AUG 19-25, 2020 NEWS, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM
WRUU SPOTLIGHT:
Leza Chandler Host of Those Happy Homeschoolers talks about “the hidden truth of life as a homeschooler in Savannah”
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thursday & Sunday CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 19 - 25, 2020
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COMPILED BY RACHAEL FLORA TO HAVE AN EVENT LISTED EMAIL WAG@CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM. INCLUDE DATES, TIME, LOCATIONS WITH ADDRESSES, COST AND A CONTACT NUMBER. DEADLINE FOR INCLUSION IS 5PM FRIDAY, TO APPEAR IN NEXT WEDNESDAY’S EDITION.
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Livestreams:
Markets:
Quarantine Concert w/ Modern Hero & Lilakk Livestreamed from the historic Tybee Post Theatre. Sat., Aug. 22 at 8 p.m. quarantineconcerts.org
Forsyth Farmers Market Enhanced social distancing between vendors. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays facebook.com/forsythfarmersmarket Islands Farmers Market Enhanced social distancing between vendors. Saturdays 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. , 401 Quarterman Dr. facebook.com/islandsfarmersmarket/
Front Porch Improv: Hot Takes Comedy talk show! Fri. Aug. 21 8 p.m. facebook.com/frontporchimprov/
Savannah Bananas vs. Macon
Tybee Island Farmers Mar- THU. & SAT. ket Mondays, 4-7 p.m. 30 Meddin Dr. Pin Point Heritage Museum facebook.com/tybeeislandfarmersThu.-Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. market
Site Reopenings: Davenport House Museum Daily tours begin 10 a.m., last tour 4 p.m. except Sundays when hours are 1-4 p.m. Georgia State Railroad Museum Wed.-Sun. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Harper-Fowlkes House Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.. Guided tours will be offered every half hour, with the first tour starting at 10 am and the last tour starting at 3:30 pm. Old Fort Jackson Wed.-Sun 9 a.m.-5 p.m. CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 19 - 25, 2020
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Mars Theatre Friday/Saturday night movies at 7 p.m.
American Prohibition Museum Daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m., last entry 4:15 p.m. Savannah History Museum Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Telfair Museums 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursdays-Mondays. During initial reopening phase, they closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Admission to all sites $20 inclusive.
Events: Savannah Bananas vs. Macon College summer league ball in a historic ballpark. Thu. Aug. 20, 6:30 p.m., Grayson Stadium thesavannahbananas.com
Mercer-Williams House Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. 11:30 a.m.-4:45 p.m., closed Tuesday and Wednesday
Savannah Bananas vs. Macon College summer league ball in a historic ballpark. Sat.. Aug. 22, 6:30 p.m., Grayson Stadium thesavannahbananas.com
National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force Tue.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. noon-5 p.m. 4
Painting, Pints, and Pooches The Humane Society of Savannah is having a special evening at South-
bound Brewing. For just $20 learn how to paint a beautiful animal themed painting. Tickets include a painting lesson plus one pint of your favorite beer from Southbound! Sat.. Aug. 22, noon, Southbound Brewing eventbrite.com
Live Concerts: Bluegrass by the Pint City Hotel performs at Service Brewing. Fri., Aug. 21 at 6 p.m. Nashville Nights with Cole Decker at Coach’s Corner Live performance in a courtyard setting. Thurs., Aug. 20, 7 p.m. facebook.com/coachscorner/ Eric Culberson Band at Coach’s Corner Live performance in a courtyard setting. Fri. Aug. 21, 7 p.m. facebook.com/coachscorner/ Big Engine at Coach’s Corner Live performance in a courtyard setting. Sat. Aug. 22, 7 p.m. facebook.com/coachscorner/
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Front Porch Improv: Live & Awesome Improv Themed improv comedy. Sat. Aug. 22 9 p.m. facebook.com/frontporchim-
Friday Night Live with Mayor Van Johnson Savannah Mayor Van Johnson’s “fireside chat” about the state of the city. Fridays, 8 p.m. facebook.com/MayorJohnsonSAV/ Psychotronic Film Society Viewing Parties To receive the link to these streaming playlists, people MUST join the PFS of SAV’s Private Facebook Group, at the link below. Each week, anyone who chooses to donate at least $5 via PayPal or Venmo receives a free high quality digital download of a movie from the archive, and is entered into a drawing to win a T-shirt. Wednesdays, Sundays, 8 p.m. facebook.com/ groups/2519522234807695/ Seldom Sober Savannah’s only Irish music ensemble, Seldom Sober (Michael Corbett and Colleen Settle) perform a set spanning Trad Irish to American folk. Tuesdays, 8 p.m. facebook.com/seldomsober/
NEWS & OPINION EDITOR’S NOTE
While stories about buffoonish, entitled BY JIM MOREKIS customers of this nature have been circujim@connectsavannah.com lating around town for literally months now, this one hit home because of the nature of the target. THE GREAT MASK WAR has resumed Nichols, of course, is part of a welllocally once again — or maybe it never regarded longtime Savannah family, at the really stopped. helm of an equally well-regarded SavanIn a Facebook post that rapidly went nah institution — one which has taken viral, longtime Crystal Beer Parlor owner particularly responsible safeguards during John Nichols vented this past Saturday the pandemic. night about an abusive customer who was “I may lose some business because of irate over the restaurant’s mask policy: this statement,” Nichols continued, “but “Tonight, Saturday, August 15th, a couI believe my insistence on our policy will ple walked up to the host stand. The wife reduce the chances of any of my staff conwas wearing a mask. The husband insisted tracting the virus.” that he couldn’t wear a mask because he If there is any good news that came was asthmatic. They were informed by the out of the incident, it’s that Nichols likely hostess that they had to wear a mask, it was not only didn’t lose business, he probably our policy. The manager was called and gained some. explained to the couple that we required After making the post, he received masks for everyone’s safety. The couple massive, overwhelming support from the became rude and belligerent, threatened people who count most: Local, repeat custo sue us and screamed “Fuck you!” as they tomers for whom the Crystal Beer Parlor is left. What are we to make of such people? a beloved tradition. What the hell is wrong with them? BeratIn the end, that kind of communitying my staff as if they made policy? You building in the face of dire crisis is the only wanna talk? Call me! What the hell did you thing that will get us through — especially come to our place for, food or a fight? I can’t as your federal and state government have tell you how stressful being in the restaufor the most part thrown us to the wolves. rant business is these days,” Nichols said.
FEEDBACK
That said, a bit of relief came through over the past week, as millions of dollars in federal coronavirus funds — which the state had been sitting on — finally began being disbursed to the City of Savannah. The focus of the funds is on rent/mortgage relief, with the stated goal of avoiding evictions —at least 50 of which the City was racing to get in front of before they were completed. They are also funds available for local small businesses. (There are catches, however: The funds are only available for COVID-19-related income loss from March 1 to Aug. 30. And the City has to spend all the money by Sept. 1. Call 211 to apply.) In another kudo-worthy move, the City opted to partner with The United Way and the Small Business Assistance Corporation to disburse the funds quickly, rather than ramp up an in-house operation from scratch at City Hall. In the meantime, the brutally insidious nature of COVID-19 became ever more apparent with the recent passing of longtime Chatham County Commissioner James “Coach” Holmes, due to complications from the virus. But as we’ve seen, not even the threat of death is enough to keep some people from arguing over masks. CS
LETTERS@CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM
Universal Basic Income: $1K-For-All
Editor, $1K-For-All simply means that every adult citizen over 18 gets $1,000 a month from the U.S. Treasury. It’s an idea that has been around awhile, but is usually dismissed. I think it needs a new look. From an economic standpoint, the theory behind it is “Bubble Up.” This theory works because, when ordinary people have money, they spend it! The economy will prosper and everyone, even the rich, will end up doing better. There are three big pluses in $1K-For-All: • It would eliminate poverty. For most, it would eliminate the pervasive economic anxity highlighted by the pandemic. We could eliminate most welfare programs, unemployment insurance, the “earned income
credit,” plus overhead costs associated with these and other programs. I would also free people to be all they can be. For example, start new businesses, take time to volunteer, or simply be more creative and inventive. • It will allow us to finally understand what “money” really is in our modern world. While money is used to measure wealth, it has become the tool that allows us to keep the wheels of our economy greased. A hundred years ago we believed money had to be backed by gold. The Great Depression convinced us to drop that idea. Now, in order to make sure there will always be enough money in circulation to keep the economy running, the Federal Reserve Bank is responsible for “liquidity.” This simply means cash is always sufficient to keep everything
moving. • $1K-For-All will be surprisingly affordable and inexpensive to administer. The “Bubble Up” boom will generate huge new tax revenues. It will stimulate the accumulation of wealth. It will generate some additional inflation — which most economists see as a good thing — helping 401Ks, etc. The savings resulting from eliminating poverty, and its often hidden costs, will be huge. The administration would be very simple, too. It would be means-tested by raising taxes, and then having it taxed. The more you earn, the more you would, in effect, have to pay back in taxes. As a bonus just about everyone would start paying taxes! For a family of 4 it could be a wash (all paid back in taxes) at say, $250,000 AGI. And yes, above that level the rich will pay more income tax.
