CRASH

Exhibition 3/2/2012 - Andy Warhol: Legends from the Cochran Collection and Warhol in Photographs

2012-02-15T20:08:00.000-05:00

Film 2/16/2012 - Barbershop Punk

2012-02-15T19:10:00.002-05:00

SouthArts Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers Returns to

the I.P. StanbackMuseum and Planetarium with Barbershop Punk

Orangeburg, S.C. – SC State’sI.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium presents “Barbershop Punk” with director, producer and writer, GeorgiaSugimura Archer, as part of South Arts’ Southern Circuit Tour of IndependentFilmmakers. The event will take place on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012 at 5:30p.m. Following a screening of herfeature film, Archer and the audience will engage in a discussion about thefilm and her work as a filmmaker. A reception will immediately follow. Thisevent is free and open to the public.

“Barbershop Punk” examines the criticalissues surrounding the future of the American Internet and what it truly meansto be “punk.” In a privatized Americaninternet, is big business “Big Brother” or does the free markets protect andserve the needs of the average citizen with its invisible hand? With the simpleact of swapping files, barbershop quartet baritone Robb Topolski finds himselfat ground zero of a landmark case whose outcome will affect the rights of everyAmerican citizen. The film follows one man’s personal quest to defend what hebelieves to be his inalienable rights.“BarbershopPunk” features discussions with singer and songwriter Henry Rollins, Americancomedian Janeane Garofalo, U.S. Congressmen Chip Pickering, Clinton White HousePress Secretary Mike McCurry, Michelle Combs of the Christian Coalition,lobbyist Jack Burkman and Federal Communications (FCC) Commissioner JonathanAdelstein.

The Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakersis a program of South Arts. Southern Circuit screenings are funded in part by agrant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.Special support for the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers wasprovided by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

South Arts, a nonprofit regional arts organization,was founded in 1975 to build on the South's unique heritage andenhance the public value of the arts. South Arts' work responds to the artsenvironment and cultural trends with a regional perspective. South Arts offersan annual portfolio of activities designed to address the role of the arts inimpacting the issues important to our region, and to link the South withthe nation and the world through the arts. For more information, visit www.southarts.org.

For additional information about “The Stanback,”contact Ellen Zisholtz, Director, at (803)536-7174 or Ingrid Owens, Program Manager,at (803)536-8329or visitwww.scsuCRASH.blogspot.com.

Renovatedand reopened on February 23, 2007 after being closed for several years, theI.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium located on the campus of South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, S.C., is an embodiment of SC StateUniversity's commitment to community service enhancing the appreciation of Civil Rights, Arts, Science and Humanitiesin a single facility. The Stanback is of significant national importanceas the only facility of its kind, an interdisciplinary Museum and Planetarium,at any Historically Black College and University and one of few in the country.

Book Review and Discussion - I’m Black and I’m Proud, wished the white girl: the Autobiography of Lynn Markovich Bryant

2011-11-09T11:37:00.002-05:00

I’m Black and I’m Proud, wished the white girl: the Autobiography of
Lynn Markovich Bryant

Orangeburg, S.C. – SouthCarolina State University - Book Review and Discussion with theAuthor at the I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium - Friday, Nov. 18, 2011at 5:30 p.m. I’m Black and I’m Proud, wished the white girl:theAutobiography of Lynn Markovich Bryant. Living within a Black World andcoming to know racism first-hand in such a personal way is rarely the pathtraveled by the average white American. Bryant shares her story of dealing withracism during her early life. Her journey begins after the passing of herfather while growing up in northern Michigan.

Upon the remarriage of her mother to an African American man duringthe1960's and the relocation of her family to the coastal Sea Islands of SouthCarolina as a child, Lynn comes face to face with the shocking reality of twoworlds – a White World and a Black World. She rapidly learns the unwritten,yet quietly understood rules that govern the separation of these worlds. Bryant was rejected by the white world because of hermixed parents, African American step-siblings, and her choice to belong to anAfrican American community that accepted her. Bryant’s story is of living andlearning the Black experience and feeling the racism experienced by the peopleshe loved in the South Carolina Low Country where she grew up.

Lynn's story is a true story of survival, told from the heart, from one who has experiencedboth sides of the racial divide. But it is not just a story about race;it is the touching recollections of the spiritual journey of a young womangrowing up in a society that was itself experiencing growing pains.

For additional information about The Stanback, contact EllenZisholtz, director, at (803)536-7174, Ingrid Owens, program manager, at(803)536-8329.

Film - Ahead of Time: The Extraordinary Journey of Ruth Gruber

2011-11-07T17:34:00.004-05:00

Orangeburg,South Carolina – The I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium “The Stanback” on the campus of South Carolina State University “SC State” presents Ahead of Time: The Extraordinary Journey of Ruth Gruber with producer Zeva Oelbaum as part of the South ArtsSouthern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers at the Stanback on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011 at 5:30 p.m. Following a screening of thefilm Ahead of Time, Oelbaum will engage the audience in a discussion about the film and her work as a filmmaker.

Born in Brooklyn in 1911, Ruth Gruber became the youngest PhD in the world before going on to become an international foreign correspondent and photojournalist at age 24. She emerged as the eyes and conscience of the world. With her love of adventure, fearlessness and powerful intellect, Ruth defied tradition in an extraordinary career that has spanned more than seven decades.

The first journalist to enter the Soviet Arctic in 1935, Ruth also traveled to Alaska as a member of the Roosevelt administration in 1942, escorted Holocaust refugees to America in 1944, covered the Nuremberg trials in 1946 and documented the Haganah ship Exodus in 1947. Her relationships with world leaders including Eleanor Roosevelt, President Harry Truman, and David Ben Gurion gave her unique access and insight into the modern history of the Jewish people.

Ruth is an inspiration not only for her ground-breaking career, but for her vitality and humor at 98 years old. The film interweaves verite scenes with never-seen-before archival footage. The world premiere of Ahead of Time took place at the Toronto International Film Festival 2009.

For additionalinformation about The Stanback, contact Ellen Zisholtz, director, at(803)536-7174, Ingrid Owens, program manager, at (803)536-8329 or visit www.scsuCRASH.blogspot.com.

TheSouthern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers is a unique interactive programthat brings independent filmmakers and their films into communities throughoutthe nine-state region served by South Arts, a not-for-profit regional artsorganization making a positive difference in the arts throughout the Southsince 1975. South Arts is supported by funding and programmingpartnerships with the National Endowment for the Arts and the state arts agenciesof Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina,South Carolina and Tennessee. Special support for Southern Circuit is providedby the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. For more information onSouth Arts and its programs visit www.southarts.org.

Renovatedand reopened on February 23, 2007 after being closed for several years, theI.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium located on the campus of South Carolina StateUniversity in Orangeburg, S.C., is anembodiment of SC State University's commitment to community service enhancing the appreciation of Civil Rights,Arts, Science and Humanities in a single facility. The Stanback is of significant national importanceas the only facility of its kind, an interdisciplinary Museum and Planetarium,at any Historically Black College and University and one of few in the country.

Foundedin 1896 as a land grant institution with a mission of providing service to thecitizens of the state, South Carolina State Universityhas evolved from a small teachers’ college into a major University center oflearning and research. Located in Orangeburg, S.C., with a student population ofsome 4,500, South Carolina State offers more than 50 different fields of study onthe undergraduate and graduate levels. South Carolina State University isaccredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and is a memberof the Council of Graduate Schools

Exhibition - From Africa to Gullah II Word, Shout, Song: Lorenzo Dow Turner Connecting Communities through Language and Jonathan Green: Art of a Gullah Artist

2011-09-28T14:30:00.018-04:00

From Africa to Gullah II

Word, Shout, Song:

Lorenzo Dow Turner Connecting Communities through Language

and

Jonathan Green: Art of a Gullah Artist

In celebration of SC State’s Homecoming 2011, SC State’s I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium will open its exhibition, From Africa to Gullah II: Word, Shout, Song: Lorenzo Dow Turner Connecting Communities through Language, on Friday, Oct. 7, 2011 at 6 p.m. through January 2, 2012. The exhibition tells the story of Dr. Lorenzo Dow Turner, the first African American linguist, who discovered in 1930 while teaching at South Carolina State College, that people of the Gullah/Geechee communities in South Carolina and Georgia spoke a distinct language. Through artifacts, photographs and thought provoking texts, Word, Shout, Song deals with distinctive, yet interconnected cultures on three continents: the Gullah/Geechee communities; the Afro-Brazilian community of Bahia, Brazil and the West African cultures from which the other two originated.

This exhibition was researched, designed and presented by the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum. This traveling exhibition is made possible by the James E. and Emily E. Clyburn Endowment for Archives & History at South Carolina State University.

“Emily and I established our endowment to enhance the educational opportunities for students at South Carolina State University and enrich the experiences of visitors to our Alma Mater. We are pleased to have our endowment sponsor this traveling exhibit and help host its first road showing, which features Lorenzo Dow Turner’s important work that originated from a visit to the University's campus when he overheard a conversation between two students speaking Gullah,” Congressman Clyburn said. “This Smithsonian exhibit is a tremendous opportunity for the University and the community to be educated about the origins of the Gullah/Geechee language and to celebrate our connection to that vibrant culture.”

The Stanback’s Small Gallery will feature 30 years of archival posters and original works by Gullah artist Jonathan Green. Born and raised in the small Gullah community of Gardens Corner, near the Sea Islands of South Carolina, he was always interested in the culture of his community. “I had all this stuff in my head,” says Green, “but I didn’t have a place for it until I started painting. My culture is in me.”

This exhibition will feature Inlet Bounty, the limited edition poster created and signed by Jonathan Green, available for purchase for $100. Also featured will be various art and artifacts on loan from Red Piano Too, Lybensons Gallery and The York W. Bailey Museum at Historic Penn Center.

Special guests for the exhibition opening will include Congressman and Mrs. James E. Clyburn, artist Jonathan Green and Aunt Pearlie Sue of the musical sensation, Gullah Kinfolk and the Geechee Gullah Ring Shouters, offering a history and heritage presentation of African American Geechee culture.

A silent auction will be hosted by Friends of the Stanback.

For additional information about The Stanback, contact Ellen Zisholtz, director, or Ingrid Owens, program manager at (803)536-7174.

2011 Governor's Award in the Humanities

2011-09-09T16:29:00.012-04:00

The I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium is one of three recepients of the Governor's Awards in the Humanities! This award will be presented at a luncheon to be held October 12, 2011 at the Medallion Center in Columbia, SC.

The other two winners are Dr. Jack Bass, journalist, author and university professor; and Dr. Jerome "Jerry" Reel, historian at Clemson University.

The Stanback at SC State University is being recognized not only as a major educational and teaching resource for the university but also as a cultural leader known for creating community based programs that promote public understanding of issues and ideas related to the humanities. As the only art museum with a planetarium at any historically Black college or university (HBCU) and one of just a few in the country, the Stanback is a unique facility that reaches a diverse and extensive audience from the community and beyond. Numerous programs enhance pre K-12 and adult education, with an emphasis on arts, sciences, humanities, and civil rights.

Recent exhibits and accompanying lectures and programs include: Remembering the Rosenwald School, a look at Black education in segregated South Carolina; Honoring Heroes, the wonderful photographs of civil rights photographer Cecil Williams; and James Brown: Preserving the Legacy, which showcased one of South Carolina's greatest entertainers. The Stanback is now collaborating with other organizations in hosting exhibits and programs that travel elsewhere, such as Partnership in Social Justice, an exhibit involving Jewish refugee scholars at Black colleges; a premiere screening of the documentary film Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun; and Journey from Africa to Gullah.

The Stanback is also a designated site for the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor and an important site for the newly created National Corridor for Gullah Geechie Heritage.

One Stanback supporter sums it up best: "The Stanback's excellent programs demonstrate a commitment to helping students and the community to better understand our cultural heritage and to define South Carolina's rich cultural life to the nation and to the world."

Established in 1991, the Governor's Awards in the Humanities recognizes outstanding achievement in humanities research, teaching, and scholarship; institutional and individual participation in community based programs that promote public understanding of ideas and issues related to the humanities; excellence defining South Carolina's cultural life to the nation and the world; and exemplary support for public humanities programs. From 1991-2010 fifty-six awards have been presented. the Humanities Council of SC is completing its 38th year as the state based program of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Dr. King Memorial

2011-09-07T16:45:00.006-04:00

I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium Students and interns, along with Museum Director Ellen Zisholtz and Program Manager Ingrid Owens, recently traveled to Washington DC where they were assigned to document and record the unveiling of the new memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Unfortunately, these plans had to change when Hurricane Irene threatened the DC area. Below is a video from WISTV documenting their journey.

Students in attendence were Quenton Atterberry, Ashley Burkes, and Eric J. Smith.

AAAM Conference 2011

2011-09-07T16:02:00.004-04:00

Museum Studies interns and students of the I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium attended the Association of African American Museum's Conference in Tallahassee, FL August 3-6, 2011. This is the third year the students have attended and presented in a panel. The topic this year was "Linking Young People to Museums: CRASH (Civil Rights, Arts, Science and the Humanities), The Truth, Whose Truth? and Nothing But the Truth".

Museum Director Ellen Zisholtz moderated the panel discussion. Museum Program Manager Ingrid Owens also attended and assisted with the presentations.

Students in attendance were Quenton Atterberry, Ashley Burkes, Harriett Hilton, Eric J. Smith and Jessica Teasdell.

Charlotte Excursion

2011-04-11T17:12:00.003-04:00

I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium Students and Interns recently visited several museums in Charlotte, NC. These included the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture, the Levine Museum of the New South, and the Mint Museum.

