RELEASE MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2022
Marcus Amaker
Artist-in-Residence mamaker@gaillardcenter.org
Charlton Singleton
Artist-in-Residence Emeritus csingleton@gaillardcenter.org
Kellie Lawson Director of Marketing klawson@gaillardcenter.org
GAILLARD CENTER SOCIAL MEDIA: @gaillardcenter facebook.com/thegaillardcenter
December 12, 2022 – Charleston, SC – Today the Charleston Gaillard Center released Season Three of Raising the Volume, which features three episodes filmed with Marcus Amaker and Charlton Singleton. This season also includes the special release of Truth Be Told: Vesey, a recording of the July 14th panel discussion during the Denmark Vesey Bicentenary Weekend. The final episode in the season features members of the Anson Street African Burial Project exploring the genesis of the project and their hopes for the future.
Featuring conversations on music, race, art, activism, and more, the series is curated by Artists-in-Residence, Marcus Amaker, Charlton Singleton, and the Gaillard’s Education & Community team. In Raising the Volume, issues are explored through open, honest dialogue. Each conversation includes an in-depth conversation with local Black leaders, educators, business owners, and artists.
The following episodes and lesson plans were released today:
Episode XXIII - Daniel Green explores finding your brand.
Episode XXIV - Ann Caldwell examines telling your story.
Episode XXV - Truth Be Told: Vesey Panel Discussion
Episode XXVI - Elana Boyd-Pea describes founding Black Charleston Professionals.
Episode XXVII - Anson Street African Burial Project
Download photos here.
Each video is accompanied by a lesson plan for both middle and high school students. The Gaillard Center’s on-staff educator, Sterling deVries, will facilitate cross-school virtual meetings for students in different areas to discuss the content of the interviews. Twenty-seven lesson plans are available now at gaillardcenter.org. The lesson plans highlight the following interdisciplinary themes: global awareness; civic literacy; working creatively with others.
Watch the episodes and download the plans here. All videos and lesson plans are available for free as part of the Gaillard Center’s Education & Community Program.
Previously released episodes include:
Episode I - A conversation on music, racism, art, activism, and more with Marcus Amaker & Charlton Singleton.
Episode II - A conversation on Charleston activism, past and present with former Municipal Court Judge for the City of Charleston for 33 years, Judge Arthur McFarland.
Episode III - A conversation on awareness and action with the Executive Director of YWCA, LaVanda Brown.
Episode IV - A conversation on growing up in Charleston and life as a journalist and author with Herb Frazier
Episode V - A conversation on arts management with Dr. Karen Chandler.
Episode VI - A conversation on The Jazz Initiative and Jenkins Orphanage Band with Dr. Karen Chandler.
Episode VII - A conversation on his life and the health of our Black community with Dr. Thaddeus J. Bell.
Episode VIII - A conversation on entrepreneurship with Andrea Davis.
Episode IX - A conversation on finding your voice with Dr. Kylon Jerome Middleton.
Episode X - A conversation on music and life with The War And Treaty.
Episode XI - Kellen Gray examines classical conducting.
Episode XII - Marcus Amaker and Charlton Singleton talk about music, joy, and memory.
Episode XIII - Regina Duggins discusses her role as a mentor, teacher, and community leader.
Episode XIV - Dr. Bernard Powers analyzes life and Black history.
Episode XV - Jirah Perkins explores art and being you.
Episode XVI - Osei Chandler describes discovering your Kuumba.
Episode XVII - KJ Kearney highlights Black Food Fridays.
Episode XVIII - Michael Brown details community traditions, inspiration, & conflict resolution.
Episode XIX - Quiana Parler explores passion, goals for the future, and Gullah culture.
Episode XX - Dr. Brown analyzes gentrification, equality advocacy, and community outreach.
Episode XXI - Lonnie Hamilton III describes his experience as a Charleston educator and a politician.
Episode XXII - Techa Smalls-Brown reviews the importance of practicing mindfulness.
