Join the Halsey Institute staff and tour guides for a fun-filled family-friendly celebration of the exhibition Demond Melancon: As Any Means Are Necessary. Enjoy guided tours for your family, art activities that explore the exhibition, kid-friendly snacks, and more!

Join us for the next Meet the Maker featuring Kenny Nguyen.

Meet the Makers are quarterly get-togethers for members at the Postmodernist level and above to meet an artist or maker and learn about their creative process within an intimate setting. The Maker is often an upcoming exhibiting artist at the Halsey Institute or expands on introducing creative makers local to Charleston. They will give a presentation describing their inspiration, passions, process, and, ultimately, final result. Members are asked to bring “a bottle of wine and an open mind.” RSVPs are not required, but are appreciated! RSVP to AnchetaSM@cofc.edu.

Not a member yet? Not a problem! Find out more about the benefits of membership here.

Kenny Nguyen creates what he calls “deconstructed paintings”, large, bold works that are comprised of hundreds of silk strips, which he cuts, paints, and meticulously applies onto canvas. The pieces may be hung in different iterations: sculpturally on the wall with undulations or flat, stretched like a painting on bars or behind glass. Born in Vietnam, Kenny moved to the states in 2010. After art school, he spent his early career in fashion. Working with silk has ties for the artist not only to dressmaking and patterns, but also long-standing associations to the material through his culture. The idea of cutting a fabric revered for its symbol of wealth, its beauty and delicacy in clothing, and its century-long ties to trade and status in Asia was a breakthrough for Nguyen. By taking something from tradition and reconstructing it, he was maintaining an association with his past while also making it is own. The process itself like the artist himself, a hybrid, blending cultures, and ideas, bringing to light the idea how identity is constantly changing over time, creating beauty and versatility.

The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston celebrates its 40th birthday with funky FUNdraiser: ART IN MOTION! The celebration is comprised of two parts with something for everyone.

Join us for a free parade through the College of Charleston’s campus, followed by a ticketed party featuring a mystery art banner installation in the historic Cistern Yard.

1:00 PM PARADE

Line the streets running through campus for a parade that embodies our mission, uniting artists and the community for a lively display of art in motion. Banners decorated by artists from the Halsey Institute’s exhibition history and Charleston-based talents will be carried by area community groups. 

2:00 – 5:00 PM TICKETED FUNDRAISER

The banners featured in the parade will be installed in the College of Charleston Cistern Yard for a ticketed anniversary party with music, activities, and festive food and drink.

Each unique banner will be sold for $250, but the artists’ identities remain a surprise until after purchase, adding a touch of Halsey-esque anticipation! Participating artists include Shepard Fairey, Jennifer Wen Ma, Brian Rutenberg, Coulter Fussell, Colin Quashie, Elisa Harkins, Becca Barnet, Fahamu Pecou, and many more!

YOU’VE GOTTA BE THERE!

Tickets are $75 for “Not-yet Members” and $50 for current Halsey Members.

Purchase your tickets here!

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS AND PARTNERS!

Join us for the next Meet the Maker featuring David Antonio Cruz.

Meet the Makers are quarterly get-togethers for members at the Postmodernist level and above to meet an artist or maker and learn about their creative process within an intimate setting. The Maker is often an upcoming exhibiting artist at the Halsey Institute or expands on introducing creative makers local to Charleston. They will give a presentation describing their inspiration, passions, process, and, ultimately, final result. Members are asked to bring “a bottle of wine and an open mind.” RSVPs are not required, but are appreciated! RSVP to AnchetaSM@cofc.edu.

Not a member yet? Not a problem! Find out more about the benefits of membership here.

David Antonio Cruz explores the intersectionality of queerness and race through painting, sculpture, and performance. Focusing on queer, trans, and gender fluid communities of color, Cruz examines the violence perpetrated against their members, conveying his subjects both as specific individuals and as monumental signifiers for large and urgent systemic concerns. 

Join us for a casual morning of coffee, conversation, and an exhibition tour with the Halsey Institute’s director and chief curator Katie Hirsch and your fellow members in Demond Melancon: As Any Means Are Necessary. Katie will begin her exhibition tour at 9:30 AM, but members are welcome to join us at any point during the event.

The Curator Coffee Club is sponsored by Blūm in Charleston.

This event is open to all levels of Halsey Institute membership. Not a member yet? Not a problem! Find out more about the benefits of membership here. 

Join the Halsey Institute for a screening of two films connected to Demond Melancon: As Any Means Are Necessary. 

Screening first will be All on a Mardi Gras Day (2019), an award-winning short film that presents an intimate portrait of Big Chief Demond Melancon’s obsessive journey through the secret 200-year culture known as the Black Masking Culture of New Orleans. The film’s run time is 23 minutes.

Screening second is We Won’t Bow Down (2014), a feature-length documentary film that explores the many leaders and facets of the Black Masking Culture of New Orleans. The film’s run time is 1 hour 35 minutes.