Sweetgrass baskets...a proud tradition

      In the South, tradition is served alongside sweet tea. Traditions are carried on for many reasons. They can emanate pride, bring people together or simply preserve a heritage. For whatever reason, things continue to be done “as they always have” in the South, and SC is no exception.

      A self-taught artistic tradition that continues strong in SC is the weaving of sweetgrass baskets in the Lowcountry. The art of the basket came to SC with the arrival of Africans from the West African coast during slavery. They brought with them their customs, one being the art of weaving the sweetgrass basket. Today, the art lives on a stitch at a time by the Gullah folk, descendants of the original African weavers.

Sweetgrass baskets on display (photo by Corey Alston)

      Originally, the sweetgrass baskets were made for functional use. Their sturdy, lightweight design made them desirable for working. Some jobs they were used for were to clean rice and gather and store food and tools. Today, the baskets are made the same, as the art is passed from parent to child. As with the style, the the materials also have not changed. All the materials that comprise a basket are natural and local to the area. These include sweetgrass, bulrush, brown marsh grass, pine needles and palmetto leaves. 

Close-up of the materials in the sweetgrass basket (photo by Corey Alston)

 

      The sweetgrass baskets in the US are native to the Mt. Pleasant area. Weavers can be found along Highway 17 North in their stands selling their wares and also in the open-air market on Market Street of downtown Charleston. On our trip to the Lowcountry, Nathan and I met Corey Alston, a 5^th generation weaver in the market upon introduction by the owners of Black Cat Tours (www.blackcattours.com) Mark Jones and Rebel Sinclair. Talking with Corey, we learned the history of the sweetgrass baskets and also the role tradition plays.

      Tradition is the reason the art continues in existence. Each weaver learns the art from their parents, typically the mother, and carries it to the succeeding generation. It is because of this value of tradition, a trait so common in the South, that the art persists in its original form. 

 

      Another interesting facet we learned about the tradition of basket making is the pride each weaver feels by carrying on the work of their descendants. By entering this profession, each weaver becomes part of something larger than themselves. In fact, Corey's business card is testament to this as he calls his work “a proud tradition.”

Corey weaving (photo by Corey Alston)

      If you have met or seen these weavers, you probably know that the majority are women. During our time with Corey, we asked him how he felt being a male weaver. Beyond common knowledge, we learned the original sweetgrass weavers were men. Therefore, Corey informed us, by becoming part of this artistry he was carrying on another tradition, the legacy of male weavers.

Basket made by Corey (photo by Corey Alston)

      If you are ever in the Charleston and Mt. Pleasant area, do not forget to check out these self-taught artists who have never received formal training for their multi-generational work. After all, you do not find a 300 year old folk art perfectly preserved every day! You can find Corey and his family at the top of the market at the steps of the Daughters of Confederacy building. You can also check out his Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Corey-Alston-Gullah-Sweetgrass-Baskets/295865456703) or send him an email to corey.alston@comcast.net. 

Palmetto roses made out of palmetto leaves (photo by Corey Alston)

     Here is a clip from the documentary Bin Yah that explores the potential loss of the Gullah culture in the Lowcountry due to development.  This segment focuses on the art of the sweetgrass basket weaving.

 

Until next time,

Krista

Table of baskets by Corey and his family (photo by Corey Alston)

Daughters of Confederacy building.  Corey and his family set up below the 2 staircases.

Tiny Town

      As a child, one of my favorite activities during Christmastime was to see Christmas lights. There was, and still is, something magical about the twinkle of colors against the darkness that is captivating. In Easley, SC Perry and Ollie Jennings captured this awe and created an entire village lit at night that draw both young and old, Tiny Town.

      Perry and Ollie Jennings began the Tiny Town project in the early 1970s when Ollie realized that she would never live in her dream home, a log cabin. As a consolation, she asked her husband to build her a log cabin church they had seen in NC. After the log cabin church, they continued adding buildings. Today, Tiny Town is a diminutive zip code complete with a church, blacksmith, stores and more.

Boy fishing with church log cabin in background (photo by Krista Jones)

Log cabin house (photo by Krista Jones)

      Today, both Perry and Ollie are deceased and the mantle has passed to their daughter, Pat Kelly. When Nathan and I went to visit Tiny Town, it was Pat Kelly who gave us a tour of her parents' creation. In our walk through the streets of Tiny Town, we learned thousands of people come to see Tiny Town each year and enjoy the lights. 

