William Bartram’s Wild Azaleas
April 28, 2021By Tom Poland Blooms, blossoms, and bracts splash color everywhere you look this time of year. Daffodils and now dogwoods and azaleas add their voice to the spring…
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Jennifer Clark Evins stepping down as President and CEO of Chapman Cultural Center
April 26, 2021Chapman Cultural Center is proud of the immense success that the arts and cultural community has enjoyed under the leadership of President and CEO, Jennifer Clark Evins. Beginning June 21st,…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: headlines, on-the-move, the-arts
Reedy Reels Film Festival to return this June
April 23, 2021This Reedy Reels Film Festival will be returning to Greenville this summer with plenty of adjustments to make the festival unlike it’s ever been seen before. This year’s festival will…
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South Carolina ETV series ‘How She Rolls’ to be distributed nationally by PBS, slated to premiere locally May 13
April 21, 202110-episode series follows Charleston entrepreneur Carrie Morey of Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit How She Rolls, a half-hour lifestyle documentary and culinary series that follows the life of Charleston, S.C. entrepreneur…
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By The Light Of The Silvery Moon
April 20, 2021By Tom Poland Sunday night the moon hung full and bright over treetops. Like some silver dollar hurled into the night she floated full and beautiful, though pollen gave…
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The Charity Ball Board of Greenville announces beneficiaries for funds raised by the 2021 Rose Ball
April 20, 2021The Charity Ball Board of Greenville has unanimously selected the beneficiaries for the 2021 Rose Ball. The 26th Rose Ball will be held on Friday, September 24, 2021 at the…
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A Seashell Tradition
April 14, 2021By Tom Poland There it was. A grave covered in seashells. It’s as close to a burial at sea as an inland dweller will get. My sister, Deb, told…
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COVID-19 survey reveals ‘frightening situation’ for creativity, culture
April 14, 2021Sector surviving on emergency funding, more needed A recent survey of South Carolina nonprofit organizations revealed more than half serving in the creative and cultural sector lacked the funding to…
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Artist Minute – Patricia Kilburg, Visual Artist
April 14, 2021The Who’s on the Move, UpstateBizSC, Artist Minute is a quick, two-minute interview in support of the undeniable impact that the arts and local artists have on our communities. One…
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A Chapel and a School
April 8, 2021By Tom Poland The Historic Sweet Easy Smith Chapel found me Sunday. Though it’s on Smith Chapel Road and sounds like a no brainer, directions for my first attempt…
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Greenville Theatre completes three year search for retiring Director’s replacement
April 2, 2021After a thorough search that took three years to complete, Greenville Theatre announces the hiring of Producing Artistic Director, Max Quinlan. In 2018 Allen and Suzanne McCalla, who have led…
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The Clothesline
April 1, 2021By Tom Poland The Gentle Cycle A neighbor suggested I join a community website where people post about restaurant openings and closings, shady repairmen, and snakes. “What kind…
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The Warehouse Theatre raises the curtain on a new look
March 29, 2021The Warehouse Theatre, a premier professional theatre located in the historic West End of Greenville, SC, unveiled a new logo today, introducing a new look for the 47-year-old regional theatre.…
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The Flower World’s Beautiful Blonds
March 25, 2021By Tom Poland Daffodils. They’re the beautiful blonds of the flower world and if it’s possible for a flower to smile, daffodils do. They bring to mind young women…
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Artist Minute — Bill Mitchell, Billiam Jeans
March 22, 2021The Who’s on the Move, UpstateBizSC, Artist Minute is a quick, two-minute interview in support of the undeniable impact that the arts and local artists have on our communities. One…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: on-the-move, podcast, the-arts
Winter’s Lush Green Carpet
March 17, 2021By Tom Poland It’s an unusual plant. No flowers. No roots, but what a green velvety plant. Green moss mystifies me. When I come across it I stare. Always.…
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South Carolina-based TechStyles mixes textile roots with revolutionary ideas
March 16, 2021SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Leveraging decades of manufacturing experience, TechStyles is launching as a reimagined form of textiles that is creating new product solutions that are meeting the demands of an…
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Greenville 9th grader is S.C. Poetry Out Loud champ
March 15, 2021Greenville High School 9th grade student Emily Allison is the 2021 South Carolina Poetry Out Loud champion after winning the annual recitation contest’s first virtual competition. Allison’s body of work…
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National Smithsonian traveling exhibition now open in City of Westminster
March 12, 2021The City of Westminster has been selected as the only upstate stop for displaying the SC Humanities “Water/Ways” Exhibit. The Exhibit is now open at the Historic Westminster Train Depot,…
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A Natural Motown Mystery-Miracle
March 4, 2021By Tom Poland If you think this story is about Berry Gordy’s 1960’s record label that gave us “Baby Love,” “My Girl,” and “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg,” you’re…
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Harbinger.