Funding for this program is provided in part by The Martha & John M. Rivers Performance Hall Foundation, Puffin Foundation West, Ltd., TD Bank, Daniel Island Community Fund, Mark Elliot Motley Foundation, and South Carolina Humanities.
Marcus Amaker was named Charleston, SC’s first Poet Laureate in 2016. He’s also the award-winning graphic designer of a national music journal, an accomplished electronic musician, and a mentor to hundreds of students.
His poetry has been presented by The Kennedy Center, and has appeared in Departures magazine, Chicago Tribune, PBS Newshour, and several other publications. In 2019, he won a Governor’s Arts award in South Carolina.
His poetry has been studied in classrooms and has been interpreted for ballet, jazz, modern dance, opera and theater. Marcus has recorded three albums with Grammy Award winning drummer and producer Quentin E. Baxter of Ranky Tanky.
His latest book is The Birth of All Things, from Free Verse Press. He’s currently the Gaillard Center’s artist-in-residence.
MUSIC tapeloop.bandcamp.com
NEW BOOK, VINYL AND MORE newpoetrybook.com WEBSITE marcusamaker.com
A native of Awendaw, SC, Charlton Singleton began his musical studies at the age of three on the piano. He would then go on to study the organ, violin, cello, and the trumpet throughout elementary, middle, and high school. In 1994, he received a Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance from South Carolina State University. Since that time, he has taught music at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, as well as being an adjunct faculty member at the College of Charleston. In 2008 he co-founded and became the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Charleston Jazz Orchestra; an 18-piece jazz ensemble of some of the finest professional musicians in the Southeast and the resident big band in Charleston, SC. Mr. Singleton is also the organist and choir director at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Charleston, SC. In November of 2016 he was named the inaugural Artist in Residence at the recently renovated Gaillard Center in downtown Charleston. He remained in this position until July 2019; at that point he was named Artist in Residence Emeritus. In this position he continues to lead the Summer Youth Jazz Orchestra Camp as well as lead the “Jazz Through the Ages” assembly, which attracts a capacity crowd of students at the Gaillard Center.
As a performer, Charlton leads his own ensembles that vary in size and style. He has performed in France, Great Britain, Scotland, Spain, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Norway, Canada, The Netherlands, as well as many great cities throughout the United States. He is a founding member of an ensemble called Ranky Tanky. The group is a quintet that interprets the sounds of Gullah from the
Southeast Coast of the United States. In 2017 Ranky Tanky reached the top of the Billboard, iTunes, and Amazon Contemporary Jazz charts with their self-titled debut recording. In 2019 they accomplished the same feat with the release of their sophomore effort, “Good Time”, which recently won the 2019 Grammy Award for “Best Regional Roots Album”. Ranky Tanky was also recognized and honored with a resolution by the South Carolina House of Representatives for their achievements in the music industry. In 2021 Charlton was the recipient of the SC Governor’s Award, which honors arts organizations, patrons, artists, members of the business community, and government entities who maximize their roles as innovators, supporters, and advocates for the arts. It is the highest individual honor for the arts in the state of South Carolina.
In addition to performing, he is in demand as a speaker, clinician, composer, and arranger. He has also shared the stage with and/or worked with some of the most talented entertainers in the world, including Bobby McFerrin, Ruby Dee, Jimmy Heath, Slide Hampton, Houston Person, Darius Rucker, Fred Wesley, and Cyrus Chestnut to name a few. Outside of music and entertainment, he, and his wife, MaryJo, are the proud parents of Shalamar, D’Marcus, and K’Leb, as well as their pets...Sassy, Jango, MoJo, Pumpkin, and Ginger.
WEBSITE charltonsingleton.com INSTAGRAM @csmusician FACEBOOK @charltonpsingleton
Sterling deVries, the Director of Education at the Charleston Gaillard Center, is dedicated to supporting the educational community through the arts. Following fifteen years as a classroom teacher, deVries builds on the knowledge that arts are an integral part of classroom content. Her Master’s degree in Arts in Education changed her approach to teaching and resulted in a student-centered, arts-enhanced method of content mastery.
