Natalie Brown – Keeping the Circus Going

By Cynthia Boiter Keep the circus going inside you, keep it going, don’t take anything too seriously, it’ll all     work out in the end. — David Niven Many years ago, and certainly before Columbia performing artist Natalie Brown was born, there was a game show which ran on the CBS network from 1950 until […]

Michael Krajewski- Raw

In the world of auto-didacts, it isn’t difficult to find visual artists. While pedagogy is essential to dancers and musicians, no matter what their natural talents and inclinations, some visual artists are naturals in the true sense of the word. They pick up a paintbrush or a piece of chalk, or sink their hands into […]

Cover Story/Jasper Watches Lyon Hill

By August Krickel Visual artist. Graphic illustrator.  Award-winning indie film maker.  Puppeteer.  Children’s entertainer.  Avant-garde event organizer. Suburban husband and dad.  Dark (and vaguely disturbing) visionary.  Lyon Hill wears any number of hats, and is one of a growing number of local artists who are able not only to follow and develop their own creative vision, […]

Josh Roberts and Pulling the Hinges Off Rock and Roll

“[The term] ‘Southern rock’ is a bit redundant; it’s like saying ‘rock rock.’” – Duane Allman Halfway through our winding conversation, singer/songwriter/guitarist Josh Roberts unconsciously paraphrases the legendary slide guitarist Duane Allman in concluding that “all rock is Southern.” We are sitting in a (temporarily) sweltering thrift shop in Lexington that’s owned and run by […]

Jim and Kay Thigpen and the Trustus Legacy

By August Krickel Jim and Kay Thigpen didn’t set out to be Columbia icons, or even pioneers in the local arts community. They just wanted to see and be involved in some good shows It’s hard to imagine the local cultural landscape without their creation, Trustus Theatre, Columbia’s professional theatre company that specializes, and excels, […]

Jay Matheson and the Jam Room

By Kyle Petersen The situation in which you first see Jay Matheson will invariably color how you think about him. Maybe the first time you met him was long ago when he was that thin, quiet, bespectacled punk rocker mixing the sound at a local show. Or maybe you saw him play bass in Bachelors […]

Essay: Temple Ligon on Jasper Johns’s Flags

South Carolina’s Jasper Johns of Allendale, arguably the 20th century’s most important American artist, turns 82 on May 15th. Born in Augusta, GA, Johns lived with his grandparents at their home in Allendale until his mother brought him into her home in Columbia for his fourth grade, where he attended at A. C. Moore Elementary […]

How to Make a Tutu

Jasper Gazes – Sidebar By Alexis Doktor A tutu can weigh 10 pounds or more, depending on how much embellishment it has. Different characters call for more detail than others. For example, the tutu for a peasant can weigh as little as five pounds. As soon as you put on rhinestones, it starts getting heavy. […]

Fool for Art: David Yaghjian Finds Inspiration in Humble ‘Everyman’ Alter-Ego

By Kristine Hartvigsen Six years ago, David Yaghjian took the adage “dance like no one’s watching” to heart, and he’s been cavorting – devil may care – in his underwear ever since. At 57, Yaghjian created a counterculture alter-ego of sorts that today is becoming increasingly popular in the artist’s “Everyman” series of paintings and […]

A Review of Head off & Split by Ray McManus

Nikki Finney’s latest book of poetry, Head Off & Split, is the winner of the 2011 National Book Award. To anyone who is familiar with Finney’s work, this should not come as a surprise. In addition to Head Off & Split (of which I’ll talk about later), Finney’s books of poetry include The World is Round (2003), Heartwood (1997), Rice (1995), […]