The vital and transformative nature of art is a reminder of the power we wield as human beings susceptible to the creative process: our ability to express and discern meaning.

Renee Stout is an artist who makes objects that are themselves transformations. Her mixed-media work reflects her long search for manifestations of West African culture in the landscape of the United States, and represents both an inward and outward exploration of identity and language.

“My work is inspired primarily by my African-American roots, but also other cultures,” she said. “As an artist, when I express myself honestly, I’m trying to access the curiosity of the child in me. That resonates with people because they are looking for some kind of truth and honesty, what it is to be a human being, period.”

It doesn’t matter if you’ve got zombie fever or are on the verge of punching the next person who starts talking about The Walking Dead in the face, you have to recognize that zombies have changed horror forever. On Thursday, the Halsey Institute screens Birth of the Living Dead, a documentary about the iconic horror movie Night of the Living Dead. “This documentary falls in line with one of the Halsey Institute’s tenants — demystifying the creative process,” says Lizz Biswell, the curator of education and public programs at the Halsey. “Birth of the Living Dead does a great job of pulling back the curtain on George Romero’s film lab to share his thoughts, frustrations, and hopes while he was creating what is arguably one of the most iconic films in popular culture.”

Herb Parker’s organic structures have sprouted up all over the world, from beneath a waterfall in Japan to, most recently, Artpark on the Niagara River in New York. Composed of natural materials like bamboo, clay, and moss, the structures aren’t really built to last, yet they leave a lasting impression on viewers, who often walk away with an altered perception of the environment—at least that’s Parker’s goal.

But the College of Charleston professor also has a separate body of work that he creates in his Holy City studio, and it’s these found-object sculptures that are currently on view at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art. The exhibition, dubbed “Studio Practice,” features a recreated version of Parker’s studio until October 5 (you can also see artist Joseph Burwell’s work space in “School of the Viking Spaniard Revisited”). But tomorrow, September 26, is your chance to hear Parker give a free artist talk in the Simons Center at 6 p.m. before a reception in the Halsey Institute galleries. Is your interest piqued? Get to know a bit more about the sculptor as he speaks to us about his studio work and more.

Are you in need of a good luck charm, in search of spiritual guidance, or help with your relationship? Conjure woman, spiritualist, seer, herbalist, and fortune teller, Fatima Mayfield is here for you. She’s the alter- ego of Washington D.C.-based artist, Renée Stout, who returns, after a 17-year hiatus, to the College of Charleston’s Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art with Tales of a Conjure Woman, featuring an array of work from the fictional Fatima’s life and conjuring practice.

Through humor and role play, Stout is able to use this persona as a vehicle for self-discovery and examination of everyday human experiences: love and relationships, health, wealth, societal is- sues. Through a variety of media, including paintings, drawings, and mixed media sculpture, Stout creates the objects that Fatima would have need of in her environment and practice, including talismans, charms, potions, and amulets.

The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston School of the Arts in Charleston, SC, kicked off its fall season with exhibitions featuring two internationally recognized artists; Burwell and Herb Parker. Entitled Joseph Burwell: School of the Viking Spaniard Revisited and Herb Parker: Studio Practice the exhibitions examine the relationship between the studio and the work produced within. College of Charleston sculpture professor Herb Parker and alum Joseph Burwell will recreate their studio spaces within the Halsey Institute’s galleries.

Have you ever had the opportunity to wander around in an artist’s studio?

It’s like being inside their brain. I’ve long been fascinated with the bits and pieces that inspire artists and would love to have private time to look into the studios of some of the famous ones.

Like Picasso, for instance. He had various studios over the years, and in pictures it’s wonderful to see the high ceilings and historic architectural rooms flooded with light, his paintings leaning against walls and his pottery stacked around the room.

The viewer wants to poke around and see what is there. Are there tribal sculptures for inspiration? A bullfighter’s cape? Both figure in his work, but are they things that Picasso would surround himself with?

So that’s why the upcoming exhibit at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston is intriguing.

The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston in South Carolina recently opened an immense exhibition featuring five contemporary artists who create sculptures and installations using various books and printed materials. Rebound features new works by Guy Laramee, Long Bin Chen, Francesca Pastine, Doug Beube, and Brian Dettmer. You can see many more exhibition views on the Hasley Institute’s website. The show runs through July 6, 2013.

Director and Senior Curator of the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art Mark Sloan was kind enough to provide us with a quick overview of the exhibition Studio Practice.  Entering an artist’s studio is a very special thing, as you are being allowed into a very unique space, often containing their most private thoughts, inspirations, ideas, and creations.

The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston School of the Arts recently organized a major group exhibition of new works by five mixed media artists from around the world who sculpt, scrape, bend and carve to create astonishing compositions using books. On view through July 6th, the exhibition features work from Doug Beube, Long-Bin Chen, Brian Dettmer, Guy Laramee, and Frecesca Pastine.

There is no doubt that “the relevance of physical books in our culture is diminishing” according to curator Karen Ann Meyers. Rebound, presented by the College of Charleston‘s Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, shows five artists who use books to create sculpture. Books provide a mass of free material for these artists. Encyclopedia sets were once functional objects from a different time and culture. These discarded books are given new life.