Barefoot with braids and in a long, shiny black, gold and silver dress that merges tradition and futurism, Elisa Harkins took the stage at the Charleston Music Hall with not only her music but her culture to share. 

Artist and composer Elisa Harkins created “Wampum / ᎠᏕᎳ ᏗᎦᎫᏗ” as an act of Indigenous Futurism, blending disco and native languages to preserve and celebrate her culture. Featured in Spoleto Festival USA, the performance and accompanying exhibition highlight the continued existence of Indigenous cultures worldwide. 

Co-presented with the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, the performance features Harkins singing in Cherokee, English, and Muscogee (Creek) to electronic dance tracks inspired by Indigenous music, seamlessly merging the traditional with the contemporary. 

The stark white walls at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston are glimmering. On them hang nine handmade Cherokee shawls constructed by Native American (Cherokee/Muscogee) artist and composer Elisa Harkins, for her solo exhibition Teach Me a Song. The exhibit centers on Indigenous song exchange and language revitalization among Indigenous groups in the United States and Canada.

Charleston continues to have a vibrant museum scene, now with a designated Museum Mile walkable route comprised of six museums, which begins at the Charleston Visitor Center on Meeting Street. Read on to learn more about some of the area’s most notable artistic and historic attractions.

Abstract shapes in bright paint hues pop from a canvas in one corner, while a trio of sweatshirts draped over mannequins in the center of the room are geared up with headphones to explain their origin stories. Strangers in black and white stare from expertly angled light and shadow in framed photographs, while sculptures curve, arc and dangle. 

In its 39th year, the Young Contemporaries program at The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art recognizes College of Charleston student artists and their work. This year, Oberlin College Professor of Studio Art and Painting Sarah Schuster was tasked with selecting a variety of prize and award winners from the wide range of media and styles presented in this show.