Charleston Local Guide

Arts

Charleston has always been a city devoted to learning and the arts. As one of the leading colonial cities in early America and the cultural center of the Antebellum south, it is perhaps no surprise that the first theater in America was built in Charleston in 1736 or that the first museum in America opened to the public in Charleston in 1773. In the eighteenth and early nineteenth century, there was a seasonal connection between Boston and Charleston in the merchant class. Many wealthy Bostonians made Charleston their refuge from harsh northern winters. Even during the relative leisure of the winters, seasonal and permanent residents of Charleston wanted to keep in touch with the scientific and philosophical advancements of the day, forming, as a consequence, the Charleston Library Society in 1748.

Charleston continues as a setting for many artistic endeavors, both real and fictional. Among the fictional, perhaps the best-known work set in Charleston is the Gershwin opera Porgy and Bess. A close second might be Citadel-graduate Pat Conroy’s novel The Prince of Tides and the Barbra Streisand film that was based on the book.

Today’s arts scene in Charleston includes fine art at the Gibbes Museum of Art, international folk art at Clowns’ Bazaar on Broad Street, African-American and Caribbean art at the MOJA Arts Festival, and dozens of galleries. For current information, you might wish to consult Charleston South Carolina Visual Arts at www.charlestonscarts.com.

Charleston is known for its gardens and its music. From Mid-March to mid-April, the historic districts are abuzz with the Annual Festival of Houses and Gardens. There is live music, seemingly everywhere, year-round, but the Lowcountry Blues Bash is a highlight of the calendar, as are the city-sponsored street festivals that bring reggae, oldies, salsa, and tropical music to the parks for most of the summer.