A week in Columbia

Anyone who says there is nothing to do in Columbia, isn't looking. On any given day there are bands to see or art openings to attend. Then there are plays, films, local food events and festivals. I need more time.

Talk Back during the Playful Shorts - Indie Grits

This week in Columbia starts on Saturday, May 21. Jay and I set out on our bicycles for a ride around town, stopped at El Burrito for a taco and then headed to the New Nickelodeon Theater for the Indie Grits Festival. We watched the "playful" shorts. (Can you spot the back of our heads in this photo?) Spirit Hair and When Walt Whitman was a Little Girl were my favorites.

Later that evening, we headed to the Tapps Building for Spork and Spoon Puppet Slam. The acts were political, funny, artsy, musical... fun.

Jay & Steve Gibson at Slow Food at Indie Grits.
Photo by Jonathan Sharpe.

Sunday, May 22, we headed to Slow Food at Indie Grits hosted by Slow Food Columbia for champagne and delicious slow food. This was an opportunity to sample tasty treats from great local restaurants such as Rosso, 116, Rosewood Market, MoMo's Bistro and more. And the Greater Columbia Society for the Preservation of Soul was spinning some groovy soul tunes.

Kendal Turner at the Wet Ink Art Series

After Slow Food, Jay went to work for a while, so I headed to the Tapp's Building for the first of Kendal Turner's new poetry nights, Jasper Presents: Wet Ink Art Series. Here I participated in the writing of a fabulous group poem and listened to some veteran and new spoken word poets in Columbia. You don't want to miss the next one.

Monday night, I went to see a series of food films at the Nickelodeon. Grand Fugue on the Art of Gumbo made me want to make a gumbo (I'm intrigued by the green gumbo... that's on my to cook list). I've seen a lot of food films, particularly those about big agriculture, so in some ways this film was not a new idea. But I loved Eating Alabama. The film documented a couple's attempt to eat only local foods for a year. I know you are thinking, Barbara Kingsolver did that in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I was too. But the film makers wove this story together so beautifully. The use of photographs and family connections to land and food resulted in a really powerful story about farmers and food systems. An evening would not be complete without a trip to the Hunter Gatherer for a pint of ESB and some live music with the Shrimp Records Showcase w/ Joel T. Hamilton, Ray Kay & Friends, and Royal Tinfoil.

Quintron and Miss Kitty headlined Tuesday evening. Puppets, music, zaniness.

Ginger Ice Cream!

Wednesday, Jay and I took an afternoon bicycle ride and popped into Blue Cactus for some ice cream. My favorite is ginger. Jay likes coconut almond joy. This was followed by a trip to the Nickelodeon Theater for the second series of documentary shorts. As a group, these films were an awesome conversation about race in the southeast. Divide was about a retired coal miner who campaigned for the United Mine Workers' candidates for president. It tells the story of Sebert Pertee and how race and racism played out locally during the 2008 elections. Tom Hall's new film, Compromised, continues the discussion of the confederate flag on the state house grounds in Columbia, South Carolina. The Steering Committee provides a glimpse into he civil rights movement. It follows a group of Paine College students who stood up for their beliefs for social equality, staging sit ins and other events in Augusta, Georgia. The short film of the evening, Going Home, according to the director, was an "annotated accident". It is a discussion in black and white about race, history and the legacy of slavery. As someone who is interested in race and history, these films were a pleasant surprise, showing the on-going conversations people are having about race and racism in the southeast.

Rangoli Community Project

In addition to all of the fun with Indie Grits, Artista Vista was Thursday night. The gallery crawl is always a fun event. As always there was some great art. I always enjoy checking out Clark Ellefson's robots at Lewis + Clark. If you didn't have a chance to see Thomas Crouch's new work Nurse Vs. Heart, you should stop by the Art Bar and check it out (in case, you need an excuse to stop by the Art Bar). One of my favorites events was the Rangoli Community Project. Jay and I contributed. His is the circle with the pine cone and mine is the corner piece. I look forward to playing with more colored rice, corn, and flower petals.

RIP Jeff Norwood - Friday, May 27.

My Crafty Feast purchase

Saturday morning, I headed out on a bicycle ride with Mayor Benjamin and One Columbia. I stopped by the Unite Women rally to tell our elected officials that I care about reproductive rights. Then I pedaled on down to Crafty Feast. As usual, there were lots of great crafters. I bought a necklace and created a big wish list. For evening adventures, we checked out the Documentary Shorts at the Nick and stopped by the Indie Grits After Party in the empty bank in the Barringer Building. Joe Turkaly had cooked up some delicious BBQ tofu, mac & cheese, green beans, and slaw. Yum!

Who says there is nothing to do in Columbia?