We are huge devotees of this 17 day artistic explosion that fills the city with music, drama, dance, art and a whole lot of FUN. While we will be leaving before it really begins, we do have opportunities to catch glimpses of its splendor.
All through town, these signs indicate where an event will be held. It is amazing to discover them wherever we go. Spoleto is EVERYWHERE.
The Opening Ceremony is a huge deal with much news coverage. I included this photo because six years ago, when we were here as volunteers, that very dapper Charlestonian was our 'boss'. Karl totally remembered and had really lovely things to say about us.
Hundreds gathered in front of City Hall to be introduced to the Festival.
As it was six years ago, Sharon joined us for all the excitement.
A pre-ceremony concert, with music from Porgy and Bess, entertained while we waited for the speeches. What was super exciting is that the key board player is Charleston's new Mayor, John J. Tecklenburg. How totally cool (and talented).
All openings include a piece from one of the schedule productions. This was an excerpt from "D-Man in the Waters".
I love hats and hats are BIG here. If you are a Lady who genuinely loves hats but isn't always comfortable being the only one wearing them AND a Lady who loves to volunteer but prefers doing it with someone...AND a Lady who wants to share the joys of friendship...there is a solution...The Hat Ladies. Oh man, if I lived here I would so be a Hat Lady.
For dinner, we accepted Mayor John J. Tecklenburg (pictured) and Charleston City Council's cordial invitation to a reception celebrating the opening of Spoleto Festival USA and Piccolo Spoleto. Who wouldn't?
For almost two hours, we wined and dined amongst the locals. All was incredible.
Our evening's music was provided by Roger Bellow and the Drifting Troubadours.
Friends gathered and the excitement for the Festival grew.
Our memories of our year in Italy came flooding back. For those who always ask, "Where is Spoleto?" There's your answer.
For our first Piccolo Spoleto event we headed to St. John's Lutheran Church (1742) for The Charlestones Sing Everything.
From Festive Proclamations to African American Spirituals, Broadway tunes and Jazz standards, this talented quartet really entertained in a spectacular setting. The Lion Sleeps Tonight (video below) made us all want to dance.
Afterward, we came back to our house (actually our neighbor's driveway) with Deb and Nick, for reviews of the day and plan making for the weekend. Spoleto's 40th has begun in a stellar way and we got to be a part of it.
We have made some exceptional discoveries of things "not to miss" in Charleston. Tonight's was a doubleheader of pretty epic proportions: an art opening reception with cocktails and canapés; and a concert under the stars,viewed through fence bars!
We began the night at the Vendue- Charleston's first and only hotel dedicated to the arts, in all forms. We were here for an installment which featured interesting and varied works of 22 alumni and faculty of the esteemed New York Academy of Art.
Look, by Carl Janes, is one of the permanent exhibits in the hotel and probably our favorite. What a nostalgic art piece, 37 View-masters just waiting to be looked into. I loved these as a kid and love them just as much today, after seeing Look.
Carl's bio reads like a surreal story, "Born on a submarine, moved on to a plane, and then walked the World to plant himself on the shifting sands of Folly Beach, South Carolina and establish a sense of Home. Visionary artist Carl Janes is based in Atlanta, Georgia and explores all mediums on all scales in his gyrating quest to the Bottom of the Center."
The images he chose to imprison behind the plexiglass left us intrigued. This one of a dinner with several guests looking at View-masters had us giggling. Each was a surprise and a treat.
Some of the guests were as colorful as the art displayed upon the walls.
There was something about Melanie Vote's Frog Ballet that made me smile. It was whimsical and a little unique.
The most impressive, to be certain, was Abraham Lincoln, a massive mixed media sculpture by Kazuhiro Tsuji.
Kazuhiro Tsuji is a contemporary hyper realist sculptor living and working in Los Angeles. After working 25 years as a special effects makeup artist in Hollywood, Kazu decisively shifted focus in 2008, dedicating himself full time to fine art sculpture. Using resin, platinum silicone, and many other materials, Kazu constructs three-dimensional portraits in a scale two times life size. He is a self taught pioneer in the craft of using contemporary materials to create the illusion of life. Having discovered the art of special effects makeup for himself while perusing American magazines as a teenager, he developed skills through mimicry, trial and error. His work is unbelievable realistic and impressive. Look at Lincoln's ear hair!
After we absorbed as much art as we could, we moved back outside to the patio and discussed our good fortune for having found such an amazing event.
We then carried our Tahoe tradition of "poaching" down South as we watched the Old Crow Medicine Show perform through a 200 year old fence. This awesome six-piece band has won the enthusiastic support of every kind of bluegrass lover and we were not going to miss it- tickets or no tickets.
Old Crow Medicine Show was a phenomenally entertaining ensemble, perfectly suited for Charleston’s beautiful Cistern Yard stage, with its drooping Spanish moss and stately columns. I love this description for it, "Hear an exhilarating performance that is at once steeped in Southern tradition and wide-eyed vitality—a combination sure to create an unforgettable live-music experience."
When describing all the things we have done, while in Charleston, I find myself breathless. There will never be enough words to capture the magic and the memories. We have had an unforgettable adventure which continues for a few more days but will be fresh in our minds for years to come... Extraordinary!
We have discovered amazing opportunities from shopping the deals on Groupon. Prior to visiting a town, I search their site and always discover something worth seeing/doing. Brookgreen Gardens is one such found treasure.
Celebrating their 85th Anniversary, Brookgreen Gardens' combination of art, history, and zoo touches the heart and teaches the mind with new exhibits, programs, and tours. There is so much to do, in fact, that admission is good for seven days even though I don't think even that is long enough.
Brookgreen Gardens was conceived by philanthropists Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington. He was the heir to a railroad fortune (stepson to C.P.), and she was a famous sculptor. In the late 1920s, Anna was taken ill by tuberculosis and they traveled to South Carolina in search of a warmer climate to aid her recovery. Here, they fell deeply in love with the beauty of the lowcountry so they purchased the nearly 10,000 acres that once made up four separate plantations to create their winter retreat.
The Visionaries, a self portrait by Anna, seems an apt title. They were an amazing couple and today this place continues to honor their legacy with 500 acres of beautifully cultivated gardens displaying over 1,400 sculptures and 2,000 species of plants. It is the country’s first public sculpture garden and has the largest collection of figurative sculpture, by American artists, in an outdoor setting in the world.
One of the four plantations, that formed the Gardens, was Brookgreen Plantation, owned by 19th century planter Joshua John Ward, who perfected a strain of rice called the Carolina Golden Grain. Known as "king of the rice planters," he owned six plantations and more than 10,000 acres of land. He was also believed to be the largest slave owner in the United States with more than 1,100 slaves. This sculpture is one of many that tells that part of the history here. It's interesting to see the contrast in the usage of this land and its transformation into such an oasis of peace.
So much of what we have learned about Charleston is reflected here. This gate, welcoming us into a spectacular garden, was crafted by the famous Philip Simmons.
Nature and humanity dance together here in the gardens.
An added bonus for this mom who lived with Legos for years was "Nature Connects", 12 larger-than-life LEGO® brick sculpture installations in the Zoo section. Created by Sean Kenney, renowned artist and children’s author, “Nature Connects” is an award winning exhibit currently touring the country. Made from almost a half million LEGO® bricks, the sculptures bring nature to life.
Grandfather Gardening with Child was created with over 100,000 pieces. The details in each sculpture were awe-inspiring.
I love bees and I love taking closeups of them. Check out a photo of a Lego bee... fun stuff.
In addition to the amazing art, the exhibit featured interpretive panels with an educational message for each sculpture to help connect children with the natural world and promote conservation. Oh, and it made us want to go home and get out our Legos.
Brookgreen is so much more than what I've shared here. With its massive sculpture collection, numerous charming nature gardens, history strolls, award-winning wildlife zoo, guided walks and narrated boat ride, we were barely able to scratched the surface. But we did as much as we could in the time that we had. We're very happy with all that we experienced. We'll just have to return one day.
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