This was the first time many of the students visited Charlotte. Those in attendance were Ashley Burkes, Marcel Dingle, Alvin Dixon, Chenelle Duffy, Janique Francis, Robin Govan, Harriett Hilton, Brian Hubbard, Richard Jefferson, Roanna Lamisingh, Renae Mathis, Davion Petty, Kristin Tolbert, Nikia Robinson, and Stephanie Williams.

For additional pictures, visit our Facebook page.

Film - Prodigal Sons

2011-04-11T16:56:00.004-04:00

The I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium showed the Southern Circuit Film Prodigal Sons Thursday, April 7 to a rapt audience.

Prodigal Sons is about three siblings, a transgender woman, a gay man and their adopted brother who discovers he's the grandson of Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth. As each sibling struggles to reconcile their new identity with a complex traditional past, a powerful and poignant story of an entire family's transformation unfolds.

Producer/Filmmaker Kimberly Reed answered questions after the showing.

Pictured l to r: Filmmaker Kimberly Reed, SC State Art History Professor Frank Martin, I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium Director Ellen Zisholtz.

Film - Zora Neale Hurston Film Festival

2011-04-05T19:08:00.005-04:00

We had a wonderful time taking part in the Zora Neale Hurston Film Festival March 23-25. It took place at three venues: Penn Center on St. Helena Island, SC, The Avery Research Center in Charleston, SC, and The Stanback.

We had a wonderful and knowledgeable panel consisting of filmmaker and writer Kristy Andersen, Dr. Patricia Williams Lessane, Director of the Avery Center, Dr. Angela Shaw-Thornburg, Assistant Professor of English and Modern Languages at SC State University, and moderated by Ellen Zisholtz, Director of the I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium.

Pictured l to r: Dr. Angela Shaw Thornburg, Ellen Zisholtz, Kristy Andersen, and Dr. Patricia Williams Lessane.

There are more photos on Facebook here.

Savannah Excursion

2011-03-17T15:08:00.005-04:00

I. P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium Director Ellen Zisholtz, along with Museum Studies interns and students, traveled to Savannah, GA recently where they visited several sites including the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum, the Owens Thomas House and the Jepson Museum of Contemporary Art.

The first stop was the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum, created and inspired by the great civil rights leader, WW Law. It has three floors of exhibits dedicated to Savannah's African American heritage and civil rights movement. The building, circa 1914, was at one time the largest black bank in the U.S. and is named after a famous Savannah civil rights leader and pastor of Savannah's First African Baptist Church.

The next stop was the Owens Thomas House, which has one of the earliest intact urban slave quarters in the South. Recently it was discovered to have the largest expanse of “Haint Blue” paint in the US. The main house served as a boarding house, and in 1825 the Revolutionary War hero, the Marquis de Layfayette, was a guest. According to Savannah's oral tradition, the celebrated Frenchman delivered his two Savannah addresses to thousands of adoring citizens from the ornate cast iron balcony on the south side of the house. A grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), a Federal Agency, has been received by the Owens Thomas House to do research and interpretation of African Americans in the house. The interns at the Stanback are also funded by a grant from IMLS. Robyn Hemby, an SC State Alumnus and former IMLS intern, went to the Owens Thomas House with the group and is now on the staff there working on interpretive history.

This was the first time many of the students visited Savannah. Those in attendance were Ashley Burkes, April Cook, Wesley Coleman, Tiziana Collins, Shakira Cotton, Marcel Dingle, Alvin Dixon, Chenelle Duffy, Janique Francis, Robin Govan, Harriett Hilton, Carrie Jackson, Roanna Lamisingh, Renae Mathis, Kristin Tolbert, Nikia Robinson, Stephanie Williams, Tiannah Woods and Marcus Woodson.

AAAM Board of Director's meeting

2011-03-17T15:01:00.001-04:00

Ellen Zisholtz, Director of the I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium on the campus of SC State University recently traveled to Tallahassee, FL to attend a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Association of African American Museums (AAAM). Zisholtz is one of seven professionals elected to the national board.

Established as the voice of the African American Museums movement, the Association of African American Museums (AAAM) is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to serving the interests and needs of Black museums and cultural institutions nationwide. Membership is comprised of museums, museum professionals, institutions, and individuals who share an interest in African American art, culture, and history. Through training opportunities and member services, AAAM supports the goals of African American museums and museum professionals.

SC State Museums Studies students have presented panels at this conference for the past three years and have proposed a panel for the 2011 Conference.

The meeting was held in Tallahassee because this city is the site of the 2011 National Conference to be held from August 3 through August 6, and will be hosted by the John Gilmore Riley Center/Museum of African American History and Culture.

The AAAM Board planned the Conference and visited several sites, including the History and Culture Archives at Florida A and M University (FAMU).

Columbia Trip 2011

2011-03-11T14:00:00.007-05:00

I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium museum studies students and interns traveled to Columbia, SC Friday, February 11, 2011. They visited Crawford Conservation, where painting conservator Craig Crawford explained to the group the finer points of painting restoration. Then, paper conservator Carol Crawford spoke about the care and preservation of family documents, and shared her experiences while working at Smithsonian's National History Museum in Washington, DC, where she was one of the few who framed one of the original copies of the Declaration of Independence.

Next stop was the South Carolina State Museum, and a behind- the- scenes tour with Registrar Michelle Baker.

Lastly, they visited the Chicora Foundation, where conservator Debi Hacker showed the group human remains recently unearthed near Batesburg, SC.

Those in attendance were Quentin Atterberry, Ashley Burkes, Wesley Coleman, Shikira Cotton, Marcel Dingle, Alvin Dixon, Chenelle Duffy, Robin Govan, Roanna Lamisingh, Nikia Robinson, Tiannah Woods, Marcus Woodson, I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium Director Ellen Zisholtz, and Stanback Registrar Harriett Hilton.

Check out additional pictures here on our Facebook page.

SC State, I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium and Me

2011-02-22T19:13:00.003-05:00

The following was written by SCSU Chinese instructor and Museum intern Raye Chaing about her experiences here.

“Raye! In which school do you teach?”
“South Carolina State University.”
“Where is that?”
“Hmm….... I … have….no….i…de….a.”

Seriously, before I stepped onto this campus, I had no idea where Orangeburg was. I asked people if they knew about this school or place, and they would say, “Yea, it’s a place…hmm…uh….”

I never really understood what they tried to tell me. Then, I found out that my first impression of South Carolina State University was that it was a school in the middle of nowhere. The closest shopping destination is CVS Pharmacy. For a girl who lives in Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan, Orangeburg is a lot smaller than I imagined.

Thankfully my supervisor, Dr. Ruben Silvestry, showed me around the campus and the area, and introduced me to the Director of the I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium– Ellen Zisholtz and the Museum’s Registrar, Harriett Hilton. I enrolled in the museum class, which started me on a journey of learning American History, from an African American’s point of view. I was excited but embarrassed at the same time because I was not able to distinguish between the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement.

In the museum class, I went on field trips with Ms. Zisholtz , such as visiting the studio of Craig Crawford, a painting conservator, and The Penn Center on St. Helena Island, SC. These trips opened my eyes.

As I listened to Mr. Crawford as he explained his work, I felt I was watching a CSI episode of a painting crime scene. He had not only done the research on the paintings he tried to repair, but also identified what tools might damage them. Curiously, he demonstrated the use of natural enzymes (saliva) to clean a painting. At first I was a Doubting Thomas but seeing it used as a viable cleaning method convinced me that saliva can actually be used as a tool to clean objects.

Visiting Penn Center’s Heritage Days Celebration was another awesome trip. We stopped on the road to watch the Parade. SC State’s Ujiima Dance instructor Delvina Wescott explained that there are a couple hundred islands in Beaufort County, and St. Helena Island is one of them. In the past, slaves would escape from their owners and escape to these islands. Beaufort has been the home of the descendants of these escaped slaves for several generations. The language that is spoken by many is Gullah. Referring to Gullah, a language that many African Americans use, I have to pause here. Gullah is very different. It sounds like English, but I could not understand it at all. I first thought it was just a different accent, but later on, I found out differently. When Seashore Farmer’s Lodge Museum and Culture Center came to visit the Stanback, two actors, James Brown and Ernest L. Parks, performed an awesome skit. BUT, I could only understand 10% of the language they spoke. It shook my confidence in understanding English and made me think I should study EVEN harder. Visiting the Penn Center, on the other hand, answered my questions and helped me to regain my self-confidence.

During the Penn Center Celebration, I finally understood that Gullah is a hybrid language of English and a West African language. Scholars call it English-based Creole Language (no wonder it sounds like English, but it is not English). It is known for preserving African linguistic and cultural heritage. Gullah people live along the coast of South Carolina, Georgia, and northern Florida. The Gullah people and their language are also called Geechee. I saw some national flags which represented countries such as Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba, Gambia, Congo Republic, Ghana …etc. The Penn Center is a place full of the educational spirit of African Americans. I found that I could relate to them, as English is my second language. Without proper education, it is difficult to distinguish the “t” and “d” or “girl” and “ger”, which sounds similar. It reminds me of so many jokes I made or my friends made when we were learning English. For example:
1. A: Oh, I got it!
B: You cut what?
2. A: Job was the guy that suffered in the Old Testament.
B: uh…. It’s Job. His name is J-O-B.
3. A: I am so full.
B: What? You are so fool?
At this time, I just say to myself, just keep learning, just keep learning!

At the Museum, I not only learned about African American culture, museum collections management skills, but also I helped put up the exhibition Partnership in Social Justice. It was the first time I was involved with a museum exhibition. Before the objects arrived, Ms. Zisholtz took us around the exhibition room and told us her idea of how to display the objects. When an object arrived, Ms. Zisholtz allowed us to unload the boxes. Then the Registrar taught us how to write condition reports on each object we unpacked. I was so nervous when I held the objects on my hands. Each object has its own story. It is non-replaceable. If I broke it, it would not be complete again. It was an incredible experience.

During Partnership of Social Justice, I asked my students to go and visit the exhibition. My intention was for them to know the persecution of Jewish people through the Holocaust and of African American people through lynchings and Jim Crow. This was a part of disgraceful human history. People who receive higher education are holding the future in their hands. We must learn from the failures of the past and move on to a better life in the future. I was so glad some of my students went, and shared with me what they had learned from it. They even shared with their friends and encouraged them to visit the museum.

I learned a lot at South Carolina State University. Now I know when people ask me where I teach Mandarin, I have a better answer.
“Raye! At what school do you teach?”
“South Carolina State University, an HBCU.”
“What is HBCU?”
“Historically Black College and University. SC State is a school that was established to educate African Americans, to enable them to receive a higher education.”
“Oh, and where is that?”
“It’s in Orangeburg, South Carolina. 45 minutes drive to Columbia, 90 minutes drive to Charleston. If you want to come, remember to fly to Columbia, SC (CAE). I should be able to ask someone to pick you up in the airport.”
Oh, oh, one more thing! I always frustrate my students or friends by asking questions several times, especially males, about their words. I cannot help but wonder, is it my hearing problem, or are they are speaking Gullah-English to me. Can anyone answer that?

Film - Abel Raises Cain

2011-02-21T10:13:00.009-05:00

The Stanback's Planetarium had a full house Thursday, February 10, 2011 for the Southern Circuit's Tour of Independent Filmmakers' film Abel Raises Cain. We were happy to have as our special guests Jenny Abel, the filmmaker, as well as her father, Alan Abel, who is the subject of the film.

Students, faculty, and members of the community also had a wonderful time meeting the filmmaker and her father.

For additional pics, visit our Facebook page here.

Film - Abel Raises Cain

2011-01-24T18:03:00.002-05:00

We are happy to announce our latest film, Abel Raises Cain with Producer/Director Jenny Abel as part of the South Arts Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers at the Stanback on Thursday, February 10, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. Following a screening of the film, Abel will engage the audience in a discussion about the film and her work as a filmmaker.

Abel Raises Cain is an unprecedented glimpse into the life and bizarre career of infamous underground media prankster, Alan Abel, who will charm the audience with his surprise appearance at the Stanback. Over the past half-century, Abel has made a name for himself several times over with stunts that are just ridiculous enough to be believable, especially to a media that feeds on salacious, far-fetched stories. Alan's daughter, Jenny, tells her firsthand account of what it was like growing up with this lovable but slightly demented prankster for a father. Abel Raises Cain takes the audience on a roller coaster ride through the myriad of elaborate hoaxes and schemes that Abel pulled off over the years, all of which were designed to provoke and amuse...while at the same time, make people question everything that they see, hear and read.

Alan Abel has a rather unusual job – he is a professional prankster. His hoaxing career began in the late 1950’s with a campaign to clothe all animals for the sake of decency. More than 40 years later, Alan continues to wreak havoc on the media. Hailed by some journalists as the "world’s greatest hoaxer," yet scorned by others as a menace to the media, Alan Abel has his true tale told for the first time by his daughter Jenny. She reflects on what it was like growing up with a prankster and follows her father on the road during his most recent hoax. Alan Abel is a writer, lecturer, actor, filmmaker, jazz musician and comedian. He graduated from Ohio State University with a B.S. degree in Education. He has published eight books and sixteen musical compositions, including works for percussion ensembles and a series of advanced drum solos. Alan has recorded several albums for RCA Victor and produced two feature films with his wife, Jeanne.

Jenny Abel went to Emerson College and graduated with a degree in video and television production. When she moved to Los Angeles, Abel began coordinating overseas productions for Nu Image and Millennium Films. In 2003, she left her job to focus on finishing her own project, Abel Raises Cain, her first feature documentary.

The Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers is a unique interactive program that brings independent filmmakers and their films into communities throughout the nine-state region served by South Arts, a not-for-profit regional arts organization making a positive difference in the arts throughout the South since 1975. South Arts is supported by funding and programming partnerships with the National Endowment for the Arts and the state arts agencies of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Special support for Southern Circuit is provided by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. For more information on South Arts and its programs visit www.southarts.org.

For additional information, contact Ellen Zisholtz, director at (803)536-7174 or Ingrid Owens, program manager at (803)536-8329.

Exhibition - The Grid Turns the Corner

2011-01-18T18:36:00.004-05:00

The Stanback and SC State's Department of Visual and Performing Arts presents The Grid Turns The Corner, a mid-career retrospective of drawings and prints by Dr. Terry K. Hunter. The multifaceted event begins with a visual narrative of The Grid Turns The Corner on Friday, February 18, 2011 at 5:30 p.m. in the Barbara A. Vaughan Recital Hall in the Fine Arts Center and follows to the Stanback with an exhibition opening, reception and book signing. The visual works will be on view at The Stanback from January 31 - March 31, 2011.

The exhibition, which covers nearly forty years, showcases Hunter's work from early non-figurative abstraction to his current involvement with a grid configuration. Hunter is currently the executive director of the Fine Arts Cultural Enrichment Teaching Studios, a professional development institute in the arts associated with Clemson University. He also has a long legacy of art education in South Carolina and beyond and has mentored numerous high school and college students who have become established artists. This collection of 52 works, curated by Angela Corbett, is the first comprehensive exhibition of Hunter's work and chronicles the influence of the socio-cultural milieu that shaped the artist's vision and steered him toward social commentary as a vehicle for creative expression.

Born in Tallahassee, Florida, Hunter grew up in the South during 1960's and was influenced by a commitment to family, church, and education. Among his early role models and influences, Hunter credits his parents as the initial inspiration for achievement. He cites relatives, many of whom were educators, as well as other professionals drawn from his immediate community for providing additional motivation. These influences, coupled with the advent of television with its coverage of the cultural and social revolution of the sixties, played a dominant role in the development of Hunter's values and mores, and subsequently his approach to image making.

Hunter completed most of the works in this retrospective exhibition during a tenure that includes his early career as a public school art teacher, a middle respite as an MFA graduate student, and finally in his capacity as a professor of art, a graphic designer, museum director, and arts administrator. The Grid Turns The Corner fuses these periods of productivity into a presentation that provides a context for their influence on Hunter's work.

Saying Goodbye

2011-01-12T17:28:00.002-05:00

Sadly, we are packing up and shipping out our current exhibition "Beyond Swastika and Jim Crow: Jewish Refugee Scholars at Black Colleges", which was on loan to us from the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust".

Jennifer Roberts, Assistant Registrar at MJH, helped us with the packing.

Thanks Jennifer!

Best Gift Ever

2010-12-22T15:07:00.012-05:00

Our student interns are involved in everything we do, and they are the best. Here are their thoughts about their experiences here at the Stanback during the previous semester:

The main event for this semester was the exhibition that we opened about Jim Crow and the Holocaust. All the interns and work study students were excited about this exhibition because we were helping put it together. We helped paint the walls and helped with the set up and the look of the exhibition. The thing that I loved the most was that Ms. Z was asking everyone for their opinion and she would try her best to make sure it was in the exhibition. So, we can honestly say that everyone had a part when it came to that wonderful exhibition that we put together . . . working with Ms. Z and the staff of the Museum has been excellent. It’s like they take you under their wings and you can come to them about anything, not just about school, but if you have a personal problem, as well, they are always willing to help. It’s like one big happy family. Since I am a Senior, I will be leaving in may 2011, but this is a class and internship that I would definitely suggest and encourage someone to take.

Stephanie Campbell
Criminal Justice major

The Museum Studies class and internship has been such a great experience and opportunity for me. Over the course of time, I have experienced and learned so much. I have met several different important people and visited many exciting places. This class stands out from all of my other classes not only because of the obvious contrast from my major, but also because of the vast amount of knowledge it has provided me with. . . when working at an internship, of course, the staff plays a huge part in how your experience will turn out. Fortunately, the I.P. Stanback has some of the greatest staff members that I have ever met. Being an intern there means that you are part of the Stanback family and that is truly what I felt like. What I appreciated most is that, unlike other internships, they never treated me as if I was beneath them just because I was an intern and they had been working there for years. They always asked my opinion when it came to things involving the museum and treated us as equals. This was by far the best class and internship that I have ever been a part of and I would do it all over again.

Carrie Bianca Jackson
Nursing major

As an intern and student, I have learned how to get noticed so I might be able to move into a position in curatorial departments and how to get my foot in the door with at least an entry level position under my belt . . . I am proud and glad, plus honored, to be a part of South Carolina State’s I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium family. From my sophomore year until my graduation date, this faculty and staff have improved and developed me into a better and more knowledgeable person. I have processed and developed great insight and a point of view of the everyday life and procedures of museums and their facilities.

Michael Daniels
Digital Media major

While working on this exhibit, I used a hammer and nails for the first time in my life. I did this while working on a barbed wire fence for the exhibit. (Partnership in Social Justice)In addition to this, I learned to use the vinyl cutter to create labels, weeded the vinyl and learned to do boarding and matting. I also assisted by editing the Museum’s press releases for the exhibitions. . . these are all skills that I have put on my resume and that may be useful in my future career endeavors.

Dervedia Thomas
Marketing major

On our last class journey together, we went to Beaufort, SC to visit the Penn Center. The trip was amazing and I am completely fried fish out. We were able to see things that, as a Northerner, we never see and embrace. The part that touched me the most was being able to go to the place Martin Luther King stayed and wrote his famous “I have a Dream” speech. We also got to stay at a beautiful Bed and Breakfast that was right on the water. This trip was one that I will hold dear to my heart for many years to come. The Museum is a sanctuary of art, ideas and dreams of the future. This course opened my eyes to a different and more abstract world than the one I believed to be in. I thank the people who have helped nurture my mind and thoughts about museums, and I hope to stay a loyal participant for years to come.

Nicolas Vance
Political Science major

I enjoyed being an intern this year. Things for this class were crazy, funny and memorable. In this class, I enjoyed trips along with exhibitions and learning about what goes on behind the scenes . . . the instructions were hard to follow, but I finally got it done and I felt very accomplished. Things like helping put up pictures in the museum were like no other experiences I ever endured before. The pictures or paintings had to be properly aligned for the display . . . Being an intern was a great experience that I will never forget. I would love to relive some of these moments - meeting people, going on trips, laughing and just having all around fun.

Alvin Dixon
Digital Media major

There are so many things I could say that I have learned from interning here at the Stanback, but I would be lying if I didn’t say that my greatest lessons were learned during preparations for the exhibition “Partnership in Social Justice”. Upon beginning the preparations for this exhibition, I had no idea how grim the reality of the events that took place during the Holocaust and Jim Crow were until I began to read some of the documents and view all the photographs. The injustices that those individuals had to endure are even too horrible for people today to fathom. But what is worse is that many today choose to forget what happened during the Jim Crow era and believe that the Holocaust never really happened. How is it possible that someone could choose to believe that something as tragic as this never happened or wasn’t a big deal? In a way, the ignorance of those who caused the devastation and those who choose to forget or not believe angers me, but it also inspires me to work so people no longer forget. When all things are put into perspective, it was not long ago when all this took place and who is to say that it couldn’t happen again. But, if we remember the heartache, the struggles and the injustice that is current, we won’t allow such devastation to repeat. It’s this lesson that I believe I would have never learned if I had not been working here at the Stanback. I truly believe that museums are the voice of the community.

April Cook
Accounting major

Can Art Change The World?

2010-11-27T17:11:00.004-05:00

Can Art Change the World? was an art panel discussion based on the Stanback's current exhibition Images of the Unimaginable: Art. Art panelists discussed whether various types of art can have a positive effect on the world. This event was held Friday, Nov. 19, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. at The Stanback.

Panelists were SC State Professors Stephen Crall, Dr. Tolulope Filani and Frank Martin, Damond Howard, Janet Kozachek and Stanback Museum Director Ellen Zisholtz.

Images of the Unimaginable: Art encompasses social comment art by some of the most interesting artists,including Camille Billops, John Biggers, Sandra Brett, Schroeder Cherry, Kevin Cole, Stephen Crall, Tolulope Filani, Tyrone Geter, Vanessa German, Derry Leon Gordon, David Marion Green, Jesse Guinyard, Jr., Damond Howard, Doris Colbert Kennedy, Janet Kozachek, Kimberly LeDee, Viktor Lowenfeld, Frank Martin, Richard Mayhew, Wendell Simons, Leo Twiggs, Colin Quashie, Jonathan Walsh, Hale Woodruff and Ellen Zisholtz.This exhibition continues through January 4, 2011.

A reception with the art panelists took place after the discussion. Attendees also had the opportunity to hear music on the lawn hosted by The Stanback’s student friends, and featured live music by SC State students. This event celebrated the Stanback’s educational programs, exhibitions and cultural opportunities that enrich the overall student body experience.

Pictured left to right: Stephen Crall, Damond Howard, Ellen Zisholtz, Janet Kozachek, Frank Martin, and Dr. Tolulope Filani.

WISTV Interview of Director Ellen Zisholtz

2010-11-15T16:43:00.004-05:00

Our Director, Ellen Zisholtz, was recently on Columbia, SC WISTV's program Newswatch, discussing our current exhibition, Partnership in Social Justice, featuring Beyond Swastika and Jim Crow . . .

Click here to watch

The Life and Times of David Devine

2010-11-01T13:27:00.003-04:00

The Stanback is excited to present The Life and Times of David Devine, on Thursday, November 4th, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. in the Planetarium.

David Devine, College Professor in Canada, was abandoned as a child at three weeks of age by a White European single parent mother and spent his early childhood in a large orphanage in Scotland which had at times had 600-1000 children. At the age of 11, he was sent to foster care where he remained until he finally left, on his own at 19.

Devine discovered his mother after 30 years of absence and visited her burial site in Ireland last year. In 2010, he found his father’s African American family, in South Carolina after 57 years. His father was no longer alive, but his family was eager to meet him. Devine is now in South Carolina doing research while he gets acquainted with his newly found family.

Divine is a graduate of Edinburgh University (Scotland), Aston University (Birmingham, U.K.), and the London School of Economics (U.K.). He has occupied senior positions in social work administration, social work education, and social housing in the United Kingdom. Divine has also managed his own consultancy company covering social housing, social care, and health from 1994 to 2003 and the James Robinson Johnston Chair in Black Canadian Studies, Dalhousie University, from January 2004 to 2009.

As a Black man living and working in a world where the color of one's skin can profoundly affect one's destiny, I can at times be forgiven for being tentative in predicting the outcomes of my actions. To varying degrees, they can often be beyond one's own personal control.
- David Divine

For additional information about David Devine’s appearance, contact the I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium at (803)536-7174.

Exhibition - Partnership in Social Justice featuring Beyond Swastika and Jim Crow: Jewish Refugee Scholars at Black Colleges

2010-10-14T14:37:00.013-04:00

On Friday, October 22, 2010 at 6 PM, during SC State’s Homecoming Weekend, SC State’s I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium will open its next exhibition, Partnership in Social Justice featuring Beyond Swastika and Jim Crow: Jewish Refugee Scholars at Black Colleges, created and circulated by the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust; and Transcending History: Moving Beyond the Legacy of Slavery and the Holocaust an art exhibition organized by the Idea Coalition. This five part exhibition opens with The Stanback’s special guests and partners in social justice, John W. Franklin, Director of Partnerships and International Programs at the Smithsonian's new National Museum for African American History and Culture, son of the late John Hope Franklin, and Jay M. Ipson, President and Executive Director of the Virginia Holocaust Museum.

Opening Night Special Guests Speakers

John W. Franklin is a specialist in the history and traditions of communities of the African Diaspora and the Director of Partnerships and International Programs at the Smithsonian's new National Museum for African American History and Culture. Franklin has developed presentations on Senegal, the Bahamas, Cape Verde, and Washington, D.C., for the annual Smithsonian Folk Life Festival.

Jay M. Ipson was forced into the Kovno Ghetto in Lithuiania, a country where only 3% of the Jewish population survived. He and his mother were the only two survivors of 5,000 deported for execution one day. After escaping with his parents in 1943, he was hidden for 9 months in a potato hole in the countryside. Ipson endured bleak post-war conditions until the family immigrated via Munich to Richmond when he was twelve. With Al Rosenbaum and Mark Fetter, he created and remains President and Executive Director of the Virginia Holocaust Museum.

By the time World War II began, Germany had purged itself of its Jewish professors, scientists and scholars. Some of these academics found refuge in the United States. Beyond Swastika and Jim Crow: Jewish Refugee Scholars at Black Colleges exhibition tells the story some of these recent escapees from persecution in Nazi Germany, who, facing discrimination and an uncertain future, were welcomed by Black Colleges in the American South. There they came face to face with the absurdities of a rigidly segregated Jim Crow society. In their new positions, they taught, mentored and marched for civil rights with students who had grown up in and struggled with this racist environment. This exhibition explores the unlikely coming together of these two groups, each the object of exclusion and hatred, and examines the ongoing encounter between them as they navigate the challenges of life in the segregated South.

Beyond Swastika and Jim Crow: Jewish Refugee Scholars at Black Colleges contains photographs, artifacts, and documents loaned by the refugees and their families, students who were at the Black colleges, and the colleges’ archives. This exhibition was made possible in part by the Leon Levy Foundation, the Helen Bader Foundation; the Lupin Foundation; the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation; the Alpern Family Foundation; public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency; and the Charles and Mildred Schnurmacher Foundation.

