The baskets were used by slaves to harvest rice but evolved into a craft aimed at tourists. One of the most prominent local art forms is the sweetgrass basket. Most of the city's 40 percent African-American population maintains distinctive neighborhoods and their own unique art. "At first sight, Charleston might look like a museum but it is, in fact, a living work of art," Villaume said.Ī usual sidewalk promenade will consist of local businessmen wearing seersucker and bow ties, tourists in shorts with sunburns, uniformed cadets from the military school the Citadel, mohawked skateboarders, women speaking Gullah (an African / English Creole language) and recent arrivals from Mexico. Local shops that lined King Street have been replaced with Christian Michi, Bebe and Saks, as well as Williams Sonoma, Banana Republic and the Gap. Warehouses have been transformed into high-end condos and restaurants.
Dusty antique shops now house upscale boutiques. The rough-and-tumble character Charleston once shared with New Orleans has largely disappeared in the wake of extensive repairs after Hurricane Hugo struck nearby in 1989. (Huge military transport planes flying overhead show another economic base, the nearby Charleston Air Force Base.) Charleston still has an active port, where towering loading cranes bump against tourist attractions such as the South Carolina Aquarium. Tourism has been the main industry since. "The seeds of Spoleto were planted when the first automobiles going from New York to Florida stopped here," McLaughlin said. The Dock Street Theatre, a reproduction of an 18th-century performance hall, was built. During this year's festival, the Gibbes Museum of Art will have an exhibition Hopper's Charleston paintings.Īrts groups emerged which still exist: the Poetry Society of South Carolina, the Society for the Preservation of Spirituals, the Carolina Art Association and the Footlight Players theater. Many other artists passed through - Childe Hassam, Edward Hopper and Walker Evans among them. This collaboration between local residents and outsiders, which is what Spoleto is as well, produced distinctive writing and art and was a driving force in the historic preservation movement. Hutty was part of an artistic flowering called the Charleston Renaissance. Lost in the fog of time, it slouched into decrepitude. But mostly, abolition of slavery ended Charleston's position of prominence. The city was spared most battles of the Civil War and Sherman's March, but a fire during evacuation as Union forces approached did great damage. The first concert was held in 1732 and the first opera performance in the colonies took place here in 1735. The well-to-do purchased their furniture, jewelry and gowns from Europe and had their portraits painted by Thomas Sully, Benjamin West and Gilbert Stuart. Charleston is called the Holy City not just for its many churches, but its tradition of religious tolerance.īy the early 18th century Charleston was a large and rich city. It was also the entry point for most slaves and home to a diverse religious population. Charleston was home to three signers of the Declaration of Independence and the starting point for the Civil War. If one is looking for history, this is the place to find it. Locals brag that these two rivers come together to form the Atlantic Ocean.
The stage was set in 1680 when settlers arrived on the peninsula formed by the Cooper and Ashley rivers. Michael McLaughlin, author of the book Insiders' Guide to Charleston. "The city itself has always been a stage and that's still true," said J. This year's lineup appears to be one of the tamer, but like the city it will likely reveal a few unexpected secrets. But last year it was overshadowed by Mabou Mines Dollhouse, a version of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House in which all the men were about 3 feet tall, all the women were close to 6 feet tall, and sex scenes and nudity were featured. The festival's radical edge sharpens or dulls from year to year.ĭon Giovanni was considered fairly radical, with the orchestra in the middle of what was once audience seating and extras cavorting in a pond.
Rounding it out are several dance groups and the world premiere of Geisha, a music theater work by Singaporean director and writer Ong Keng Sen. Jones / Arnie Zane Dance Company, the Paul Taylor Dance Company and the production of Don Giovanni from last year (only the second such holdover).
This year's event includes performances by British group Kneehigh Theatre, the Bill T. "The beauty and quality of life that Charleston offers is one of the main attractions for artists coming to the festival." "Charleston was my first destination in the States and I remember thinking that, if the entire United States was like that, it was the most beautiful country on Earth," said Villaume, who joined the festival in 2000.
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