TheState.com: Sunday Life and Style

Game plan for Spoleto

Wed, 14 May 2008 23:38 EDT

OK, so this is the year you’re really going to go to the Spoleto Festival USA and the Piccolo Spoleto festival in Charleston.

You just need a plan, a way to get a grip on these hundreds of events that you really don’t know all that much about.

That’s what we’re here for.

Here’s a plan for a day in Charleston during the festivals, which begin Thursday, May 22, and keep going until June 8. Pickings are better on weekends, but everything else will be easier (and cheaper) during the week. It’s worth taking a day off work.

7 a.m.: Get up, and get dressed. Put on something classy and casual — linen, sandals, a hat. Take an extra shirt or blouse, since the heat and humidity can be extreme. Toss some bottles of water in a cooler along with a couple of energy bars and some fruit that you can munch on while you change your top in the late afternoon. Drive to Charleston.

Frenchie Skirts: Designer creates one gorgeous custom garment at a time

Sat, 10 May 2008 17:53 EDT

Inside a studio with apple green walls, Frenchie Bunch listens to her messages.

One client calls about scheduling a fitting for her new maternity skirt.

Another invokes the names of her niece and best friend, both current Frenchie Skirts clients, in hopes she, too, can get in to see the young designer.

It’s busy season — horse races, weddings, spring. People need skirts and dresses. Frenchie notes the names and numbers at her desk.

The tall blonde walks past exquisite fabrics — silk, organza, tulle, tweed, cotton, vintage lace, bold prints, embroidery — hanging from two long racks and heads to the work area a few steps away.

Chris Rock’s mom offers words of wisdom for raising good kids

Sat, 10 May 2008 17:53 EDT

A fast-food breakfast, arranged on good dishes, was one of Rose Rock’s more memorable Mother’s Day presents.

Several of her children, including her now-famous son, Chris Rock, delivered the special gift to the bedside of their hard-working mother many years ago.

“For children, when they do those things, they are from the heart,” she said.

The S.C. native mothered a village of children in her 63 years: seven biological children, one stepson, two “heart children” and 17 foster children.

Recently, Rose Rock authored a book, “Mama Rock’s Rules: Ten Lessons for Raising a Houseful of Successful Children,” drawing on her experiences.

Too much to see, too little to appreciate

Sat, 10 May 2008 17:53 EDT

Walking among the 122 works that make up the 20th Anniversary Juried Art Exhibition at the State Museum, one finds some strong works, including some by artists whose names are not familiar even to those who know the S.C. art community.

But this first-time exhibition (named for the 20th anniversary of the museum) has little to offer after the initial surprises — no depth, no context, no concept and, when it finally comes down to it, not all that much good work.

The reason the show is so so-so is that the museum skipped the curatorial process. First it invited any and all artists to deliver no more than two of their works to the museum. About 500 showed up with 1,000 works. Then it invited two jurors — Brian Rutenberg, a New York artist and S.C. native, and Lia Newman, director of exhibitions at Raleigh’s Artspace — to spend three days winnowing this overflow.

The jurors probably did the best they could, but at some point their eyes must have glazed over and blurred the line between OK and not-OK. While inclusiveness is nice, it doesn’t make for a good or useful art show — as this one proves. Even with half as many artworks, it would still be inclusive —and stronger.

That’s the problem with these sorts of shows, which is why most museums don’t do them.

S.C. Philharmonic plans eclectic season of music

Sat, 10 May 2008 17:53 EDT

The new music director of the S.C. Philharmonic will lead a season that includes music by Brahms and Beethoven, a couple of composers who aren’t even 30 and the guy who wrote the score for the “Godzilla” movies.

Morihiko Nakahara, who was named music director last month, will lead concerts of music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Maurice Ravel, Johannes Brahms, Ludwig van Beethoven, Philip Glass and George Gershwin, plus two pops concerts and something called “The Phil on the Edge.”

“We cover a wide gamut, but I think it’s a fun season,” said Nakahara, who also is associate music director of orchestras in Spokane, Wash., and Jacksonville, Fla.

“My aim was to get started on a note of celebrating our first season together with some wonderful big works by Brahms and Beethoven, things the orchestra hasn’t done in recent years, and a dash of spice here and there.”

The season starts Sept. 20 with a concert of music by Mozart, Ravel, Brahms, Antonin Dvorak, Mexican composer Arturo Marquez and Akira Ifukube, who scored “Godzilla.”

Why you should Visit Congaree National Park

Sat, 10 May 2008 17:53 EDT

It’s amazing how many people I meet in the Midlands who never have been to Congaree National Park.