Transcending History: Moving Beyond the Legacy of Slavery and the Holocaust was organized by the Idea Coalition, based in Philadelphia, Pa. It features the artwork of Black and Jewish artists from around the country, reflecting Slavery and the Holocaust and the effects on the collective psyches of the two communities.

Images of the Unimaginable: Art features images by artists who share their visual interpretation of Jim Crow, Civil Rights and the Holocaust including Tyron Geter, Leo Twiggs, Colin Quashie, Vanessa German, Camille Billops, David Marion and many more.

Images of the Unimaginable: History exhibition explores the horrific history and experiences of the Holocaust and Jim Crow. (This section not open to guests under the age of 12)

Images of the Unimaginable: Science, presented on the dome of the Stanback’s State-of-the-Art Planetarium, showcases the scientific contributions of Jewish scientists who escaped the Holocaust and their influence on African American scientists.

For more information please call The Stanback at 803 536-7174.

Second from top, left: John Hope Franklin and his son, John W. Franklin
Top right: Jay Ipson

The Burning Bed

2010-10-14T14:30:00.003-04:00

Orangeburg, South Carolina – As a kick-off to SC States First Annual Women's Conference “Women and Popular Culture” the I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium (The Stanback) presents the Burning Bed on Thursday, October 21, 2010 at 5:30pm. Rose Leiman Goldemberg, who wrote the screenplay for The Burning Bed, will lead the discussion about the film, which will be shown in The Stanback’s Planetarium.
Farrah Fawcett stars as a woman savagely battered by her husband for thirteen years. The Burning Bed shows a brutal, controlling husband who beats, rapes, and emotionally abuses his wife Francine Hughes. The film is structured as a series of flashbacks, while Francine endures a sensational murder trial. One night after being raped and beaten, she poured gasoline on the bed in which her former husband slept and burned him to death. The Burning Bed was broadcast by NBC on October 8, 1984, received a large number of Emmy Award nominations and was named Best Feature at the first International Television Movie Festival. Fawcett earned Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her portrayal of Francine Hughes.
Goldemberg received numerous awards for writing the screenplay for The Burning Bed; to include the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Dramatic Adaptation, an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing, an American Women in Radio and TV Award, a Humanitas Award nomination and was honored by The American Film Institute.
The Burning Bed is more than a television movie. It brought the issue of domestic violence graphically into everyone’s living rooms. The film was the catalyst that turned the world’s attention to the problem of spousal abuse. If a “Charlie’s Angel” could be repeatedly beaten and raped, it could happen to anyone. Advocates of domestic violence reform celebrate the movie as a turning point in the fight against spousal abuse. The procedures for dealing with victims are now very different from the time when victims were helpless and embarrassed by being abused. Francine Hughes and many others could not get help from police. Today there are Battered Women’s Shelters in every town, then there were few, if any, in the country. This film helped create the shelter movement. Francine had no place to go and her abuse continued even after her divorce. Today women can get protection orders. This film gave women the courage to end abusive relationships and shelters to go to while they reorganized their lives. The Burning Bed is in the permanent collection at The American Film Institute and is used as a training film in men's prisons, on Indian reservations, and in battered women's and rape groups.
Goldemberg (writer) internationally acclaimed play Letters Home about the life of Sylvia Plath, has been translated into numerous languages. Her plays and musicals include: Gandhiji, which garnered a Robby Award, was chosen for the O'Neill Conference and honored in Burns Mantle's Best Plays of 1982-1983; the award-winning Apples in Eden, The Rabinowitz Gambit, Rites of Passage, Sophie, and The Merry War. Television credits include Dark Holiday; Stone Pillow, starring Lucille Ball, for which she received a Humanitas Award nomination; Florence Nightingale; Born Beautiful; Land of Hope; Death at Dinner; The Pencil Box War; The Jonas Salk Story; Mother and Daughter, The Loving War, for which she received a Writers Guild nomination and a Humanitas Award nomination. Goldemberg's radio drama Voices in My Head received several awards including the Armstrong Award for Best Radio Drama. Her feature films include Points East, Doubles and Bad Dreams. She is a published author of such books as Adios, Hollywood, Antique Jewelry: A Practical & Passionate Guide and her new novel, The Way it Happened. She is also an award-winning poet and author of short stories.
For more information please call The Stanback at 803 536-7174.

Top left: Rose Leiman Goldemberg
Top right: movie still from "The Burning Bed"

Film - Pelada

2010-10-14T14:25:00.003-04:00

SC State’s I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium (The Stanback) and The Stanback Student Friends present “Pelada,” as a part of the Southern Arts Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers (South Arts). Join director Rebekah Fergusson and producer Ryan White on Thursday, October 14, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. Following the screening of their feature film, Fergusson and White will engage the audience in a discussion about the film and their work as filmmakers. A reception with the duo will follow the discussion during this free event.
Away from professional stadiums, bright lights and manicured fields, there is another side of soccer. Tucked away in alleys, side streets and concrete courts, people play in improvised games across the globe. “Pelada” is a documentary following two former college stars who did not fulfill their dream of becoming pros in the field of soccer. Not ready for their dreams to be over, they take off around the world, chasing the game of soccer. This film tells the stories of the soccer players that they meet during their journey.
Every country has a different word for it. In the United States, we call it pick-up soccer. In Trinidad, it's "taking a sweat." In England, it's "having a kick-about." In Brazil, the word is "Pelada," which literally means "naked"— the game stripped down to its core. It's the version of the game played by anyone, anywhere.

At San Pedro Prison in Bolivia, an inmate says, "Here we have nothing. Our life is to play." In Nairobi, a moonshine brewer confides, "Down here, everybody thinks you're just another drunkard, but then when you get to the field, people say, 'Oh, that person can play." A day after a terrorist attack, Arabs and Jews occupy the same court in Jerusalem but refuse to play on the same team, saying, "There are people who act like football is above politics, but this is bullshit." From women in hijab playing in Tehran, to eighty-year-olds who play barefoot in Brazil, Pelada is the story of the people who play.

This is a story that has never been told: no one has ever focused on pick-up soccer—and the window it provides into lives all around the world. From businessmen who play on the rooftops of Tokyo, to women who herd llamas in the mountains of Peru, from eighty-year-old Brazilians, to Arabs and Jews who occupy the same court in Jerusalem but refuse to play on the same team, Pelada tells the story of the people who play.

For Gwendolyn Oxenham and Luke Boughen, the two former college soccer stars that the film revolves around, the game is what lets them in, bridging gaps in culture, experience, and language. Soccer's great power is the ability to create intimacy between strangers, and this is particularly true on the pick-up field. Their final stop, Iran, is perhaps the greatest test. When Luke wanders up to a court in central Tehran and says in broken Farsi, "Is it ok if I play with you?"...The Iranians beckon him to the field with both hands. Luke slings his thumb over his shoulder towards Gwendolyn and says faintly, "Her too?"

Oxenham received her Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Notre Dame in Ind., where she won the Nicholas Sparks Prize, a prize honoring the legacy of significant authors who emerge from the Creative Writing Program. A 2004 graduate of Duke University’s program in English and documentary studies, she directed Essence Game and DWS, which are two short films centered on identity in sports. At 16, Oxenham was the youngest Division I athlete in the history of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As the soccer captain for Duke University, she made two ACC teams. She also played professionally for Santos FC in Brazil in 2005.

Boughen is a law student at University of California-Irvine. Before setting out on this trip, he had a job in outdoor advertising, aka: billboards. In college, Boughen helped Notre Dame to Big East regular season and tournament titles, picking up all-tournament, national team of the week, and academic honors. The center midfielder was an Anthropology major. Receiving a grant to study sustainable development and social entrepreneurship, Boughen also lived in Rio de Janeiro and played in daily peladas.

For additional information about “Pelada,” contact Ellen Zisholtz, director of The Stanback and at (803) 536-7174; or contact Ingrid Owens, program manager for The Stanback at (803)536-8329.

The Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers is a unique interactive program that brings independent filmmakers and their films into communities throughout the nine-state region served by South Arts, a not-for-profit regional arts organization making a positive difference in the arts throughout the South since 1975. South Arts is supported by funding and programming partnerships with the National Endowment for the Arts and the state arts agencies of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Special support for Southern Circuit is provided by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. For more information on South Arts and its programs visit www.southarts.org.

Renovated and reopened on February 23, 2007 after being closed for several years, the I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium located on the campus of South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, S.C., is an embodiment of SC State University's commitment to community service enhancing the appreciation of Civil Rights, Arts, Science and Humanities in a single facility. The Stanback is of significant national importance as the only facility of its kind, an interdisciplinary Museum and Planetarium, at any Historically Black College and University and one of few in the country.

Founded in 1896 as a land grant institution with a mission of providing service to the citizens of the state, South Carolina State University has evolved from a small teachers’ college into a major University center of learning and research. Located in Orangeburg, S.C., with a student population of some 4,500, South Carolina State offers more than 50 different fields of study on the undergraduate and graduate levels. South Carolina State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and is a member of the Council of Graduate Schools.

Columbia Excursion - From a Student's Point of View

2010-10-01T14:47:00.010-04:00

The following posts are written by I.P. Stanback interns April Cook and Carrie Jackson. Their internship was made possible through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Students and interns who participated were Janson Bell, Raye Chiang, Wesley Coleman, April Cook, Michael Daniels, Alvin Dixon, Carrie Jackson, Michael Simmons, Eric J. Smith, Dervedia Thomas, Nick Vance, and Stephanie Williams.

On Friday, September 24, 2010 Museum Studies students and interns of the I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium went on a trip to Crawford Conservation Inc. and the South Carolina State Museum.

Our first stop was to Crawford Conservation Inc., where Mr. Craig Crawford educated us on the importance of conserving artwork and the process of cleaning paintings. It is amazing to see the number of steps that are necessary to restore a painting. A key ingredient he uses to clean a painting is natural enzymes (saliva). I got to experience this first hand while preparing a painting for the up and coming exhibition Partnership in Social Justice at the Stanback.

Our last stop was at the State Museum where Michelle Baker, the Registrar, gave us a behind the scenes tour of collections. While touring we were able to view a telescope collection that was donated to the State Museum, ride the elevator where the first South Carolina made BMW was crashed, and view the large object collection. The State Museum is a very interesting place where you could find just about anything dealing with, history, science and technology. Currently at the Museum there is a exhibition up called Pirates, Privateers, and Buccaneers, which I found to be intriguing and fun.

On Friday, September 24, 2010, Mrs. Z’s (Director Ellen Zisholtz) museum studies class along with some of the museum interns took a trip to visit Crawford Conservation Inc. and the State Museum in Columbia, SC.

We met with conservator Craig Crawford who is a well noted painting conservator and the owner of Crawford Conservation Inc. Craig showed us some of the paintings he has restored, told us how he did it, and how tedious and precise restoring was. I was very impressed with his line of work.

Next we visited the State Museum and it was just as interesting. They had an amazing pirate exhibition up with lots of fun and adventurous aspects to it. And of course the science exhibit is always a huge hit because of all the hands on activities. Aside from the exhibitions, we were allowed to go “behind the scenes” with the museum’s registrar Michelle Baker, which was both educational and exiting. The trip overall was great and very enlightening.

!Salsa Nite!

2010-09-22T20:59:00.007-04:00

The Stanback was host to the first Salsa Nite, sponsored by Sigma Lambda Gamma sorority and the South Carolina State University's Campus Activities Board.

There were Salsa lessons, food, and lots of fun!!

For more pics and videos, visit our Facebook page!

Seashore Farmer's Lodge Museum and Culture Center

2010-09-22T16:54:00.004-04:00

On September 16, 2010, the I.P. Stanback Museum was paid a visit by The Seashore Farmers’ Lodge Museum and Culture Center’s Publicist Corie Hipp and two of their re-enactors, James Brown and Ernest L. Parks. The re-enactors graced us with a wonderful performance focusing on several living history experiences of an early African American farmer and their way of life during that time. They also presented the whimsical Gullah-Geechee dialect through the use of song and dance. Their performance was amazing.

The Seashore Farmer’s Lodge is a turn of the century building located within the community of Sol-Legare on James Island, South Carolina, just outside of Charleston. The structure once served as a hub to these small African American farming communities. It also provided a form of support for which the people were not otherwise eligible. The community of Sol-Legare is still the home of many 5th and 6th generation descendants of the original settlers and is one of the last remaining of its kind in most of the South.

The museum exhibits a series of relics relevant to the survival of small, African American agricultural communities, in addition to several living history series that shine light on the experience visitors receive as they are taken back to look at the lives of early 20th century African Americans. They have a diorama of the actual battle shown in the movie “Glory,” fishing nets, wash boards, pots, bottles, and a galvanized tub used by the late descendants. They also have a small section of the museum set up like a school.

Overall, this experience for me was great. I really enjoyed the presentation and skit and I look forward to one day visiting this museum.

Pictured left to right: James brown, Corie Hipp, and Ernest L. Parks

-Article written by IP Stanback Museum Intern Carrie Jackson (Internship provided by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services)

Dive! -ing Into A New Southern Circuit Season

2010-09-20T16:52:00.004-04:00

On Thursday September 16, 2010 the I.P Stanback Museum and Planetarium presented the first film on the 2010 Southern Circuit Film Festival, Dive! Directed by Jeremy Seifert, Dive! documents dumpster diving for food.

When asked how he began dumpster diving Seifert said he started after his friends brought large 30 gallon bags into his kitchen one morning filled with food from a dumpster. Some of the foods brought in were ones he could never afford to buy. A week later he found himself dumpster diving along with his friends. Most of the places where they scavenged were in the dumpsters of grocery store chains. In the film they targeted the store Trader Joe’s, which was a location where they found the best food.

