The Carolinas II Opens Tonight!

The Carolinas II: A Community Photography Exhibit at the Black Creek Arts Center & Hartsville Memorial Library opens tonight from 5-8 p.m. Admission is free and the event is open to the public.

Will Mary-Margaret Porter defend her title? Who will win this year's People's Choice? Who is Darlington County's top young photographer? Those are the questions that will be answered at the opening of The Carolinas II on Thursday night.

The Black Creek Arts Center and the Hartsville Memorial Library will be hosting a local photography exhibit and gallery crawl on July 9th from 5-8pm. Sponsored by Sonoco, this is the second annual photography contest hosted on College Avenue.

Admission is free and the event is open to the public. Each visitor will also get to vote for their favorite photo as the People's Choice.

In addition to The Carolinas II, photos by Mendel Lyles will be on display in the Reese Page Classroom at the Arts Center. Last year, Lyles spent two weeks on safari in Tanzania.

The mission of Black Creek Arts Council is to promote and foster the Arts in Darlington County. BCAC's offices are housed in a state of the art 10,000 square foot facility at 116 West College Avenue in Hartsville, SC. BCAC offers a variety of programs including art classes of all styles, after-school activities, pre-school aged programs, private music lessons, and various types of gallery exhibits. BCAC also offers assistance with arts management, funding, education, and program coordination to arts and cultural organizations in Darlington County.

Arts Council's Christmas Shoppe

Thursday, December 4th will mark the beginning of Black Creek Arts Council's Second Annual Christmas Shoppe. The event, which features local, regional, and national artists, will last until December 6th and will be held at the Black Creek Arts Center on College Avenue.

The Christmas Shoppe kicks off with an opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, continues from noon to 5 p.m. on Friday, and concludes from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is free on all three days.

While parents shop, kids will also have an avenue for enjoyment. Michelle Morris will be offering a holiday ornament-making class. The class will be offered during the opening reception and will cost $4. Students will be allowed to start as they arrive.

Along with ornament-making, kids will also be able to visit with Santa Claus. Santa will be making a visit from the North Pole to the Arts Center for the opening reception. Santa will be available for photographs.

The artists selling in the Christmas Shoppe are: Suzanne Muldrow (photography), Mike Gann & Laurie Brown (glassware), Mary Lou Bailey (hand-built pottery), Barbara Watson (hand-thrown pottery), Sammy Clark (pottery), Beth Wicker (handmade jewelry, mixed media fiber and silk paintings), Theresa Truett Rogol (handmade jewelry), Patrick Showalter (handmade soap), Dianna Herrera-Keller (handmade jewelry), and Dyana Flax (customized mirrors), John Herth (hand-carved wooden decoys of ducks and fish).

The Black Creek Arts Center is located at 116 W. College Avenue in Hartsville. For more information, contact Bruce Douglas at 843.332.6234.