They have what they think are great excuses:

It’s so far away.

I don’t like to hike.

I can’t stand the bugs.

That Was Then: Bill Cosby at USC, May 17,1986

Sat, 10 May 2008 19:19 EDT

In May 1986, Bill Cosby was the star and creator of the hottest show on TV, author of a best-selling book and featured speaker at USC’s spring commencement at Carolina Coliseum.

For the first time, USC required (free) tickets for admission to a graduation ceremony, and the event drew an estimated crowd of 15,000. Cosby was such a pop-culture force at the time, his speech was referenced in The New York Times and Time magazine.

The funnyman brought the house down with his message and his attire. As Cosby walked onto the platform filled with scholars and celebrities (including “Roots” author Alex Haley) dressed in their finest clothes, a titter went through the crowd as graduates and family members realized he was wearing white tennis shoes.

Cosby gave the graduates the typical “go forth” command but then noted that they needed to make sure where “forth” is first.

“Forth is not back home,” said Cosby, hitting on something that wouldn’t become a true trend for another 20 years. “Yes, we love you ... and we are not tired of you — but you can make us tired. There’s nothing worse than a daughter or a son with a college degree still at home.”

A Few Words with: Jean Bays, Retired teacher

Sat, 10 May 2008 19:19 EDT

My neighborhood: Forest Lake area

How long have you lived in the area? 21 years

What I like most about this town: It has a country setting, but the city is within walking distance of several shopping centers, restaurants etc. We are also a short drive to downtown Columbia.

What I miss when I am out of town: Nothing. That’s the point of going out of town.

Places I go to get away: Bookstores, the State Museum, the art museum, mountains, various stage theaters

Critics picks: This week’s best bets

Sat, 10 May 2008 19:19 EDT

The S.C. Shakespeare Company will swashbuckle through Finlay Park with “The Three Musketeers.” The play is based on the 1844 novel by Alexandre Dumas.

The swordplay is Thursday through Saturday and May 20 - 24. All shows are at 8 p.m.

The park is at Gadsden and Taylor streets. $5; (803) 787-2273 or www.scshakespeare.org

—Jeffrey Day

Maze, with Frankie Beverly and Jaheim, headline “A Night of Soul,” at 8 p.m. Friday at Carolina Coliseum.

’09 Art show: big money, big Monet

Fri, 09 May 2008 08:08 EDT

The Columbia Museum of Art will bring in its most expensive exhibition ever next year, one featuring big names including Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Vincent van Gogh.

The museum is spending $500,000 on “Turner to Cezanne: Masterpieces from the Davies Collection, National Museum Wales.”

The 47 paintings and six works on paper, done between 1850 and 1920, are being shown for the first time in the United States. The Columbia Museum of Art is the first stop on the tour. The works will be on display here for three months starting in March.

“It think we’re unique in having this kind of a show in South Carolina,” said Karen Brosius, museum director.

The museum already has raised about $485,000 for the show, mostly from individuals.

This week in the arts

Wed, 07 May 2008 19:16 EDT

Theater

“Southern Baptist Sissies,” Friday, May 9, through May 31 at Trustus Theatre, 520 Lady St. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; and 3 p.m. Sundays. $15-$20; admission by donation May 18. Student half-price tickets 15 minutes prior to show. (803) 254-9732 or www.trustus.org

“Damn Yankees,” Friday, May 9, through May 31 at Town Theatre, 1012 Sumter St. Performances 8 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays. $18, with discounts for students, seniors and military. (803) 799-2510 or www.towntheatre.com

“The Three Musketeers” by the S.C. Shakespeare Company, 8 p.m. Thursday, May 15, through Saturday, May 17, and May 20-24 at the Finlay Park Amphitheatre off Gadsden Street between Taylor and Laurel streets. $10; students, $5. (803) 787-2273 or www.scshakespeare.org

ART

New paintings add interest to Columbia museum’s collection

Wed, 07 May 2008 19:21 EDT

The permanent collection galleries in nearly any museum can go for a long time, sometimes decades, without changing much. That can be a problem, especially for smaller museums.

During the past two years, the Columbia Museum of Art has changed its galleries with the addition of new pieces. A handful are purchases or gifts; several are on loan from the N.C. Museum of Art in Raleigh.

A new batch of five paintings, all by well-known artists, just arrived here from Puerto Rico. The 18th- and 19th-century paintings are from the Museo de Arte de Ponce and will be on display until the end of 2009.

“This is part of keeping the museum active and alive,” said Todd Herman, chief curator. “Many times the audience can get a bit complacent and think the museum remains stagnant.”

