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.

Vote for our local Google Doodler

VOTE FOR JOHN'S DOODLE HERE

North Charleston student John W's Google Doodle has been selected as a finalist from over 114,000 entries. From North Pole, Alaska to Miami, Florida to Cape Elizabeth, Maine, to Kapa'a, Hawai'i, the 50 finalists hail from literally every corner of the country.

John said, "My picture expresses the theme by depicting a scene of a 1970s jazz band. I chose this drawing because I enjoy the styles and sounds of this era. I would love to be able to travel in time to visit a city like New Orleans and watch a jazz band."

The winning Doodle will be displayed on Google's homepage.  In addition, the doodler will take home a $30,000 college scholarship and a $50,000 technology grant for his or her school.

The theme for this year’s contest was “If I could travel in time, I’d visit...”. That could mean visiting a past, present or future setting—whether it’s traveling back in time to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, to the future to witness everyday space travel, or to just a few moments ago to relive a poignant experience.