Celebrate and support USC’s McKissick Museum

Showcasing artworks that reflect on the music that enriches the Southern experience, Southern Rhythms is the theme of the McKissick Museum’s 2015 Gala Art Sale, which will be held Friday, December 4 at the museum.

All works have been created by South Carolina artists and artists with ties to the Palmetto State.

The sale and gala will support McKissick Museum, one of the city’s most interesting, yet least understood, museums.

Housed in the University of South Carolina’s former library, McKissick Museum opened in 1976 as a single repository for collections of significant objects – think everything from sweet grass baskets and dueling pistols to rare musical instruments, natural minerals and goalposts from Williams Brice Stadium. Until that time, such objects hadbeen scattered in departments and colleges throughout campus.

As the wide-ranging assemblage of gems, clay pots, jewelry, clothing, political memorabilia and more was organized and catalogued, their story of South Carolina’s culture and geography began to emerge. Recognizing the value of this type of ongoing chronical, the museum’s mission soon expanded to include folkways and traditions.

Today, the museum’s Folklife Resource Center is filled with examples of deeply rooted traditions like quilting, pottery, basketry, communal foodways, and folk music that have been documented through audio, video, and photography.

Anyone can visit. Located on USC’s Horseshoe, the museum is free and open to the public.

This art sale features more than 50 works by artists including Winton and Rosa Eugene, Jemes Davis, Claire Farrell, Edward Shmunes, and Michael Story.

For tickets and information contact McKissick Museum at (803) 777-7251 or visit artsandsciences.sc.edu/mckissickmuseum.

Katie McElveen, Special to The State