Saturday, June 12, 2010

Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Show - Day 15 - Friday, June 11, 2010

Today was sweltering hot and sticky. Zero breeze.  We drank lots of water and more family and friends stopped by to say hello as they headed toward anything with airconditioning.

Family from here who now live off, like in Richmond, VA...
Julian, Susan and David Mills
My cousins, Susan Mills (nee Mikell from Edisto) and her sister, Pie Mikell, came by with Susan's husband, David, and their youngest son, Julian. Julian is enjoying "quality time" alone with his parents since his older brother, Nelson, is on a trip abroad.  It was great to see them, but we missed Nelson.  However, I doubt seriously that he missed us since he is in Paris and getting ready to go to Rome...

Later, Miss Callie Sanders came by with her MyMy and Poppy (Boo and Hugh Wilson), who are like family to me.  Callie was being coy and decided she didn't want her picture taken so I could only get her "on the run" and this 3 year old is fast!


Miss Callie Sanders

About lunchtime, Queen Victoria, our show co-coordinator, determined that it was time to present K.C. Collins, winner of "Best In Show - The Mayor's Award 2010", with her quite nice and substantial check. K.C.'s painting, "Butterfly Forest" will hang in Mayor Riley's office for a year and then rotate to other City offices.

Yes, K.C., if I were getting a large check, I would have a great big grin on my face, too!

Well, it even got better than the big check. Tony "Singer/Songwriter" Hardwick a/k/a "Mango Moment Man", had been commissioned by Queen Victoria to write a ditty in honor of K.C., her award, and the fact that she soldiered on throughout the entire length of the show (so she could get the money). As all you regular blog readers of mine know, Tony has taken up songwriting and singing, having discovered he was a "natural", primarily because (1) he got bored and (2) whatever extra his mango italian ices may have in them...

It is evident that K.C. is enthralled by Tony's singing tribute to her.

For all of us artists who did not win the Mayor's Award (or any award), we were not left out completely.  Our good friends from Artist and Craftsman Supply at their Charleston location (right across the street from the art show) came by with complimentary journals, oil paint, sharpies to brighten a very hot day.  We love free gifts, but especially art supplies! Thank you, Artist and Craftsman Supply!
Hirona Matsuda and Trevor Webster
Artist and Craftsman Supply
143 Calhoun St., Charleston, SC

Finally,  my friend and fellow Artist and Arts Activist, Elaine Hruska, came by to rally the art troops regarding disturbing news about SC Governor Mark Sanford's decision to issue vetoes that will slash art funding to our schools, arts education and support grant programs and set back the arts programs light years in SC.

Veto #32 cuts Statewide Arts Services totaling $1,212,733, more than half of the Arts Commission's budget.
Veto #105 cuts the $250,000 in stimulus funds for the competitive grants program, which funds local arts programs in communities and school districts in every county of South Carolina.

Please contact your SC State House and Senate members - a full listing is at the SC Arts Alliance website. Our legislators need to hear from us by Tuesday, June 15th.  Please speak up for the future of the arts in SC!

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