of Charleston and the Charleston Jazz Orchestra, visit jazzartistsofcharleston.org.

The North Charleston City Gallery is situated in the common areas of the Charleston Area Convention Center, located at 5001 Coliseum Drive in North Charleston. Parking and admission are free during regular Convention Center operating hours, 9:00am – 5:00pm daily. The gallery is staffed on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday only. Inquiries regarding the artists or purchase information may be directed to the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at (843)740-5854. For information on additional exhibits, programs, and events, visit the Cultural Arts section of the City’s website at http://bit.ly/culturalarts.

North Charleston Dinner Theatre Series Closes with Love Letters on March 21

The final North Charleston Dinner Theatre performance of the season is set to take place on Friday, March 21, 2014, with Love Letters presented by Threshold Repertory Theatre and starring real-life married couple, Ginger and Al Curl. Dinner for the evening is catered by Embassy Suites and features an entrée of pecan roasted salmon. Tickets are on sale until Tuesday, March 18.

A smash hit on and off-Broadway, The Wall Street Journal calls Love Letters "exhilarating, funny, and moving." Written in 1989 by critically acclaimed playwright A.R. Gurney, the drama traces the correspondence between staid, dutiful lawyer, Andrew Makepeace Ladd III, and his lifelong 'friend,' the lively and unstable artist, Melissa Gardner. Their beautiful, poignant story of love and friendship unfolds through the pages of nearly 50 years of letters.

Happily married for 58 years, the two featured actors, Ginger and Al Curl, are thrilled to be performing opposite one another in this evocative, touching, often times funny theatre piece. These native New Yorkers have always shared a love of the arts, starting their acting careers in local and regional theatre companies in the Catskills. After an IBM relocation to the sunny south, the Curls were cast in many community theatre productions and it wasn’t long before they were “discovered” for films, commercials, and voice-overs. Al most recently portrayed Mr. Kowalski, the jeweler, in Hallmark Channel’s The Confessions and audiences will recognize Ginger as the “Woo Lady,” who appeared alongside Ric Flair in the South Carolina Lottery commercial.

Love Letters will be presented at the Charleston Area Convention Center Ballroom (adjacent to the North Charleston Performing Arts Center) at 5001 Coliseum Drive in North Charleston. The ballroom doors open at 7:00pm for dinner. Tickets are $40 per person. Group discounts are offered. Ticket price includes dinner, play, and gratuity. Tickets for just the play are available for $15. Parking is free. A cash-only bar will be available. To purchase tickets, contact Pam Smith at 843-740-5847 by Tuesday, March 18. For information on additional programs and events, contact the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at 843-740-5854 or visit http://bit.ly/culturalarts.

Entries Sought for Statewide Juried Fine Craft Competition & Exhibition

Fine craft artists from across the state are invited to participate in the thirteenth annual South Carolina Palmetto Hands Juried Fine Craft Competition and Exhibition. As the state’s only fine craft competition and exhibition, objects juried into the show may compete for cash prizes totaling up to $6500. The exhibition is presented as a component of the annual North Charleston Arts Festival, to be held May 2-10, 2014. The application is only available online and may be accessed via the link at NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com/apply. Deadline for submissions is Friday, March 14, 2014.

Organized and presented by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, this unique exhibition offers fine craft artists from across South Carolina the opportunity to exhibit their inspiring objects in the media of clay, fiber, glass, metal, wood, and three-dimensional mixed media. Thousands have enjoyed the refined talents of South Carolina fine craft artists during past annual exhibitions. Following the close of the show, up to thirty works will be selected to tour the state through the South Carolina State Museum’s 2014/2015 Traveling Exhibitions Program. Sites across South Carolina may request the exhibit to tour in their facilities, thus providing additional exposure for the selected artists.

Alfred D. Ward NDD, ATD, Emeritus Professor in the Fine Art Department at Winthrop University, will jury this year’s exhibition. Ward was appointed Professor of Art and Design at the University of London in 1966. In 1974 he became the Head of the Department of Silversmithing, Jewelry at the Sir John Cass College of Art in London. As a consultant designer for Spink & Sons in London (by Appointment of her Majesty the Queen) he designed and produced pieces for The Royal Family, Revlon of Paris, and Covent Garden Opera House, among others. An internationally known designer, Ward’s work is featured in many museums and collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Having moved to the United States in 1981, he taught at the University of Michigan and the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit. In 1985, he became the Director of the Appalachian Center for Crafts in Tennessee and in 1989 became the Chair of Art and Design at Winthrop University in South Carolina. Winthrop University awarded him the Distinguished Professor of the Year Award in 1998 and the Medal of Honor in the Arts in April of 2011.

