Beneath the Surface: Forum on Beauty

Friday Arts Project & Bird and Key present a weekend-long gathering dedicated to an exploration of Beauty. Special guest Kirk Irwin returns to Rock Hill to moderate several engagements with artists, musicians, writers and participants. Participants will have opportunities to experience various works in an arts salon format and engage with artists through interviews and dialogue. The weekend will be spent at Friday Arts Project's Space 157, other locations in Old Town Rock Hill and in Charlotte at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art.

Kirk Irwin giving his lecture "On Beauty" at Space 157 in 2011

Speakers & Performers:

Kirk Irwin, Theologian & Arts Advocate

Jeremy Casella, Singer-songwriter and producer

Elonzo, Band

Luke Allsbrook, Painter

Casey Mink, Violinist

Joseph Henderson, Writer & Winthrop M.A. Candidate

Artists of Space 157

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FRI, JAN 27

4-6 PM Check-in & welcome at Space 157 (157 East Main, 2nd Floor)

6 PM Dinner at Old Town Restaurants (on your own)

8 PM Forum Opening: Jeremy Casella & Elonzo in concert at the Courtroom at Gettys

SAT, JAN 28

9 AM Coffee & Pastries at Space 157 (included)

10 AM Morning Session: Luke Allsbrook, painter | Casey Mink, violinist

NOON Lunch (Included)

2 PM Afternoon Session: Arts Salon & Writer Joseph Henderson presenting

"Large and Startling Figures: The Shock of Mystery in Barry Hannah, Annie Dillard, and Cormac McCarthy"

5 PM Cocktail Hour (Guests are encouraged to patronize our downstairs neighbors at The Vault)

6 PM Family-Style Dinner at Erin's Restaurant (Included in registration)

7 PM Keynote & Discussion with Kirk Irwin

SUN, JAN 29

2 PM Bechtler Museum of Modern Art Visit | Closing remarks

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Cost*:

Entire Event (includes admission to Bechtler Museum):

Regular: $50, Student: $35

Sans Museum visit:

Regular: $40, Student: $25

DONOR LEVEL: $100

A lot of volunteer work has gone into this event, so if you’re interested in giving more, give $100 and we will include a special art gift from Friday Arts Project artists!

*includes Saturday meals: light breakfast, lunch, dinner

We accept cash or check. Make checks payable to Friday Arts Project, and send to: Stephen Crotts, 616 Cedar St., Rock Hill, SC 29730. Payment Deadline: (postmark by) January 20, 2012. Contact Stephen Crotts at scrotts86@gmail.com for further details.

REGISTRATION FORM

Support for this project is provided by the Arts Council of York County Small Grants Program, which receives funding from the Rock Hill A-Tax/Tourism Commission, the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of the Coastal Community Foundation of SC, the SC Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Sponsored in part by:

Jim & Poco Olson, Rock Hill Bike Shop, RUF at Winthrop, Hill City Church, Plumbline Communications

Gallery Up Interviews Dominique Verechia

Check out this Q & A with Space 157 member Dominique Verechia from Gallery Up.

Elonzo plays Space 157

Some glimpses of the Elonzo concert at Space 157 on Feb. 19:

Guestbook

Opening Act: The Perfect Melancholies

Merch

Elonzo

Happy crowd

Impromptu Portrait Session afterwards

Photographs by Aaron Rich

Muse Fest

Celebrate and revel in all things art at the first-ever Muse Fest, November 11-13, 2010. This festival will take place in & outside of various art spaces and eateries in Old Town Rock Hill, SC.

Among the many other activities, Space 157 will be hosting its Grand Opening. Thursday, Friday & Saturday we will be open from 6-9 pm. Come enjoy some refreshment and celebration with us!

Jeremy Casella House Show

Friday Arts Project is proud to bring singer/songwriter Jeremy Casella back to Old Town Rock Hill for a second year in a row. This year's concert will be a house show.

Jeremy's most recent offering, RCVRY, has been called "A Masterwork" by Derek Webb. Christianity Today Magazine says "5 out of 5 stars...captivating, a hauntingly beautiful album to say the least."

We are excited to be able to act as patrons, providing a small opportunity for an excellent artist to share his work with us. As artists ourselves, we understand the importance of people being willing to support our work. Here are a few thoughts from another musician, Andrew Peterson, on this important issue:

"Go to the websites of your favorite artists and see if they’re coming to a town near you. They’ll be glad you showed up, I guarantee it. Most of the time the tickets are about what you’d pay for a movie, only in this case your money won’t be lining Jerry Bruckheimer’s silken pockets–it’ll go to diapers or the new transmission or the mixing engineer for the new album...Most of us who play music pay the bills by touring. CD sales are helpful, but touring is where the rubber meets the road. We need you to come to the shows. We like to play our songs for other members of the human race. We like meeting you. We love the crackle of spiritual electricity when our songs and your stories intersect. Bring your friends. Concerts–event bad ones–are usually more memorable than movies. Plus, it pays the mortgage."

concert info:

The Crotts Home

616 Cedar Street Rock Hill, SC 29730

Friday, October 22 - 7 PM

Admission $8, Refreshments available

contact Stephen - scrotts86@gmail.com for more info or to reserve tickets

Hope to see you there!

Space 157

On August 26 we had our first open studio at Space 157 as well as a group show next door at the Loading Dock Gallery. Here are some glimpses:


Work in progress by Christopher Doehling


Jon & Jess area


The Illustration Department


Carlee & Jessie


Some professors came too.


Mike Gentry's space


Nicki Verechia's space

Mike brought the best wine.


Tunes.


