2022
January 12-30 – RUBY HAZZARD’S SLICE-O-LIFE – Solo Show at Julia Deckman Studio
Charleston Arts Festival was pleased to mount the first-ever Charleston exhibition of the transformative photographic work of Ruby Hazzard in an inaugural collaboration with Julia Deckman Studio.
Although strongly evocative of classic Cindy Sherman, Hazzard’s powerful slice-of-life vignettes remain deeply, profoundly personal through her exploration of questions of identity in our fraught and perplexing era.
An honors graduate and long-time staff member of the New England School of Photography, Hazzard brought her fresh and unique self-portraiture to the Charleston Arts Festival, following numerous one-person and group exhibitions in Boston and elsewhere in the Northeast.
February 8 – PechaKucha 38
Continuing our triumphant post-COVID return, Charleston Arts Festival and Charleston Music Hall were pleased to present PechaKucha 38, as always featuring an array of Charleston’s most stellar creatives: Randi Weinstein, founder of FAB Workshop; Kerri Forrest, Director of Lowcountry Programs for the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; Alyson Sutton, writer and co-owner of Sightsee; Alex Lira, part owner of Bar George; Greg Colleton, Executive Director of Yo Art; Gino Castillo, Afro-Cuban jazz musician and leader of the Cuban Cowboys; Josh Capeder, brand designer; Stephen Washington, producer and piano virtuoso.
PechaKucha 38 was also notable as the twelfth in CAF’s continuing collaborations with CMH.
Poster Design: Julia Deckman
Emcee: Michal Smallwood, actor, playwright, and PURE Theatre Core Ensemble member
DJ: Professor Ping.
Charleston Music Hall
PURE Theatre Dining Benefits Program – November, 2021 and Ongoing
The Charleston Arts Festival is pleased to once again partner with PURE Theatre during the company’s nineteenth season;, this time in the revitalization of the PURE Theatre Dining Benefits Program.
CAF co-founder, Terry Fox, conceived of and developed this program nine years ago during his time on the PURE board in order to encourage partner restaurants in supporting the company through special offerings or discounts at their establishments on the evenings on which subscribers were attending performances. The program had thrived and had proven to be a boon to PURE subscribers as well as to the participating restaurants. However, the impacts of the pandemic were notable and a refreshing of participants was essential.
To date, Park & Grove, The Lux at Warehouse, Basic Kitchen, and Renzo have come onboard to enhance the program with a number of other fine establishments still in the chute. They are joining loyal years-long participants in the program such as Indaco, The Grocery, and Vincent Chicco’s.
Please check out the PURE Theatre website— www.puretheatre.org – to learn more about the company’s season’s productions and about the dining program.
May 13-28 - LOOK AWAY, LOOK UP – New Work by David Boatwright
Charleston Arts Festival was pleased to partner once again with renowned painter-muralist, David Boatwright, on “LOOK AWAY, LOOK UP”, his first comprehensive exhibition of new work since their previous collaboration on his landmark career retrospective, “Look Away, Look Here” at City Gallery ten years ago.
Venue: Amelia T. Handegan Interiors
Opening reception: Friday, May 13, 5:30-8:00 PM
June 7 – PechaKucha 39
Charleston Arts Festival and Charleston Music Hall were elated to present yet another PechaKucha with a thirty-ninth edition of these independently produced events in celebration of our local creative community.
Since our PKs began in 2008, more than 300 creatives across myriad diverse endeavors have been featured. Following our 19-month COVID-enforced hiatus, this third in the return of Charleston PechaKuchas remained an essential element of the community’s resiliency and recovery.
Our stellar roster of presenters for June 7 were:
Katie Hirsch, Director and Chief Curator, Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art
KJ Kearney, founder of Black Food Fridays
Lydia Chernicoff, violinist and founder of New Muse Concerts
Vince Graham, builder and civic artist
Jacquie Berger, Executive Director, Lowcountry Local First
Ben Towill and Charlie Layton, The Dreamboats Project and Basic Kitchen
Hanna Raskin, “The Food Section” Substack journalist
Earl Newell, DJ and entertainment facilitator via The Dance Doctors
Poster Design: Ruby Hazzard
Emcees: Brian Porter and Kyle Barnette
DJ: Professor Ping
PechaKucha 39 was also notable as the thirteenth in CAF’s continuing collaborations with CMH.
September 15 – PechaKucha 40
Charleston Arts Festival and Charleston Music Hall were pleased to continue our city’s PechaKucha tradition with its FORTIETH edition on September 15, 2022.
This array of stellar superstar creatives for this edition included:
Candace Patterson and Will Kiser, masterminds behind the art collaborative, Dos Bandidos
Bintou Ndaw, creator of the Nafi’s Originals line of condiments and cooking sauces
Kalyn Oyer, arts and entertainment reporter for the Post and Courier
Jennifer Charzewski, principal at Liollio Architecture
Tina Heath-Schuttenberg and David Schuttenberg, owners of Kwei Fei and Lady Xian
Chase Quinn, curator of education and programs at the Gibbes Museum of Art
Sharon Graci and Rodney Lee Rogers, co-founders of PURE Theatre
Gavin Shelton, director and cinematographer reflecting on humor and history.
The event’s emcees were Ruchi Mistry and Tom McFall, the food innovators behind Huriyali and other upcoming ventures and PechaKucha 29 veterans.
As always, Professor Ping slung the tunes and presenters Dos Bandidos produced the beautiful poster design.