9 minute read
Sumter Opera House .................................................................... 15 Learn about the Sumter County Cultural Commission
Arts & Entertainment FOR THE LOVE OF ART
Advertisement
SUMTER COUNTY CULTURAL COMMISSION REFLECTS ON ITS 2022 YEAR AND PLANS FOR THE FUTURE
BY ALAYSHA MAPLE
A phrase simple in structure but significant in meaning. The Sumter County Cultural Commission wears this motto with pride and spent this past year proving its importance to our colorful community.
Established by a city/county council ordinance in 1974, the commission, whose members are appointed by Sumter County Council, supports the community through creative, financial and educational means. Its 49 years in the community have allowed the organization to introduce a new perspective on the world around us through a creative and artistic lens.
The commission hosts several events throughout the year. Its signature events include Fall for the Arts, a weeklong celebration featuring visual arts, music, theater and dance in October; Swan Con, a comic book festival hosted in partnership with USC Sumter; and a performing arts camp for kids ages 1018 called Xperience Sumter.
But the commission doesn’t stop there. To give the community, specifically its youth, a glimpse into cultures beyond their hometown scope, organizations and individuals throughout the country are invited to inform and perform at schools and venues around the county.
“Our purpose in the community is
to bring diverse acts and cultures here for all age groups and backgrounds,” said Cheryl Moye, who has been chairwoman of the commission for two years.
When they’re not scouting for national, regional or local talent to perform for the community, the commission pours into various art organizations right here in Sumter through its Small Grants program. Started in 1992, close to $20,000 is awarded annually to professional artists, businesses and organizations such as the Sumter Little Theatre, Sumter County Gallery of Art, Mayesville's Bethune Legacy Museum, Art in the Park, the Creative Canvas Program and Inspire Festival’s Walk of Art.
As many of the events hosted by the commission involve community gatherings in one general area, its efforts were halted during the COVID-19 pandemic. But, with a love for the arts and desire to provide accessible artwork to its community, the commission was determined to make its first year back in person a memorable one.
Moye reminisced on how the
Bollywood event in 2022 received great feedback for its originality and overall execution from attendees. The Atlanta Chinese Dance Company was a great hit with students, who were eager to participate in dance lessons with the company co-directors Hwee-Eng and Kerry Lee. Fall for the Arts, though shortened from a week to two days, brought out massive crowds and created an atmosphere outpouring with laughter, emotions and a feeling of togetherness. In between these events, the commission sponsored various events for a laundry list of art organizations.
Every aspect of their programming and grant-giving is done to spread the message that “arts and culture really does matter,” Moye said. “I think we did a phenomenal job doing that, especially in the past year of 2022,” she added.
Though the board is meant for nine people, recent vacancies did little to deter their determination. Its six current members include Moye, Elayne Brunson as vice chair, Nicole Bailey, Herbert Johnson, Goliath Brunson and Chuck Wilson.
Moye, Elayne Brunson and Johnson, the longer-serving commissioners on the board, all said their exposure to art started at young age.
Johnson, coming from a musical family, said he grew up singing on their church choir since the age of 5. His passion impacted his education, as he majored in music and is now an arts administrator at Sumter High School as well as a choir director in various community groups.
Elayne Brunson said she got her start in the arts through the violin, and her interests expanded to pottery and other hands-on art forms over time, often fulfilled through art classes offered at the Sumter County Gallery of Art. She now shares that love for art with her children.
Moye’s love for the arts started through the experiences of her son, Darius. As he explores his artistic interests through the REACH program and the Governor’s School of Art and Humanities, she has learned to appreciate the essentialism of art as it provides a self-expression that words cannot.
“To see him so motivated and so encouraged and see that they invested in my son, it reminded me that I need to invest into our community,” Moye said. “Since that time, I have made it my priority to learn more about art. We want to get back to the grassroots of some of the things that were done in the past and in the near future, keep educating our children to let them know that arts and culture is very important.”
Though some of the commission’s signature events did not take place this year due to time constraints, Moye said a lot of big plans await in 2023.
A partnership is in the works with the Sumter County Library, Sumter Original Brewery and Beacon Movie Theater in preparation for Swan Con. The commission hopes to host Ukrainian dancers during the year to provide students the opportunity to learn about the culture beyond the wartime images they see on their TV screens.
“Our 50th anniversary is coming up in 2023, so I want to continue to make arts and culture accessible to Team Sumter. I want to continue to add an educational piece to each performing arts group, and I want to be able to grow each and every event,” Moye said. “I am absolutely looking forward to 50 years, and I know we can do 50 more because the commission we have and will have is always so passionate and so willing to serve.”
Get involved
Are you an art-loving, social media-savvy, committed communicator? Then the Sumter County Cultural Commission wants you!
For anyone interested in applying for a seat on the board, applications are available at Patriot Hall, 135 Haynsworth St.