Pat Kelly next to Tiny Town's gazebo (photo by Krista Jones)

       If you come to Tiny Town, you will find an entire yard filled with small log cabin buildings including the church Mr. Jennings built. What you will also find is a second phase of Tiny Town that are not log cabin structures, but miniature display case buildings. These buildings have a plexiglass glass front and house any array of toys. Each of these buildings are individually themed, a few of them being Matchbox cars, McDonalds and Disney. In short, Tiny Town is a youngster's dream. The colorful displays kept reminding me of the opening scene in A Christmas Story with all the children's noses pressed to the toy store's front display window. In addition to the town, there is also a an entire building whose purpose is to host visitors as they sip coffee and hot chocolate cooked over a wood stove.

Log cabin (photo by Krista Jones)

Tiny Town's Disneyland (photo by Krista Jones)

Inside one of the displays (photo by Krista Jones)

      From an artistic perspective, what I also found interesting at Tiny Town was the two distinct phases in the buildings, the log structures and the display structures. To me, the first phase marks the influence of Perry Jennings and the latter the combined efforts of the family to continue Tiny Town. There is beauty in each phase. For me, the first boasts originality and artistic flair while the latter shows past influence with efforts to draw a larger crowd to a Christmas-themed Tiny Town.  Here's a video interviewing Ollie Jennings about Tiny Town.

      If you wish to visit Tiny Town, it is open to the public from Thanksgiving to New Years nightly from 5:30pm to 10:00pm. It's address is:

555 Latham Road

Easley, SC 29640

*Free, donations accepted*
(864) 859-7335 or (864) 905-7798

Signing off,

Krista

Tiny outhouse behind tiny church (photo by Krista Jones)

William Thomas Thompson

     If you lose the ability to use your hands and feet, your lifestyle consequently changes. For many folks, this development would result in a lifestyle with lessened activity. However, for William Thomas Thompson, this resulted into a painting career. In 1989, Thompson developed the neurological disorder Guillain–Barré syndrome that caused him to lose control of his motor system. Unable to continue in his original career in business, Thompson claimed to me and Nathan Thursday that painting was the only option. 

Thompson in front of his mural About SC at SC State Museum (photo from http://www.arthompson.com/)

      In his personal studio, Thompson gave me and Nathan a tour. He showed us his large collection that he began back in the late 1980s. As it is not customary for Thompson to sell his work, we were able to see visually the accomplishments Thompson has achieved in his painting career. I do not have an exact figure, but there are thousands of completed canvases in his studio.

      Thompson identifies himself as a visionary artist. His subject matter is mostly Biblical including scenes from Creation and Revelations. A few pieces we saw were Jesus walking on water, the seven days of Creation, and political and pop-culture messages. One of my favorites is the painting of unconditional love.

Unconditional love (photo by Nathan Redding)

Jesus and Simon Peter on water (photo by Nathan Redding)

Creation Day 2 (photo by Nathan Redding)

      What struck me most during our morning with William Thomas Thompson was his motivation and determination to carry out his work. Despite the additional obstacles Thompson has before him, a neurological disorder, lack of formal training and little to no appreciation for his work locally, he continues to paint. And paint he does. For Thompson, large canvases provide an even greater opportunity to carry out his work and the message he wishes to impart. In fact, he is known to paint 300 foot long canvases such as one that hangs in the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, MD.

      I appreciate Thompson's determination to continue his passion despite the hurdles. To me, this characteristic shows a sign of a true artist. That is, one who is willing to create their work no matter the cost. For Thompson, these costs are most often rejection. 

September 11th (photo by Nathan Redding)

Union of man and woman (photo by Nathan Redding)

      If you wish to peruse Thompson's work and appreciate his truly incredible work, you can visit his website at (http://www.arthompson.com/) or ask him if he will arrange a gallery showing.

Until next time,

Krista

Broom Place

      Another must-see SC folk art stop is located in the small town of Boykin. Located between Sumter and Camden off Highway 521, Boykin is the site of Boykin Mill, a 200 year-old corn mill, the last battle of the Civil War on April 18, 1865, a few restaurants and the Broom Place.

Boykin, SC with Broom Place on far left (photo by Krista Jones)

      Now, at first a place that produces brooms may not appear as an attraction, especially if they do not fly. But these brooms are special in a non-magical way. Broom-maker in residence, Susan Simpson, creates these brooms using the same techniques employed in past centuries with period machinery. On top of that, the straw is bright colors such as red, yellow, green and blue. Not even witches and wizards have such fanciful broom heads as these!

      Nathan and I drove to Boykin to visit Broom Place Wednesday. Unfortunately, we did not arrive in Boykin in time to meet Susan at Broom Place as it was after 5 o'clock. However, we were able to see Broom Place, which is housed in a renovated 18^th century period home, and can vouch for its existence.  Next time we are in the area, we are planning to visit Susan at the Broom Place and encourage you to do the same.

