Joe makes another pick of the week for South Carolina. This time he’s headed for Myrtle Beach.
It’s a Frog-Strangling Downpour in Charleston
It’s not raining cats and dogs, it’s more of a frog strangler when the new sculpture exhibit is opening at the Hamlet Gallery for Charles Smith and sons, Zan and Beau. The exhibit is called “It’s Raining Frogs†and consists of a new collection of human-size copper frog sculptures.
The Humble Beginning
The beginning of the human-size copper frog emerged in 1974 when Charles Smith started making metal sculptures(following a career in science and engineering). His first subjects were clowns and dancers made with sheet copper overlaid with brass from one to two feet tall.
“Natural subject matter, coupled with the basic desire to render the life size image of the human form in metal are the forces that led to the copper frog†says Charles. The frogs have evolved over the years, first sitting on the ground, then standing, holding a wine bottle, martini glass, reading a book, playing an instrument and other various human activities. Sizes have varied also, large to small and back to the human-size again. The “Spoleto Dancing†frogs in the courtyard stand around 7 feet tall and are perfectly asymmetrical.
Charles’ sons, Beau and Zan, learned metal sculpture while growing up, and became “Frogsmiths†after their father.  The sons continue to contribute in the development of the medium and collaborate on the art and craft of the human size copper frog. Charles and Zan each have a studio in a natural setting on a small, family island in the South Carolina Lowcountry, south of Charleston. Beau works independently in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Art of Expression and Body Language
Each frog is made individually and has its own character in expression and body language. They do not use templates, or helpers. The artists primarily use copper, brass and stainless steel, and have developed over the years a special process for initiating the verdigris patina. Each frog is signed, dated and copyrighted on a stainless steel plate near the foot of the frog statue. “These frog creatures have “soul†and are “crowd pleasersâ€, making people smile†says Stephanie Shuler Hamlet of the Hamlet Fine Art Gallery.
The reception takes place on  Friday, August 7th , 5-8 pm. The exhibit continues the whole month of August. For more information, contact the Hamlet Fine art Gallery at 843-722-1944 or www.hamletgallery.com
The Crown Jewels – Royal Exhibit to Amelia Island, Florida
The British royal family has a long history and tradition. Part of the tradition is embodied in the British Crown Jewels. The Crown Jewels have been kept at the Tower of London since 1303. The Crown Jewels are kept in a part of the Tower known as Jewel House, where armed guards defend them.
While the jewels never leave the Tower of London, the only existing sanctioned replicas will be on display at the Amelia Island Museum of History, April 22nd through July 24th.
Amelia Island is a suitable place for the exhibit, since the island itself is names after King George II’s daughter Amelia Sophia.
In 1733, James Oglethorpe founded the 13th British colony in America naming it Georgia after King George II. Later on he name Amelia Island after George’s daughter. The experts are not sure why. Some believe that Oglethorpe was trying to get support from George II in his endeavor to add Florida to the British colonies, while others think that Amelia Sophia and Oglethorpe might have been romantically involved.
Now you can experience a little bit of royal history right here on the coast. The Crown Jewel exhibit continues at Amelia Island Museum of History until July 24th.
Admission is free for museum members and $5 for non-members.
Amelia Island Museum, 233 South Third Street, Fernandina, Florida 32034
Phone: 904-261-7378
North African Jewelry and Photographs Exhibit – Savannah, GA
The Savannah College of Art and Design will feature approximately 80 rare pieces of North African jewelry and 27 late 19th- and early 20th-century photographs as part of the exhibition “Desert Jewels: North African Jewelry and Photography from the Xavier Guerrand-Hermès Collection†May 11-June 19 at the Pei Ling Chan Gallery, 322 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The exhibition is free and open to the public, and will be a signature part of the May 15 SCAD Style Gallery Hop.
Collected over three decades by Xavier Guerrand-Hermès, this work illuminates the diversity and beauty of traditional North African design. Crafted from silver, coral, amber and other semi-precious stones, the jewelry includes wedding necklaces, hair ornaments and fibula. Moroccan, Algerian and Egyptian jewelry show common threads of the Berber culture as well as local variations in materials and motifs.
In addition to the exquisite pieces of jewelry, “Desert Jewels†features the work of some of the most prominent European photographers of the era. Theses include Scotsman George Washington Wilson, the Neurdine brothers from France and Turkish photographer Pascal Sabah, all of whom visited North Africa to capture the magnificent landscapes and “exotic†people on film.
The exhibition is organized by the Museum for African Art, New York, and debuted in October 2008 at the National Museum of African Art at the Smithsonian Institution.
“Desert Jewels†is presented as part of SCAD Style, the Savannah College of Art and Design’s annual style and design series. SCAD Style events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. Visit SCAD Style at www.scadstyle.com for a full list of events or, for more information on exhibitions, visit SCAD Exhibitions at www.scadexhibitions.com.
Photo: SCAD
Fibula (tabzimt), Ait Yenmi peoples, Great Kabylie, Algeria
The Body Within
Do you have a hard time explaining how the heart works, or the blood flows or the million other things kids will ask about the human body? For most parents, this is a bit of a struggle.
On February 13th, MOSH opens a new permanent exhibit, called The Body Within. It sounds like this fun and interesting exhibit will become a new favorite for both curious kids and parents. The best way to learn is to experience, and The Body Within let’s you almost take a fascinating journey through the human body.
Visitors will enter through a mouth and then be able to see the skeletal system above, and organs and body systems below.This realistic, and humorous look at the human body, will help visitors gain knowledge about how different organs, for example the heart, function within the body. We can’t wait to experience this one ourselves.