There are some practical questions. Why not means-test before it’s paid? One reason is the administration cost would be huge. Means testing as part of your income tax filing is simpler. Another reason for yearly means testing through income taxation is that sometimes, bad things happen to good people. Jobs lost, sickness reduces income, people die. $1K-For-All will be the basic all-purpose social safety net for everyone until they’re eligible for Social Security, And of course the “affordability” issues has to be carefully worked out and will require some faith in the results. My estimate is that if we restored the most recent income tax cuts, which went mostly to the very rich, it would be enough. Michael Gardner
Connect Savannah is published every Wednesday by Morris Multimedia, Inc 611 East Bay Street Savannah, GA, 31401 Phone: 912.231.0250 Fax: 912.238.2041 www.connectsavannah.com twitter: @ConnectSavannah Facebook.com/connectsav ADMINISTRATIVE Chris Griffin, General Manager chris@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4378 EDITORIAL Jim Morekis, Editor-in-Chief jim@connectsavannah.com Rachael Flora, Community/Events Editor rachael@connectsavannah.com Sean Kelly, A&E Editor sean@connectsavannah.com CONTRIBUTORS John Bennett, Matt Brunson, Brittany Curry, Kristy Edenfield, Geoff L. Johnson, Lindy Moody, Orlando Montoya, Jim Reed ADVERTISING Information: (912) 721-4378 sales@connectsavannah.com Bucky Bryant, Senior Account Executive bucky@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4381 DESIGN & PRODUCTION Brandon Blatcher, Art Director artdirector@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4379 Loretta Calhoun, Graphic Designer ads@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4380 DISTRIBUTION Wayne Franklin, Distribution Manager (912) 721-4376 CLASSIFIEDS Call (912) 231-0250
CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 19 - 25, 2020
‘Food or a fight?’ Mask wars continue
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NEWS & OPINION WRUU SPOTLIGHT
WRUU Spotlight:
Do you think the pandemic is a shortterm boost to home schooling, or are some of these pandemicdriven changes permanent?
Leza Chandler
‘Homeschooling was actually the original method of educating children’ BY JIM MOREKIS
jim@connectsavannah.com
THIS WEEK, we chat with WRUU show host Leza Chandler, host of “Those Happy Homeschoolers.” Airing every Wednesday at 2 p.m., Chandler’s show explores misconceptions about homeschooling, shares stories of local homeschooling families, and uncovers what she calls “the hidden truth of life as a homeschooler in Savannah.” You’re a veteran of homeschooling, long before the pandemic. Different people have different reasons to do it — what first prompted you into homeschooling? Like many parents, our decision to homeschool was made because our youngest child was struggling in school. She developed a severe case of testing anxiety and although we tried multiple ways to help her, nothing worked. Then one day I happened to be talking to our oldest daughter’s teacher about our problems and he asked if we’d ever considered homeschool. Turns out he homeschooled his own children even though he worked for the school system. We’d never even thought about homeschooling before, but the rest, as they say, is history.
CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 19 - 25, 2020
What are some of the most harmful myths about homeschooling?
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The most harmful myth about homeschooling is that homeschoolers are some kind of anarchists or religious fanatics who want to overthrow the government or raise their children in secret so they can abuse them. Unfortunately many people, myself included, had only experienced homeschool through the eyes of mainstream media. Once I entered the world of homeschool for myself and began studying the history of education though, I realized that public schooling was the anomaly, and homeschooling was actually the original method of educating children.
What do you say to critics who say you and other homeschoolers are hurting the cause of public education in this country? I would argue that public education does a great job of that all by itself. In fact, I believe public schools cause more harm to the cause of public education in this country than homeschoolers ever could, because public institutions of learning consistently make promises to parents and children that they simply do not keep. As much as they claim to provide a safe learning environment for our children, they cannot and have not proved that every child will be successful in school, or that every child will be able to learn in an environment that is free from abuses from other students or from teachers. Just the fact that parents now have the option to purchase bullet-proof backpacks for their children speak to the insecurity children experience when in school. To public schools, there is such a thing as an “acceptable loss” when it comes to the education of our children. But homeschoolers by and large are only concerned with raising and educating their own children according to their own beliefs. This by the way was the original desire of our country’s founders. Forced education, as it was known in the 1850s, was strongly resisted by our nation’s citizens, some of whom had their children removed from their homes at gunpoint in order to take them to “school.” Today, public schools do little more than experiment with our children while they brainwash them to love the state more than their own family. Parents turn on children, children turn on each other, the schools blame parents. It’s clearly a mess,
but it would be unfair to blame homeschoolers for that mess. What are some things people say about homeschooling in the pandemic environment?
Whether you are a legal homeschooler or educating your child at home using the district’s virtual schooling option I believe that home education ultimately causes every parent to question the efficacy of public schooling. I believe those Leza Chandler, host parents who allow of ‘Those Happy themselves to Homeschoolers’ explore the world of homeschooling will find it to be the kind of freedom the Pilgrims came to this land in search of. And that once parents and children get a taste of that freedom, schools will have to adapt in order to compete for the privilege of educating our children rather than forcing their brand of education upon us with the “like it or lump it” attitude we’ve seen from them so far. No one is coming out of this experience unchanged. And that should really worry school officials.
Public school parents are understandably worried about their children “falling behind” and “missing out” on school. However, when these parents attempt to educate their children at home using virtual public school methods they quickly discover that the level of control they accepted when their children were in school is unacceptable when imposed in their own homes. Because of legal definitions and rights fought for by the founding homeschooling families, it is important to be clear that what many public school parents are doing in their homes is NOT homeschooling. In order to be a legal homeschooler you not only have to submit the state required Declaration of Intent, but you also have to take full control of your child’s education. To a homeschooler, there is no such place as “behind” when it comes to their children’s education because each child learns at exactly their own pace. And there is also no such thing as “missing out” because as long as we’re together as a family what could we possibly be missing?
What specific advice would you give to those who are considering home schooling for the first time — and who may have been opposed to it before? First, do not recreate public school in your home. It is not homeschooling and will result in conflict and unnecessary stress on your family. Next, allow your mind and body to detox from the public school system. This is where you examine and challenge everything you were made to believe about how children best learn and the role of parents/ teachers in that process. Then deschool, which is the process of living life with your children and allowing them to learn from your example. If we really want our children to be successful in life then we must let them learn everything we know so that they are able to replace us one day. Finally, trust yourself and trust your children. I can’t tell you how many times a public school parent will tell me that they can’t homeschool because they don’t know what to do. My response is always the same — don’t question your ability to educate
WRUU SPOTLIGHT
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
your own child, question why you send them to be educated by the same people who left you feeling unqualified to educate them. Anything I neglected to ask that you’d like to discuss? I’d like to talk a little about socialization because that has been a big argument for returning our children to public school despite the threat of COVID-19. There are two definitions for the word “socialization.” The first is “to make a person behave in socially acceptable ways” and I believe this is the type of socialization the government is most concerned about. Schooling is a very effective way to control large populations and create “good citizens” who place the needs of the state above their own needs and the needs of their families. Good citizens are even willing to die for the state if ordered to do so. Homeschoolers are more concerned about the other definition of socialization which is to interact on social levels for the purpose of enjoying a person’s company. We are concerned with raising good humans who care about their fellow man and are willing to lay down their life for their friends.
Despite the name, homeschoolers learn from the world at large, and homeschooling is not a journey that we take without the support of the community. Also, homeschoolers in Savannah are very fortunate to have access to the same opportunities as public schoolers including football, cheerleading, homecoming, prom, graduation and a slew of other sports and activities. But it doesn’t come at the cost of our connection to our families, to our communities, or to our own free will. COVID-19 has affected both homeschoolers and public schoolers alike, and yet our homeschooling community has still found ways to come together to help and support each other while public schoolers wait on the school board to tell them what to do. All I can say is that there is nothing like homeschooling, and once you experience it for yourself your life will never be the same. CS WRUU Savannah Soundings radio focus is on celebrating Savannah’s creative depth and diversity, and providing programming to unserved or underserved community groups. WRUU is an all-volunteer station. Stream them at wruu.org or listen at 107.5 FM.
