More from The Clay Center

I love this photo, even though the face is slightly blurred. This is my youngest, Jonathan. He LOVES the "ball machine" in the lower level of the Clay Center. Saturday, we sat there for maybe a good 45 minutes watching the balls roll around inside the kinetic sculpture, a sort of Rube Goldberg-like gizmo that sends the ball on a neverending ride through rails, conveyor belts, turnstiles, and just about every other method of getting from point A to point B. Jonathan enjoyed anticipating when the conveyor belt would pick up a new ball and start the process all over again. He was standing there saying "Here it comes!" when I took this picture. I love the look on his face, like "are you watching this?!?!?"

Grotto of Dreams

This is a piece from "Grotto of Dreams," a portion of the Lightscapes exhibit at the Clay Center (Juliet Museum of Art, to be exact.) The artist who made this figure is Mark Soppeland, who makes some really interesting, highly-detailed assemblages using found objects and light sources. He made a collection of pieces for his "grotto," and a few extra stand at the entrance of the exhibit.

Lightscapes

Photo totally ripped off from the Gazz.

If you haven't had an opportunity to check out the "Lightscapes for the Holidays" exhibit at the Clay Center, you really should go. It's definitely not one of those "if you've seen one, you've seen 'em all" holiday exhibits you expect to find around Christmas -- not that there's anything wrong with familiar and comfortable, but this is a pleasant surprise.

The exhibit is a series of installations and sculptures using light as a medium. The photo above shows the awesome local artist Mark Tobin Moore in front of his exhibit, "They Are Still With Us," which calls to mind all the people who are no longer with us, who we remember especially during the holidays.

I am taking all my classes to see it, even if we have to zip over and back during the regular class time, because it's just that cool. I am lucky that the school is practically next door to the Clay Center (especially the Juliet Museum of Art, located upstairs in the CC) because it's such an excellent resource. People really don't understand what a treasure we have in our city. It's so much more than just a performance hall and kids' museum -- and it has so much potential to grow through the years, too!

RIP Lyell Clay

If you're driving in Charleston today, you might want to avoid Leon Sullivan and Virginia Streets today. The Lyell Clay funeral is going on at First Presbyterian, and it's a pretty big event. There is a horse-drawn hearse and everything -- a New Orleans-style procession. They're going to shut down Virginia Street for the funeral, which starts around 11:30. It's a fitting procession for a man who did so much (and, through his foundation, will continue to do much) to bring art and music to the Mountain State.

Lyell Clay is, of course, THE Lyell Clay, of the Clay Center of the Arts and Sciences, the Clay Foundation, and of course, the Charleston Daily Mail. He will be greatly missed.