While creating the film Jeremy persisted in saying that he never thought this film would become so popular, it was initially just something to show to friends and family. Encouragement from those close to him caused him to decide to submit it to a film festival. His goal was to simply document their efforts to convince grocery stores to donate food instead of throwing it in the trash. At first, representatives from Trader Joe’s headquarters would not speak to him. But after Dive! began circulating on the Southern Circuit Tour and became popular, representatives from Trader Joe’s have been in negotiation with organizations to donate food items.

At the Stanback showing Jeremy was quoted as saying “The negotiations with Trader Joe’s is exciting . . . I hope that after watching the film that individuals will be more conscious about the amount of food they waste.” He is currently in negotiations with executives about a Dive! project.

Pictured top, left to right: Stanback Interns Carrie Jackson and April Cook interview Filmmaker Jeremy Seifert
Pictured bottom, left to right: Student Friends of the Stanback President Davion Petty, Filmmaker Jeremy Seifert, Stanback Director Ellen Zisholtz, and Museum Studies student Nick Vance

-Article written by IP Stanback Museum Intern April Cook (Internship provided by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services)

University 101

2010-09-02T17:42:00.004-04:00

The Stanback's Program Manager, Ingrid Owens, has begun teaching a University 101 class.

This class is for incoming freshmen and transfer students, and in it they learn things every new college student should know to successfully navigate through their first year, such as the layout of the campus of South Carolina State University, the Alma Mater, as well as important historical facts about the University.

New Museum Studies Class for Fall Semester

2010-09-01T10:23:00.005-04:00

On August 26, 2010, the Stanback’s Director Ellen Zisholtz’s Museum Studies class was paid a visit by good friend of the museumand consultant Debi Hacker, who is a conservator with the Chicora Foundation in Columbia, SC. Debi is always willing to share her knowledge with others and the class was eager to learn. The class learned things such as how to properly handle objects, how to store objects, and which objects require specific care. They were also informed about museum conditions such as the necessary temperature, humidity, and light exposure, which must be upheld to keep the objects from getting damaged.

While Debi talked to the class about different topics the students took notes and were very attentive and enthusiastic to be gaining such knowledge. The class was allowed to go behind the scenes of the museum and look at the objects stored in collections. They put on gloves so that they could take a closer look and actually touch certain pieces. Those in attendance were Janson Bell, Raye Chiang (Mandarin Chinese Professor at SC State), Wesley Coleman, Michael Simmons, Nicholas Vance, John Whitted, and Stephanie Williams. This class not only learned a lot during this museum class, but also enjoyed themselves while doing so.

-Article written by IP Stanback Museum Intern Carrie Jackson (Internship provided by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services)

Another Fantastic Excursion

2010-08-18T10:19:00.007-04:00

I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium Interns and staff traveled to the Association of African American Museums Conference in Pittsburgh, PA August 4-7. The Stanback students presented at a panel titled "CRASH: Linking Young People To Museums II". This was the the second year in a row that SC State students have presented at this conference.

The group, Music Education student Quenton Atterberry, Stanback Registrar/Art Education student Harriett Hilton, Fashion Merchandising student Ryan Quick, Music Industry student Eric J. Smith, Professional English Major Jessica Teasdale, Stanback Program Manager Ingrid Owens and I.P Stanback Museum and Planetarium Director Ellen Zisholtz, (who also serves as a AAAM board member) visited several museums along the way, including the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, The National Museum of African Art, The National Museum of the American Indian, and the Museum of American History, all in Washington, DC. In Pittsburgh, PA, they traveled to the Andy Warhol Museum, the Senator John Heinz History Center and The August Wilson Center for African American Culture, and in Richmond, VA they visited the Virginia Holocaust Museum. In Baltimore, MD, they visited the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of African American History and Culture.

Also, they met with Schroeder Cherry and Twinet Kimbrough of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which provided the grant for the position of Registrar at the Stanback and funding for Museum internships.

For more pics, visit our Facebook page.

Pictured left from right: Eric J. Smith, Harriett Hilton, Museum Director Ellen Zisholtz, Ryan Quick, Stanback Program Manager Ingrid Owens, Jessica Teasdale, and Quenton Atterberry

Freedom Ride Video

2010-08-13T10:15:00.013-04:00

Museum Studies students once again presented at the Association of African American Museums Conference in Pittsburgh, PA August 4-7, 2010.

Here is the video recap that students Quenton Atterberry, Harriett Hilton, and Eric J. Smith produced, and shows highlights from last years conference in Baton Rouge.

You can also find us on YouTube - keyword search "stanback museum freedom ride"

Call for Artifacts

2010-07-29T13:40:00.005-04:00

Do you have any memorabilia or artifacts about Jim Crow, Civil Rights in South Carolina, the Holocaust or world-wide genocide? If so, then your artifacts can be a part of the upcoming Stanback exhibition Partnership in Social Justice featuring Beyond Swastika and Jim Crow: Jewish Refugee Scholars at Black Colleges, created and circulated by the Museum of Jewish Heritage, a living memorial to the Holocaust.

On Friday, October 22, 2010, which will be SC State's Homecoming, the Stanback will present this exhibition, which tells the story of German and Austrian Jewish refugee scholars who, fleeing Nazism in the 1930's/40's, could not find employment at American universities because of anti-Semitism. However, they were welcomed by Black colleges in the American south and, as mentors, led students in the Civil Rights movement. The encounter between the scholars and the Black students changed them both.

This exhibition explores racial conflict, prejudice, and overcoming stereotypes and cultural barriers, which changed institutional and individual lives.

Additionally, Partnership in Social Justice will showcase social comment art and artifacts related to Jim Crow, the South Carolina Civil Rights era and Holocaust refugees.

Submitted artifacts can include photographs, letters, recorded interviews, diplomas, documents, paintings, books, etc. If you are interested in contributing to this unique, time-sensitive project, please contact the Stanback and reference Call for Artifacts.

For additional information about the call for artifacts or the exhibition, please contact the I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium (803) 536-7174.

Pictured: Nevermore, Diptych, Oil on canvas, 2009, Ellen Zisholtz

Visiting Graduate

2010-07-08T14:10:00.003-04:00

Jade Hampton, (center) a South Carolina State University graduate, visited the Stanback with her "kids". Jade is a counselor with the Charleston Air Force Base kid's camp. They visited us Thursday, July 8, 2010.

Jade graduated in 2006 and has a BFA in Studio Art.

Our Valuable Interns

2010-07-08T12:00:00.003-04:00

We appreciate our interns! They participate in everything we do and are a tremendous asset.

Here is Johnathan Mackins conducting a tour.

Summer at the Stanback

2010-07-08T11:36:00.007-04:00

We have had a lot of groups visit us this summer! They have come from all over South Carolina, as well as from our local public and private schools.

We have enjoyed their visits!

Pictured below: Charleston Air Force Base Summer Camp

Pictured at right: Orangeburg Prep

Congrats Bran and James!

2010-06-19T17:55:00.005-04:00

The staff of the Stanback would like to congratulate James Williams and Bran Cedio!

They were married Saturday June 19, 2010 under the Orion Constellation in the Planetarium.

Another Planetarium Wedding

2010-06-10T11:18:00.004-04:00

We at the Stanback are excited to host our second wedding!

Bran Cedio and James Williams met approximately two years ago via Twitter. As their relationship blossomed, they decided they wanted to have a wedding in a planetarium. A web search pointed them to the IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium and, long story short, they decided to have this momentous event here with us on Saturday, June 19, 2010.

James is a software designer, and Bran is a visual and performing artist. They reside in Charleston, SC.

We are so happy to be their chosen venue!

SC State Students at the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers

2010-05-18T16:32:00.005-04:00

Ellen Zisholtz, Director of the IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium, served on the panel for the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers in Atlanta, GA, May 14-16, 2010. Five students from SC State University, Quenton Atterberry, Harriett Hilton, Eric Smith, Jessica Teasdell, and Dervedia Thomas also attended and participated in the panel. The students are current interns with the IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium.
For the past three years, students from SC State have been the only students to serve on the Southern Circuit Film Panel.
The selection of the films is an important process in preparation for the 2010-2011 Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers.
Southern Circuit provides communities across the South with a tour of highly talented independent filmmakers. Audiences have seen more than 200 films and have engaged filmmakers in post-screening discussions in more than 44 communities across the Southern United States.
Southern Circuit is the nation’s only regional tour of independent filmmakers, providing communities with an interactive way of experiencing independent film. The tour takes the audience away from their televisions, DVD players, and computers to connect them with independent filmmakers and encourage them to talk with one another about the films and their meanings. Southern Circuit transforms watching independent films from a solitary experience into a communal one.

Pictured top, left to right: Jessica Teasdell, Harriett Hilton, IP Stanback Director Ellen Zisholtz, Eric Smith, Dervedia Thomas, and Quenton Atterberry.

Pictured bottom, left to right: Quenton Atterberry, Jessica Teasdell, and Dervedia Thomas

Creativity Award

2010-05-12T10:44:00.002-04:00

IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium Director Ellen Zisholtz was awarded the Faculty Creativity Award from SC State University during the graduation ceremony Friday, May 7, 2010.

House Majority Whip James Clyburn presented the award. Also present were SC State President Dr. George E. Cooper and Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Joyce Blackwell.

Life in the Museum: Spring Semester 2010

2010-05-07T14:26:00.004-04:00

Another semester has ended for the Museum Studies students here at the Stanback. One of our student interns, Janique Francis, wrote about her experiences. Here are some of her reflections, in her own words:

So a Political Science major walks into the IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium at South Carolina State University. She isn’t there to tour the current exhibitions on display, like she usually does. Or even to watch the educational movie in the Planetarium that her teacher encouraged her to go to for extra points. Nope, the Political Science major came to join her new museum class for that semester and walked into a thrilling, world wind journey of art and culture.

One might ask, why is a Political Science major taking a museum course? And many did. I had had a fond relationship with IP Stanback since I entered South Carolina State University in 2008. However, I did not see the sense in taking a “museum class”. I did not think that there was anything I wanted to know, or needed to know. I just wanted to visit from time to time and enjoy the aesthetic displays (along with the free food).

(I became)part of the team of classmates, interns and museum employees who helped to take down the James Brown exhibition to prepare the museum for the Cochran Collection, which is currently on display. This project was the baby of Museum director and curater, Ellen Zisholtz. I became immersed among paintings from great artists such as Andy Warhol, Jacob Lawrence, Camille Billops, Alvin Loving and even the great Picasso. The collection consisted of silk screens, wood-cuts, lithographs and many more styles of art-work. This was definitely a learning experience for me as I had previously just believed that art work was mainly painting or sketching.

My first interaction with the African artifacts was through class. We learned how to hold collection pieces (with both hands and with gloves), clean the pieces; and place registration numbers on the collection pieces.

My internship also allowed me to help with another important, current exhibition that was implemented by the IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium, “Remembering the Rosenwald Schools”. This exhibition showed me the educational impact of the Rosenwald schools in African American culture. Many HBCU school systems were based upon the Rosenwald schools as their teachers were educated via that system. Rosenwald schools also transcended race as Julius Rosenwald, who was Jewish, was one of few whites who helped blacks after slavery.

Class lectures, led by Mrs Z, were so comfortable and it seemed like we were all just having casual discussions in a coffee shop. It was great to be surrounded by educated people who thought out of the box. We were able to discuss and debate everything under the sun pertaining to museums such as their purpose and audience. It was wonderful that everyone was open to all opinions. The best thing about the class was the differing arrays of majors, from accounting to art. We were all able to see how beneficial any degree could be towards a museum.

My job as an intern at the IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium was an entirely different and wonderful experience. It has definitely cemented a deep love for museums in my heart. I might never work in a museum but I will always be involved with them. Most importantly, I have extended my family to include everyone who works at the IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium. This class and job was definitely the highlight of my semester and I hope to continue working there in the future.

Remembering Rosenwald

2010-04-29T19:08:00.003-04:00

SC State’s IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium brought together former Rosenwald School students, members of the community, faculty, and staff for an evening of celebration and remembrance.

The Rosenwald schools are responsible for the education of many African Americans in the south. Keynote speaker Bishop Frederick Calhoun James, a Rosenwald graduate, said that within those schools he learned character, integrity and how to deal with adversity.

The event was opened by Chairperson of the Department of English and Modern Languages Dr. Ghussan Green, who explained how the Rosenwald Schools came to be.
Julius Rosenwald was the son of Jewish immigrants and was on the Board of Trustees at Tuskegee University, where former slave Booker T. Washington was president.
African Americans were often denied funding from the state to build or improve schools and many children suffered as a result.

In 1912, Washington asked Rosenwald for funding to build schools and he agreed, but he also wanted to make sure that the facilities provided a quality education, including longer school terms and facilities for industrial and home economics training.

The State is funding an initiative to locate and restore Rosenwald schools across the country and efforts are being made to get these buildings on the “Endangered Buildings List.”

This program was a supplement to the Stanback’s existing “Remembering the Rosenwald exhibit,” curated by Collections and Exhibitions Manager Daryl Murphy, who is an expert in the field. This exhibit features furniture and fixtures from Rosenwald schools including desks, chairs, an old typewriter, farming equipment, windows and photographs.

Remembering the Rosenwald Schools continues until July 1.

-Article written by IP Stanback Museum Intern Dervedia Thomas (Internship provided by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services)

The Answer to Racism?

2010-04-29T18:07:00.009-04:00

Is there an answer to racism? Columnist for the SC Black News Alice Bernstein, along with her associates, think they have the answer.

The IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium created this elaborate evening of civil rights, music and art appreciation featuring the Henderson Davis Players, the SC State Chorale, along with tributes to civil rights activist Isaac "Ike" Williams, recognition of some of the unsung heroes of civil rights, and art students' exhibition and awards.

