Chapman Cultural Center expands downtown street programming
September 17, 2018
Chapman Cultural Center is expanding its street music programming downtown to now include all of the performing arts.
“Our street music programming has been a huge success booking 241 gigs over 21 weeks and showcasing 10 different genres of music on the sidewalk of Main Street.” said Jennifer Evins, President and CEO of Chapman Cultural Center
Chapman Cultural Center’s Downtown Programming came out of the process of developing goals for the Spartanburg Downtown Cultural District. With goals of increasing pedestrian and visitor activity as well as fostering art and performances in public spaces, the street music was a natural fit.
It’s also been a win-win. Businesses leaders like Johnson Development’s Claudia Albergotti said: “I believe that music has the most impact on the downtown cultural experience, but it could be interesting to see some visual art-in-action as well.”
Local musician, TJ Jeter when asked how Downtown Programming helped his transition from playing in a group to performing solo said: “It forces me to build my repertoire, to learn new styles and have something for everyone instead of catering to a specific group.”
Now Chapman Cultural Center is ready to take it to the next level.
Melanie Terry, Special Events Coordinator at Chapman Cultural Center said: “We are currently seeking dance, theater, acrobat, improv, visual and all other types of performing creatives to register to our performing artist registry. The registry is where we look when we open up gigs for downtown programming. It also helps us to refer artists to other businesses and organizations when we get requests. We currently have 9 non-musician, performing artists registered and are looking to increase that number as word gets around.”
Performances start with The Maddd Artist who will be painting to music near Wall Street on Thursday, September 19th starting at 1 PM. Lydia Lundgren will be on Wall Street on Saturday, September 22nd starting at 5:30 PM. These performances are meant to be casual encounters with the public and are 100% free.
Evins said: “All of our high schools and colleges have performing arts programs. Our community has an abundance of professional and volunteer performing artist and organizations. Our hope is to strengthen and promote the engagement of these talented people throughout the Downtown Cultural District by expanding our street music program to include all performing artists. When people visit our downtown they will have an authentic experience that reflects the diversity of our creative sector and makes all people feel welcome.”
About Chapman Cultural Center
Our mission is to provide cultural leadership for Greater Spartanburg by developing, strengthening, and promoting the scope, excellence and educational role of the arts, humanities and sciences, and to further their significance in the life of our community and all of its citizens. Visit the website to learn more.