Broom Place (photo by Krista Jones)

      If you plan on visiting Boykin and the Broom place, the address is:

82 Boykin Mill Road

Rembert, SC 29128

Monday through Friday— 10:30am to 5:00pm

Saturday— 10:30 to 2:00pm

      Broom Place's telephone: (803)-425-0933

       

     Boykin Mill Farms website's entry on Broom Place: http://www.boykinmillfarms.com/broom.asp

Signing off,

Krista

Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden

     The town of Bishopville is not the top destination spot for South Carolina. It is the county seat for Lee county, one of the poorest counties in the state. In fact, the average household income in 2009 for Bishopville was $27,376; the state average was $42,442 (http://www.city-data.com/city/Bishopville-South-Carolina.html). Close to a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line. If you take a drive through Lee County, you will find mostly cotton fields.

      While Lee County does not appear to have much to offer, look again. In addition to the Button King, Bishopville is also home to the famous Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden. Back in the 1980s Pearl Fryar set himself the goal to be the first African American to win Bishopville's Yard of the Month. Accomplishing this required something special since his yard fell outside the town limits and he is African American. Pearl Fryar began visiting compost piles behind local nurseries and rescuing thrown away plants. These misfits were then transformed into what Pearl calls “living sculptures.”

Pearl Fryar in his garden (photo by Nathan Redding)

   

   Today, over 20 years later, a walk through Pearl Fryar's garden transports you from 145 Broad Acres Road to a paradisaical land that reminds me of scenes in Dr. Seuss books. You are first greeted by a green triangle of squares, ovals and and towers in the driveway and then a medley of fountains and sculpture pieces boasting messages of L-O-V-E. There are also towering square trees, archways, swirls, circles and every other shape imaginable spread throughout the 3 ½ acre garden. 

Dr. Seuss-like trees (photo by Krista Jones)

      Needless to say, Pearl won Yard of the Month. But his success and determination have taken him further. Pearl and his misfit plants have achieved global attention for defying the rules of horticulture. In fact, Pearl says that horticulturists and botanists often point to Pearl's creations and say “that's not possible” to the man with no formal topiary training save a 3 minute demonstration in a nursery. Pieces of Pearl's work have been placed in downtown Bishopville, the Bishopville Waffle House, the SC State Museum and Kansas City. 

Another view in the garden (photo by Krista Jones)

      In addition to his topiary art, Pearl also creates fountains and sculptures. He refers to these as his “junk art.” Most of these boast the word “love” or hearts. All the materials come from his collected junk pile. Pearl remarked to Nathan and I that the beauty of his “junk art” is that unlike his plants, these pieces do not require maintenance. Like topiary, Pearl Fryar has received no formal training in metal working. Yet, his pieces are acclaimed and sought after (sorry, but he does not make these on commission). 

Dog drinking at water fountain, a "junk art" piece (photo by Krista Jones)

Pot head, another "junk art" piece (photo by Krista Jones)

      In both his documentary video A Man Named Pearl and in our conversation with him Wednesday, the message Pearl Fryar is sending out is that everyone is special and deserves to be loved. This is evident in the attention each shrub and tree receives (they all are trimmed every 4 to 6 weeks) and in Pearl's open hospitality. Pearl's work is clear evidence that love can make any break and void repaired fully just as his throw away misfit plants are now vivacious sculptures.

L-O-V-E, another "junk art" piece (photo by Nathan Redding)

 

Backside of driveway (photo by Krista Jones)

      The Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden is located at:

145 Broad Acres Road

Bishopville, SC

(803)-484-5581

*The garden is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to 4pm*

**There is no admission fee but donations are accepted**

      You can also visit his website at:

www.pearlfryar.com

Until next time,

Krista

Dalton Stevens the “Button King”

      Wednesday Nathan and I set out for Bishopville, SC to meet two internationally recognized self-taught artists, Dalton Stevens and Pearl Fryar. When we arrived in Bishopville, we first visited Dalton Stevens's Button Museum on the outskirts of town.

The Button King strumming a tune (photo by Nathan Redding)

      Dalton Stevens's button career began a couple decades back when his insomnia left him alone in a quiet house after television signed off at 2am. To pass the time, he began sewing buttons onto a pair of denim paints. After two years, he completed his button additions on an entire denim suit. Since the suit, Stevens has expanded his repertoire to include two other suits, hats, two coffins (one for him and one as testimony to his work indefinitely), a Chevrolet Chevette, a hearse, an outhouse, a bathtub and sink, a piano, a guitar and a grandfather clock.