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NEWS & OPINION CITY NOTEBOOK
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BY RACHAEL FLORA
rachael@connectsavannah.com
celebrate feels really good,” says Rolfes. The parade is a fun, safe way to celebrate a good cause and to reflect on this momentous anniversary. “I’ve obviously been thinking about this a lot lately,” says Rolfes. “The suffragists worked for 75 years to get the right to vote. No one in power—all of whom were men— wanted it to happen. How did they get that done?” Rolfes points out that many of the suffragists, including the prominent Susan B. Anthony, died before the amendment was ratified. They weren’t able to see the fruits of their years-long labor. “But that singleness of purpose that
THIS Saturday, celebrate an important anniversary with a festive car parade. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. In commemoration, the League of Women Voters of Coastal Georgia will host a centennial parade on Sat., Aug. 22. The cars will start at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church just before 10 a.m. and will pass Forsyth Park, go through Starland, and finish at Daffin Park. The route was chosen to maximize visibility; on a Saturday, there are already plenty of people along the parade route. All sitting city politicians have been invited to the parade—but not candidates, as the League is a Archival photo, courtesy of the League of Women Voters of Coastal Georgia. nonpartisan organization— and Mayor Van Johnson will serve as the kept their eyes on the prize and said, ‘This grand marshal. is right, this should happen, we will make The parade is also open to anyone who’d this happen,’ eventually triumphed,” says like to participate, and vehicle registration Rolfes. “They fought to win this right, is still open. but it could be gone tomorrow. It could be The parade was originally planned taken away from you. This is not a fight around the February vote to pass the 19th that ends.” Amendment, says LWVCGA President Even though it’s been a hundred years, Rebecca Rolfes, but after a few scheduling now is not the time to be complacent and conflicts and then a global pandemic, the take the 19th Amendment, or any of our parade was moved to August, which coinrights, for granted. cides with the ratification date on Aug. 18. As we prepare for an election season Rolfes says the League had been hesitant whose integrity and security has already to host an event in summer because of the been called into question, it’s important to heat, but they were collectively inspired by honor the spirit of the suffragists and fight the graduations via vehicle and car parades for our rights. that began in the spring. The League regularly does that work, “In these strange times we live in, havand they’re ratcheting up their efforts ing something fun, having something to ahead of the election season.
“We have a huge get out the vote effort that has a lot of different moving parts,” says Rolfes. Part of that effort includes going to precincts with the lowest turnout and distributing information on voting via door hangers. They’ll also send postcards reminding people to vote, putting up yard signs and posters, and assisting people with physical disabilities in their voting efforts. The League is also working on obtaining more drop boxes for absentee ballots, since Chatham County only has one. “We have over 200,000 registered voters, and one drop box,” says Rolfes. “But, we are very sensitive to the fact that if there’s money to be spent on election infrastructure, it’s going to go to more scanners and more technicians and more poll workers. We’re trying to work with the Board of Registrars to make sure that it gets done, but that it’s done absolutely legally.” Rolfes urges that the League could use some volunteers to accomplish this mission, particularly with going door-to-door. If interested, send an email to lwvcga@gmail.com to volunteer. “We have to remain vigilant and do everything we can to ensure that the right remains in place and that everyone who has the right to vote gets to vote,” says Rolfes. CS
CENTENNIAL PARADE
Sat., Aug. 22 10 a.m. Begins at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, 1401 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. To register your vehicle for the parade and learn more about the League, visit lwvcga.org.
NEWS & OPINION THE NEWS CYCLE
Bike repair in an age of pandemic BY JOHN BENNETT
john@georgiabikes.org
CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 19 - 25, 2020
EVERY Thursday evening the BikeAthens workshop, which is normally used to refurbish bicycles for people in need, opened its doors for Fix Your Own Bike Night. The weekly gathering offered advice on bike repair and maintenance, access to an inventory of tools and spare parts, and a welcoming space for socializing. And it’s exactly the kind of event that’s become impossible to host safely during the pandemic. “Thursday nights used to be a place every week where the regulars could hang out, talk about where they’ve been riding, show off new bikes or builds they were working on, and really just be around other people who love to ride their bikes,” BikeAthens Executive Director Scott Long said. “One of the hardest things about living in COVID times is trying to figure out how to maintain the connections with our local community.” Bike Walk Savannah’s New Standard Cycles workspace, which is used to refurbish bicycles for people who need affordable transportation, is Could Fix Your Own Bike Night go virtoo small to allow social distancing. Instead, a reduced number of volunteers spread out to work in the parking lot when weather permits. tual? How would it work? What would it look like? “When we first started doing this over — has been forced to adapt as well. new people out biking, walking and rollengaging city staff, citizens, and subject Zoom we assumed that at least a couple of “While we usually work directly with ing, and we so wish we could be hosting our matter experts to create a bicycle- and us had to be in the shop so we could show other nonprofits and service agencies to large group events to bring everyone into pedestrian-friendly driver education propeople all the tools and parts they would provide bikes for clients, we’re still seeing the fold.” gram, which was planned and produced need. We were focused on having multiple that they are overtasked with providing Early in the pandemic, Dunwoody City through virtual collaboration. camera angles and it was setup like a cheap other essential services. We’ve received Council member Joe Seconder identified The video series is designed to educate cable access TV show,” Long said. 182 requests for bikes since April, and have virtual meeting technology as a helpful city employees on best practices for sharIt has since evolved into something difbeen able to provide 75 so far,” said Caila tool to continue working on projects that ing Dunwoody’s streets. Individual modferent, but more meaningful. Brown, Bike Walk Savannah executive improve public safety in his Dekalb County ules are dedicated to state laws and local “It turns out that so much of what the director. community. ordinances, common types of crashes and FYOB experience is at the shop is actually The BWS workspace, like its counter“The concept of working remotely has how to prevent them, and other topics. just the knowledge and personalities of part in Athens, has been closed to the been growing in the private sector for Seconder said undertaking sprawling the people in our community. We can all public and is not large enough to safely many years. Now the public sector has projects, which involve large budgets and pretty much do this from home or wheraccommodate all of the dedicated volunrealized the benefits and opportunities,” long timelines, will be even more daunting ever we are,” he said. teers who previously came together on he said. until we emerge from the pandemic. “I know a lot of people spend all day in Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons “I like having the ability to assemble “Think about what you can do in the Zoom meetings and it sounds like the last to refurbish bikes. virtual teams, which allows me to bring in meantime that doesn’t require a lot of thing they’d want to do is hop on another The pandemic has also thrown a wrench people from around the state for meetings resources,” he said. “There’s a whole call, but it’s been really fun to see people into another aspect of Brown’s work: host- and check ins.” spectrum of things that can be accomtake their cameras into their garages or out ing events that encourage people to get out Seconder, a retired U.S. Army infantry plished, including the development of new on the back porch to show everyone a bike and explore Savannah together. major and combat veteran, has had plenty policies.” that they are excited about.” “We had a lot of plans for the 2020/2021 of experience working remotely as an City officials and citizens who have Closer to home, Bike Walk Savannah’s events calendar, and those are all being enterprise resource planning and human found ways to be creative, adaptable, and New Standard Cycles program — which shifted to be as virtual or small group as capital management application consulresilient during the pandemic can continue was founded in 2014 using BikeAthens’ possible,” she said. tant to Fortune 500 companies. to use the skills they’ve learned long after Bicycle Recycling Program as a model “At the same time, we’ve seen so many One of his most recent efforts involved conditions improve, Seconder said. 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NEWS & OPINION BLOTTER 2020 Sav/Chatham County Crime Stats through Sunday August 16
HOMICIDES
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SPD makes arrest in Meding Street homicide
Savannah Police made an arrest in the fatal shooting of a 21-year-old male on Aug. 13. “Shortly after 5 p.m. August 13, officers responded to 63rd and Meding streets on a report of a shooting. Upon arrival, they located a shooting victim, Laquan Bradley, with serious injuries. Emergency services personnel transported Bradley to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries,” police report. Due to detectives’ investigative efforts and collaboration with community members, they were able to gather pertinent information about the suspect. This information led officers to locate Shar’quez Daughtry, 19. Detectives later arrested Daughtry for the murder of Bradley.
Savannah Police veterans fired, face criminal charges
several policies,” and were immediately placed on leave, Savannah Police Chief Roy Two veteran Savannah Police officers Minter said. have been fired and now will face a grand Minter says he quickly decided to move jury for possible criminal charges stemforward with firing the officers. ming from a case of mistaken identity in “My decision was appealed to the city April that reportedly turned violent. manager who upheld my decision,” Minter Upon viewing bodycam footage of the said. incident, Chatham County District AttorThe officers were formally terminated ney Meg Heap said in an Aug. 12 press con- on July 30. ference that “I was sufficiently concerned Sgt. Arango and Cpl. Kang lead a team to the point that I decided to immediately that had a warrant for a violent offender’s schedule a grand jury” to look into a posarrest. They responded to a Southside sible criminal indictment of the officers. apartment complex on Abercorn Street Sgt. Octavio “Mike” Arango, a 15-year seeking the offender. veteran of the force, sustained a total of The incident reportedly got out of conseven Savannah Police Department violatrol when they mistakenly detained a man tions, including use of force violations and who wasn’t the alleged perpetrator. violations of policy on use of body-worn “I believe that the conduct of two memcameras. bers of SPD during this particular incident Corporal Daniel Kang, an 8-year veteran was totally unacceptable and egregious of SPD, is accused of three departmental behavior,” Chief Minter said. violations. “I do not believe their behavior in this They face a grand jury on Sept. 14, Heap incident is in line with our core values in said, to determine whether criminal this department... I do not believe this charges will move forward. behavior is what we expect of Savannah “If you look around this country, people Police officers,” Minter said. are demanding justice. The best way I can Mayor Van Johnson said, “If you want to guarantee justice is to get this in front of a change culture you have to do things difgrand jury.” ferently. I you want to do things differently, “During this investigation, two memyou have to do things intentionally.” bers of the squad reportedly violated “I was horrified,” Johnson said of
viewing the incident footage. “I felt personally that was absolutely inappropriate. The chief’s actions were absolutely appropriate. I agree with the recommendation” to charge the officers, he said. The bodycam footage is by law not required to be released during an active investigation, and was not displayed at the press conference. ALL CASES FROM RECENT LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT INCIDENT REPORTS. GIVE ANONYMOUS TIPS TO CRIMESTOPPERS AT 912/234-2020 OR TEXT CRIMES (274637) USING KEYWORD CSTOP2020.
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CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 19 - 25, 2020
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NEWS & OPINION NEWS OF THE WEIRD Srinivas Gupta, a businessman in Koppal, India, and his wife, Madhavi, were building their dream home when she died in a tragic car crash in 2017. But in many ways, she is still with Gupta -- especially now that he has installed a life-size wax statue of her in the home. Madhavi’s likeness is in a seated position, clothed in a pink sari and gold jewelry. “The planning for the house was all done by her and we couldn’t imagine entering this new house without her,” Anusha Gupta, one of the couple’s daughters, told CNN. At a housewarming party on Aug. 7, friends and relatives posed with Madhavi on a couch and posted photos to social media. The family says they will keep the statue in their courtyard: “She used to enjoy the outdoors,” Anusha said.
More Money Than Sense
A Chinese businessman living in the United States has commissioned the priciest face mask in the world from Israeli jeweler Yvel, the Associated Press reported on Aug. 9. Yvel owner Isaac Levy said the 18-karat gold mask will cost $1.5 million and sparkle with 3,600 white and black diamonds. “Money maybe doesn’t buy everything,” Levy admitted, “but if it can buy a very expensive COVID-19 mask and the guy wants to wear it and walk around and get the attention, he should be happy with that. I am happy that this mask gave us enough work for our employees to be able to provide their jobs in very challenging times like these,” he added. Levy said he would not wear it himself, though.
O! Canada
Social media has lit up recently in Canada with photos of unexpected additions to beaver lodges, including satellite dishes and a flagpole. Glynnis Hood, a professor of environmental science at the University of Alberta, confirmed that beavers could install a satellite dish, “but it would probably be covered in mud.” So what gives? Hood and others think it’s the quintessential Canadian prank: “I think that Canadians have this profound connection to beavers,” she told the CBC. “It’s our national symbol. (It) just seems to go well with the Canadian identity.” Sure enough, Grant Carlson of Thunder Bay, Ontario, confirmed that he was one of the pranksters: “We decided to help the beavers. You know self-isolation isn’t so bad with Netflix.”
Awesome!
It isn’t often that you can thank your overweight belly for saving your life, but a 28-year-old man in Henan Province, China, is doing just that. The man, identified as Liu, fell through a wooden cover on a well in his hometown of Fuliudian
Village on Aug. 7, Fox News reported. But rather than plunging to the bottom, he got stuck in the opening with his built-in life preserver. At least five firefighters were needed to hoist the man out of the well using a rope tied around his waist, but Liu escaped unharmed.
Oops
At Shooters World in Orlando, Florida, a teenage girl walked into a display gun safe on Aug. 11 -- and the door closed behind her, locking her inside. Orlando firefighters responded to the scene, where they “tried the manufacturers’ suggestions and unfortunately the fail-safe system failed on it,” explained Chief J.J. White. Instead, ClickOrlando.com reported, responders used a hydraulic extrication tool to free the girl, who was not injured in the incident.
Compelling Explanation
In Chesterfield County (Virginia) court on Aug. 12, prosecutors and the defense attorney for 55-year-old Robert Raff floated a dubious agreement in Raff ’s grisly murder case. Raff is accused of killing his father and his mother in the same home, during the same two-day period in 2019. Two psychologists agreed that at the time of the killings, Raff was insane. But the lawyers want to hold him culpable for his mother’s death, but not guilty by reason of insanity for his father’s death. “Explain to me how he can be guilty of one and not guilty of the other?” asked Circuit Judge David E. Johnson, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Raff, who has a long history of mental health issues, admitted to killing both parents. The lawyers’ unusual plea agreement is designed to produce a suspended 40-year sentence for the killing of his mother that would compel Raff to adhere to treatment at the Central State Hospital for the murder of his father.
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Jade Dodd renewed her driver’s license in Hickman County, Tennessee, on time, but when she received the new card in the mail, it was missing a key ingredient: her photo. Where Dodd’s face should have been was an empty chair, WKRN reported. “The lady at the DMV did not really believe me when I was like, hey, I need my license fixed,” Dodd said. But when she saw the ID on her computer, she said, “Oh, I need my manager for this.” Wes Moster of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security explained that the chair photo was an old one on file for Dodd that was reused for the renewal by mistake, and she was issued a new license right away.
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CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 19 - 25, 2020
Creepy
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MUSIC FEATURE
Getting ready for the ‘strangest Record Store Day ever’
CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 19 - 25, 2020
BY BILL FORMAN
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BRYAN OSTROW HAS mixed feelings about Record Store Day. As the co-founder of What’s Left — a political music zine, indie label, and newly opened record shop in Colorado Springs — he feels the annual “celebration of the culture of the independently owned record store” is becoming less about small stores and more about big record companies. And from a DIY musician’s perspective, he’s seen the major labels flooding vinyl pressing plants with special releases, while independent artists who just want to press a few hundred records are being left out in the cold. But Ostrow is also an enthusiastic vinyl collector with an undying devotion to punk, metal and hip-hop. So it’s inevitable that several Record Store Day exclusives will find their way into his collection each year. “Collecting physical music is so important,” said Ostrow. “Listening to a full album the way it was meant to be played, pulling out the liner notes and reading along as you listen, it’s an important art that has been going away for a while now.” When it comes to this year’s Record Store Day offerings, Ostrow’s personal must-haves include exclusive releases by the warped prog-rockers Primus, hip-hop crooners Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, and doom-metal band Graves at Sea. “I will definitely try and get some of these in the store,” he said. “I’ve heard it’s harder for small shops to get the releases, but I’ll have to find out for myself.” It’s not all that surprising that Record Store Day, now in its 12th year, has changed so dramatically. The event was originally conceived as a brick-and-mortar record store equivalent to Free Comic Book Day, except without the free part. A decade later, it had grown into an international enterprise that, in 2018, yielded 733,000 vinyl album sales in a single week. This year’s Record Store Day was originally scheduled for mid-April and then rescheduled for mid-June. When that
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
“Listening to a full album the way it was meant to be played, pulling out the liner notes and reading along as you listen, it’s an important art that has been going away for a while now.” didn’t work out, organizers decided to make up for lost time by expanding it to three days: Aug. 29, Sept. 26 and Oct. 24. As in years past, this year’s hundreds of releases span a wide range of musical eras, genres and formats. And yes, there will be some cringe-worthy offerings to prove Ostrow’s point, as evidenced by the headline to this press release: “RECORD STORE DAY PARTNERS WITH URBAN OUTFITTERS ON A VERY-LIMITED EDITION RSD2020 MINI-TURNTABLE WITH 3” POST MALONE COLORED VINYL BUNDLES.” And this accompanying quote from Record Store Day co-founder Michael Kurtz: “Working with Urban Outfitters is a natural for Record Store Day as they have been an important driver in turning younger music fans on to the joys of vinyl and record collecting. It’s exciting to finally get to work with them on a project that celebrates the music of one of today’s biggest artists.” Yes, nothing embodies the DIY spirit quite like Urban Outfitters. That said, there’s still plenty to recommend on this year’s list, which you can find at recordstoreday.com. One of the best is an eye-catching vinyl picture-disc of TLC’s “Waterfalls.” Originally released 25 years ago, it’s the trio’s most perfect single, a gorgeous R&B ballad with hooks and production that can stand
up to Prince’s best. It was also the first No. 1 single to reference AIDS. The sixtrack EP includes rare remixes by Organized Noize and Dallas Austin, as well as Japanese-inspired caricatures that would look every bit as good on your wall as your turntable. And then there’s Soul Jazz Records’ Brazil Funk Power, a 7” box set with five singles of classic and rare samba, funk and dance tracks by legendary artists like Jorge Ben, Azymuth, Donato, Novos Baianos and Cassiano. As for hip-hop, this year’s winner is undoubtedly “The Notorious B.I.G.: It Was All a Dream (1994-1999).” The 9-LP box set features digitally remastered versions of his entire catalog pressed onto clear vinyl. Of course, the one big question mark remaining is what exactly the Record Store Day shopping experience will look like this year. Organizers are promising to follow the guidance of government experts and scientists in order to make the event as socially responsible as possible. That could involve socially distanced crate digging, curbside pickup, local delivery, or some combination of the three. The goal, they say, is to give the largest number of stores a chance to participate in the strangest Record Store Day ever. CS
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CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 19 - 25, 2020
FEATURE
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MUSIC THE BAND PAGE
BY SEAN KELLY
THE ERIC CULBERSON BAND @COACH’S CORNER
Savannah guitar great Eric Culberson has been something of a local household name by now, with his unique brand of the blues that keeps audiences coming back time and time again. His guitars are as captivating as his playing is (trust us, you’ll drool over his Gibson Trini Lopez), and the music just makes that even more spectacular. Don’t miss this socially distanced greatness at Coach’s. FRI., AUGUST 21, 7 P.M., $10