Bernstein also presented the concept of Asthetic Realism at this event, which was an inter-arts collaboration of music by the SC State Chamber Group, under the direction of Dr. Julia Quick; Chorus under the direction of Dr. Richard Beckford; a play written by Ossie Davis, which was under the direction of Frank Mundy.

Aesthetic Realism is a teaching method that uses science to illustrate diversity and bring out kindness and the true intelligence of children.

Bernstein introduced the concept by explaining that the problem of racism is contempt.

"Contempt is the cause of all human injustice and leads to human cruelty," she said. "Slavery arose from contempt, so did the Holocaust and Apartheid in South Africa, but contempt can change through education."

Her associate, Educator Monique Micheal, used the example of different species of birds to explain to first graders that everyone is the same and yet different, and their differences are used to help them adapt to the world.

This theory was echoed in a chilling portrayal of "The People of Clarendon County," a play that was originally written by noted playwright and actor Ossie Davis. This play re-enacts the struggle of the black people of Clarendon county to get equal access to educational facilities during the Civil Rights era. Their legal battle against the Board of Education is one of the lawsuits that led to the landmark desegregation ruling in Brown v. Board of Education.

"If segregation is wrong, the way to stop it is in the first grade," shouted Frank Mundy, while playing the Reverend who ran the dilapidated school for Negroes in Clarendon County.

Mundy was joined by student actors Insley Greaves and Elijah Corley who both had roles in the recent performance of the reenactment of the Orangeburg Massacre.

This line was used as supporting evidence for the claim made by the visiting advocates who are working with young children in an attempt to end racism.

The evening ended in a video tribute in the IP Stanback Planetarium to life-long activist for civil rights, Isaac "Ike" Williams, and the awards for student achievement in art. The tribute chronicled Williams' life as a student at SC State College (SCSU) continuing through to his work at present as chief liaison for Congressman James E. Clyburn.

Pictured above left: Alice Bernstein, John Rickenbaker, representative for James Clyburn, and IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium Director Ellen Zisholtz

Pictured above right: SC State Visual and Performing Arts Director Frank Mundy, Henderson-Davis performers Insley Greaves and Elijah Corley

-Article written by IP Stanback Museum Intern Dervedia Thomas (Internship provided by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services)

Bleacher Boys

2010-04-15T17:11:00.004-04:00

How does one combine the dreams of six boys, their intense passion for baseball and their loss of sight? These boys became men and refused to let their debilitating condition cripple their love for the game and their ability to be a part of the game.

Filmmaker Karen Hunter brings it all together in her inspirational and motivating film, Bleacher Boys. Bleacher Boys was the last film to be presented through the Southern Arts Federation’s Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers for the 2009-2010 tour. The new film season begins in September 2010.

Bleacher Boys has taken Hunter through Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia.

Hunter, originally from Boston, has a professional certificate in digital filmmaking. Bleacher Boys was first conceptualized as she was doing a filming internship favor for one of her Professors. She began to do research in the areas of blindness and sport and the idea behind Bleacher Boys was formed.

Hunter has had many positive reviews, stating that those who have seen it “Absolutely love it, absolutely love it.” Those in attendance on April 8th, 2010 would agree.

Pictured is Filmmaker Karen Hunter with her nephew, Adam.

-Article written by IP Stanback Museum Intern Janique Francis (Internship provided by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services)

"Fred the Head" and other interesting pieces

2010-04-15T15:51:00.004-04:00

Conservator Debbie Hacker with the Chicora Foundation in Columbia and IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium registrar Harriett Hilton, together with various museum interns, have been busy cataloguing objects in the African collection.

This process began by painstakingly amassing information about the various pieces. Many of them did not have descriptions about their origin or make-up. Thus, the previous owners were contacted and photographs of the were sent to the museum. This helped in classification. The next step involved cleaning and then organizing them in storage. A lot of progress has been made in the past few weeks. So, stay tuned, the African Art exhibition will definitely be an educational, exciting and thrilling one!

The Stanback Museum and Planetarium has the largest African Art Collection in the state of South Carolina.

-Article written by IP Stanback Museum Intern Janique Francis (Internship provided by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services)

Unsung Hero

2010-03-31T10:55:00.002-04:00

The IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium is proud to congratulate student intern Dervedia Thomas for winning the First Lady Scholarship's Unsung Hero Award for Business.

Dervedia is a Senior Marketing major.

The Reckoning chronicles the quest for international justice

2010-03-12T17:46:00.002-05:00

How do you bring to justice the most dangerous men in the world? How do you even catch them? As part of its Southern Circuit Film tour, The Reckoning, a film by Producer Paco de Onis, was shown at the IP Stanback Museum and Planeterium on March 11. This film follows dynamic International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo and his team for three years across four continents as he issues arrest warrants for international criminals.

Ocampo’s task is not easy. The Court has no police force and can only act as a court of last resort. This court was vehemently opposed by the United States during the Bush administration.

The ICC has been aggressively trying to capture generals in the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda. This army captures young children and trains them to kill. They then brutalize and even murder innocent civilians, even children who refuse to support them in their rebellion against the government.

ICC lawyers visit these countries and talk with the victims who would become potential witnesses. They want justice but the LRA is now bribing them with peace. The army visits the villages, asking for forgiveness and promising to start peace talks if ICC arrests are withdrawn. Many of the victims support the measure, but this is not in keeping with the ICC’s mission.

The LRA has become fearful of the ICC ever since Congolese war General Thomas Lubanga Dyilo was arrested and put on trial for enlisting children as soldiers. His trial still continues.

In Colombia, paramilitary soldiers rein havoc. The ICC cannot issue arrests at this time, because their government is in the peace process with these rebels. They have offered amnesty for peace, instead of punishing those people. The ICC cannot intervene, but they are putting pressure on the government nonetheless.

After mass genocide in Darfur, Sudan's President Omar-al-Bashir is also being watched by ICC officials and they say he too will be brought to trial.

-Article written by IP Stanback Museum Intern Dervedia Thomas (Internship provided by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services)

Stanback Museum Intern Davion Petty Voted SC State’s Hottest Guy

2010-03-09T17:55:00.003-05:00

Davion Petty is a Junior accounting major from Gaffney, SC. He is the chairperson for the Student Friends of The Museum. Since the results were posted in the school’s newspaper, The Collegian, Davion hasn’t changed, but there has been interesting responses from people on campus.

“Since the article there has been a lot more attention from girls- even when I tell them I have a girlfriend! I think it’s funny. I have also been told to put the accomplishment on my resume.”

This experience was a rewarding one for Davion, but this has not been his first time on the list. “I was happy that I was even on the list this year, and I was surprised when I placed number one. I was number seven last year.”

We here at the Stanback are proud to have one of our students voted as the Most Attractive Man on Campus!

-Article written by IP Stanback Museum Intern Jessica Teasdell (Internship provided by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services)

Happy Birthday Janique

2010-03-08T19:49:00.005-05:00

IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium Intern Janique Francis got a surprise birthday celebration while on the Stanback’s museum tour on Feb 5. While having lunch, the waitress at Carolina Wings brought out a secretly purchased cake.

The cake was lit and everyone sang happy birthday to Janique!!!!

-Article written by IP Stanback Museum Intern Dervedia Thomas (Internship provided by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services)

Stanback Students Tour Museums in South Carolina

2010-03-08T19:17:00.011-05:00

Students of SC State’s IP Stanback and Planetarium visited two museums on March 5, to gain an appreciation of the methods and policies used at other museums.

The first stop was at the Columbia Museum of Art. Students were given a tour by Preparator Michael Dwyer of their Contemporary African American Art Exhibition. In this exhibit, students quickly recognized several similarities between this show and their own Twentieth Century Masters from the Cochran Collection, including the use of similar artists like Romare Bearden and Sam Gilliam.

One major difference between both collections was quickly identified by intern Eric Smith. The Columbia Museum of Art hung their art completely different. They used the center point as the anchor for hanging the art in this show, while at the Stanback, the bottom of each art work was hung at the same level. The walls at their museum were not moveable and they were also painted in a pale grey color. One student commented that it was soothing in contrast to the Stanback’s white.

Dwyer also discussed certain features at the museum, including the additional safety ropes around 3D work. The use of different light temperatures to preserve different paintings in their museums was also discussed as well as sensors that adjust to the weather.

After a quick lunch, it was on to the South Carolina State Museum, where Registrar Michelle Baker took students on a tour of the facility’s storage area.

One common feature of both the Columbia Museum of Art and the South Carolina State Museum is that their non-exhibition space accounts for 90 percent of the building. This is a major contrast to The Stanback, where most of the 15,000 sq ft building is made of galleries.

The store rooms of both Museums had their work carefully labeled. Labels were attached to the moveable racks they were stored on and not to the art itself so that it can be preserved.

Pictured top right: The Stanback's museum studies students and interns at the Columbia Museum of Art
Top left: Columbia Museum of Art's Mike Dwyer conducts a tour
Third from top, right: A shark display at the South Carolina State Museum
Bottom, left to right: Chicora Foundation Conservator Debi Hacker, Museum Studies student Corrin Gillens, IP Stanback Museum Director Ellen Zisholtz, and South Carolina State Museum Registrar Michelle Baker

-Article written by IP Stanback Museum Intern Dervedia Thomas (Internship provided by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services)

Students Dance to Stanback Art

2010-03-04T10:33:00.003-05:00

SC State students enrolled in PIE 150 – Beginners Jazz, visited The Stanback today to choose art from the Twentieth Century Masters exhibit to interpret in dance.

Junior physics major Jasmine Oliver, sophomore nursing major Riena Johnson and senior early childhood education major Kiara Wallace wasted no time in selecting Betye Saar’s Silver Lining the Unknown in the Mixed Media section.

The students said they chose this piece because they liked its colors and textures. Johnson even called it mysterious.

The idea to do this came from their dance instructor Devina Wescott, who is also the adviser for SC State's Ujimaa Dancers and Drummers. The students will interpret the art and dance to instrumental music as part of their grade for that class.

The Twentieth Century Masters from the Cochran Collection exhibition will be on display at the IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium through July 1, 2010, along with an accompanying exhibit: Remembering the Rosenwald Schools.

Pictured Left to Right: Riena Johnson, Jasmine Oliver, Kiara Wallace

-Article written by IP Stanback Museum Intern Dervedia Thomas (Internship provided by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services)

Harlem Redux

2010-03-01T17:44:00.006-05:00

The preparation of Earle Hall is underway!

Earle Hall, formally a male dormitory on the campus of SC State, is now transitioning into the Offices for Student Housing and Affairs. The I.P. Stanback Museum & Planetarium is getting ready to show excerpts from the exhibit Harlem on My Mind. In various rooms in Earle Hall you will find beautiful photographs taken during the early 1900’s Harlem Renaissance period.

There are pieces by James Van Der Zee, Gordan Parks, and Aaron Siskind. Van Der Zee, a leading figure during the Harlem Renaissance, was known best for his portraits.

The opening for the exhibit is coming this March.

-Article written by IP Stanback Intern Jessica Teasdell (Internship funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services)

The Stanback combines art, history and education for a great show!!!

2010-03-01T17:28:00.007-05:00

A packed house of fun people, great art and invaluable knowledge was the order of the day at the I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium’s (the Stanback) spring opening on Feb 19.

Appropriately entitled Twentieth Century Masters, the Stanback honored both masters whose art works were on display like Jacob Lawrence, Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso and Romare Bearden from the collection of Wes and Missy Cochran, as well as masters who have contributed to SC State and the state of South Carolina in general.

The first master, Dr. Leo Twiggs, former director of the Stanback Museum and the founder of SC State's art department, was honored of for his contribution to the university. A photograph of Twiggs was unveiled in the Stanback lobby to accompany those of Isreal P. Stanback and Dr. Clemmie E. Webber.

The Stanback also opened an accompanying exhibition, Remembering the Rosenwald Schools, celebrating two additional Twentieth Century Masters - Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Washington. This exhibition features images, documents and artifacts from former Rosenwald students, teachers and schools in South Carolina.

The exhibition highlights one of the many Jewish and African American partnerships that existed in the United States - Julius Rosenwald, who is the son of a Jewish immigrant and Booker T. Washington, a former slave. Washington turned to Rosenwald to finance a project which funded nearly 5,000 schools and auxiliary buildings in 15 southern states and served over 660,000 students for African Americans during the Jim Crow era.

After viewing the exhibition, SC State students had positive things to say about the collection.

"This is exciting; this is fun" said freshman Devanie Dawson. "This was my first time and I enjoyed viewing the art."

When asked what was gained from this experience, sophomore Tonya Payne responded, "Enlightenment! This makes me want to see more because these events are so rare."

Freshman Roderick Rogers also shared his experience. "I met lots of new people, saw some beautiful art, and spoke with a few alumni."

"This event was an enriching experience to say the least,” said sophomore English major Eric Shattuck. "I thought it was really incredible how they tied the art and the education history. This has been the best exhibit I have seen at this museum."

-Article written by IP Stanback Intern Dervedia Thomas (Internship funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services)

Getting Ready

2010-01-29T16:09:00.006-05:00

We at the Stanback are getting ready for our newest exhibition, Twentieth Century Masters from the Cochran Collection, an extraordinary collection from art collectors Wes and Missy Cochran of LaGrange, GA.

These are works on paper by the most interesting and internationally renowned artists of this past century, including Jacob Lawrence, Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Salvador Dali, Elizabeth Catlett, Alexander Calder, Jasper Johns, Joan Miro, Willem De Kooning, Camille Billops, Robert Rauschenberg, John Biggers, and many others.

