Arts planner: The Nick’s new doohickey and the return of Chamber Music on Main

A praxa-whata?

The Nickelodeon Theatre has just been gifted a piece of movie history.

No, it’s not a flashy relic from a movie set or a celebrity momento. But it is a device that straddled the age of animation and moving motion pictures.

The Nick now has a praxinoscope.

A praxinoscope is a cylinder with a strip of paper showing 12 frames for animation. As the cylinder rotates, stationary mirrors in the center reveal a single image in motion. Charles-Emile Reynaud, a Parisian science teacher, invented the praxinoscope in 1876.

It was the in-between device that improved upon the zoetrope – the first iteration of the moving image that used slits to suggest motion -- and the prequel to the Théâtre Optique, which was the first device to project an image onto another surface.

“...the praxinoscope demonstrates how an inventor thought of moving pictures, by creating a device that would entertain and fascinate audiences,” said Frank Baker, who gave the theatre the praxinoscope. “Today, the Nickelodeon Theatre does the same thing by exposing audiences to the best in moving images, while also educating future film audiences.”

Baker is a media literacy education consultant and member of the Nick’s education advisory committee.

Moviegoers can view the praxinoscope on display on the stairwell landing leading up to the second-floor theater.

Because it is an antique, viewers can’t actually see the praxinoscope move, but the theatre is working with the idea of motorizing it, said the Nick’s director of marketing Kristin Morris.

For now, you can see the animation strip of a man picking up and putting down an object. There are also alternate strips of a juggler, a court jester playing a drum and a little boy blowing bubbles.

Chamber Music on Main returns

The Columbia Museum of Art kicks off its 14th season of Chamber Music on Main this Thursday. The first of five shows in the series will feature two Chamber Music on Main veterans – violinist Bella Hristova and horn virtuoso Eric Ruske – to perform Brahms’ Horn Trio, Schumann's Fantasy Pieces, a seldom heard piano trio by Schubert, and Three Yiddish Dances by composer of David Ludwig. The night also marks the Chamber Music on Main debut of celebrated pianist Anna Polonsky.

7 p.m. Thursday at the museum, 1515 Main St. Season tickets are $140 or $100 for CMA members. Single-concert tickets are $35 or $28 for members and $5 for students. www.columbiamuseum.org

See ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ before it shrivels up

Sunday is the last day to see “A Raisin in the Sun” at the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County. Set on Chicago's South Side, the plot revolves around the divergent dreams and conflicts within three generations of the Younger family. A classic to be sure.

The final performance is 3 p.m. Sunday. $15 adults; $10 students, seniors and military; 810 Lyttleton St., Camden. (803) 425-7676, www.fineartscenter.org

Local artwork on display at Columbia Metropolitan Airport

The next time you catch a flight, keep an eye out for the rural and coastal scenes by artist Jim Harrison. The Denmark, S.C. native is known for his paintings and prints of country stores, covered bridges and old railroad stations.

The exhibit is on display in the connector of the terminal leading to the departure gates and will be up until January 2016. For more information, visit www.jimharrison.com