Artful interludes beyond our fine festivals.

Maura's Three for the Week in Charleston, 5/26/25 - 6/1/25

Of course, there are abundant artful interludes this week, with Spoleto Festival USA, and Piccolo Spoleto now fully underway. To stay on top of it all, be sure to check out Charleston City Paper’s ongoing coverage, including overviews and reviews from yours truly, plus contributions by the Goldring arts journalism scholars—the graduate students at the Newhouse School at Syracuse University who land in Charleston and fan out to report on both festivals.

It’s an ideal time to carve out full days of culture, traveling from one festival performance to the next, while also taking in concurrent local gems. Among them is the recently opened Reimagined Fashion at Charleston Museum (more to come on that) and Picturing Freedom: Harriet Tubman and the Combahee River Raid at Gibbes Museum of Art (as explored in my Charleston City Paper feature).

Make for Fort Moultrie’s alfresco jazz with Charlton Singleton

Battery Gadsden, Fort Moultrie, 1917 I’on Ave., Sullivan’s Island, Tues., May 27, 6 p.m. (doors open at 5 p.m.)

Ranky Tanky's Charlton Singleton and his jazz quintet are set to transform this historic American Revolution site with the smooth sounds of jazz, the beloved American art form. Jazz in the Fort: A Prelude to the Revolution takes place right in Fort Moultrie, serving up a transporting evening under the stars. Tickets include beer, wine and snack charcuterie boxes—just bring your own chair.

To snag one of the few remaining tickets, click here.

Get in on the homegrown circus act

Uptown Aerial Arts, 62 Brigade St., Building 6c, downtown Charleston, Sat., May 31, 7:30-9 p.m.

Image: Uptown Aerial Arts will present A Night at the Circus/Provided

We all know Charleston can be a circus during festival time—in the most exhilarating ways. That’s all the more reason to check out a homegrown troupe of aerial artists as they present A Night at the Circus. Charleston-based Uptown Aerial Arts promises a mesmerizing evening of jaw-dropping acrobatics.

For tickets and information, click here.

Sip and see ceramics and more at Studio Union

Studio Union, 2010 Hackemann Ave., North Charleston, Sat., May 31, 5-8 p.m.

There’s always Studio Union Open House, a collective of 20 artists working in ceramics, mixed media and oil painting. On Saturday it presents an exhibition of member artists, who will be at the event to discuss their work, along with a DJ and light refreshments.

For more information, visit the Studio Union Instagram page.

One for the future: Kevin Sack

Charleston Library Society, 164 King St., downtown Charleston, Tues., June 3, 6 -7 p.m.

Image: Closeup of a work by artist Jonathan Green from the cover of Mother Emanuel/Provided

When New York Times and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Kevin Sack trains his formidable journalist mind on a topic, you know it will be as in-depth as it is well written. His most recent focus has been Mother Emanuel: Two Centuries of Race, Resistance, and Forgiveness in One Charleston Church, a comprehensive history of one of the nation’s most important African American churches. Be sure to read Charleston City Paper’s cover story by Andy Brack. Next week, the Charleston Library Society hosts the locally based author, who engages in conversation with reporter Carolyn Murray on its pub-day release.

For tickets and information, click here.