SC Arts Commission Press Releases
Part II of The State Art Collection: Contemporary Conversations Opens Nov. 5
Oct. 21, 2009
Media Contacts:
Milly Hough
(803) 734-8698
(803) 734-8620
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Part II of The State Art Collection: Contemporary Conversations traveling exhibition runs Nov. 5 - Dec. 6 at the 701 Center for Contemporary Art, located at 701 Whaley Street in Columbia. The second half of the exhibition includes nearly 60 pieces of artwork by 47 contemporary South Carolina artists.
Curated by Eleanor Heartney, author and contributing editor to Art in America and Artpress, Contemporary Conversations includes 118 pieces of artwork from the 448-piece State Art Collection, which is maintained by the South Carolina Arts Commission. The two-part exhibition is designed to suggest both the quality and diversity of the state's cultural heritage. Part I of the exhibition ends Nov. 1.
Examples of artwork included in part II of the exhibition are Merton Simpson's Confrontation #20 (1968), a muscular abstraction whose impassioned brushstrokes embody the turmoil of the Civil Rights era, and Blue Sky's Myrtle Beach (1983), which bears the imprint of South Carolina's landscape.
For more information about The State Art Collection: Contemporary Conversations or educational programs and other activities taking place during the exhibition, please visit www.SouthCaroilnaArts.com or call Harriett Green, program director for visual arts, at (803) 734-8762.
About 701 Center for Contemporary Art:
701 Center for Contemporary Art is a non-profit visual arts center that promotes understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of contemporary art, the creative process and the role of art and artists in the community. The center also encourages interaction between visual arts and other art forms. 701 CCA is located at 701 Whaley Street, Columbia, SC 29201. For more information, visit www.701cca.org.
About the State Art Collection:
The State Art Collection is considered the most comprehensive public collection of works by contemporary South Carolina artists. Established in 1967 as one of the first programs of the South Carolina Arts Commission, the State Art Collection has grown to include 448 works in a variety of media and styles by 277 South Carolina contemporary artists. Small exhibitions featuring work from the collection are organized on a regular basis for rural and isolated areas inside and outside of the state. Works from the State Art Collection are available for loan to art museums, state agencies, and public and private organizations for the purpose of public exhibition or public display. The collection is supported in part by the South Carolina Arts Foundation and Kahn Development Company.
About SCAC:
The South Carolina Arts Commission is the state agency charged with creating a thriving arts environment that benefits all South Carolinians, regardless of their location or circumstances. Created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967, the Arts Commission works to increase public participation in the arts by providing services, grants and leadership initiatives in three areas: arts education, community arts development and artist development. Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., the Arts Commission is funded by the state of South Carolina, by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts and other sources. For more information, visit www.SouthCarolinaArts.com or call (803) 734-8696.
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