Three for the Week, Feb. 26-March 3

Maura's curated culture for the week ahead in Charleston

The Charleston arts scene is in full swing, with openings across disciplines that dig deep into the extraordinary details of our people and places. Consider Pure Theatre’s Septima, an immersion in the life of Charleston’s Septima P. Clark. Or revel in regional landscape via Nigel Parry’s transcendent images of the Lowcountry and elsewhere. There is no better time to celebrate a culture like no other, so get art-hopping.

Pure Theatre’s Septima

Cannon Street Arts Center, 134 Cannon Street, downtown Charleston, Feb. 28 - March 2

After a sold-out run last year, the much-buzzed-about Septima has been touring the state of late, and this week lands back in Charleston at Cannon Street Arts Center (as well as at Kiawah Island’s Turtle Point Clubhouse on March 3). Written by Patricia Williams Dockery and directed by Pure’s Sharon Graci, the play details the life and triumphs of civil rights activist and Charlestonian Septima P. Clark, who was called “The Mother of the Movement” by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Pro-tip: A live-streamed performance will also take place on March 2.

For tickets and information, visit puretheatre.org.

City Gallery Exhibition: Untitled Places

City Gallery at Waterfront Park, 34 Prioleau St., downtown Charleston, through May 5.

The City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs presents Untitled Places, an exhibition at City Gallery that assembles liminal landscapes by photographer Nigel Parry, a renowned portrait photographer who has photographed U.S. Presidents, celebrities and other luminaries. This exhibition features forty of his impressionistic landscapes, photographed in the Lowcountry and upstate New York, almost exclusively on film.

Opening events: City Gallery will hold an opening reception on March 1 from 5 to 7pm, and an artist’s talk on March 16 at 2 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public.

Jazz at Forte: A Celebration of Latin Jazz

Forte Jazz Lounge, 477 King St., downtown Charleston, Mar 1., 7 to 9 p.m. and 9:30 to 11:30 p.m.

Forte Jazz Lounge has been in the news of late for proprietor Joe Clarke’s recent efforts to find solutions for escalating premiums on the state’s liquor license policy. Step inside the listening room of this slim blue storefront on King Street, and you’ll be transported by the artistry of local and visiting musicians. This Friday is no different, with musical director and pianist Abdiel Iriarte producing A Celebration of Latin Jazz for Forte’s First Friday series that samples the Latin jazz and the Latin artists that have stirred the world with their infectious rhythms and phenomenal flair.

For more information, visit fortejazzlounge.com.

BONUS: Enjoy a budget-friendly trip to Bountiful

Charleston Stage’s PNC Pay-As-You-Please ticket sales for the Feb. 28 performance of The Trip to Bountiful at the Dock Street Theatre open tomorrow, Feb. 27, at 7:30 p.m. at (24 hours prior to the show) via this link. General performances continue March 1 - 17. For information on Charleston Stage, visit charlestonstage.com.

Thanks for reading Culture South! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.