The McKissick Museum will offer special programming during the opening weekend of the exhibit Grass Roots: African Origins of an American Art. The exhibit, created by the Museum for African Art in New York in partnership with the Avery Research Center at the College of Charleston and the McKissick Museum, will be on display at the McKissick Museum from Saturday, February 13 – May 8, 2010. Several special programs will take place on Saturday, February 13th, 2010 to celebrate the exhibit opening, including a guided tour of the exhibition, a lecture, and a film screening. SC Humanities supported this opening weekend programming through a Mini Grant in December 2009.
Grass Roots: African Origins of an American Art is a major traveling exhibition that traces the history and artistry of southern sweetgrass baskets and their cousins in Africa. The exhibit includes a collection of artifacts, sweetgrass baskets, images, documents, and interpretive information to tell this exciting story.
The special events on Saturday, February 13th, 2010 include a guided tour of the exhibition at 11:00 a.m. by scholars Dale Rosengarten and Nakia Wigfall, a lecture at 12:00 p.m. by scholar Peter Wood about the history of Africans in South Carolina, and a screening of the documentary Grass Roots: The Enduring Art of the Lowcountry Basket at 1:00 p.m. SC Humanities also supported the documentary Grass Roots through a Major Grant. For more information about the exhibit and accompanying special programming, please see the McKissick Museum website at: http://www.cas.sc.edu/mcks/Grass%20Roots/GrassRoots11.html.
The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. SC Humanities programs and initiatives are balanced, reflecting sensitivity to the diversity of ideas, encourage open dialogue, demonstrate integrity, and are ethical in operations.
