Contemporary Artists' Work On Display at Clemson

The Center for Visual Arts at Clemson University presents the works of South Carolina contemporary artists from the State Art Collection Monday, Jan. 14–Wednesday, Feb. 6, at the Lee Gallery, the Brooks for the Performing Arts and the ARTS Center in the city of Clemson.

“Contemporary Conversations: Part I” showcases 95 mixed-media works, including wood, drawing, painting, photography, textiles, ceramics, mixed media and sculpture. The S.C. Arts Commission began assembling the collection in 1967 to depict relevant movements in contemporary art over the past 45 years, with the oldest piece created in the early 1930s. 

The exhibitions are designed to suggest both the quality and diversity of the state's cultural heritage.

“It was important for the Lee Gallery to acquire this exhibition due to its relevancy to the core initiatives at Clemson University,” Lee Gallery director Denise Woodward-Detrich said, referring to the academic emphasis areas of the university. “Artworks showcased in the exhibition address health, transportation, energy, environment, sustainability and community issues within their content.”

Harriett Green, director of Visual Arts for the S.C. Arts Commission, said, “From tradition and innovation, cultural heritage and global awareness, religion and spirituality, to politics and social injustice, these artists provide powerful and lasting visual imagery that is an important record of South Carolina culture over four decades.”

Due to the scale of the exhibitions, the Center for Visual Arts at Clemson University partnered with the ARTS Center and the Brooks Center to showcase these works. At the Brooks Center, a photograph of freedom marchers depicts the Civil Rights movement, which coincides with this year's 50th anniversary commemoration of the first African-American student at Clemson.

“Contemporary Conversations: Part II” was showcased in the Lee Gallery at Clemson University two years ago. It now is at the Greenwood Arts Center through Friday, Jan. 31.

The exhibitions include several artworks by Clemson University alumni, including Joseph Scott Goldsmith, ‘87; Elizabeth Keller, ‘92; Jeanee Redmond, ‘81; and Linda Shusterman, ’84; as well as current and former faculty members John Acorn (former art department chairman), Sydney Cross, Robert Hunter and Sam Wang.

There will be a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31, at the Lee Gallery featuring the band Soul Stew, and from 5 to 7 p.m. the same day at the ARTS Center.

The exhibition can be viewed in the Lee Gallery at Clemson University 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The ARTS Center of Clemson is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday. The Brooks Center's hours are 1-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, and patrons attending BOTANICA by MOMIX Jan. 31 and other performances can come early to see artwork in the foyer. For performance dates, check the Brooks Center calendar.

Admission to the exhibitions and receptions is free.

The exhibitions were co-organized and originated by the 701 Center for Contemporary Art and curated by Eleanor Heartney, author and contributing editor to both Art in America and Artpress. It is supported by the Clemson University Center for Visual Arts, the Lee Gallery and the South Carolina Arts Commission.