ABOUT STEPHANIE LANCASTERStephanie was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina. She graduated from Flagler College with a bachelor of Fine Arts and College of Charleston with a Masters in Early Childhood Education. Stephanie was a classroom teacher for five years before joining the Gaillard Center three years ago. Stephanie currently lives in West Ashley with her husband and their pup, Hadley. In her spare time, she enjoys going to the beach, painting, biking, watching movies, and trying new restaurants.
Daniel Green is a multi-faceted artist born and raised in Charleston, SC. Best known for his funny personality, photography, and creative video production, Daniel is a true visionary. He has a gift of bringing visions to life, using skills he’s gained through dance, film, photography, and graphic design to communicate visions visually, in a way that resonates with the target audience. Daniel is an advocate for following your passions and chasing your dreams as the greatest version of yourself.
Ann Caldwell, born Antoinette Williams, has lived and worked in Charleston, SC, since 1955. For over twenty-five years, Ann has made her living as a vocalist and performing artist, singing jazz, R &B, pop, folk, gospel, and spirituals. She is the director of the Magnolia Singers, an acapella singing group. Ann has written and produced local concerts as well as her first video presentation, titled “A Lesson in Spirituals.” During the onset of the COVID-19 virus, she wrote and produced a video presentation, titled “Exodus: Bound for Freedom,” for the Gibbes Museum of Art. She was the featured vocalist in a production presented by the College of Charleston and the Lowcountry Heritage Society, titled “Indigo Jazz,” with the late Tommy Gill. She wrote and produced a presentation for the McClellanville Art Center, titled “The Blue Box.” Ann’s recent projects include: “From Africa to the White House,” a 45-minute African American history lesson for children; “A Lesson in Spirituals,” a lesson on the art of singing spirituals; and “A Journey of Return,” a
story of her family’s migration from her birthplace in Denmark, SC, to Charleston, SC. All these projects combine storytelling and singing. Ann received the Three Sisters Award from the Committee to Save the City, Inc. in 2009 and the Legacy Award for the Arts from Sister Summit Foundation in 2007. In 2018, she was honored by being inducted into the Lowcountry Music Hall of Fame.
Recorded on July 14, 2022 as part of Denmark Vesey Bicentenary Weekend, presented by Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episocopal (AME) Church, International African American Museum, and the Charleston Gaillard Center.
Truth Be Told was a discussion with leading American writers and thinkers about the truth around Denmark Vesey and his planned uprising, the impact and outcomes in the intervening 200 years, and a look at the present and future of those themes in the South today. Panelists included:
● Lee J. Bennett Jr., Mother Emanuel AME Church Historian and panel moderator
● W. Kamau Bell, Comedian, Director, and Executive Producer
● Charlamagne tha God, Media Mogul and TV Personality
● Dr. Tonya M. Matthews, President & CEO of the International African American Museum
● Dr. Tamara Butler, Executive Director of the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture
● Dr. Bernard Powers, Founding Director of the College of Charleston’s Center for the Study of Slavery in Charleston
● BAMUTHI (Marc Bamuthi Joseph), Vice President and Artistic Director of Social Impact at the Kennedy Center, librettist and poet
To learn more about the Denmark Vesey Bicentenary and about each panelist, please visit the website here.