Mildred Thompson, artist and former assistant editor of Art Papers, wrote ". . . the pop, African American, abstract, representational, realist, non-representational and female artists in The Cochran Collection portray all attitudes, definitions, divisions and directions. These are some of the factors making The Cochran Collection one of the most significant private art collections in the United States today." Several of Thompson's works will be on display as well.

Wes and Missy Cochran

2010-01-29T14:46:00.004-05:00

The upcoming exhibition at the Stanback, Twentieth Century Masters from the Cochran Collection, is made possible by art collectors Wes and Missy Cochran. Wes and Missy, who reside in LaGrange, GA, share a passion for art that is unrivaled and vast.

A stone mason by trade, Wes learned about art collecting from his uncle. Missy is a retired math teacher. Together they operate an art gallery, assist with the LaGrange Museum and continue to purchase art with all of their resources.

Wes and Missy are also Friends of the Stanback, and Wes will serve on the upcoming Stanback Advisory Board. Their friendship and support has enabled the Stanback to produce an exhibition of rare and extraordinary quality, usually seen only in major museums in large cities.

Yamma Brown's Visit

2010-01-29T13:52:00.006-05:00

The IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium was honored to have James Brown's daughter, Dr. Yamma Brown, visit the James Brown: Preserving the Legacy exhibition one last time Thursday, January 14, 2010. Along with her were members of "Daughter of Soul Productions", who filmed the visit for posterity.

Also present were members of the Stanback's Museum Studies class and interns.

Museum Studies students in attendance were Terry Bridges, Anthony Brooking, Stephanie Campbell, April C. Cook, Keith W. Fleming, Janique Francis, Corie M. Gillens, Allen L. Holmes, Carrie B. Jackson, Genesis Peterson, Eric J. Smith, Jessica A. Teasdell, and Derviedia Thomas. Former student/interns in attendance were Quentin Atterberry, Micah Brown, Joshua Davis, Robyn Hemby, John Johnson, and Jonathan Mackins.

Members of the video production team were George Hawthorne, Ed Silvera, Rahmeek Rasul, and Michael Mauldin.

Travelling Travelling Travelling

2009-12-14T15:43:00.005-05:00

Students of the Museum Studies class and Interns of the Stanback certainly have been busy lately . . . they have travelled to Atlanta, GA, Savannah, SC, Beaufort, SC and Columbia, SC.

They visited the Penn Center in Beaufort during Heritage Days, The Red Piano Too Art Gallery, The Columbia Museum of Art, The South Carolina State Museum, The Savannah College of Art and Design Museum, The Telfair Museum, The Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum, and the America I Am exhibition in Atlanta.

The students and interns who participated on one or more trips were Quentin Atterberry, Avery Brown, Micah Brown, Tiziana Collins, Mike Daniels, Johnathan Mackins, David McCleod, Melvin Moore, II, Davion Petty, Moriell Smalls, Jonathan Stackhouse, Keyn Swinton, Theadosia Sumpter, IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium Director Ellen Zisholtz, Planetarium Manager Dr. Elizabeth Mayo, and Registrar Harriett Hilton.

A Peek Inside

2009-11-19T10:01:00.005-05:00

Orangeburg Veterinarian Dr. Ann Hurst x-rayed some objects from our African collection this past week. This allowed us to look inside the object without disturbing what is inside.

Thanks Dr. Hurst!

Milking the Rhino

2009-11-16T14:24:00.003-05:00

The IP Stanback was host to filmmaker David Simpson Thursday, Nov 12. His film, Milking the Rhino, was shown to a very large crowd in the Planetarium.

Rhino is part of the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Films and is about the issues of human-wildlife co-existence in post-colonial Africa.

Here is Simpson with IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium Director Ellen Zisholtz.

DeBunking 2012

2009-11-09T15:45:00.006-05:00

South Carolina State University physics professor Dr. Don Walter recently conducted an interview in the Planetarium with News 19 Anchorman J.R. Berry about the myths surrounding the upcoming movie "2012".

The upcoming film, scheduled to be in theaters Friday, November 13, is about the belief that many have concerning the Meso-American, or Mayan, long count calendar, which supposedly portends the end of the world in 2012.

"There's a lot of misunderstanding surrounding this", contends Walter. "This date is about the end of their calendar, not the entire world. It's similar to what we do when December 31 rolls around each year . . . we simply flip the calendar to January 1."

The interview airs on Columbia's WOLO channel 19 on November 9 at 11 PM.

Getting a Head Start

2009-11-09T15:09:00.006-05:00

We at the IP Stanback enjoy everyone who visits us.

Today we had a wonderful group from St. Matthews Head Start in St. Matthews, SC.

Here they are enjoying the James Brown exhibition.

Lesley University Visitors

2009-11-09T12:10:00.004-05:00

The IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium was glad to have a group of Masters in Education students from Lesley University visit us recently.

These teachers are from Aiken, Orangeburg and Denmark, SC and are studying integrated teaching through the arts in elementary and high school.

We Love Our Seniors

2009-11-09T11:56:00.006-05:00

The IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium has been host recently to some fantastic groups. Lately, area senior centers from Summerton, SC, Trenton, SC and Columbia, SC have taken advantage of the beautiful Fall days by bringing their residents to both our James Brown and Art of the World exhibitions.

Dr. Sarah Moten

2009-10-24T17:40:00.003-04:00

The IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium was honored to have Dr. Sarah Moten visit recently.

Dr. Moten, who is the Education Division Chief of the United States Agency for International Development, was given a tour of the James Brown: Preserving the Legacy exhibition by IP Stanback Director Ellen Zisholtz.

Pictured from left to right: Dr. Leonard McIntyre, Dr. Sarah Moten, and Ellen Zisholtz.

Photographer Paul Gilmore

2009-10-24T17:18:00.008-04:00

Photographer Paul Gilmore visited the IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium recently and took pictures for a story that will be be featured in a book by the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce.

The book will showcase the educational, business and entertainment opportunities of the area.

Gilmore toured the James Brown: Preserving the Legacy exhibition and Planetarium shows.

Conservator Debi Hacker

2009-10-15T11:28:00.002-04:00

The Stanback is pleased, and very fortunate, to have Conservator Debi Hacker come and work with our Museum Study students, interns, staff and work study students.

Debi has been educating us on the proper techniques of storage and handling of objects in our collection.

Here she is working with student intern John Johnson.

Pants on Fire

2009-10-15T11:15:00.002-04:00

The Stanback showed the Southern Circuit film Pants on Fire Thursday, October 8, 2009 in the Planetarium to a large crowd of about 85 students, faculty and community members.

Mercedes Blackehart, Art Director for the film, was on hand to answer questions and speak about her experiences in the film industry.

Pants on Fire is a comedy about a pathological liar on a quest for glory and his adventures as he attempts to prop up his illusions.

Mercedes particularly enjoyed the James Brown exhibition . . .

Dare Not Walk Alone

2009-10-15T10:33:00.003-04:00

We had a very large, enthusiastic crowd for the film Dare Not Walk Alone Thursday, September 17 in the Planetarium.

Dare Not Walk Alone uncovers the untold story of the movement in St. Augustine, FL which led to President Johnson signing the Civil Rights Bill into law.

Filmmaker Jeremy Dean answered questions from about 80 students, faculty and members of the Orangeburg community.

America I AM

2009-09-24T10:35:00.003-04:00

IP Stanback Museum Studies students and staff traveled to Atlanta Friday September 18, 2009 to see the America I AM exhibit at the Atlanta Civic Center.

This exhibition showcases the imprint African Americans have made on America.

Pictured from left to right are: Museum Studies student Micah Brown, Planetarium Manager Dr. Elizabeth Mayo, Stanback Registrar Harriett Hilton, Student Friends of the Museum Co-Chair Davion Petty, Donna Jackson, Museum Studies student Avery Brown, Museum Studies student Moriell Smalls, intern Melvin Moore, IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium Director Ellen Zisholtz, intern Quentin Atterberry, intern David McCleod, and Museum Studies student Theadosia Sumpter.

SCSU Faculty Triennial Exhibition 2009

2009-09-24T10:23:00.002-04:00

Here are the faculty and staff who participated in South Carolina State University's Department of Visual and Performing Arts Faculty Triennial Exhibition 2009.

From left to right: Scotty Peek, Dr. Tolulope Filani, Ellen Zisholtz, FAB Gallery Manager Jim Arendt, Leslie Rech, Stephen Crall, and Kim LeDee. In front is Harper Arendt. Absent are Frank Martin and Jonathan Walsh.

Multitalented Intern Robyn Hemby

2009-09-24T09:49:00.004-04:00

IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium intern Robyn Hemby recently performed in an adaptation of James Baldwin's Amen Corner, where she played the character of Sister Moore.

Way to go, Robyn!

Director Ellen Zisholtz in Faculty Exhibition

2009-09-15T09:39:00.003-04:00

IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium Director Ellen Zisholtz exhibited her newest painting, In The Name Of . . . 1 at the Faculty Triennial Exhibition at South Carolina State University during the month of September.

This exhibition, located in the gallery at the Fine Arts Building, also showcases the works of faculty members Stephen Crall, Leslie Rech, Kimberly Ledee, Scotty Peek, Tolulope Filani, Frank Martin, Jonathan Walsh, and FAB Gallery Manager Jim Arendt. The mediums of painting, sculpture, graphic arts, and printmaking are displayed.

Pictured: In The Name Of . . . 1, water soluble oil on canvas, 2009

Our Director Was Jailed!!

2009-09-11T09:37:00.007-04:00

Oh no! The IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium Director Ellen Zisholtz was arrested by Officer Helen Bonaparte and taken to jail Thursday, September 10 . . .

It was part of a very successful blood drive at South Carolina State University conducted by the American Red Cross. Several campus leaders were "arrested", their "bail" set at various pints of blood.

We are happy to report our Director was released after an hour in the "pen".

AAAM Conference/Stanback Freedom Ride

2009-08-26T15:47:00.009-04:00

IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium students John Johnson, Quentin Atterberry, Harriett Hilton, and recent grad Robyn Hemby presented a panel discussion titled Using Technology to Attract Younger Museum Visitors. These were the first students ever to present at the Association of African American Museums' National Conference!

Students David McCleod, Thomas Sherman, Brian Hubbard and Mike Daniels also attended.

Additionally, the Stanback's Director Ellen Zisholtz was elected to the Board of Directors of the National Association of African American Museums!

Collections and Exhibitions Manager Darryl Murphy also attended.

Additional sites visited were the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, the 16th Street Baptist Church, Birmingham Civil Rights Museum, the Birmingham Museum of Art, the Birmingham Jazz Museum, the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, AL, the Rosa Parks Museum, the Southern Poverty Civil Rights Museum, the River Road African American Museum, the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans, LA, the Louisiana State Museum, the African American Heritage Museum, and the LaGrange Art Museum.

Whew!

Pictured above left: At the Southern Poverty Civil Rights Museum, from l to r Quentin Atterberry, Director Ellen Zisholtz, Collections Manager Darryl Murphy, Robyn Hemby, Harriett Hilton, Mike Daniels, John Johnson, David McCleod, Thomas Sherman, Brian Hubbard.

Pictured above right: back row from l to r: Mike Daniels, Thomas Sherman, Robyn Hemby, Dr. McGuire, Professor at LSU; Dr. Shroeder Cherry, Counselor to the Director at the Institute of Museum and Library Services; Stanback Director Ellen Zisholtz, David McCleod, Harriett Hilton. Front row: Brian Hubbard, John Johnson, and Quentin Atterberry.

To see additional pictures, go to Facebook.com and search for IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium.

Movie Mixer Night

2009-08-25T10:59:00.003-04:00

The IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium will host Movie Mixer Night Wednesday, August 26 at 8 PM- guests are asked to bring a blanket, chair, friends and snacks and enjoy an outdoor movie, Kevin Hart's "I'm A Grown Little Man" on the front lawn of the Stanback!

Tell Us Your James Brown Story

2009-07-29T14:27:00.004-04:00

Where were you when you first heard a James Brown song? How did it make you feel?

How about your first James Brown concert experience? When was it?

Answer these questions and add a bit more for a chance to have your memories published in the program book for the closing reception for the exhibition James Brown: Preserving the Legacy, which will be held Thursday, September 3, 2009 at the Stanback.

Your entry may be made via comments on this blog, through our Facebook page, or by email (send to palmettoart@gmail.com)

You may enter as many times as you wish.

Looking forward to hearing about your memories.

Grant Writing Workshop

2009-07-16T16:39:00.006-04:00

The IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium was host recently to a grant workshop for community cultural projects sponsored by the Humanities Council of South Carolina.

The workshop was conducted by Lynn Robertson, Director of the McKissick Museum in Columbia, SC. (pictured above)

The 80+ attendees, who represented local and state organizations such as the Orangeburg Fine Arts Center, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the SC Arts Commission, were given guidelines for the successful writing and completion of grant proposals, as well as grant sources.

All The Way From El Salvador

2009-07-15T14:01:00.004-04:00

Geoff Herzog, son of IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium Director Ellen Zisholtz, visited recently from San Salvador, El Salvador. He spoke with a group of high school students about El Salvador and the importance of completing school as a means of achieving your dreams.

2009-06-26T14:55:00.002-04:00

IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium's Student Friends of the Museum Co-Chair Davion Petty is in China!

Way to go, Davion!

Smithsonian Visitors

2009-06-26T14:05:00.004-04:00

The IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium was honored to have three curators from the Smithsonian Institution's new museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, visit June 25.

From the official Smithsonian press release:

The National Museum of African American History and Culture was established in 2003 by an Act of Congress. Although it does not have a building yet, the museum is collecting artifacts; conducting seminars and symposia, including a recent two-day program on Black Power; gathering African American oral histories for StoryCorps, a joint program with National Public Radio and the Library of Congress; and creating traveling exhibitions such as “Let Your Motto Be Resistance.” In addition, the museum has its own gallery in the National Museum of American History, which currently is exhibiting 'The Scurlock Studio and Black Washington: Picturing the Promise."

