Columbia’s ‘public art quarterback’ moving to a new home. What it has planned

Columbia’s city-backed arts booster is on the move.

One Columbia for Arts and Culture is transferring its headquarters to the Ensor-Keenan House, a historic property in the Eau Claire neighborhood. The current Duke Avenue office is owned by Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, which put the building up for sale.

After learning that the building was up for sale, One Columbia Executive Director Xavier Blake went to the city to see if the nonprofit could use a city-owned building for its next office.

Through a partnership with the city’s parks department, One Columbia gets to use the property free of charge. The move is underway, with the goal being to be fully relocated by September.

Though it’s not an official arm of the city, the group is funded by Columbia hospitality tax money in addition to grants. The nonprofit advises the city on the placement and commissioning of public art and connects local artists with available resources.

Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann called the group the city’s “public art quarterback,” recognizing the push they’ve made in recent years to help increase the city’s public art footprint and to catalog the murals and installations available to view through its online database.

“As a nonprofit, they are able to promote and convene artists and the community in a critical way to not only bring more opportunities for artists, but enhance Columbia for residents and tourists alike,” Rickenmann said in a statement to The State about the nonprofit being provided its new home.

“For the past two years, we have recognized One Columbia as our designated Art Authority, so that they can go after more grants for public art,” the mayor continued. “They continually show up as a partner for any every project, provide impact for our initiatives at the City level, and enhance the public art culture around the City. We are excited to see how this better visibility provides more opportunities for One Columbia, but more importantly, the arts community they serve.”

New headquarters

The Ensor-Keenan House was first built in the 1870s by Dr. Joshua Ensor, a superintendent at the South Carolina State Hospital and a Republican leader. It was renovated by the city, with financial help from the Richland County Conservation Commission, in 2021 at a reported cost of $45,000. Richland County lists the market value of the property at nearly $528,000.

“It’s a beautiful property. It’s just been redone by the city,” Blake said. “I think there’s a tremendous opportunity to activate that space in a way that it hasn’t been.”

The house is just over a quarter-mile from the group’s current headquarters. Both are located just off North Main Street.

“North Main has a lot to offer, a lot going on. Being able to be accessible to community members on the North Main Street side of Columbia is important to us,” Blake said. “The Keenan house would kind of be an extension to that.”

Naturally, One Columbia’s office is where its staff work, but it also hosts band rehearsals, concerts, movie screenings, casting calls and poetry readings.

“It kind of becomes a little arts hub for smaller organizations in Columbia that need a little help in terms of space to do their thing,” Blake said.

One Columbia is planning on setting up the new headquarters to act as a gallery, and it’s organizing an exhibition for September. One Columbia Public Art Administrator Pamela Zeljak noted that local artists have expressed that there is a lack of space to exhibit their work.

The interior space of the Ensor-Keenan House is smaller than the Duke Avenue building, but it has much more outdoor space, an ideal spot for movie screenings during the cooler part of the year, Blake said. Zeljak added that the yard could also offer the opportunity to host artist markets.

New ideas to support artists

One Columbia continues to seek new and creative ways to help out local artists. It’s starting an Artist Assistance Grant, through which two artists will get $1,000. What’s more notable than the amount is the fact that the artists won’t be asked to produce anything as a stipulation for getting the money.

“Sometimes artists need a little more than just to do work,” Blake said. “They need time to be able to think. They need time to pay their rent or go to the doctor.”

This grant is a one-time deal, but One Columbia hopes to create a specific donation platform that could turn it into a rolling grant, giving out money as it comes in.

The nonprofit is also opening applications for a second cohort of artists to occupy their garage studio, located in a former police sub-station on the corner of Assembly and Taylor streets.

Each cohort consists of three artists who are given space in the studio free of charge. The studio space will have some additions based on feedback from the first cohort. These include more comfortable furniture and new lighting.

One Columbia has the artists host activities like showcases or workshops once a month in order to “keep the community connected to the space,” Zeljak said.

“It’s certainly a space that we give for free, but they’re always expected to contribute to community building through our space,” Blake added.