A historic preservationist in his own right, film curator Skip Elsheimer should feel right at home during his film screening at the Charleston Music Hall this week. In the 1990s, Elsheimer cultivated more than 25,000 16 mm educational films, most of which he rescued from the trash bins at schools and libraries around the country. They’re stored in Raleigh at the A/V Geeks Educational Film Archive, which was established by Elsheimer.

Now, he spends most of his time touring the country, showing the films that many institutions have deemed useless and irrelevant. And for that, he’s sort of a hero.

Young Contemporaries: Annual Student Exhibition
April 4 – May 2
Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, Charleston, South Carolina
The brightest stars of the College of Charleston’s School of the Arts show off their work in this annual exhibition.

All month long, you will have the opportunity to view some of College of Charleston’s best student art. The Young Contemporaries Exhibit will be in the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art housed in the College of Charleston’s Marion and Wayland H. Cato Center for the Arts from April 4th to May 2nd.

College of Charleston students had the opportunity to submit recent works of art, and from the submissions, the best were selected to be displayed in the Halsey Center for this exhibition. You can expect to find submissions in the form of paintings, sculptures, photographs, and prints.

The opening reception for the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art’s 30th annual Young Contemporaries exhibition is 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, April 3, 2015 at the Halsey Institute, 161 Calhoun Street. The awards ceremony is at 6 p.m. The event, which includes complimentary refreshments and hors d’oeuvres, is free and open to the public.

Juried by Philadelphia-based visiting artist Lawren Alice, the exhibition represents the brightest talents coming out of the College’s School of the Arts – including painters, sculptors, printmakers and photographers. Of the 502 submissions by 143 students, these 66 student works will be on display in the Halsey Institute galleries through May 2, 2015.

Sculpture, photography, engraving, digital collage, video or installation. For the artist Alyson Shotz the medium does not matter, but rather the opportunity to explore and express the themes that interest her as an artist. They are diverse and involve mathematical principles, literature, computer graphics and more.

But it is possible to affirm that the movement and the light are a constant in its work. With a special ability to translate the passage of time into original creations, several of his works offer the observer both a dynamic and a contemplative experience.

While technically the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art is part of the College of Charleston, it plays a significant role in Charleston’s vibrant art scene. Mark Sloan has overseen more than 100 exhibitions (plus an annual Young Contemporaries exhibit that features a curated collection of work by CofC students) during his 20-year stint as Chief Curator and Director.

Mark, we’ll began our conversation with the organization’s mission and how that relates to making the arts an important part of life (and livability) in Charleston.

The mission was developed over several months, so I really need to share it in its entirety:

The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston School of the Arts provides a multidisciplinary laboratory for the production, presentation, interpretation, and dissemination of ideas by innovative visual artists from around the world. As a non-collecting museum, we create meaningful interactions between adventurous artists and diverse communities within a context that emphasizes the historical, social, and cultural importance of the art of our time.

That night, we had dinner at Rue de Jean before sliding next door to the Charleston Music Hall for the Groundhog Day Concert fundraiser. The Halsey Institute presented an evening with some of Charleston’s best musicians. We’re sure that everyone on stage could play the accordion like a champ even if they had never picked one up before — all of which left us wondering what we did in college. It was en route to the concessions stand when we remembered.

The concert opened with a marionette performance from puppeteer Will Schutze (of Mr. Bonetangles fame) that seemed like a live-action Tim Burton movie. Then the musicians took the stage. The standouts were definitely Michael Flynn and Lindsay Holler. The entire performance seemed well-rehearsed but off-the-cuff, a great little show. And we would have stayed through the entire final song if we hadn’t thought the front row was romancing the idea to mosh.

Last Saturday night, music poured out of the Charleston Music Hall, as the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art hosted their annual Groundhog Day benefit concert. Groundhog Day, according to Halsey director Mark Sloan, is a vastly overlooked holiday that deserves a bit of appreciation and attention. Singer and guitarist, and somewhat host of the night, Bill Carson, said of the event, “”This concert is a way for the local music community to show its support for the fantastic contemporary arts programming that the Halsey Institute provides year-round, and year after year.” As the third annual benefit concert, the event helps to maintain the Halsey as a professional, entertaining and inviting art center.

The 2nd annual Groundhog Day benefit concert at the Charleston Music Hall last night was full of musical magic and intrigue.  Gifted puppeteer Will Schutze opened the show with a marionette dance and song medley and the curtain opened on a fabric-draped stage with musicians and instruments cloaked in lights.  For the next three hours there was a nearly seamless progression of knockout performances, a real thrill ride for jazz-lovers, with a bent for Americana and Latin flavors.

Musical mastermind Bill Carson put together a carefully curated and enthralling program of old and new songs written by many of the local musicians on stage or culled from his archives of personal favorites.  He tweaked arrangements to weave genres together (let’s throw some banjo in that one!) or build tension. Joel Hamilton’s now-iconic “Tourniquet” was a reprise from last year, but with noticeable changes and a twist at the end that made it oh-so-satisfying.  What Carson does with mood is brilliant.

Some creative forces will be teaming up this weekend for a concert that looks pretty interesting.  It’s the Groundhog Day Concert, and it will be happening Saturday night, January 31st at the Charleston Music Hall (37 John Street, downtown).  It’s described as an “intimate evening of music” and is spearheaded by the cool folks at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art.  There will be music by The Opposite of a Train – Bill Carson, Nathan Koci, and Ron Wiltrout; Owen Beverly, Jack Burg, John Cobb, Michael Flynn, Clint Fore, Joel Hamilton, Kevin Hamilton, Rachel Kate Gillon, Jonathan Gray, Mark Sterbank, Lindsay Holler, and Stephanie Underhill.  There will also be a special performance by Mr. Bonetangles   –  puppeteer Will Schutze’s rising star who recently had an impressive performance in Jon Favreau’s delightful new movie, “Chef.”