March 4, 2021By Cathy Monetti ABOUT MARCH, I HAVE ALWAYS felt ambivalent. This admission comes as a surprise, even to me, for March is the month that relieves us from the coldest…
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The Stoves Of My Life
February 26, 2021By Tom Poland Early on, my grandmothers cooked on wood-burning stoves and, later, electric ranges. Cooking with electricity. That must have seemed a marvel to them. I never,…
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Greenville to host collection by renowned Mexican artist Jorge Marín
February 24, 2021The Arts in Public Places Commission approved plans for Greenville to join a select group of cities from around the globe that have hosted Wings of the City, a collection of…
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The Badwell Trilogy
February 17, 2021By Tom Poland Faint, yet menacing, came the sound. I stood as still as the stones around me and listened. From woods northeast it came again. Coyotes. Well, it…
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Announcing the 2021 S.C. Governor’s Awards for the Arts recipients
February 15, 2021The South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC) is announcing seven qualified recipients of South Carolina’s highest award for high achievement in practicing or supporting the arts. The South Carolina Governor’s Awards…
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Tough Guy, Soft Heart
February 11, 2021By Tom Poland Jack Palance—A City Slicker The book world brings interesting people my way. Some are nobodies. Some are famous. Jack Palance was famous, a Hollywood tough guy,…
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Non Profit Minute – Sarah Shoemaker, International Ballet
February 8, 2021The Who’s on the Move, Non Profit Minute is a quick, two-minute interview in support of the amazing impact that local non profits have on our communities. We would like…
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Greenville Theatre announces 2021 Board of Directors
February 4, 2021The Greenville Theatre Board of Directors has named Christi Mobley as the 2021 Chairperson. Mobley will lead an 18-member board. Additional executive committee members are: Gray Morgan, CFO of Windsor…
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AC Hotel by Marriott Greenville Downtown to celebrate Greenville through art and design
January 28, 2021New downtown hotel will showcase local artists and feature unique design inspired by the destination Auro Hotels is delighted to announce that the AC Hotel by Marriott Greenville Downtown will…
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See Life In An Old Way
January 28, 2021By Tom Poland Along A Back Road My sister, Brenda, gave me a cool shirt for Christmas, “Take The Back Roads,” one of those Life Is Good shirts. That…
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Non Profit Minute – Rochelle Williams, SC Governor’s School for the Arts & Humanities Foundation
January 26, 2021The Who’s on the Move, Non Profit Minute is a quick, two-minute interview in support of the amazing impact that local non profits have on our communities. We would like…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: non-profit, podcast, the-arts
A Mess of Collards
January 21, 2021By Tom Poland Last week an email from my friend, Pat Branning, known for her gorgeous Shrimp, Collards, & Grits cookbooks, sent me on a quest. Pat and I…
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Federation of Families of South Carolina to hold Statewide Art Contest for the South Carolina Children’s Mental Health Awareness Poster
January 21, 2021Did you know that 1 in 5 children and youth in South Carolina experiences a mental health condition in a given year? The Federation of Families of South Carolina (FFSC)…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: non-profit, on-the-move, the-arts
The Illusion—Looking Young Forever
January 13, 2021By Tom Poland Late, late afternoon it was. She walked into the restaurant and lit it up. A beautiful woman will do that, light up a place, but she…
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Artist Minute – Scott Gould, Author
January 11, 2021The Who’s on the Move, UpstateBizSC, Artist Minute is a quick, two-minute interview in support of the undeniable impact that the arts and local artists have on our communities. One…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: podcast, the-arts