David Adjaye will be the lead designer for the Museum, set to open to the public in 2015. He designed the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo, Norway, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is to be located on the National Mall near the Washington Monument in Washington, DC.

Pictured: Paul Gardullo, Museum Curator, Jacquelyn Days Serwer, Chief Curator, IP Stanback Museum Director Ellen Zisholtz, and Michele Gates Moresi, Curator of Collections.

A Visit From the Cape Master

2009-06-26T12:51:00.006-04:00

Danny Ray, the former emcee for James Brown and the Famous Flames, visited the Stanback June 25 and toured the James Brown: Preserving the Legacy exhibition.

Ray performed the well known cape routine, usually during the song Please, Please, Please, where he would come out and drape a cape over Brown's shoulders and escort him off the stage. Brown would then come back on stage and perform an encore. This was repeated several times in succession.

Pictured at top: Danny Ray with some of James Brown's jackets and hats.

Bottom left, from right to left: IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium Director Ellen Zisholtz, Danny Ray, and Collections and Exhibitions Manager Darryl Murphy.

1940's SCSU Alum Visit

2009-06-26T12:20:00.003-04:00

Marketing Executive Allen McKellar, a 1940's graduate of South Carolina State University, visited the IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium Wednesday, June 24. Mr. McKellar, a former business associate of James Brown, toured the exhibition, taking special note of the photographs showing himself and Mr. Brown at the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr was assassinated.

Pictured here are, standing left to right, IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium Collections and Exhibitions Manager Darryl Murphy, Director Ellen Zisholtz, Allen McKellar, Museum Program Manager Ingrid Owens, and seated Mrs. Ernestine McKellar.

Welcome Freshmen!

2009-06-23T15:26:00.005-04:00

The Stanback has been host to some very large crowds lately.

It is estimated that about 1500 people have toured our current exhibition James Brown: Preserving the Legacy, as well as Planetarium shows . . . just in the month of June!

Pictured is Collections and Exhibitions Manager Darryl Murphy conducting a tour to some South Carolina State University incoming Freshmen.

Museum Student's Thoughts

2009-05-25T16:33:00.006-04:00

Museum Studies students and Interns at the Stanback kept journals of their experiences during the past semester.
Here are some excerpts from their writings.

Today was the opening of the James Brown exhibition. So many came out in support! I got a chance to meet some of the members of the Brown family as well as many other important people in James Brown's life. There was a video showing in the planetarium as well as a live band in the small gallery. There was great food and a wine tasting. I especially enjoyed seeing the student body interacting with the community. - Paul Chisolm

Went to the exhibition opening which was the best time of my life. I enjoyed the music, movie and the gallery. All of our hard work paid off. - Tarus Stills

My internship at the IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium has been one of the best experiences of my life. I learned how varied work in a museum is - how many skills come together to create a vibrant, educational and memorable experience. I learned that a museum is a guardian of culture. I learned that a museum itself is a work of art that houses works of art - a beautiful conundrum. - Harriett Hilton

My experience coming into this class has been one of a kind. At first, coming into it, I was excited because I loved museums already, but I did get the impression that it was going to be boring. I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't.
We visited the IMLS (Institute of Museums and Library Services) Conference and it was wonderful. I never knew that my digital media skills could help so much in museums. Also, with attending that conference I was able to connect with many people that could help me, once I graduate, get started in my career.
I know for sure that, if I had not taken this class, I would not have experienced all of the things that I did. I give all thanks . . . to Mrs. Zisholtz, for offering the opportunities that were given during this semester and in the future as well. It was greatly appreciated. Maybe one day I can be in her shoes. - Robyn Hemby

2009 Student Art Show

2009-05-02T13:48:00.007-04:00

The Stanback currently has on exhibition some very good artwork produced by SCSU students in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts. Special recognition goes to Janson Bell, Avery Brown, Micah Brown, Kendrick Clark, Wesley Coleman, Tiziana Collins, Harriett Hilton, Kristian James, Tawanna Jenkins, David McCleod and Trevor Sweat.

A very special thank you to Jim Arendt, Curator for the department, who assisted the students with hanging, matting, framing, and many other technical issues.

Pictured top: Best of Show Winners, left to right, Janson Bell, Kendrick Clark and Wesley Coleman. Middle: Jim Arendt

Savannah Field Trip

2009-04-30T20:52:00.010-04:00

Independent Study students, Interns and Museum Studies students recently took a field trip to Savannah, GA, where they visited the First African Baptist Church, one of the stops along the Underground Railroad, and the Civil Rights Museum.

Those in attendance were Kendrick Clark, Tiziana Collins, Alex Davenport, Alvin Dixon, Robyn Hemby, Harriett Hilton, Brian Hubbard, John Johnson, Kelly Kemp, Melvin Moore, Sebastian Oliver, Andrea Pugh, Tarus Stills, Trevor Sweat, Jonathan Whitfield, IP Stanback Collections Manager Darryl Murphy, and IP Stanback Director Ellen Zisholtz.

A Man Named Pearl

2009-04-25T14:15:00.005-04:00

The Stanback was host Thursday, April 23 to filmmaker Scott Galloway, who is on tour with the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers. Galloway presented A Man Named Pearl to an enthusiastic, near- capacity crowd.
Galloway, who resides in Davidson, NC, has produced more than 650 television programs for such networks as A&E, HGTV, and The Food Network, winning several awards in the process, including more than 20 Telly Awards and an Emmy.
To learn more about the remarkable story of Pearl Fryer, and to preview this award winning film, click here.

All About Us

2009-04-03T13:08:00.003-04:00

The IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium was honored to have Producer Michael Swanson visit and screen his latest film All About Us, which is on tour with the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers. This film is about Swanson's own struggle to break into the film industry, using actors to portray himself and his wife, writer/director Christine Swanson, who wrote and directed the screenplay for All About Us. Amazingly, it was shot in only 2 weeks.

After the screening, Swanson led a lively discussion with an engaged crowd of about 55 students, faculty and community members. "Knowing where you come from helps fuel your dreams," says Swanson. "You realize your dream is bigger than you are, and it becomes a homage to the people that came before you. You have to remember the dreams and sacrifices of those who came before you."

Swanson's films are available through such major retailers as Target, Wal-Mart, Amazon and Blockbuster.

For additional information on Micheal Swanson and his films, please visit his website faithfilmworks.com.

Member of the Club

2009-04-03T12:37:00.004-04:00

The IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium recently hosted a screening of the Southern Circuit film Member of the Club, Thursday, February 26. The Director, Phoebe Ferguson, could not attend, but we were glad to have her daughter, Noel Anderson, come and lead the discussion after the film.

Member of the Club is a documentary about a New Orleans family as they groom their youngest member to be a Mardi Gras Queen. For more information, click here to view the film's website.

Pictured left to right: Planetarium Manager Dr. Elizabeth Mayo & Noel Anderson

Surprise, Surprise

2009-03-30T12:25:00.003-04:00

IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium Director Ellen Zisholtz was recently surprised by being a recepient of an "Unsung Hero" award for the work she has done at the Museum and in the surrounding community. The award, which was given at the First Ladies' Scholarship Luncheon on the campus of South Carolina State University March 26, recognized women leaders in the fields of health, fine art, education, law enforcement and politics.

Museum Intern and Art Education major Harriett Hilton also received an award.

Congratulations to you both!

Pictured: left to right, Ellen Zisholtz and Harriett Hilton

One Fabulous Night

2009-03-14T12:57:00.008-04:00

The opening reception for James Brown: Preserving the Legacy was, to sum it up in one word, fabulous.

There was an out- of- this- world planetarium show created by Dr. Elizabeth Mayo, the Stanback's Planetarium Manager, groovy music by the SCSU Percussion Ensemble, directed by James Orlick, and fantastic vocals by Sherman Brown. There was good food, a wine tasting provided by Greg Waters of Piggly Wiggly, and of course, never before seen items from the James Brown estate, tastefully curated by the Stanback's Director, Ellen Zisholtz.

Here are just some of the links to news stories about this exhibit:

www.wrdw.com
www.midlandsconnect.com
www.timesanddemocrat.com
www.thestate.com

Also, check out the Stanback's Facebook page for additional photos

facebook.com

Pictured above, left: The Brown family along with the Stanback's Director and Curator of the James Brown: Preserving the Legacy exhibition Ellen Zisholtz;
Above, right: Some of the crowd at the opening reception

Getting Ready

2009-02-06T12:15:00.005-05:00

The staff, student interns and work study students of the IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium are busy getting ready for the next exhibition, James Brown: Preserving The Legacy, and were surprised and honored when Deanna Brown, James Brown's daughter, visited Wednesday, February 4.

Ms. Brown provided valuable information about some of the family pictures, clothing and other items belonging to The Godfather of Soul.

Pictured left to right: IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium Director and Curator of James Brown: Preserving The Legacy Ellen Zisholtz, IP Stanback Collections Manager Darryl Murphy, South Carolina State Museum History Curator Elaine Nichols, Deanna Brown, and seated, Ella Overton.

UPDATE: The staff of the Stanback would like to express their deepest sympathies to the Overton and Brown families - Ella Overton passed away March 7, 2009.

Martin Luther King, Jr Commemorative Program

2009-01-16T12:31:00.015-05:00

The IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium was pleased to co-host Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? , a program commemorating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This event was held in the Barbara A. Vaughn Recital Hall at the Fine Arts Building on the campus of South Carolina State University. The Orangeburg Branch of the NAACP also hosted.

Darci Strickland, news anchor for WLTX in Columbia, SC, presided. Dr. Lonnie Randolph, President of the SC Chapter of the NAACP, was the keynote speaker.

Other speakers included Dr. George E. Cooper, SCSU president, Akeem Brown, 1st Vice President of the Orangeburg Branch NAACP Youth Council, and IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium Director Ellen Zisholtz. The Orangeburg Wilkinson Concert Choir performed an excellent rendition of United We Stand, which received a standing ovation.

In closing, IP Stanback's Exhibitions and Collections Manager Darryl Murphy led the audience in singing We Shall Overcome.

Pictured above right: Dr. Lonnie Randolph, above left: Dr. George E. Cooper, middle right: IP Stanback Director Ellen Zisholtz, bottom: OW Concert Choir

Rotary Club Meeting

2008-12-17T12:49:00.004-05:00

The IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium was honored to host the Orangeburg Rotary Club-Morning for it's regular meeting Wednesday, December 17.

Dr. Elizabeth Mayo, Planetarium Manager, spoke and gave a planetarium show.

Alcorn Visit

2008-12-11T14:19:00.005-05:00

The IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium was pleased to have a group of about 70 8th grade students from Alcorn Middle School in Columbia, SC.

The group toured the current exhibition Journey From Africa to Gullah, and were treated to a planetarium show conducted by Planetarium Manager Dr. Elizabeth Mayo.

#7 Hottest Guy

2008-12-10T14:49:00.003-05:00

The IP Stanback's Co-Chair of the Student Friends of the Museum was recently chosen by The Collegian, SC State's student newspaper, as one of the top 10 "Hottest Guys of SC State". Davion Petty, a sophomore Accounting major, was recently honored as #7 on the "Hottest Guy" list.

Way to go Davion!

A Stanback Tea Party

2008-11-21T15:02:00.011-05:00

The IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium was host last Thursday, November 20 to The Meaning of Tea, the latest film in the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers' series. Filmmaker Scott Chamberlin Hoyt was on hand to answer questions from audience members after the screening. Also along from Southern Circuit was assistant blogger/photographer Jennifer Ahlstrom. An authentic British Tea, complete with English scones and other delicacies, was conducted by Olwyn Mayo, mother of Planetarium Manager Dr. Elizabeth Mayo.

The Meaning of Tea explores how cultures around the world are connected to tea, a "universally beloved and widely consumed beverege". Tea is recognized in many cultures as a connection to the past. The ritual of drinking tea causes one to be aware of the natural world and of the value of taking time to cultivate human connections. Director Scott Chamberlin Hoyt says "If we took time out from our busy schedules and drank a cup of tea, we would be better because of it."

Pictured above right, from right to left: Jennifer Ahlstrom, Scott Chamberlin Hoyt, and Museum Director Ellen Zisholtz
Pictured above middle, from right to left, Olwyn Mayo, IP Stanback Program Coordinator Ingrid Owens, and Planetarium Manager Dr. Elizabeth Mayo.

For more information, click here to visit The Meaning of Tea's website.

Ambassador Bockarie Kortu Stevens Visits the Stanback

2008-11-15T14:58:00.010-05:00

The IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium was host recently to some very notable guests. His Excellency Bockarie Kortu Stevens, the Ambassador of the Republic of Sierra Leone to the United States of America, paid a special visit. Also Joe Opala, anthropologist, public historian, and lecturer at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He lived in Sierra Leone for 17 years, and is known for his research on the Gullah Connection, the long historical thread that links Africans in Sierra Leone and other countries on the "Rice Coast" of West Africa with the Gullah people of coastal South Carolina and Georgia. His Excellency viewed the current exhibition Journey From Africa to Gullah, led an interesting discussion on the link between Sierra Leone and the Southeast Atlantic coast and answered audience questions. He then traveled to Penn Center for their annual Heritage Days Festival, which celebrates Gullah culture. Joe Opala gave an excellent Powerpoint lecture in the Planetarium to an enthusiastic crowd. He also traveled to Penn for Heritage Days. To see additional photos, log on to Facebook and become a fan of the IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium.