Columbia Museum of Art February 2024 Exhibitions and Events Calendar

EXHIBITIONS

Sergio Hudson: Focused on the Fit
On view through June 30, 2024
This exhibition showcases the remarkable moments of a designer who fell in love with fashion at 4 years old while living in Ridgeway, South Carolina, and has become one of the biggest names in the industry. Sergio Hudson’s high-profile clients include Beyoncé, Michelle Obama, Serena Williams, Jessica Chastain, Rihanna, Kamala Harris, Blake Lively, Kendall Jenner, Issa Rae, Rachel Brosnahan, and Keke Palmer, a close friend whom he has called a muse.

Hudson’s philosophy is that fashion should be for everyone and include everyone. He designs to empower the wearer and often includes a nod to the ’90s of his youth. See 10 signature garments from key moments in his revolutionary career alongside nearly 40 sketches and drawings exploring his career from the early days winning Bravo’s Styled to Rock in 2013 up through the present day.

Sergio Hudson: Focused on the Fit is organized by the Columbia Museum of Art, South Carolina, in partnership with Sergio Hudson Collections, LLC and Community Curator Megan Pinckney Rutherford. Bronze Sponsors: First Citizens Bank; Dr. Suzanne R. Thorpe and Dr. John W. Baynes. Patron Sponsors: Gina Trippi and John Kerr; Barbara B. Boyd; Friends of African American Art & Culture; Midlands Medical Wellness Center, LLC; Columbia Design League; The Rutherford Law Firm. Friend Sponsors: Hotel Trundle; Representative Todd Rutherford. Grantors: City of Columbia; Experience Columbia SC; Richland County Government; South Carolina Arts Commission; Discover South Carolina; and a grant from the Coastal Community Foundation at the request of CMA member Bonnie Adams Kapp.

Darrel Ellis: Regeneration
On view February 17 through May 12, 2024
Over the course of his career, Darrel Ellis developed a distinct studio practice that merged the formal vocabularies of drawing, photography, painting, and printmaking to redefine Black male identity and family within the constructs of art history and mainstream culture.

Ellis was influential during his life, inspiring the work of other artists and participating in more than 20 group exhibitions in New York and Europe before his career was cut short in 1992 by his death at the age of 33 due to an AIDS-related illness. To produce his groundbreaking images, Ellis shifted across a wide range of media, employing painting, printmaking, drawing, sculpture, and collage to generate endless variations on a single image. This often involved projecting photographic negatives onto sculpted reliefs and re-photographing the results.

This exhibition examines the full arc of Ellis’s career through approximately 60 works on paper, including a historically significant body of work that captures the experiences and public perceptions of Black men living with the AIDS virus, as well as an expansive group of portraits of his family members that offer a record of Black domestic life.

Darrel Ellis: Regeneration is co-organized by the Baltimore Museum of Art and The Bronx Museum of the Arts. Silver Sponsors: Dr. Suzanne R. Thorpe and Dr. John W. Baynes. Friend Sponsors: Barbara B. Boyd; Hotel Trundle. Patron Sponsors: Joseph Bruce; Haynsworth, Sinkler, Boyd; Suzi and Robert Clawson; Beth and Matthew Richardson. Grantors: City of Columbia; Experience Columbia SC; Richland County Government; South Carolina Arts Commission; Discover South Carolina.

Interior Lives: Modern American Spaces, 1890 – 1945
On view February 17 through May 12, 2024
Through the lenses of interior scenes and material culture, Interior Lives explores the ways everyday Americans lived, worked, played, and evolved their identities in the first half of the 20th century. Homes, workplaces, and the spaces between were newly envisioned in response to socioeconomic and technological shifts. American artists, many of whom continued to work in a representational style, bore witness to the inception of a modern world and interpreted it as it manifested before them. The works on view in this exhibition — primarily portraits, genre scenes, and still lifes — are often modest in scale and humble in subject yet penetrating in their cultural and psychological implications.

The exhibition takes the 1890s as its starting point, a decade that encompassed the late Gilded Age and saw the beginnings of the Progressive Era reform movement. It extends through the end of World War II, when the United States entered a new period of global influence and when abstraction took over as the dominant artistic style. Over the course of these six decades, the widespread implementation of the telephone, the building of mass transit systems, and the proliferation of industrially manufactured goods inspired a new, rapid pace of life.