Greenville Center for Creative Arts elects new members to its board of directors
January 8, 2021The Greenville Center for Creative Arts (GCCA) announced six new members elected to its board of directors. • Diana Farfan, Ceramic Sculpture Artist • Sam Jenkins, Project Manager, Cely Construction…
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Insignificant Treasures
January 6, 2021By Tom Poland The things we collect. When I am gone my daughters will think their dad was a bit touched. Just why did he hang onto a rusty…
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Winter Is Upon Us
December 21, 2020By Tom Poland As I write it’s 38 degrees and rain is falling. We always seem to be just a few degrees away from snow. This winter a light…
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SCETV to air BJU performance of Handel’s Messiah
December 21, 2020South Carolina Educational Television will air Bob Jones University’s December 2019 performance of Handel’s Messiah on Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020, at 8:30 p.m. Under the direction of Dr. Warren Cook,…
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Six emerging artists to receive inaugural S.C. Arts Commission grant
December 17, 2020Visual artists working in ceramics, sculpture, and photography and performing artists working in dance and music are inaugural recipients of the South Carolina Arts Commission’s new Emerging Artist Grant. For…
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If Another Earth Exists
December 16, 2020By Tom Poland There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility…
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Shifting Gears, End Of The Road
December 10, 2020By Tom Poland Driving a straight means real driving. Need to pass a slowpoke? Down shift to third and hit it. By 5th gear he’s in the rearview mirror.…
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Lander University faculty, students prove arts flourish even in pandemics
December 6, 2020Throughout history, artists have found ways to continue their work during plagues and pandemics. Norwegian expressionist artist Edvard Munch, famous for “The Scream” painting, survived the Spanish flu. The illness…
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Amazon announces 2020’s Best Books of the Year
December 3, 2020On November 19, Amazon announced 2020’s Best Books of the Year, selecting Brittany K. Barnett’s “A Knock at Midnight” as the top pick. The inspiring true story is a brilliant…
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Nature’s Engineers
December 3, 2020By Tom Poland Back when I worked in wildlife cinematography, I tried to film the beavers on an old woodland pond back home. I’d get up before dark and…
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Furman presents art by Matthew Baumgardner, Zoom opening Jan. 28
December 3, 2020An exhibition celebrating the life and work of visual artist Matthew C. Baumgardner (1955-2018) will be presented by the Furman University Department of Art Jan. 19-Feb. 19 in Thompson Gallery…
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The Sad Ballad Of Moses Corley
November 23, 2020By Tom Poland Each Thanksgiving, I Remember Moses We all cross paths with a person we can’t forget. And so, a man by the beautiful name of Moses Corley…
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Christmas in Clinton to Include New Light Show – O’ Lighted Night by Multi-Emmy Award Winning Lighting Designer
November 19, 2020Christmas in Clinton is always something special and this year is no exception. Approved last year and purchased with funds from a grant, the City of Clinton will host “O’…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: hospitality, on-the-move, the-arts
Where Big Trees, History, and Preservation Live
November 19, 2020By Tom Poland October 26 found me on a history adventure courtesy of Ralph Scurry. Ralph and I met at a book talk in Edgefield several years ago. Ralph…
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Country Mice and City Mice and A Little College Football History
November 10, 2020By Tammy Davis Clemson’s star quarterback Trevor Lawrence tested positive for COVID. That was the headline for sports talk radio as we headed to the upstate, or God’s-country as…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts






