The Colour of Music. A fashion-forward art show. Memphis dance. Black In Blues.
Maura's Three for the Week in Charleston, 2/5/25 - 2/9/25
A few days into February, and Black History Month is in full celebratory swing. In Charleston, you can honor it by way of a host of live performances, literary explorations and so much more. While you are out and about, there’s also the very intriguing new exhibition at the Gibbes Museum of Art, which joins the recent Beeple sculptures currently animating the historic space (and may speak to the museum’s evolving curatorial vision). Here are a few offerings for your cultural consideration. Enjoy.
Make your way to Colour of Music.
Various locations throughout Charleston Wed., Feb. 5 - Sun., Feb. 8
I’m always blown away by the collective artistry of the annual Colour of Music. This week the national Black classical musicians festival returns to Charleston, where it was launched, promising to once again reverberate its musical excellence throughout historic Charleston venues. Among them are the Murray Center Salon (aka home to Spoleto Festival USA), Grace Church Cathedral and Charleston Library Society, which will be filled with diverse classical repertoire of baroque, classical and 20th-century music at the highest of musical standards.
Highlights include chamber music concerts; a vocal recital by soprano Janinah Burnett; a piano recital by prodigy pianist Kayden Kelly performing works by Coleridge-Taylor, Beethoven, Chopin and Debussy; a presentation by Dr. Henry N. Tisdale, Claflin University President Emeritus, who will discuss his newly released book Beyond the Western Wall: Audacious Transformation of a Small Liberal Arts College; and a rousing string serenade finale.
For tickets and information, click here.
Glean the gift of the garb at the Gibbes.
Gibbes Museum of Art, 135 Meeting St., downtown Charleston, through Sun., April 27
This one had me at McQueen. True, I often spot head-turning ensembles at Gibbes soirees, but now they next-leveling the sartorial eye candy, folding it into the curation. The new exhibition Statement Pieces: Contemporary Fashion Design and the Gibbes Collection juxtaposes dynamic works of fine art from the Gibbes permanent collection with contemporary fashion objects. Produced in conjunction with Barrett Barrera Projects, the show features trailblazing garments by Alexander McQueen, Dapper Dan, Gucci and beyond, presented alongside fashion-forward figures in paintings from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, abstract works of the mid-twentieth century, and contemporary sculpture and mixed media works of today.
For tickets and information, click here.
Move with a Memphis dance collective, by way of MOJA
North Charleston Performing Arts Center, 5001 Coliseum Dr., Ste. 302b, North Charleston, Thurs., Feb. 6, 7 p.m.
The magnificent MOJA Arts Festival continues to up its game, including the addition of programming throughout the year. Consider their welcoming of Memphis-based Collage Dance Collective. Recently named a Southern Cultural Treasure by SouthArts and the Ford Foundation, it is one of the fastest growing dance companies in the U.S.
The program of mixed repertory this week includes Rise, choreographed by Kevin Thomas and set to the iconic "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech given by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Amy Hall Garner’s jubilant Bluff City Blues, set to the music of legendary Blues musicians and drawing inspiration from Collage Dance’s hometown of Memphis; and Their Eyes Were Watching God, a neoclassical ballet based on the beloved book by Zora Neale Hurston, co-choreographed by Amy Hall Garner and Kevin Thomas.
For tickets, click here.
Bonus: Explore Black In Blues with author Imani Perry
International African American Museum Theater, 14 Wharfside St., downtown Charleston Fri., Feb 7, 6:30 - 8 p.m.
International African American Museum (IAAM) teams up with Buxton Books for an engaging conversation with National Book Award-winning author Imani Perry about her latest work, Black In Blues. Named by TIME Magazine as “one of the most anticipated books of 2025,” Black In Blues delves into the profound connection between Blackness and the color blue, tracing its roots from the indigo cloths of West Africa to the creation of blues music. Through art, history, and personal narrative, she examines how blue evokes both hope and melancholy, illuminating its significance in Black culture and identity.ickets are $35 and include a signed copy of Black in Blues.
To register, click here.