Interior Lives features more than 50 paintings, photographs, works on paper, and decorative arts, and is organized into four thematic sections: “How the Upper Half Lives,” “Labor, Leisure, and Liminal Space,” “Objects and Personas,” and “Faith, Family, and Community.” This multi-lender exhibition includes works by Milton Avery, Cecilia Beaux, Hilda Belcher, William Merritt Chase, Walter Gay, Edwin Harleston, Childe Hassam, and Richard Samuel Roberts, among others.

Interior Lives: Modern American Spaces, 1890 – 1945 is organized by the Columbia Museum of Art. Supporting Sponsors: Hannah and Ron Rogers; Dr. Suzanne R. Thorpe and Dr. John W. Baynes. Contributing Sponsor: William Bodine. Friend Sponsors: Barbara B. Boyd; Dr. and Mrs. Benjamin M. Gimarc; Hotel Trundle; Joseph Bruce. Patron Sponsors: Haynsworth, Sinkler, Boyd; Suzi and Robert Clawson; Beth and Matthew Richardson. Grantors: City of Columbia; Experience Columbia SC; Richland County Government; South Carolina Arts Commission; Discover South Carolina; with additional support from The Nord Family Foundation.

PROGRAMS AND EVENTS
To purchase tickets or register for classes, visit columbiamuseum.org or call 803-799-2810.

Book a Tour and Save
Gather some friends and enjoy discounted admission as you get an inside look at our exhibitions or collection with a docent-led tour. Details at columbiamuseum.org/tours.

Touch Tours
Touch Tours provide an opportunity for visitors who are blind or have low vision to experience the diverse 3D work in the CMA Collection. Explore the galleries with a skilled museum educator trained to provide detailed verbal description of the work on view, while experiencing a selection of objects through touch and other senses.

Touch Tours are available to visitors who are blind or partially sighted in groups of 5 to 10. These 90-minute tours take place when the galleries are closed to the general public and require four weeks’ advance notice to schedule. To book a tour call 803-343-2163 or email [email protected].

Free First Thursday at the CMA
Thursday, February 1 | 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Enjoy free admission and extended hours. Tour the collection at 6:00 p.m. Last gallery entry at 7:30 p.m. Be on Boyd Plaza in the evening for live music, food vendors, and a beer garden. Free. Plaza events by First Thursday on Main. Free admission courtesy of Dominion Energy. Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.

Public Tour: Cornerstones of the Collection
Thursday, February 1 | 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
From corner to corner, see key works in the collection from around the globe and from ancient to modern. This tour includes gems by artists like Renée Cox, Andy Warhol, and Sandro Botticelli, along with the first piece ever purchased by the CMA. Free with membership or admission.

More Than Rhythm: A Black Music Series Featuring Tammy Kernodle
Friday, February 2 | Galleries and bar open at 6:00 p.m. | Conversation at 7:00 p.m. | Concert at 8:00 p.m.
For the season premiere of More Than Rhythm, ethnomusicologist and Miami University Distinguished Professor of Music Tammy Kernodle joins us for a trio performance of “She Sings Freedom,” chronicling the journey of Black women as the producers of great music over the last four centuries. Prior to the concert, she discusses her unique approach and illustrious career with series host and fellow ethnomusicologist Dr. Birgitta Johnson. Cash bar. Free. Registration required.

Tammy L. Kernodle is an arranger, pianist, singer, and scholar whose work concentrates on the contributions of African Americans to classical and popular music. A native of Danville, VA, Kernodle attended Virginia State, where she majored in choral music education with a concentration in piano. Upon graduation, she attended The Ohio State University, where she earned an M.A. and a Ph.D in musicology. Kernodle has since taught and lectured at institutions including the University of North Carolina Chapel-Hill, University of Kansas, UCLA, and Florida State University. Her scholarship has been featured in a number of anthologies, journals, and encyclopedias.

Considered an expert in African American music, jazz history, and gender studies, Kernodle has served as scholarly consultant to institutions including the BBC, National Public Radio, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Cleveland), and the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. Most recently she was part of the team that constructed the inaugural music exhibitions at the National Museum of African American Culture and History in Washington, DC. She is the president of the Society for American Music.

Dr. Kernodle has served as choir director, instrumentalist, and consultant in the area of gospel performance practice for over 30 years. This work has allowed her to serve on the music ministry teams for congregations of varying denominational affiliations throughout the country, and to collaborate on a number of theater productions, including serving as musical director and arranger for Down in Mississippi: A Gospel Play with Music, written by Guggenheim Fellow and celebrated playwright Carlyle Brown and commissioned by Miami University (2009). Kernodle is the University Distinguished Professor of Musicology at Miami University, where she teaches American music, African American music, and gender studies in music.