Your Guide To TAKE A WALK ON THE Art Side Art Side
BY ALAYSHA MAPLE BUTTERFLIES
Scattered throughout downtown Sumter are seven colorful 3-foot butterflies hanging overhead. The City of Sumter and Main Street Society teamed up to showcase local artists and bring positivity to the community amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The city has been revitalizing downtown for over 20 years, but the one thing missing was public art, said Leigh Newman, downtown development coordinator for the city.
The installation of the butterflies was in the works for two years, and the Main Street Society received a lot of entries but settled on seven for the first round, according to Jenna Brown, project chair. The city and the Main Street Society purchased the butterflies and gave people the opportunity to sponsor a butterfly, Newman said. The city has plans to expand the fluttering artwork downtown with seven new butterflies scheduled to be completed and installed by Spring 2023. For now, visitors downtown can gaze upon the seven currently installed. Swallowtail, by Cleo Klopfleisch at 2 N. Main St., sponsored by Heidi Burkett. Kaleidoscope, by Sumter children, at Cut Rate Drug Store, 32 S. Main St., sponsored by Main Street Society.
Unnamed, by Connie Brennan, at Old Sumter County Courthouse,141 N. Main St., sponsored Barbara and Harry Burchstead.
All These Little Creatures, by Matthew Morse, at the lighted walkway between Berenyi Inc. and The Sumter Item, sponsored by Matthew Morse and Jenna Binion.
Lucidity, by Nurai Tucker, at the Rotary Plaza, sponsored by Jere and Bobbi Pound. Variegated Flutter, by Erin Duffie, at the Sumter Opera House, 21 N. Main St., sponsored by Hobby and Greg Williams. Winged Revival, by Liz Duffy, at the Sumter Opera House, 21 N. Main St., sponsored by Heart of Sumter.
In 2021, The Historic Preservation Design Review Committee unanimously approved a request for large-scale murals throughout the Downtown Design District.
The committee started the Creative Canvas Project to support creativity, preserve landmarks and cultural history and uplift moods throughout Sumter. Karen Watson, project director, said the idea came from Melanie Colclough, former executive director of the Sumter County Cultural Center. The murals were Sumter’s “first dip” into public art and were met with some apprehension, Watson said. But, as the artwork went up, the reluctance diminished.
Artists selected for the mural installations were paid with a $50,000 grant from the Central Carolina Community Foundation’s Connected Communities, applied for by Colclough, as well as private investments from the Bank of Clarendon and Main Street Society. There were several other sponsors, including the Sumter Community Foundation, which donated to the murals on Manning Avenue, and contributions from the Sumter County Museum, Sumter Economic Development, Sumter County Gallery of Art and Sumter County Cultural Commission.
Colclough, Watson, Newman and the Creative Canvas committee worked together to bring the project to life. In July 2022, the last mural was completed, totaling five. • The Old Sumter Postcard, by Christopher Johnson, outside of the Sumter County Museum, 122 N. Washington St., downtown • Elements of Sumter, by Amiri Farris, on the F45/Berenyl Inc. building, 24 W. Liberty St., downtown • Underneath Swan Lake, by McClellan Douglas, 9 N. Main St., downtown • Across the Manning Avenue bridge, the outside of the South Sumter Resource Center, 337 Manning Ave., depicts a bright-colored scene of old Manning Avenue, featuring Dr. B.T. Williams' dentist office, Savage Glover Elementary School, beauty salons, burger joints, the old checkers club and more. • A stroll down the block to 363 Manning Ave. shows the faces of historic Sumter natives Ernest A. Finney Jr., South Carolina's first Black Supreme Court chief justice, and Freddie Solomon, two-time Super Bowl-winning wide receiver, surrounded by bright yellow jessamine on a backdrop of gradient purples and blues.
Next steps
In September 2022, Sumter County Council approved a local match of a Municipal Association of South Carolina Hometown Economic Development Grant for the installation of 12 small bronze swans in downtown Sumter.
The city would have to match at least $2,250, equaling the minimum 15% local match required by MASC to support the $15,000 grant. According to Newman, the project was first discussed in 2019, but the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to it.
The deadline to apply for the grant was Sept. 30, 2022, and grants would have been issued in October 2022. Unfortunately, the project is on hold as the city did not get the Hometown Economic Development Grant. Newman said the city still plans to do the project, just at a later date - hopefully in 2024.
N. Washington St.
THE OLD SUMTER POSTCARD
W. Calhoun St.
W. Hampton Ave. N. Main St.
E. Canal St.
UNNAMED
Law Range N. Harvin St.
N. Sumter St.
SWALLOWTAIL
W. Liberty St.
ALL THESE LITTLE CREATURES
ELEMENTS OF SUMTER
KALEIDOSCOPE
Off-map mural locations
VARIEGATED FLUTTER
WINGED REVIVAL
UNDERNEATH SWAN LAKE
LUCIDITY
N. Harvin St.
363 Manning Ave.
363 Manning Ave. South Sumter
