Lecture series melds art, nature

'For the beauty of the Earth/for the glory of the skies." Words from that age-old hymn could be the inspiration for a new series to educate the public about the impact of the beauty of art and preserving the Lowcountry as one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

"Wednesdays at the Waterfront," a summer lecture series merging the visual arts and the mission of the Coastal Conservation League, opens 11 a.m. Wednesday at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park and continues through Aug. 6.

The Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs and the Coastal Conservation League will co-sponsor these free exhibits and lectures.

Ellen Dressler Moryl, director of the Office of Cultural Affairs, said the 2008 Piccolo Spoleto juried art exhibition was coordinated by the Coastal Conservation League and juried by Dr. Mokhless Al-Hariri and Maria Midani.

"The theme of the series 'Vanishing Landscapes' will showcase works of 64 South Carolina artists in two dimensions, three dimensions and photography related to the state of our planet and its environment," says Moryl. "This is not just an art exhibit, but a lesson in science education. We hope the audience will be inspired by the show to help stem the tide of the world's growing environmental crisis."

Dana Beach, executive director of the Coastal Conservation League, says, "We anticipate the audience will not only recognize the importance of this year's environmental theme, but also the importance of the personal connection between the places we live and ourselves."

Each exhibiting artist will discuss his or her work and will be joined by a Coastal Conservation League staff member, who, in turn, will present relevant environmental issues and provide the context in which to view the work.

The series is free to the public.

City Gallery at Waterfront Park is open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and noon-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. There is no admission charge.

Scheduled for the "Wednesdays at the Waterfront" series:

--July 2: Artist Lidia Cuellar Richardson presents "On a Cloudy Day" and Coastal Conservation League Program Director Nancy Vinson, "How Clean is Charleston's Air?"

--July 9: Artist Carol McGill's "Scorched Earth" and CCL Project Manager Ben Moore, "A Clean Energy Policy for South Carolina."

--July 16: Artist Lynne Riding's "Pritchard Island Series" and CCL South Coast Director Patrick Moore, "Our Fragile Marsh Islands."

--July 23: Artist Paul Hitopoulos' "Divided Waters" and CCL North Coast Office Director Nancy Cave, "A Coal Plant's Impact on the Pee Dee River."

--July 30: Artist Rick Rhodes' "526" and CCL Project Manager Lisa Jones Turansky, "A New Way to Work."

--Aug. 6: Artist Karen Silvestro's "Loss and Bloom" and CCL Project Manager Hamilton Davis, "Development East of the Edisto."

'Creative Spaces'

Theatre 99 will be the site of "Creative Spaces: Developing a Unified Center for the Arts," a public discussion to be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Seth Curio, director of the Redux Contemporary Art Center, which hosted the first meeting, says, "This meeting is a follow-up to a gathering in April of more than 100 artists, musicians, performers, writers and patrons who discussed the rapidly diminishing real estate available to the arts in downtown Charleston. Out of this came the Charleston Arts Coalition and the desire to create an all-inclusive unified center for the visual and performing arts of all genres."

Although Curio will step down as director of Redux, a position he has held for three years, he will remain as an unpaid curator for two exhibits through January.

A new facility tops the agenda for Redux, which exhibits art, has studios for artists to work and numerous educational outreach programs supported by grants.

"Our lease is up in December of 2009, and we are hoping to put a year's extension on that," Curio says. "The ultimate goal of the Charleston Arts Coalition is to create a people's art center downtown, but to do this, we must foster collaborations between the arts and the real estate development community."

Curio said the format on Tuesday will be a roundtable discussion with a panel consisting of Chris Price of PrimeSouth Group LLC; urban planner Tripp Muldrow of Arnett Muldrow & Associates; Jonathan Brilliant, a local artist and employee of the Gibbes Museum of Art; and Fred Delk of the Columbia Development Corp. Buff Ross, who formerly worked with the Halsey Gallery at the College of Charleston, will serve as moderator.

The program will last 6:30-8 p.m. Theatre 99 is at 280 Meeting St. above The Bicycle Shoppe. The entrance upstairs at the rear of the building.

Fraser in D.C.

Charleston artist Mary Edna Fraser will demonstrate her batik on silk works Wednesday through Sunday in Washington, D.C., and will participate in a panel discussion for NASA on Friday.

Her work is being shown as part of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2008.

Reach Dottie Ashley at 937-5704 or dashley@postand courier.com.