The 13th Annual South Carolina Palmetto Hands Juried Fine Craft Competition & Exhibition will be on display May 2-10, 2014, at the Charleston Area Convention Center, located at 5001 Coliseum Drive in North Charleston. A free public reception and announcement of awards will be held at the Convention Center on Friday, May 2, 2014. For more information about the North Charleston Arts Festival, Palmetto Hands, or other exhibition opportunities, contact the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at (843)740-5854, email culturalarts@northcharleston.org, or visit NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com.

North Charleston City Gallery to Exhibit Works by The Goose Creek Artists Guild

Blue Mountains (oil) by Goose Creek Artists Guild member Karen Gaag

The City of North Charleston’s Cultural Arts Department is pleased to announce that works by members of the Goose Creek Artists Guild will be on exhibit at the North Charleston City Gallery from February 3-28, 2014. A free reception will be held at the gallery on Thursday, February 6, from 5:00-7:00pm. Many of the exhibiting artists will be present and refreshments will be served. The public is invited to attend.

The Goose Creek Artists Guild, founded in 1982, will present its 31st Annual Judged Show featuring two-dimensional works in a variety of subjects and mediums. Comprised of artists from Berkeley, Dorchester, and Charleston counties, guild members from all levels of expertise express their talents in oil, watercolor, acrylic, pastel, drawing, and mixed media. Ribbons for Best of Show as well as first, second, and third place in multiple categories will be awarded by guest juror, Mercedes da Silva. Da Silva is a juried member and on the board of directors for the Charleston Artist Guild and has taught Art and Spanish and Northwoods Academy for 15 years.


The Goose Creek Artists Guild meets monthly for live demonstrations and business to further its purpose "to bring together a group of artists interested in self-improvement, public recognition, and the promotion of the arts in the community." For more information, contact the Guild President, Muriel Lanciault, at (843)486-6328.

The North Charleston City Gallery is situated in the common areas of the Charleston Area Convention Center, located at 5001 Coliseum Drive in North Charleston. Parking and admission are free during regular Convention Center operating hours, 9:00am – 5:00pm daily. The gallery is staffed on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday only. Inquiries regarding the artists or purchase information may be directed to the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at (843)740-5854. For information on additional exhibits, programs, and events, visit the Cultural Arts section of the City’s website at http://bit.ly/culturalarts.

North Charleston Dinner Theatre Series Sings the Blues on January 31

Songstress Laura Ball offers a soulful salute to America's gifted women of the blues in the third performance of North Charleston's 2013/14 Dinner Theatre Series

Another fabulous dinner theatre performance is set to take place in North Charleston on Friday, January 31, 2014, with Black & Blues presented by songstress Laura Ball of UNED!TED. The exquisite cabaret evening of musical history is a soulful salute to America's gifted women of the blues. Dinner for the evening is catered by Embassy Suites and features an entrée of smoked chicken and sausage penne. Tickets are on sale until Tuesday, January 28.

Giving voice to the female singers who put blues on the American map, Miss Ball and her blues trio, The Gentle Time Band, will take audiences on a musical journey from the Mississippi Delta to the back alleys of New Orleans to the to the Charleston Lowcountry. The original program features the songs and stories of such celebrated blues women as Big Mama Thornton, Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith, Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt, and many more.

A native Charlestonian, Laura Ball is an active teacher, music director, composer, and performer known for her innovative collaborations across musical genres and her explorations of contemporary chamber music practices. She grew up with deep roots in the Gullah and Irish song-storytelling traditions and her musical background includes a broad survey as an instrumentalist, choral conductor and vocalist – spanning repertoire from the Baroque to Broadway. She currently works as the music director at Holy Spirit Catholic Church on Johns Island, SC, and is the founder and creative director of the UNED!TED Interdisciplinary Arts Concert Series, now in its fourth season. She has been a featured performing artist and composer at SECCA (Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, NC), Panoramic Dance Troupe (Raleigh, NC), and Goddard College (Port Townsend, WA), and maintains ongoing compositional collaborations with Charleston Dance Institute, Chamber Music Charleston, and Annex Dance Company. She has also appeared locally with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Seabrook Island Club, Kiawah Arts Council, Gibbes Museum of Art, and Parliament. For more information, visit LauraBall.com or UneditedArtists.com.

Black & Blues will be presented at the Charleston Area Convention Center Ballroom (adjacent to the North Charleston Performing Arts Center) at 5001 Coliseum Drive in North Charleston. The ballroom doors open at 7:00pm for dinner. Tickets are $40 per person. Group discounts are offered. Ticket price includes dinner, play, and gratuity. Tickets for just the play are available for $15. Parking is free. A cash-only bar will be available. To purchase tickets, contact Pam Smith at 843-740-5847 by Tuesday, January 28. For details on the 2013/14 North Charleston Dinner Theatre Series or information on additional programs and events, contact the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at 843-740-5854 or visit http://bit.ly/culturalarts.