Black Violin

The Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center will present an entertaining and stunning collision of musical worlds when Black Violin brings its innovative mix of hip-hop and classic sound to the PAC’s main stage theater.

The one-of-a-kind show will be at the PAC at 7:30 p.m. on April 21.

Tickets are on sale and begin at $22. Tickets can be purchased online at www.fmupac.org, by phone at 843.661.4444, or in person at the PAC box office in downtown Florence.

Black Violin features classically trained violinists “Wil B” and “Kev Marcus” at the center of a fiery, high-energy show that has brought them worldwide recognition. In its fast-climbing career, Black Violin has performed with Alicia Keys, Aerosmith, Tom Petty and Kanye West, and has appeared on HBO’s Ballers, The Tonight Show, The Tavis Smiley Show, The Wendy Williams Show, The Ellen Show and 2016 Heisman Trophy presentation on ESPN.

Black Violin’s dynamic duo, William Baptiste and Kevin Marcus, met while high school students in a performing arts program in Florida. There they began cultivating their love of hip-hop and classical music and an interest in the fascinating fusion that blend creates. After college, Baptiste and Marcus formed Black Violin, creating a remarkable genre mashup that has been described as “classical boom.”

In 2015, Black Violin released their album Stereotypes, which attained the status of No. 1 on the Billboard Classical Crossover Chart and No. 4 on the Billboard R&B Chart.

The Miami Herald recently said, “Black Violin upends cultural and musical stereotypes…an unexpected blend of classically trained musicianship and hip-hop beats and inventiveness.”

More recently, Black Violin has been touring full time, selling out venues throughout the country, while averaging more than 150 performances each year.

As their fame has grown, Black Violin has not forgotten its roots. Baptiste and March devote much of their time to emphasizing the importance of educational outreach, performing for more than 100,000 students across North America and Europe over the past year.

ArtFields® 2018

An annual, nine-day art competition in Lake City, South Carolina – and the largest competition of its kind – ArtFields awards more than $120,000 in cash prizes to artists from across the Southeast. And, it’s also infused new energy, creativity, and growth into Lake City and its surrounding communities.

Makers Market, Art Makers, Portrait Competition, Artists’ talks, and Much, Much, More…

Anything Goes

The Lake City Community Theatre presents, “Anything Goes” on March 15 through March 18 at the Blanding Street Auditorium, Lake City, SC.

Show dates are March 15th, 16th, and 17th at 7:30 pm

and Sunday March 18th at 3:00 pm

Sponsored by Farmers Telephone Company tickets are available at the Greater Lake City Chamber of Commerce or by calling 843-374-8611. All tickets are reserved seating.

This is made possible in part through funding from the Florence Regional Arts Alliance’s Quarterly Grants Program, which is funded in part by a generous award from Honda of South Carolina, the South Carolina Arts Commission, and the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of the Costal Community Foundation of SC

Anything Goes

The Lake City Community Theatre presents, “Anything Goes” on March 15 through March 18 at the Blanding Street Auditorium, Lake City, SC.

Show dates are March 15th, 16th, and 17th at 7:30 pm

and Sunday March 18th at 3:00 pm

Sponsored by Farmers Telephone Company tickets are available at the Greater Lake City Chamber of Commerce or by calling 843-374-8611. All tickets are reserved seating.

United States Poet Laureate

National Project Rural Tour with Tracy K. Smith

Come hear the Laureate talk about how poetry connects us to our everyday lives.

All events are free and open to the public, and will include a Q&A session.

Hosted by United States Congressman, James E. Clyburn

Although not required for attendance please RSVP to Ana.Maxwell@mail.house.gov or Ana Maxwell at 803-799-1100.

In Lake City, Friday, February 23rd at 2:30pm at the Lake City United Methodist Church, 229 West Main Street, Lake City, SC 29560

In Summerton, Friday, February 23rd at 5:30pm at the Old Summerton High School, 12 South Church Street, Summerton, SC 29148

In Adams Run, Saturday, February 24th at 10:30am at Wiltown Community Center, 5779 Parkers Ferry Road, Adams Run, SC 29426

United States Poet Laureate

National Project Rural Tour with Tracy K. Smith

Come hear the Laureate talk about how poetry connects us to our everyday lives.

All events are free and open to the public, and will include a Q&A session.

Hosted by United States Congressman, James E. Clyburn

Although not required for attendance please RSVP to Ana.Maxwell@mail.house.gov or Ana Maxwell at 803-799-1100.

In Lake City, Friday, February 23rd at 2:30pm at the Lake City United Methodist Church, 229 West Main Street, Lake City, SC 29560

In Summerton, Friday, February 23rd at 5:30pm at the Old Summerton High School, 12 South Church Street, Summerton, SC 29148

In Adams Run, Saturday, February 24th at 10:30am at Wiltown Community Center, 5779 Parkers Ferry Road, Adams Run, SC 29426

Art Exhibition of Leo Twiggs

The Doctors Bruce and Lee Foundation Library’s Morris Gallery, in partnership with Francis Marion University, will exhibit the works of renowned artist Leo Twiggs during the month of February in an exhibition entitled Requiem for Mother Emanuel.

Within weeks of the tragedy at “Mother Emanuel” AME Church, Twiggs began painting as a cathartic means of coping with the event’s horror and the awe he felt as South Carolinians unite in what he describes as “the state’s most humane moment.” These works have been described as the most compelling and poignant of his sixty year career. Twiggs is the recipient of several awards including the Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Award and the Order of the Palmetto.

The Doctor N. Lee Morris Gallery is located on the second floor of the Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation Library in Florence and is open Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 8:15 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.; and Sunday, 2:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. Sponsored by Friends of Florence County Library. For more information about the exhibit and related events, please visit www.florencelibrary.org

2018 Pee Dee Regional Art Competition

The Florence County Museum is proud to present the 2018 Pee Dee Regional Art Competition, sponsored by Chick-fil-A of Florence.

The competition aims to highlight the best contemporary art in the Pee Dee region. One of the state’s oldest juried art competitions, the first Pee Dee Regional dates back to 1954 where the competition was held at the former Florence Museum on Spruce Street in Florence, South Carolina.

This year’s exhibition will be on display through March 30 in the FCM Waters Gallery located at 135 South Dargan Street in Florence.

Visitors are invited to inspect this year’s selection and cast their vote for the Jo Ann Fender Scarborough People’s Choice Award. Voting for the People’s Choice Award will be open through Friday, March 23 with the winner being announced on Monday, March 26 via a press release and the museum’s social media.

TEDxEvansStreet

TEDxEvansStreet is an all-day independently organized TED event dedicated to spreading ideas by blending innovation, insight, and storytelling. The experience collectively ignites the Florence community’s commitment to lifelong learning and spark positive change.

The 2017 theme is The Audacity to Dream. Whether conscious or unconscious, we can only hope we all dare to do it – dream. Some who dare to dream, dream to make a difference in someone else’s life or simply their own. Either way, the real revelation in making a dream a tangible reality that often encourages, motivates, and frankly, deals with real issues uninhibited is to live it.

For more information and to purchase tickets for TEDxEvansStreet please click http://tedxevansstreet.org