Three button-ized suits in the Button Museum (photo by Nathan Redding)

Button-clad outhouse (photo by Nathan Redding)

     The uniqueness of Stevens' work has led to his identification as the Button King as well as world-wide recognition. In the Button Museum, an entire wall is dedicated to magazines and literature that features the Button King including two editions of the Guinness Book of World Records and Time. The adjacent wall features signed photographs of celebrities who hosted Stevens on their show including Johnny Carson, Regis and Kathie Lee and Bill Cosby. Beyond the attention received for his work, the Button King said that he has received requests to participate in parades across the United States. He also shared with us that BMW asked him to button-ize a car for them (but he turned the offer down).

The Button King's hearse (photo by Nathan Redding)

Button-ized Chevy Chevette (photo by Nathan Redding)

 

     Meeting Dalton Stevens and visiting his Button Museum was an adventure. I found his innovation and creativity fascinating. From our time together last Wednesday, what stood out to me was that he sees his work more as a hobby than art. As Stevens said, he began his button-mania because he had nothing else to do while his family slept at night. Thus, sewing and gluing buttons became a pastime. However, I believe the Button King's work can still be considered art, especially considering Ellen Dissanayake's book Homo aestheticus: Where Art Comes From and Why. In her book, Dissanayake states that art is more than creating an aesthetic piece— it's a behavior. In fact, it is natural for humans to create art on a regular basis. Dalton Steven's act of adhering buttons to interesting subjects is a natural and innate behavior. It also happens that his button behavior creates aesthetic products. Thus, the Button King's work is art in both senses of the word. 

 

      If you wish to see the Button King's work, visit:

The Button Museum

55 Joe Dority Road

Bishopville, SC 29010

803.428.3841

*call ahead to make sure the museum is open*

**The Button Museum has no fee, but donations are accepted**

      You can also visit his personal website at: http://scbuttonking.com/

Signing off,

Krista

Decorative steering wheel inside Chevy Chevette (photo by Nathan Redding)

Ernest Lee the "Chicken Man"

      If you are from South Carolina, chances are you have heard of The Chicken Man or seen his work. An Edgefield native, Ernest Lee is known for his “open air mobile art gallery” that appears throughout Columbia. As Nathan and I researched Ernest Lee's most recent whereabouts, we learned along the way about other venues that carry his work, such as Christopher Park Gallery in downtown Greenville. After some detective work, we now have the latest update on Ernest Lee.

     Currently, the Chicken Man is holding a studio space in downtown Columbia. Don't worry, the mobile gallery is still alive and well, parked outside. His studio is located at:

1015 Whaley Street

Columbia, SC 29201

(803)-586-3751

In addition to finding his work here, you can also visit the downtown Richland County Library on Assembly Street where he currently has a show on the bottom floor (January 13^th - March 6^th). Nathan and I went to see it yesterday and were blown away. I did not realize that the Chicken Man painted more than chickens and palmetto trees. He also paints portraits and elaborate scenes. 

 

      When Nathan and I had barely been in the library's show two minutes, we heard a voice behind us say, “You like my work? I'm the Chicken Man.” We wheeled around to find ourselves standing in the presence of the Chicken Man. From our impromptu meeting, we were able to then later visit his studio that afternoon. 

Chickens in the Chicken Man's roost (photo by Nathan Redding)

 

      I found Ernest Lee to be a very happy man with a passion for his work. One of the questions Nathan and I are hoping to answer this month is if the self-taught artists we meet make art as a hobby or a profession. From my time yesterday afternoon with Ernest Lee, I feel the Chicken Man's art answers both callings. His art is his livelihood for him and his family yet also his passion. This ability that Ernest Lee has created to express himself for a living is inspiring. Often, I hear the advice to find your passion and then everything else will fall in place. As a Senior in college soon to graduate, the difficulty of this advice is looming. Yet, Ernest Lee has done it and is an example that we can all potentially embrace ourselves without fear. In the Chicken Man's words, “be what you are, don't be what you ain't. Because if you be what you ain't then you ain't what you are.”

Three pieces by Ernest Lee (photo by Nathan Redding)

      Meeting the famous Chicken Man yesterday was incredible. I found it hard to comprehend that I was standing in the presence of the man who's work adorns many a wall and presence draws a crowd. Reflecting upon my time with him yesterday, I realize that the Chicken Man not only is unique but is part of our South Carolinian folklore. Folklore, any traditional customs, tales, saying, dances or art forms preserved by a people, is what makes a people different. Ernest Lee's decision to teach himself to paint and share his work has made our culture more colorful. Perhaps then, one of the gems self-taught artists produce is the life, spunk and character they add to themselves but also their surrounding environment. What would South Carolina be without its Chicken Man?

-Krista

PS-- You can also find the Chicken Man on his personal website (http://ernestleeonline.com/) and his Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ernest-J-Lee-The-ChickenMan/147900715222312) 

Mobile Art Gallery parked in front of the Whaley Street studio (photo by Nathan Redding)

Me and Ernest Lee outside his studio (photo by Nathan Redding)