WAITS & CO. @QUARANTINE CONCERTS
CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 19 - 25, 2020
Celebrate the (temporary) return of the great Jon Waits in your own home! Waits & Co. will bring their Americana stylings to Quarantine Concerts, with top notch song craft and storytelling in tow. Waits has traveled some serious miles and is bringing it back home for a very special live stream event. SAT., AUGUST 29, 8 P.M., QUARANTINECONCERTS.ORG
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BIG ENGINE @COACH’S CORNER
Southern rockers Big Engine take the stage at Coach’s Corner in their outdoor sound garden, after spending several years building a name for themselves as support for bands like Motorhead, Charlie Daniels, Buckcherry, Bret Michaels, and more. If you love those bands and the classic Southern rock sound, you won’t want to miss this one. SAT., AUGUST 22, 7 P.M., $10-$20
MODERN HERO, LILAK @QUARANTINE CONCERTS
Hard rockers Modern Hero will be joined by Lilak for what’s sure to be one of the best Quarantine Concerts they’ve done so far. If you love modern rock guitar riffs and big, powerful vocals, you’ll love these guys. Pro-shot video and high quality audio make these Quarantine Concerts shows like no other, so grab a drink and strap in for a high octane rock show in the comfort of your own home. SAT., AUGUST 22, 8:30 P.M., QUARANTINECONCERTS.ORG
MUSIC REVIEWS
Album Reviews
especially being a more standard bluegrass number in terms of pulse and rhythm. The storytelling shines here, as does the brilliantly understated upright bassline that thumps through the song and provides the anchor. The harmonies are tight, the mandolin solo is musical (not unlike the solos of legends like Sam Bush), and it further concretes the fact that this is simply a wonderfully solid bluegrass record made right here in Savannah. For more on City Hotel, visit cityhotelband.com
BY SEAN KELLY
sean@connectsavannah.com
City Hotel - Don’t Go To the Porch (2017)
Josephine Johnson - The Spark (2018)
like this, which in its purest form would work easily as a pop song, but the band resists this urge and plays it straight. Like “Happier,” the rest of the album finds the band ego-less and fully aware of their role. That’s the marking of a great band in any genre, but especially in bluegrass where essentially every instrument is playing a percussive role as well as a melodic run. Aaron Zimmer, Cory Chambers, Jay Rudd, and Anthony Teixeira are quite obviously aware here that they’re better together, and that one member isn’t the central focus. “Jump” is another great example,
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From the second the drums come in on “Reclaiming My Time,” Josephine Johnson already makes The Spark’s presence known. Recorded in San Francisco with the legendary John Vanderslice, Johnson employs organic drums, wurlitzer, tasteful electric guitars, and a general sonic beauty to help give a platform for her stunning lyricism and passionate vocals. “Tuesday Evening” is a standout here for the way it weaves between minor and major. It’s the kind of songwriting you don’t see often anymore. The record only gets better from there, with title track “The Spark” also standing out for its soulfulness (and the just plain wonderful Hammond organ submerged in reverb). The drums on this one are dry and tight, just as they
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should be. The groove just spills over into everything on this one, with Johnson’s vocals sounding as intimate as the lyrics. It’s just plain groovy. All in all, this is a record that pop fans, rock fans, soul music fans, and just music fans in general will love. Don’t miss Johnson as a live performer either, as she’s a truly captivating singer and writer who should be a much bigger name around these parts. For more on Josephine Johnson, visit josephinejohnsonsings.com
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CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 19 - 25, 2020
Something felt right about revisiting City Hotel’s excellent 2017 release Don’t Go To The Porch, which is an album that every bluegrass fan should own. This group of stellar local musicians has become known throughout Savannah over several years as being standard bearers for the bluegrass tradition in our area. They even perform live around a single microphone, as the greats have always done. Sometimes, in my opinion, bluegrass doesn’t translate very well to the recorded medium. Not in this case, though. This is an album full of clarity and beautiful arrangements, and it’s one that brings a new energy and vibe to the storied genre. A song like “Happier Not Knowing” is a great example of the band at their best—all of the parts and instruments are tastefully arranged and the intro lick is compelling enough to draw you in. It would be very easy to overplay and overproduce a song
15
CULTURE DESTINATIONS
Right: New Yoga Now on the rooftop PHOTO COURTESY OF KENDALL BEENE OTHER PHOTOS COURTESY OF PLANT RIVERSIDE
BY JESSICA FARTHING
CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 19 - 25, 2020
WALKING around Savannah’s newest development, the Plant Riverside District, many of the stores, products and faces look familiar. Despite the pandemic, which has yielded closures and economic hardships, local businesses are finding opportunities for growth with strategic partnerships at the hotel. Developer Richard Kessler is originally from Savannah. “I grew up in Rincon, and spent the first six months of my life in a baby carriage going around Forsyth Park with my mother,” he tells me. His love of the city drove him to build seven hotels in the Historic District over the years, including the first high rise Days Inn, The Bohemian, The Mulberry Inn and the Mansion at Forsyth Park. 16 He began to develop the idea of Plant
Riverside after the 100-year-old power station on the site closed for good n 2010, leaving a four and a half acre parcel of land right on the Savannah River ready for a change. That end of River Street wasn’t pretty -- chain link surrounded the derelict property and there were environmental issues from the coal. Despite the appearance, he saw opportunity and he bought the property around eight years ago. Now, through hurricanes, snow, a faulty bulkhead and a pandemic, the Plant Riverside District is open for business and growing in occupancy every day. There are obvious economic benefits to a new development bringing tourism dollars to Savannah. The project is anchored by a J. W. Marriott and has 419 rooms currently open, with more expansion on the way by next summer. Plant Riverside District has hired over 400 employees already and Kessler says that 800 will be needed by the time it’s
finished. The destination, as forecast, will bring millions of dollars in tax revenue paid directly to the City of Savannah, plus the myriad of spending that comes from robust tourism. However, the community benefit isn’t just wrapped up in the direct hires and tax dollars. Despite being a completely unique concept for Savannah, Kessler sought to recruit local talent. “I really want to support local businesses. I want to give them a place to showcase what they really are. Savannah has always been dear to me - a beautiful city full of lovely people who want to see great things happen. It has a great future.” Employees in charge of activities reached out into the Savannah area for performers for their free shows held on the back lawn near the river. One group, Savannah Cirque, was hired to perform their aerial and circus show every Friday and Saturday night around 8:00 and 9:30. The act involves silks and
trapeze with the artists hoisted 24 feet in the air on a portable rig. Business owner Sabrina Madsen is grateful for the opportunity to work with Plant Riverside. “We’re hoping this is a very long-term thing. I think it’s great for both local and tourists, especially the locals,” she says. “There are such limited things to do right now. Outdoor, free, live entertainment is unheard of and people need something enjoyable.” Kendall Beene and Erin Lambright opened their boutique, local yoga studio to reflect a community feel, but have partnered with Plant Riverside to bring outdoor yoga on the green, shady lawn at Electric Moon, a rooftop bar. Kendall not only appreciates the ability to generate business right now, but also feels that Plant Riverside serves an emotional need for the community as well. “The first time we toured and saw it coming to completion, I was so happy to
DESTINATIONS
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
Coastal themed home and gift shop
be a part of something that’s hopeful right now.” Their relationship started with Plant Riverside before the pandemic and saw some delays as businesses closed in response. The ability to have such a beautiful outdoor location serves both locals and tourists alike. Guests of the hotel reserve right at the concierge, but locals and visitors from other places around Savannah claim spots for the class on the New Yoga Now website. Kendall thinks the project makes a perfect day out. “It starts at 8:30. The yoga sequence is meant to make you feel amazing. When you are finished, you’re in this amazing spot. It’s a great time to come, do yoga with a friend and have brunch after in these amazing restaurant choices.” Taking a tour of the retail area, there are well-known stores that reflect the quality of Savannah’s businesses. Byrd Cookie Company has built a beautiful presence facing River Street and Savannah clothing
standard J. Parker, Ltd. is fresh and clean and full of great gift options. Southern Tide, a regional favorite, has a spacious spot and will bridge into a kiosk behind their store near the river. The bars serve options from Ghost Coast Distillery, Southbound Brewery and Service Brewing will be a pivotal part of the soon to be open Biergarten. Seafood is sourced locally when it’s an option and Savannah Square Pops are opening up to cool everyone off. Richard Kessler is very impressed with the end result of the retail stores and sure of the future of Plant Riverside. “Every one of those stores are beautifully done. They put energy and investment into it and with their sales, they’re already full of grins,” he says. “They’re very happy, but they don’t even have the people here yet that we are going to have. They’ve just seen the tip of the iceberg.” CS
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CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 19 - 25, 2020
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CULTURE THE ART•BEAT OF SAVANNAH
Making the cut
Traveling works on paper show comes to the Jepson Center BY RACHAEL FLORA
rachael@connectsavannah.com
CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 19 - 25, 2020
IMAGINE, for a moment, a dinner party. You certainly know the host, and maybe a handful of other people, but the rest of the guests are strangers to you. As you begin to mingle with the other guests, you learn more about them: maybe there’s a former circus performer in the mix, or a friend of a friend, or someone who has the job you wish that you had. The possibilities are endless. For hours, you get the opportunity to learn more about people who lead very different lives from you. That’s, coincidentally, the way that Didi Dunphy feels about curating an art exhibition. “You put together a guest list and you start with some of the things that are shared,” she explains, “but in reality, the most successful dinner party is around the conversation of what’s different.” Dunphy’s latest dinner party, if you will, is “Cut and Paste: Works of Paper,” on display now at the Jepson Center. This group show consists of 11 Georgia artists, including Savannah’s own Betsy Cain. Each artist works in paper, but each has a different approach, making for one great conversation. “Cut and Paste” is the second iteration of Dunphy’s efforts to highlight contemporary Georgia art; the first focused on printmaking. “We realized that we had something really interesting that would be focusing on current relevant artistic practice in the state,” explains Dunphy, “as well as providing a look into the contemporary arts in different cities around the state that might not have the same opportunities in their own location.” Dunphy and her colleagues at the Georgia Museum of Art also aim to provide affordable traveling shows. “We can’t look at affording blockbuster exhibitions; that is no longer possible from even way prior to COVID,” says Dunphy. “So why don’t we just look in our neighborhood here and design a program that reaches the working artist, reaches the communities that would enjoy seeing and experiencing contemporary art, and giving the institutions who are upholding the 18 contemporary artist a good show that is
inexpensive to fund?” Thus, “Cut and Paste” is on its fourth and last stop. Previously, it hit the Robert C. Williams Paper Museum in Atlanta, the Macon Museum of Arts and Sciences, and the Albany Museum of Art. In addition to her role as a curator, Dunphy is also a working artist represented by Whitespace Gallery in Atlanta, and that background informs her curation. “There’s nothing more exciting to me than the practicing artist population and being able to look at what people are thinking through visual means,” she explains. “My curatorial sense is very much based on exploring the nature of a practice in the artist. I’m driven towards that.” Dunphy picks up artists through recommendations and word of mouth, and then she road trips to their studios to check out their work and get a better sense of how their studio practice works. That helps her plan the best dinner party of a show she possibly can. On her studio visit with Cain, it was clear that the artist is greatly inspired by the Lowcountry’s scenery. “Her studio visit was a way for her to feel out was available and what avenue of each artist’s work she wanted to explore,” remembers Cain. “That was a period when I was working on the shred pieces, and the studio was filled with those pieces among other things.” The show contains two of Cain’s “Shredhead” pieces, which are paintings of figures with shredded yupo paper over them. “The figure itself, even though it was only suggested initially, the information became even more dissolute by striating it,” says Cain. “I enjoy doing it—the physical sound of it, there’s a sound connected with it.” Cain is particularly interested in xxxx “What amazes me is that you don’t need a lot of information to infer scenes that we’re familiar with, like figurative form,” says Cain. “You can get by with just the barest, minimal suggestion. In those pieces, that’s what I was doing: creating the ephemeral figurative suggestion.” The ribbons of shredded yupo paper take on a living quality for Cain in the piece. “The thing about these pieces in the studio is that they are alive because the strands move,” says Cain. “In the summer, I have a lot of fans going, so they actually breathe in my mind.” Cain’s other piece in the show is called
Betsy Cain, Into the Woods Jerushia Graham, From Where I Stand
Steven Anderson, 302 Years
Lucha Rodriguez, Bursting
paper, we have that with Elizabeth Lide, and then you look over your shoulder and you see Betsy’s ribbon cuttings and you see Jerushia Graham’s silhouette cuts. You bring them in, start with an appetizer, and make them leave full.” For a traveling show, the work looks different in each exhibition it’s in. Dunphy notes that at the first installation in Athens, the building was quite grand, and just the physical space changes the way the work looks together. “I had a lot of fun grouping this party together. In other facilities, there was a change in the amount of space, how it was installed,” says Dunphy. “If this was going to travel, it had to travel to places where grandeur in a building might not be the first thing you experience. “Every time I saw it in another place, it was like seeing another family member a couple years later at a reunion. They’re the same, but they look slightly different!” CS
“Into the Woods,” which is part of an ongoing series that imagines the viewer being under the maritime canopy. Extending the dinner party metaphor, Cain found herself particularly engrossed in a conversation with Hannah Israel’s work, which is crumpled and dyed paper. Cain sees her shreds as a sort of deliberate scarring, and she sees that likeness in Israel’s work. “I related to all the work in such different ways,” muses Cain. The other artists in the show include Steven L. Anderson, Jerushia Graham, Matt Haffner, Imi Hwangbo, Elizabeth Lide, Teresa Bramlette Reeves, Lucha Rodriguez, Samuel Stabler, and Kalina Wińska. Themes range from the environment and the domestic arena to economic hardship and racial inequity, and the techniques range just as broadly. “Cut and Paste: Works of Paper” will be on “All you need is one person. Then once display at the Jepson Center through Jan. 10, you’ve captured that one person, you’re 2021. providing this entire course of experience,” says Dunphy. “If you’re interested in cast
CULTURE VISUAL ARTS
WITH
Shiloh Smith BY RACHAEL FLORA
rachael@connectsavannah.com
PAINTER SHILOH SMITH creates work that’s inspired by his own life and experiences. Now in his final semester at SCAD, he hopes most of all to be relatable to those who view his work in an effort to help them feel less alone. Smith came to SCAD from Illinois after learning about them at school, and he instantly felt at home in Savannah. While Smith often paints the figure, his work verges on non-representational: he’s more interested in the texture and feel of the painting than of what it’s depicting. We talked to Smith last week.
1. What’s influencing your work right now?
Where I stand with the Black Lives Matter movement—I’ve been making a lot of work based on how I perceive what’s happening, like how it’s hitting me. Putting myself in positions of others. Doing a lot of reflecting and thinking about how this could be me. Every time I hear something crazy happening in the world, I have to sit and ponder and think, “That could be me.” That’s the only thought happening. I can’t be naive and think that nothing could happen to me, which is kind of the way I lived before. A lot of my work is placing myself in other people’s positions, trying to get my viewers to understand that this does hit home because that could easily be me. It could easily be someone you know. People don’t get it. I come from a place
where I was surrounded by more white people, and my friends always see me differently. They see me in a way like, “Shiloh’s not fully black.” I want them to understand that yes I am, because when it comes down to it, I am the color of my skin. I also just want to be relatable to people, so I try to do personal pieces about things that I have wrong with me, just hoping to connect with other people. For example, I have a condition where I pull my hair out of anxiety. It’s just an obsessive compulsive thing. I did a few pieces based on that and that did great; I was able to connect with people from around the world who have the same issue. People were messaging me about it. In my work, I want to connect with other people and send the message that they’re not alone. I post a lot of pictures of myself smiling, so I wanted to get personal and let them know there’s problems too.
2.It looks like a lot of your work is figures. Is that the work you typically do?
Yes, I do. I tend to use my nephew often. That all started in high school when my nephew was born—it was a tough time for me, and I was going through a lot. So when he was born, it was like a relief. I call him my Renaissance. His birth is the rebirth of him and I. I made a decision to change, and he’s been my focus a lot. It was also the first life I got to experience grow. I never really got to witness a kid grow up and be involved in raising a kid. I always try to figure out, “What is my obsession with my nephew?” But that’s what it is. He came to me at the right time and I fell in love. I enjoy watching him
‘I’m very in love with bold mark making, which is why my work is figurative but not realistic,’ Smith says.
grow. My paintings of him are more documenting his growth. I’m very in love with bold mark making, which is why my work is figurative but not realistic. I’m not going for a hyperrealistic look. I’m all about the texture. I’m a big fan of white lines in my work. I use the lines to tie the piece together. When I paint, I work fast to capture the emotion. It’s like I’m waiting for it to pour out of me. I have pieces where I work really quick. A lot of my work, I just go at it. I love the mess and the chaos; I create my own chaos.
3. What has your creative process been like through your life?
In high school, I found out I had ADD, but I always had problems in math and science classes. They weren’t my thing. But I always loved my art classes; I took art classes all my life. It was the first class I would choose to sign up for. I enjoyed sculpting, but drawing was the first introduction to the art world, so that’s what I did the most of. In high school, when I was taking the AP course, painting was an option, so I was like, “I’ll take that and get stronger with my painting.” That’s when I really became a painter, I think. [Art class] was the one place I felt like I excelled. Plus the attention I got from other people—that was my comfort. It made me realize, “Maybe I am gifted.”