Our Group Exhibition at the Loading Dock Gallery

images © Jay Grant

A Beginning

Our building circa 1945
Rock Hill National Bank, 1970s

Friday Arts Project started 4 years ago now, at the start Winthrop University's school year in 2006. It began as a group of creative students gathering to work together and journey through questions that might have consequential answers. Who am I? What do I believe? What am I going to do about it?

We have brought to each other our work, our critique, our experiences and our encouragement. We have traveled together, we've collaborated and we have dreamed.

Over a year ago, we started working toward fleshing out our group mission statement more fully. Especially the piece that says "We provide a forum for dialogue enabling artists to inspire, engage, and create toward the renewal of hearts and culture." Ideas for a studio and gathering space began to formulate.

After so many dead-end meetings and looking at so many spaces that were just out of our reach, we finally found the perfect place and people willing to make it happen.

This week eight artists move into what we're calling Space 157, an eighty-year-old former bank building on East Main Street in Old Town Rock Hill, SC. We have 3,000 sun-filled square feet above a restaurant, right at the canopy line of the sidewalk trees. We're located in the middle of a growing arts scene, with the Community Performance Center, Gallery Up, the Gettys Art Center and the Center for the Arts all a short walk from us. We also have views of Winthrop University, the historic Textile Corridor, the City Hall Rotunda dome, and the rest of downtown.

There is plenty for us to do before we're completely settled in. We have furniture to find, floors to clean and a darkroom to build. And we are so excited to get started.

Women Who Go Beyond

Photographs © Zan Maddox

This month we partnered with ONE to bring Women Who Go Beyond: Success Stories from Africa to our Basement Gallery at the Gettys Art Center in Rock Hill.

This exhibition featured photographs by Morgana Wingard of women who have been empowered to help bring their communities out of poverty and transform the lives of those around them.

You can view a selection of the photographs here.

Red & Green: A Christmas Show

The Gettys Center in Rock Hill

Recently, we have been painting the lower level walls of a glorious 80-year old building on Main Street.  The Gettys Center opened in 1932 and was Rock Hill's courthouse and post office until the late 1980s, when it began being used for art studios.  We are excited to bring an unused part of this building into the light and open a new gallery space!

Our first show opens December 5, in conjunction with many other events & gallery openings during the ChristmasVille festival.

"Red & Green" is a themed show exhibiting new works from friends & local artists.

Opening is 6-9 on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009

Portrait Sessions

Our Monday night portrait drawing sessions are now every week at the Center for the Arts in Old Town Rock Hill.  

We have a clothed model for a two-hour pose. Sessions are open to experienced individuals who desire to work with a live model. Tables and chairs are provided. Please bring any other materials. No instruction will take place.

There is a $5 suggested contribution for the model.

Enter at the Cotton Alley Entrance to the Center for the Arts.

121 East Main Street Rock Hill, SC 29730

Call 864.923.5151 for more information

Jeremy Casella in Concert

Friday Arts Project is partnering with RUF at Winthrop to bring singer/songwriter Jeremy Casella to Old Town Rock Hill.  

Jeremy's new record, RCVRY, has been called "A Masterwork" by Derek Webb.  Christianity Today Magazine says "5 out of 5 stars...captivating, a hauntingly beautiful album to say the least."

Check out this video about the making of the album.

concert info:

Augello's Coffeehouse on Main Street Rock Hill

Friday, October 30

7-9 PM

Free Admission (CDs for sale)

Hope to see you there!

August Happenings

Coffee & Crayons V: Come meet Friday Arts Project folks after Winthrop's freshman convocation picnic on Monday, August 24.

All are welcome.

Coffee, refreshments, crayons and paper will be provided.

We'll gather in the Dinkins Student Center parking lot at 8:00 to walk/carpool over to Courtney's place.


The Marshall Tucker Band will be in concert on August 29 at the Old Town Amphitheater at City Hall. Show starts at 7:00 PM.

Friday Arts Project is partnering with the City of Rock Hill to promote community events in Old Town. At the concert, Friday Arts Project will have an exclusive balcony area reserved at a huge discount! Instead of the $28 general admission, we have a limited number of $10 tickets for F.A.P. friends who are Winthrop students & alumni.

There will also be a coffee bar.

Contact Stephen (scrotts86@gmail.com) or Cameron (buncec2@winthrop.edu) for more information.

See you in Old Town!


Our Monday night portrait sessions continue on August 31. We will have a clothed model for a two-hour pose. Sessions are open to experienced individuals who desire to work with a live model.

Tables and chairs are provided. Please bring any other materials. No instruction will take place.

There is a $5 suggested charge for the model.

Parking available in the White Street lot at First A.R.P. Sessions are upstairs.

Hope to see you there!

Ex Morte Vita

In February 2007, we held our first themed exhibition. Ex Morte Vita means Life from Death. We collaboratively explored ideas of redemption and rebirth for 3 weeks before opening our show to the public. We were elated by the audience (at least 250 people...) For us, it was a milestone. In a short time, with limited resources, we were able to pull together a show with about 30 pieces. Also, we were able to create a common space where artists and non-artists, skeptics and believers could interact and have dialogue about goodness, truth, and beauty.

This is where most everything we do starts - around coffee.
Poster designed by Brandon & Stephen.

Jared sketching for his piece.

Coffee & Crayons - which became an all nighter getting ready for the show.

Matt has been our distant supporter and mentor from the start. He and his sister drove up all the way from Florida to help and see the show.

The Loading Dock Gallery - folks busy hanging the exhibition

Some of our crowd of 250 + (photo by Megan Parker)

Katie playing for the crowd (photo by Megan Parker)

Adam Bomb (Jake Page)

When the Sea Shall Give Up Her Dead (Stephen)

Nothingness Was My Very Food (Courtney and Brandon)

(photo by Megan Parker)

The Artists of Ex Morte Vita