Art Class: Abstract Painting
Saturday, February 3 | 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Learn to successfully apply compositional guidelines in abstracted artworks in a class that ensures the process is not intimidating. Participants are guided through the process of creating abstract art in a variety of sizes using multiple techniques and materials. Subjects covered include organic and geometric shapes, visual movement, and mark-making styles. Taught by local art educator Mary Hendrix, who holds a bachelor’s degree in art from East Tennessee State University and a master’s degree in teaching from the University of South Carolina. Ages 15 and up. All supplies and equipment provided. $120 / $96 for members.

Yoga in the Galleries
Mondays, February 5 and 12 | 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery and holistic well-being with a unique class that seamlessly integrates yoga, movement, and sound healing. Led by experienced instructor Dre Drummond, this class offers a harmonious blend of ancient practices and modern insights, creating a space for profound connection and rejuvenation. Mats provided, but guests are welcome to bring their own mats and props. Ages 13 and up; no unaccompanied minors. $15 / $12 for members.

Drummond is a dedicated and highly experienced yoga facilitator with over 700 RYT hours of comprehensive yoga training and a versatile skill set encompassing prenatal yoga, Bikram yoga, vinyasa, trauma-informed, yoga course creation, and teacher training facilitation. Drummond has worked with major brands such as Nike, Lululemon Athletica, Peerspace Inc., and Bud Light. Drummond invites individuals from all walks of life to embark on a journey of holistic well-being and self-expression.

Art Class: Storyboarding
Tuesdays, February 6, 13, and 20 | 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Learn the basics of storyboarding in this three-part workshop. Get inspired sketching inside the museum and gain time-tested techniques to make your stories come to life. Practice the art of storyboarding, the creation of visual representation of an animated sequence that breaks down the action into individual panels. Taught by Corey “Roc Bottom” Davis, head of animation for Rocbottom Studios, and Mike Sofoluke, animator for Passion Pictures and the Gorillaz music videos. Ages 15 and up. All materials included. $150 / $120 for members.

Corey “Roc Bottom” Davis has been featured in The Underwire Online magazine with his creator-owned comic Lion’s Den Revolution, the first comic to ever be presented in digital desktop format. Davis’ titles include Order, Shadowclub Karma, and Jet Boy: Dawn of K.R.O.N.O.S., a comic/animated series. Other credits include Queen of Sin and Master’s Devils for Legion Studios and 803 from 803 Studios. Mike Sofoluke is an experienced designer and established animator. He has worked as a design specialist for Apple as well as animation credits for Passion Pictures and the Gorillaz. Sofoluke is also an established live action music video director and motion graphics artist.

Gladys’ Gang Toddler Edition: Let There Be Light
Wednesday, February 7 | 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Light helps us see, gives plants food to grow, and can warm us up! What kinds of things make light, and how do artists show them off? Join us as we explore these questions throughout the museum. Key topic: light. This program is specially designed for 2- to 3-year-old participants and their adult companions to explore art through movement and play. Gladys’ Gang includes story time, gallery exploration, and a creative studio activity related to the art exploration theme. Siblings welcome. Free. Registration required for all participants as space is limited.

Art in Focus with Dr. Frank Martin
Thursday, February 8 | 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
In a series of spotlight talks, Dr. Frank Martin explores themes found in an individual artwork on view, offering an opportunity to discover new insights with a true fine arts specialist. To celebrate Black History Month, this second Art in Focus features Speak No, created by Columbia-based artist Michaela Pilar Brown to emphasize aspects of the Black female experience and pay homage to the iconic African artwork Queen Mother Pendant Mask. Learn more about the history and meaning of this signature CMA Collection artwork. Free with membership or admission.

Dr. Frank C. Martin II serves as visiting associate professor of art history and art theory at South Carolina State University and is the retired director of The I.P. Stanback Museum & Planetarium, located on the campus of the university. A graduate of Yale University and the City University of New York, Hunter College, with additional study in contemporary art and art theory at the Institute of Fine Arts of New York University, Martin holds a Ph.D. in philosophy with a specialization in axiology and the history of aesthetics from the University of South Carolina. A former lecturer and associate manager of the Office of Education Services for the Uris Education Center of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Martin has served as an academic advisor for the PBS documentary Shared History and has worked as a contributing critic in the fine arts for Charleston’s The Post and Courier. Martin is a member of the International Association of Art Critics (Association Internationale des Critiques d’Art) based in Paris.