4. How do you get into the creative mindset?
I go in my sketchbook and jot down some ideas in my phone, in my notes. When I finally get around to it, when I paint, I sit out on my porch and have my music
playing—blasting, actually—and I’m in my own world of painting.
5. What are your plans for the future?
My plan is to go back home and be with my family for a little bit, but I love painting, and I know that’s what I want to do. Me coming to school at this age, I wanted to get this start now so I could learn the right techniques and just get on them and perfect my craft. That’s my goal for coming to art school. At the same time as perfecting my craft, working a regular job until things turn out for me. Painting has always been my passion. CS Follow Shiloh on Instagram at @_yourhighness_shiloh.
CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 19 - 25, 2020
QUESTIONS
19
FILM LOCAL CINEMA
‘I just threw myself into research for Emperor while I was recovering,’ Roper says.
“I’ve always wanted to be an actor, and was just always in love with movies,” Roper tells Connect. “My mother grew up near Ashland, Oregon, where they have a Shakespeare festival. So I spent my summers coming up around Shakesperian theater. That was a cool education.” Roper grew up in Seattle, in a suburb called Auburn. His high school theater department was regarded as one of the best in the state. After school, he started a theater company and produced shows for a couple of years. That is, until a cancer diagnosis put things on pause. “It was adenocarcinoma, which luckily they caught very early because that one can be particularly deadly. I went through surgery and chemo, and that kind of derailed my acting career for a couple of years,” he says. When he went into remission from the cancer, he revamped his career and focused mainly on theater before he finally got an agent and started going on auditions. “Seattle being not a huge film market, I wasn’t working much and I didn’t have the desire to move to L.A. or New York, so I transitioned out for a while and focused on my side job which was kilt making,” he says. “I ran that business until 2010, and Early on in his adult life, a battle with then I retired and traveled around a bit. I cancer put his career on the backburner. ended up settling here in Savannah.” A couple of years ago, he faced another At the time, the film industry was cancer fight. That one stands out because already making its way from major cities it came just as he was working his way like New York and Los Angeles to Savanthrough the audition process for a small nah and Atlanta. Roper saw it as a chance role in the upcoming Bruce Dern period to get back into auditioning. piece Emperor, which was filmed right here “I started taking classes again and in Savannah. refreshing that muscle, and within a couLet’s rewind a bit and start all the way ple of years I was making 48-hour films back when Roper was a child. and winning awards, and all of that kind
CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 19 - 25, 2020
Local actor Patrick Roper talks Emperor, cancer battle Roper chats about his experience on the set of the Bruce Dern movie and more
BY SEAN KELLY
sean@connectsavannah.com
ACTOR Patrick Roper came to Savannah years ago when the film industry started coming south. He’d been acting professionally for a long time by that point, landing roles in all sorts of TV shows, movies, and 20 short films.
of stuff,” he says. He ultimately got a role in the Liam Hemsworth film Killerman, which was unfortunately cut from the end product. Around the same time, he was diagnosed with kidney cancer. “I had no idea what was going to go on with life at that point, so I told my agent to just keep auditioning me,” he recalls. “I had a surgery scheduled for April, and two days before that surgery I got the audition for Emperor.” Roper got the surgery and was in the hospital for a week, and got notified for a callback shortly after he returned home. “I still had staples in, and a drain. So I had to take a back belt so nothing split, and I went in for the callback,” he says. Ultimately, Roper survived his second bout with cancer and has continued working as an actor since wrapping his filming on the upcoming film. These days, he says his health challenges have made him all the more appreciative of his craft and the work he’s been able to do for decades. “You need to find things that uplift your spirit and give you any sense of joy. Things that take you out of the immediacy of what’s going on. I love watching movies, and so that was always the perfect escape. It takes so much energy and effort and focus to do this for a living, so when I was going through [cancer] and recovering, it gave me something to do that wasn’t it. I just threw myself into research for Emperor while I was recovering,” he says. “I was able to take what would have been a miserable convalescence for six weeks, and focus all of that energy into researching this role. And that just saved it for me.” CS
Happenings COMPILED BY RACHAEL FLORA happenings@connectsavannah.com
JONESIN’ CROSSWORD BY MATT JONES ©2020 Answers on page 22
“FOOD FOR THOUGHT” THE FIRST JONESIN’ PUZZLE EVER. [#1, MAY 2001]
HAPPENINGS IS CONNECT SAVANNAH’S LISTING OF COMMUNITY EVENTS, CLASSES AND GROUPS. VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM TO SUBMIT A LISTING. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO EDIT OR CUT LISTINGS DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS.
CHATHAM COUNTY DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE — The purpose of the Chatham County Democratic Committee (CCDC) is to foster local Democratic activities and affiliated organizations; seek out and assist democratic candidates for public office; provide voter education; and work with democratic officials at all levels while ensuring they stay true to our guiding principles. 912-401-8913. ccdcgeorgia.com. POOLER CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS — Pooler City Council meets the first and third Monday of each month at 6 p.m. at Pooler City Hall, 100 SW US HW 80. Variances, Conditional Uses, Zoning Map Amendments and Text Amendments need to be submitted to the Zoning Administrator at least 30 days prior to the scheduled Planning and Zoning Meeting. For more information, visit poolerga.gov. RICHMOND HILL CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS — Richmond Hill holds its city council meetings on the third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at 40 Richard Davis Drive. The public is always welcome at these meetings. You may register to speak at the end of a council meeting when you sign in at the meeting or you may contact Dawnne Greene, City Clerk, at (912) 756-2749 or dgreene@richmondhillga.gov in advance to be placed on the council agenda. For more, visit richmondhillga.gov. SAVANNAH AREA YOUNG REPUBLICANS— Get involved. Meetings are the last Tuesday of every month (except for December) at 7:00pm. Contact number: (912) 657-9623 chairman@sayr.org. sayr.org. SAVANNAH CITIZENS CLIMATE LOBBY REGULAR MEETING — Join a nonpartisan group that has genuine concern about how climate change is affecting Savannah (and the world) and is researching how
the people of Savannah can help mitigate or even reverse some of the worst consequences of climate change. fourth Monday of every month, 7-8 p.m. facebook.com/ events/174811263853917/. Two Tides Brewing Company, 12 West 41st St. SAVANNAH CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS — All regularly scheduled meetings are held every other Thursday. The first meeting of the month is at 2 p.m., and the second meeting of the month is at 6:30 p.m. Savannah Government Television (Channel 8) broadcasts Council Meetings live at 2 p.m. on the day of the meeting. You can view a livestream of the meetings at www.savannahga.gov/ livestream. savannahga.gov/458/CouncilMeeting-Schedule. Savannah City Hall, 2 East Bay Street. THOMAS SQUARE/METROPOLITAN HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION — The Thomas Square Neighborhood Association meets monthly via Zoom. Visit thomassquare.org for more information. ongoing. TYBEE CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS — Mayor and Council will hold City Council Meetings the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m.at the Burke Day Public Safety Building, 78 Van Horn. For more information on the Tybee City Council, visit cityoftybee.org.
LGBTQ
SUNDAY SERVICE WITH EPIPHANY — Epiphany is a church without walls because we know that love knows no barriers. As we pray, worship and proclaim the Good News together, we also seek out co-conspirators with whom we may promote justice, peace and love. A “different kind of church,” Epihpany livestreams their Sunday morning service. Sundays, 11 a.m. facebook.com/ EpiphanySavannah. FIRST CITY NETWORK — Georgia’s oldest LGBT organization (founded in 1985) is a local non-profit community service organization whose mission is to share resources of health care, counseling, education, advocacy and mutual support in the Coastal Empire. Members and guests enjoy many special events throughout the year, including First Saturday Socials held the first Saturday of each month at 7pm. Mondays. 912-236-CITY. firstcitynetwork.org.