The pieces from Ponce are:

Super summer heroes (PDF)

Sat, 03 May 2008 00:51 EDT

ETV puts famous South Carolinians’ moms in the picture

Fri, 02 May 2008 21:13 EDT

Lorna Colbert is trying to cut back a bit.

What’s her obsession? Watching her son Stephen’s satirical news show “The Colbert Report” every time it’s on, even if she has seen it already. Her goal is to limit her viewings to once a day.

“I try to do it,” she confessed March 27 during the taping of a special Mother’s Day edition of ETV’s “The Big Picture.”

The mothers of three other prominent South Carolinians also sat down with former “The Big Picture” host Andy Gobeil: Dorothy Davis, mother of “Sex and the City” star Kristin Davis; Margaret Peyton, mother of Gov. Mark Sanford; and Deborah Seymour, mother of New England Patriots defensive lineman Richard Seymour.

Seated in plush leather chairs in front of a set dotted with large floral arrangements, the women fidgeted nervously — unaccustomed to the type of situation in which their children would be completely comfortable.

Frank’s newest Lowcountry tale is a wild ride

Sat, 03 May 2008 00:48 EDT

BULLS ISLAND

By Dorothea Benton Frank

(William Morrow, 334 pages,

$24.95)

As soon as Dorothea Benton Frank puts pen to paper, she can count on her story flying off the shelves.

Tour throws open the doors of artists’ studios

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:07 EDT

IF YOU GO

Open Studios

WHEN: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, May 3, and noon- 6 p.m. Sunday, May 4

WHERE: various locations throughout the Midlands

COST: Free

Squirming into the marketplace

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 19:56 EDT

The plain building with the yellow siding is tucked between the high school and the retirement community in Chapin.

The town, the location, the building — they don’t prepare visitors for what awaits. What promises to be a typical small-town business is a global operation importing millions of units from Europe, repackaging them, then shipping them to wholesalers throughout the country.

BiodoneUSA — the business in this building — is a fishing-worm giant. About 75 million worms moved through the building last year, most of them imports from Europe.

When co-owner Rudy Gardner tells acquaintances what he does for a living, they’re stunned.

“They don’t believe you,” Gardner said. “Then they want to know everything about it. And they ask, ‘How in the world did you get started in that?’”

Studio tour offers inside look at artists’ workplaces

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:52 EDT

For artists, the studio is a quiet, private place — except for the loud music and cursing.

But last year, about 60 artists around Columbia opened their doors to hundreds of strangers during “Open Studios,” part of the Columbia Festival of the Arts. It was such a success, it’s being offered again next weekend.

While some studios had only 15 or 20 visitors, about 400 people showed up at Vista Studios over the two-day event. Most artists greeted between 50 and 100.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” said Mike Williams, who makes paintings and sculptures in a converted auto repair shop in West Columbia.

“The people who came were people I had never met,” said Williams, a high-profile artist in the area for 15 years. “A lot were recent transplants who wanted to see who and what was around.”

That was then...

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 19:58 EDT

The undated photograph is hard to believe. Swimmers and sunbathers packed on the beach and in the water at Sesquicentennial State Park.

A couple of years ago, the Sesqui lake was closed to swimmers, as much due to lack of interest as lack of lifeguards.

But back in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, the Sesqui lake was the place to be in the summer months. The number of visitors is stunning — 599,071 people visited the park from July 1, 1951, through June 30, 1952. That’s more than twice as many as any other state park that year.

Most of those people came for the lake. Park officials counted 305,085 swimmers.

And it wasn’t just locals. Before the interstate highway system, U.S. 1 was the major route between the Northeast and Florida. More than 40,000 cars with out-of-state plates pulled into Sesqui that year.

Critic’s picks

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 19:59 EDT

Crawfish, the poor man’s lobster, will be honored, boiled and eaten Saturday at the third Rosewood Crawfish Festival.

Cracker, Cowboy Mouth, King Hippo, Sunshone Still and Josh Roberts & The Hinges are among the scheduled performers. There also will be local dance groups, skateboarders and martial arts and Double Dutch demonstrations.

Worried about parking? The RV lot across from the State Fairgrounds will be open, with shuttles running in 15-minute intervals to and from the festival.

The festival is from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets are $8 in advance ($10 at the gate) and can be purchased at Publix, Dano’s, Utopia, Graph-itti, Rosewood Market, Manifest of Columbia, Homevestors and Etix.com. Find out more at www.rosewoodcrawfishfestival.com.

— Otis R. Taylor Jr.