Elana Boyd-Pea, MBA, MHA, MHS
Founder / President of Black Charleston Professionals 501c3
Owner / Lanas Locs Co-owner / Lanas Locs Organics
PRONOUNSShe/Her/Hers
Elana Boyd-Pea is a proud wife, mother, sister, daughter, and believer. As the founder and president of Black Charleston Professionals, she has worked to form the organization's purpose to provide a safe space for black professionals. Oftentimes, African Americans in various industries feel overlooked and devalued. BCP was created to provide entrepreneurs and professional individuals with resources to grow, connect, and network. Elana is a product of entrepreneurs. Her mother Ethel Boyd successfully owned and operated Ethel’s Child Development Center for thirty years. Her father Howard Boyd owns and operates Howard’s Barber College, the first black-owned barber school in South Carolina, and Howard’s Barber Shop. Elana has a Masters of Health Care Administration, Masters in Business Administration, and Master Hair Care Licensure. She worked in healthcare for twelve years while providing haircare services on the weekends to loyal clients. Her last role in healthcare was as the Human Resource Director for Harvest Health. Elana also owns Lana’s Locs, a beauty service provider, and Lana’s Locs Organics, an organic hair and body product line. Elana always noticed that African Americans were devalued in the workplace. After reaching her goal in corporate America as a director in leadership, she still felt unfulfilled and undervalued. While in that role, she corrected the disparity of underpaid African American staff to meet the rate of their colleagues. After she realized the flexibility entrepreneurship offered and with the support of her husband Deterick Pea, Elana decided to “leap” and leave corporate America. She wanted to use her knowledge, skills, and abilities to pour into the family-operated barber school. She is fulfilled most when providing opportunities and resources to empower black leaders and entrepreneurs. She gains joy in seeing others around her grow and become their best selves. Her favorite quote is: “You have an exclusive invite to the table, where your seat is reserved.”
For more information on Black Charleston: WEBSITE blackcharlestonpros.org Instagram: @blk_charleston @lanaslocs
In 2013, the remains of thirty-six people were found during renovations to the Gaillard Center. The burial ground and human remains were carefully excavated by archaeologists. Archaeological and bioarchaeological research shows that the thirty-six people were buried in the second half of the 18th Century (around the time of the Revolutionary War) and are of African descent. They included children, women and men who were likely enslaved persons. Some were captured in Africa and brought to Charleston during their lifetimes, while most of these Ancestors were born here. They were buried over time with care in roughly four rows, some in wooden coffins, some wearing clothes with buttons, and some wrapped in a shroud. A child was buried with a glass bead, possibly in her hair, while another had coins placed over his eyes.
In 2017, Dr. Ade Ofunniyin, a cultural anthropologist and the founding director of the Gullah Society, made a request to the City of Charleston to rebury these thirty-six African Ancestors. Over the next two years, the Gullah Society, now the Anson Street African Burial Ground research team, guided the memorialization process. They conducted DNA research to learn more about ancestry of these individuals, hosted community conversations, held a Naming Ceremony, and sponsored education and arts programs and exhibitions in schools and other venues throughout Charleston County. On May 4th, 2019, the community came together for a ceremony that included drumming, a masquerade, the pouring of libations, poetry, dance and music to honor the Ancestors, who were reinterred in a vault beside the Gaillard Center. We recognize the anniversary of the reinterment of our African Ancestors near the Gaillard every year on 4 May through storytelling, drumming, and the pouring of libations. These photographs were taken at the third-year anniversary in 2022. To learn more about this project and the work of the Anson Street African Burial Ground team visit www.asabgproject.com
To learn more about the individual speakers, please visit our website here.
A leader in the performing arts in the Southeast, the Charleston Gaillard Center commissions, supports, and presents ambitious, multidisciplinary cultural programming and provides access to the best local, national, and global artists and companies on its stage. Deeply rooted in the community, the Gaillard Center committed to elevating local and regional voices and partnering with Charleston institutions to reflect the city’s diversity, both on stage and off. Through programming on its public campus and extensive arts education initiatives, the Gaillard Center serves as a platform to participate in community building and essential dialogue.
Established as a nonprofit in 2015, its campus includes the 1,818-seat Martha and John M. Rivers Performance Hall, a 16,000 square-foot exhibition hall that is home to artistic activations, community and corporate events, and celebrations, and an adjacent park space that was recently activated for artistic presentations. Behind the scenes the Gaillard Center also fosters a culture of excellence and inclusion, employing a robust and talented staff, and providing opportunities for growth and engagement across the arts sector. Find more information and upcoming programming at gaillardcenter.org. ###