ACROSS
1 Band that’s the theme of this puzzle 6 “Heroz4hire” rapper ___ the Damaja 10 Slasher flick props 14 “... quack quack there, ___ quack ...” 15 Actor Arkin 16 “99 Luftballons” singer 17 Impulsive, courageous person, so they say 18 Hollywood cross street 19 He was a real Dick on “NewsRadio” 20 1-Across guitarist and vocalist 23 Summer month, for short 24 Speaks like a heavy smoker 26 Shop class tool 29 Cry convulsively 31 Letters on a Cardinals hat 32 “Bali ___” (“South Pacific” song) 34 1-Across and The Dude of Life album released in 1994 38 “Hell’s Half ___” (1954 movie) 39 Velvet Underground vocalist Reed 40 Singers lower than soprani 41 1-Across predecessors and mentors 46 Jazz band’s song list 47 They taketh away on Apr. 15 48 ___ Fighters (Dave Grohl
band) 49 Org. that gives out 9-digit IDs 50 Sends to hell 52 Sound from a lamb 54 1-Across keyboardist who started as a fan 61 Cheat, in a way 63 Cleopatra’s river 64 “Jeremy” singer Vedder 65 Subject of “Weird” Al Yankovic’s “The White [31-Down]” 66 The last word in sermons? 67 “___ White Swan” (T. Rex song) 68 They’re separated on some old sitcoms 69 Elevator, to Elvis Costello 70 European compilation album for 1-Across
DOWN
1 ___ Farm (bygone clothing line) 2 Mister, in Munich 3 Powerful and pleasing, to a Rasta 4 “Later” 5 Is of practical value 6 Coffeehouse quaff 7 Yale students, familiarly 8 Blow a gasket 9 Dig up 10 “Henry and June” diarist Nin 11 They adore strange things 12 Jim Morrison song, with “The”
13 “___ Anything” (John Cusack movie) 21 Gps. like CARE and Amnesty International 22 Word after bake or garage 25 Ubiquitous December mall guys 26 Sings like Kurt Elling 27 Like an angry cat’s back 28 Spied via the telephone 30 Neckwear for Frankenstein’s monster? 31 Nondescript category 33 “___ bad, bad thing” 35 1000 K 36 Friend’s opposite 37 “Spy vs. Spy” magazine 42 Decoder’s wear? 43 “Your ___” (Morrissey album) 44 Man, in Mantua 45 Cars given while yours is in the shop, e.g. 51 Sandwich spreads 53 “We love to fly ___ shows” (Delta slogan) 55 “Rent” character 56 F or G, on sheet music 57 It’s worth next to nothing 58 Old Icelandic saga 59 “What ___ Beneath” 60 Remini of “The King of Queens” 61 Corn remnants 62 Raw metal source
CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 19 - 25, 2020
ACTIVISM & POLITICS
CHATHAM COUNTY COMMISSION MEETINGS — The Board of Commissioners usually meets twice a month (except for January) on Fridays at 9:30 a.m.The meetings are held in the Commission Chambers of the Old Courthouse, 124 Bull Street, Second Floor, and are open to the public. All Chatham County Commission Meeting Agendas, Minutes and Videos have moved to a new system that provides live streaming of video of the current meeting. chathamcountyga.iqm2. com/Citizens/Default.aspx. Green Room, Old County Courthouse, 124 Bull Street.
21
HAPPENINGS
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
“We never know what is enough until we know what’s more than enough,” said Aries singer Billie Holiday. I don’t think that applies to everyone, although it’s more likely to be true about the Aries tribe than maybe any other sign of the zodiac. And I’m guessing that the coming weeks could be a time when you will indeed be vivid proof of its validity. That’s why I’m issuing a “Too Much of a Good Thing” alert for you. I don’t think it’ll be harmful to go a bit too far and get a little too much of the good things; it may even be wise and healthy to do so. But please don’t go waaayyyy too far and get waaayyyy too much of the good things.
an hour. While I believe he has indeed devoured thousand of books, I also wonder if he lied about his quickness. Nonetheless, I’ll offer him up as an inspirational role model for you in the coming weeks. Why? Because you’re likely to be able to absorb and integrate far more new information and fresh experiences than usual—and at a rapid pace.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
“Magic lies in challenging what seems impossible,” says Leo politician Carol
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
Taurus author Honoré de Balzac (1799–1850) took many years to write *The Human Comedy*, an amalgam of 91 intertwined novels, stories, and essays. For this vast enterprise, he dreamed up the personalities of more than 2,000 characters, many of whom appeared in multiple volumes. I bring this to your attention, Taurus, because I believe that the next 15 months will be an excellent time for you to imagine and carry out a Balzac-like project of your own. Do you have an inkling of what that might be? Now’s a good time to start ruminating.
CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 19 - 25, 2020
22
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
Cancerian literary critic Harold Bloom bragged to *The New York Times* that his speed-reading skills were so advanced that he could finish a 500-page book in
think this is especially important counsel for you in the coming weeks, Virgo. PLEASE make yourself available for joy. P.S. Here’s another clue from Buechner: “Joy is where the whole being is pointed in one direction.”
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
“I transformed stillnesses and darknesses into words,” wrote Libran poet Arthur Rimbaud. “What was unspeakable, I named. I made the whirling world pause.” In accordance with current astrological potentials, I have turned his thoughts into a message for you. In the coming weeks, I hope you will translate silences and mysteries into clear language. What is unfathomable and inaccessible, you will convert into understandings and revelations. Gently, without force or violence, you will help heal the inarticulate agitation around you with the power of your smooth, resonant tenderness.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
Not until the 19th century did humans begin to take organized actions to protect animals from cruelty. Even those were sparse. The latter part of the 20th century brought more concerted efforts to promote animal welfare, but the rise of factory farms, toxic slaughterhouses, zoos, circuses, and cosmetic testing has shunted us into a Dark Age of animal abuse. I suspect our descendants will look back with horror at our barbarism. This problem incurs psychological wounds in us all in ways that aren’t totally conscious. And I think this is an especially key issue for you right now. I beg you, for your own sake as well as for the animals’, to upgrade your practical love and compassion for animals. I bet you’ll find it inspires you to treat your own body with more reverence.
BY ROB BREZSNY
beautyandtruth@freewillastrology.com
Moseley Braun. I agree with her, but will also suggest there’s an even higher magic: when you devise a detailed plan for achieving success by challenging the impossible, and then actually carry out that plan. Judging from the current astrological omens, I suspect you’re in an unusually favorable position to do just that in the coming weeks. Be bold in rising to the challenge; be practical and strategic in winning the challenge.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
“Joy is a mystery because it can happen anywhere, anytime, even under the most unpromising circumstances,” writes author Frederick Buechner. What he doesn’t say is that you must be receptive and open to the possibility of joy arriving anywhere and anytime. If you’re shut down to its surprising influx, if you’re convinced that joy is out of reach, it won’t break through the barriers you’ve put up; it won’t be able to land in your midst. I
“Your desires, whether or not you achieve them, will determine who you become,” wrote author Octavia E. Butler. Now is a fertile time for you to meditate on that truth. So I dare you to take an inventory of all your major desires, from the noblest to the most trivial. Be honest. If one of your burning yearnings is to have 100,000 followers on Instagram or to eat chocolate-covered bacon that is served to you in bed, admit it. After you’re through tallying up the wonders you want most, the next step is to decide if they are essential to you becoming the person you truly want to be. If some aren’t, consider replacing them with desires that will be a better influence on you as you evolve.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
If you can manage it, I recommend taking a break from business-as-usual. I’d love to see you give yourself the gift of amusement and play—a luxurious sabbatical that will help you feel free of every burden, excused from every duty, and exempt from every fixation. The spirit I hope you will embody is captured well in this passage from author Okakura Kakuzo: “Let us have a sip of tea. The afternoon glow is brightening the bamboos, the fountains are bubbling with delight, the soughing of the pines is heard in our kettle. Let us dream of evanescence, and linger in the beautiful foolishness of things.”
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Rapper Eminem advises us, “Never take ecstasy, beer, Bacardi, weed, Pepto-Bismol, Vivarin, Tums, Tagamet HB, Xanax, and Valium in the same day.” What’s his
rationale? That quaffing this toxic mix might kill us or make us psychotic? No. He says you shouldn’t do that because “It makes it difficult to sleep at night.” I’m going to suggest that you abide by his counsel for yet another reason: According to my analysis, you have the potential to experience some wondrous and abundant natural highs in the coming weeks. Your capacity for beautiful perceptions, exhilarating thoughts, and breakthrough epiphanies will be at a peak. But none of that is likely to happen if you’re loaded up with inebriants.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
“Everyone who has ever built a new heaven first found the power to do so in his own hell,” declared philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. That’s a rather histrionic statement! But then Nietzsche was a Maestro of Melodrama. He was inclined to portray human life as a heroic struggle for boldness and liberation. He imagined us as being engaged in an epic quest to express our highest nature. In accordance with your astrological potentials, I propose that you regard Nietzsche as your power creature during the coming weeks. You have a mandate to adopt his lion-hearted perspective. And yes, you also have a poetic license to build a new heaven based on the lessons you learned and the power you gained in your own hell.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
Here’s some knowledge from author John le Carré: “In every operation there is an above the line and a below the line. Above the line is what you do by the book. Below the line is how you do the job.” According to my analysis, you have, at least for now, done all you can in your work above the line. That’s great! It was crucial for you to follow the rules and honor tradition. But now it’s time for a shift in emphasis. In the coming weeks, I hope you will specialize in finessing the details and massaging the nuances below the line.
CROSSWORD ANSWERS
EXCHANGE
For Your Information IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT Action pact formerly CONCERTED SERVICES, INC. is now the service provider for The Weatherization Program that previously was administered by EOA Savannah. Applications are being accepted to weatherize the homes of Low-Income Families living in Chatham County. For more information, please contact Teresa Lewis @ 912-285-6085
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