State Museum Celebrates Artist Dr. Leo Twiggs During Art Day

The South Carolina State Museum will celebrate art in South Carolina during Art Day on Saturday, March 10 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The signature event will feature a variety of programs highlighting the work of South Carolina artist, community leader and former State Museum Commissioner Dr. Leo Twiggs, focusing on his current exhibit Requiem for Mother Emanuel. Activities will include a gallery talk by Twiggs, music performances from the Mother Emanuel AME Choir and Indigo Soul, South Carolina artists working throughout the museum, behind-the-scenes tours, hands-on family activities and more.

Twiggs, an award-winning artist, educator and arts leader, has worked determinedly for over 60 years in the arts in South Carolina and the culmination of his experience can been seen in his exhibition Requiem for Mother Emanuel. The exhibit, now open at the State Museum, was created in the aftermath of the murders at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, in June of 2015. The nine batik paintings provided a vehicle for Twiggs to process this awful event and search for meaning as he continued to work. Dr. Twiggs will discuss this series, the medium in which the paintings are created and how the process helped him cope with the tragedy.

“All of my works have deep roots in my experiences growing up in the South but my intent, as always, is to explore the human condition,” says Twiggs. “It is this exploration, I believe, that makes art endearing and enduring.”

Before and after the gallery talk from Twiggs, Indigo Soul will perform musical selections including, leading guests in a rendition of Lift Every Voice and Sing. Indigo Soul is a soul music trio featuring the combined talents of locally based performing artists Katrina Blanding, Terrance Henderson, and Kendrick Marion. Using song, movement, theater and storytelling, Indigo Soul is dedicated to creating new works and using music as a means of healing and conversation. Performance and talk begins at 1:30 pm on the 4th floor.

Immediately following, the Mother Emanuel AME Church choir from Charleston will perform for guests on the third floor. Often referred to as Mother Emanuel, the church was founded in 1816, Emanuel AME is the oldest African Methodist Episcopal church in the Southern United States, with the first independent black denomination in the United States as well as one of the oldest black congregations south of Baltimore.

Art Day will also feature special guided behind-the-scenes tours of the museum’s art storage areas, which include more than 4,000 works of art dating between 1590 to present, and a variety of live demonstrations in which guests get an up close and personal look at how artists make their visions come to life. Metal sculptor, Herman Thompson, potter John Sharpe, and painters Alicia Leeke, Brian Rego, Allan Anderson and Rick Wells will be working onsite. The day will also include kid friendly hands-on activities focusing on resist techniques used by Dr. Twiggs in his batik paintings.

All Art Day activities are included with museum general admission or membership. Visit scmuseum.org to learn more.