Interview: Prairie Willows talk to Erika Ryan

Despite Columbia cranking out more metal bands than Americana groups, The Prairie Willows have become a staple in the city’s scene. In 2012, Kristen Harris, Kelley Douglas, and Perrin Skinner became the Prairie Willows, together writing delightfully folky, southern ballads about anything from biscuits to breakups. After a handful of original tunes and local performances […]

The Capote-Van Halen Hypothesis: Michael Spawn Talks Guitar Gods and Wordsmiths

  A week ago, a friend and I were sitting in a local tavern, drinking Yuengling, talking literature. Next on his hit list, he told me, was Truman Capote’s landmark true-crime opus In Cold Blood. “It’s a great book,” I said. “You’ll like it. Capote’s got a really interesting style.” “What’s it like?” he asked. “I’ve never […]

FRAMED: Andy Warhol’s Mao

FRAMED: Andy Warhol’s Mao In this video from the Columbia Museum of Art, Chief Preparator Mike Dwyer discusses the challenges of installing FROM MARILYN TO MAO: ANDY WARHOL’S FAMOUS FACES.

Spotlight on Conundrumfest

Conundrum Music Hall is celebrating its 4th birthday on June 13th with a humdinger of a party, Conundrumfest, a blitzkrieg of a festival featuring 15 bands, 3 comedians, 4 artisans, and 2 food trucks. Jasper staff writer Michael Spawn caught up with Cecil Decker, a key organizer of the festival who runs sound at the […]

Spotlight on Al Black – Celebrating 5 Years of Mind Gravy!

Five years ago Al Black started a spoken word poetry group called Mind Gravy hoping to make some difference in the local, and highly diverse, poetry scene. Today, Wednesday night Mind Gravy has become the most anticipated night of the week for a large cadre of devoted attendees. Some people come to read or recite, […]

Jasper Magazine – March/April 2015

Check out Vol. 4, Issue 4 of Jasper! Inside you’ll find features on visual artist Tonya Gregg, indie rocker Molly Ledford, and the acting trio The Twitty Sisters, as well as a roundtable discussion featuring the organizers of Indie Grits Film Festival, a history of the Lake Murray Symphony Orchestra, a farewell letter from outgoing theatre editor August Krickel, and much more!

Spotlight on Amy Shumaker & Runaway Runway

  By Haley Sprankle One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Local president of Columbia Design League, Amy Shumaker takes this idiom quite literally as she spearheads the return of Columbia’s 8th annual Runaway Runway, an unusual fashion show which features clothing designs completely composed of recycled materials. The show is explicitly designed to raise […]

Spotlight on Tracie Broom

By Grace Fennell Tracie Broom, a Columbia native, couldn’t wait to leave as a teenager. It wasn’t until years later, when she returned from working in San Francisco as a food writer, that she became fully committed to the beauty and thriving culture that Columbia had to offer. She also had become very interested in […]

A History of Storms: An Interview With James McTeer

By Susan Tekulve James McTeer grew up in the shadow of legendary storms. A native of Beaufort, South Carolina, he was six when Hurricane Hugo hit, and ten when the Storm of the Century blew through. He grew up deep in the balmy South, where winds could peel the roof off his family’s house in […]

Call for Entries: Riverbanks Zoo is Looking for Outdoor-Friendly Art for Their New Children’s Garden

Riverbanks Zoo & Botanical Gardens is the largest gated attraction in South Carolina, with over 1 million visitors annually to its 170-acre wonderland. And they’re expanding. Plans for a new chldren’s garden are already in the works, and the Zoo is calling for artists and craftsmakers to submit ideas to “enhance and embellish” the space […]