FAAAC Presents Black Art Pokeno
Saturday, February 10 | 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
To celebrate Black History Month, CMA affinity group Friends of African American Art & Culture invites you to the museum for an elegant night of Pokeno featuring images of Black art and artists. The game Pokeno combines elements of poker and keno (or lotto) to create a gaming experience very similar to bingo. Learn more about Black art at every turn while you play for prizes from Black-owned businesses in Columbia, have fun with friends, and find your newest favorite Black artist.

Take the opportunity to dress for a night on the town! Tickets to the program include access to the CMA galleries, one Black Art Pokeno card, and light fare. Beer, wine and FAAAC’s signature Pokeno Punch featuring Tito’s Vodka available for purchase. $35 / $25 for FAAAC members. Sponsored by Love, Titos.

Public Tour: Carolina in the Collection
Sunday, February 11 | 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Discover the rich artistic tapestry of South Carolina. See works by artists in our state and treasures that once adorned local homes. Learn about the Charleston Renaissance, Catawba pottery, and artists right here in Columbia while you explore works by Osamu Kobayashi, Richard Samuel Roberts, and more. Free with membership or admission.

Evening for Educators
Thursday, February 15 | 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Educators from across the state are invited to head to the CMA for an evening of art, wine, and bites as they enjoy a private preview of new exhibitions Darrel Ellis: Regeneration and Interior Lives: Modern American Spaces, 1890 – 1945. Explore the galleries, learn about new tours, and try out lesson plan materials focusing on the new exhibitions. Free. Registration is required as space is limited. Attendees receive documentation for professional development renewal credit.

Public Tour: Behind the Collection
Thursday, February 15 | 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Get a glimpse into the story behind the art: the science to create the materials, the lives that shaped the artists’ views, the thought process that leads a museum to acquire a piece, and the care required to keep a work of art in excellent condition for thousands of years. Free with membership or admission.

Opening Celebration for Darrel Ellis: Regeneration & Interior Lives
Saturday, February 17 | 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. | Talks 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Celebrate the opening of featured exhibitions Darrel Ellis: Regeneration and Interior Lives: Modern American Spaces with an afternoon of family-friendly activities and talks. Enjoy exhibition-inspired art activities including a photo booth, experimental gelli print activity, build-your-own diorama station, and home-themed indoor design challenges with the Big Blue Blocks. At 2:00 p.m. hear back-to-back talks from the featured exhibitions’ curators — learn about Interior Lives from Michael Neumeister, CMA senior curator, then about Regeneration from Leslie Cozzi, its original co-curator and curator of prints, drawings & photographs at the Baltimore Museum of Art, and Sergio Bessa, its original co-curator and chief curator emeritus at The Bronx Museum of the Arts. Both talks include a Q&A with the audience. Plus, be on the lookout for docents with an “Ask me about the art!” button throughout the galleries for an opportunity to chat and ask questions. CMA members are invited to bring a friend along between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. to see the exhibitions, attend the celebration, and enjoy food by Sarah Simmons of City Grit and beverages from Curiosity Coffee Bar in the reception gallery. Free with membership or admission.

Dr. Leslie Cozzi (she/her), FAAR’18, joined the staff of the Baltimore Museum of Art in the fall of 2018 as associate curator in the department of Prints, Drawings and Photographs, where she currently oversees the museum’s collection of post-1900 works on paper. At the BMA, she helped conceptualize the museum’s 2020 Vision initiative spotlighting female-identified artists with presentations of Valerie Maynard, Zackary Drucker, SHAN Wallace, and Ana Mendieta. Recent projects at the BMA include the critically acclaimed survey A Modern Influence: Henri Matisse, Etta Cone, and Baltimore; Omar Ba: Political Animals; and Darrel Ellis: Regeneration, the artist’s first major museum retrospective.

Dr. Antonio Sergio Bessa is chief curator emeritus at The Bronx Museum, New York, where he has organized several exhibitions, including: Jamel Shabazz: Eyes on the Street (2022); Sanford Biggers: Codeswitch (2020, in collaboration with Andrea Andersson), Gordon Matta-Clark: Anarchitect (2017, in collaboration with Jessamyn Fiore); Martin Wong: Human Instamatic (2015, in collaboration with Yasmin Ramirez); Paulo Bruscky: Art Is Our Last Hope (2014), and Joan Semmel: The Lucid Eye (2012). Dr. Bessa holds a Ph.D. from NYU Steinhardt School of Education, and in 2005 he participated in the Museum Leadership Institute at the Getty Center.

Gladys’ Gang Preschool Edition: Let There Be Light
Wednesday, February 21 | 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Light helps us see, gives plants food to grow, and can warm us up! What kinds of things make light, and how do artists show them off? Join us as we explore these questions throughout the museum. Key topic: light. This program is specially designed for 4- to 5-year-old participants and their adult companions to explore art through play and inquiry. Gladys’ Gang builds skills for kindergarten readiness through story time, gallery conversations, and a creative studio project related to the art exploration theme. Siblings welcome. Free. Registration is required for all participants as space is limited.

Art in Focus with Dr. Frank Martin
Thursday, February 22 | 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
In a series of spotlight talks, Dr. Frank Martin explores themes found in an individual artwork on view, offering an opportunity to discover new insights with a true fine arts specialist. In celebration of Black History Month, this Art in Focus features Roses in a Green Vase by Charles Ethan Porter, thought to be among the first, if not the first, African Americans to study at the National Academy of Design in New York. Learn more about this artist and the significance of this beloved CMA Collection artwork, on view in newly opened spring exhibition Interior Lives: Modern American Spaces, 1890 – 1945. Free with membership or admission.

Dr. Frank C. Martin II serves as visiting associate professor of art history and art theory at South Carolina State University and is the retired director of The I.P. Stanback Museum & Planetarium, located on the campus of the university. A graduate of Yale University and the City University of New York, Hunter College, with additional study in contemporary art and art theory at the Institute of Fine Arts of New York University, Martin holds a Ph.D. in philosophy with a specialization in axiology and the history of aesthetics from the University of South Carolina. A former lecturer and associate manager of the Office of Education Services for the Uris Education Center of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Martin has served as an academic advisor for the PBS documentary Shared History and has worked as a contributing critic in the fine arts for Charleston’s The Post and Courier. Martin is a member of the International Association of Art Critics (Association Internationale des Critiques d’Art) based in Paris.

Art Class: Drawing Dynamics
Saturday, February 24 | 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Learn the basic properties of drawing in this one-day class. Students explore techniques such as sitting, line variation, and shading, and cover subjects including objects, animals, and people. See how markings of various lines produce a specific image based on intention. Ages 15 and up. All supplies and equipment provided. Participants should bring a brown bag lunch for lunch break. Taught by artist LaLa Cann. $100 / $80 for members.

LaLa Cann is a full-time artist based in Columbia, SC. In 2019 she earned her B.A. in art studio with a minor in business administration from Coastal Carolina University. Since graduating, Cann has been pursuing her art career — developing a portfolio of original work as well as taking commissions from clients. Her work is a representation of life itself, which she views to be an embodiment of art, spirituality, herbalism, and personal development.

Public Tour: Cornerstones of the Collection
Sunday, February 25 | 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
From corner to corner, see key works in the collection from around the globe and from ancient to modern. This tour includes gems by artists like Renée Cox, Andy Warhol, and Sandro Botticelli, along with the first piece ever purchased by the CMA. Free with membership or admission.

Accessible Yoga in the Galleries
Monday, February 26 | 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Head to the CMA for a gentle, slow, and mindful movement practice for those who want to enjoy yoga that’s accessible to everybody and every body. The class can be taken on a mat or sitting in a chair; both will be provided. Students are welcome to bring their own mats and props. The session takes place in the CMA Collection galleries. Taught by Kate Murphy, a local yoga teacher with training in accessible yoga and mindful resilience for trauma recovery. Ages 13 and up. No unaccompanied minors. $15 / $12 for members.

Stroller Tour: Featured Exhibitions
Wednesday, February 28 | 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Take a tour of new featured exhibitions Interior Lives: Modern American Spaces, 1890 – 1945 and Darrel Ellis: Regeneration with infants in tow! Bring your little ones along for the ride on a stroller-friendly tour for caregivers with babies up to age two. Fussy, crying, or wiggly babies welcome! Baby wearing is encouraged. Free with membership or admission. Registration required as space is limited.
______

To learn more and purchase tickets, visit columbiamuseum.org.