Upcoming Social Media Workshop

BCAC to Offer Workshop to Assist Artists & Non-Profits with Social Media Marketing

Black Creek Arts Council is pleased to offer individual consultations on social media marketing strategies to artists and arts-based non-profit organizations. Consultations will take place on September 22nd at the Darlington Library. The consultations will be led by social networking expert Charles Ellison.

Individual consulting will allow for the establishment of a social networking strategy for those currently not involved with social sites such as Facebook and Twitter. It will also allow for the enhancement of established social media marketing strategies for those current engaged with an online community. Each individual or organization’s web presence will be analyzed by Ellison prior to the consultation to ensure maximum benefit. If necessary, strategies for web development will also be discussed.

Individual artists and arts-based non-profits should call Bruce Douglas at the Black Creek Arts Center to schedule an appointment, 843.332.6234. Consultations will take approximately 45 minutes and will be held throughout the day. Interested private businesses and government agencies should call to be placed on a list for consultation if the appointment times are not filled.

This workshop is free and is being paid for by Black Creek Arts Council through a grant from the South Carolina Arts Commission.

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. 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.

The Carolinas II

Black Creek Arts Council and the Friends of the Hartsville Library's second annual photography contest and exhibit is right around the corner. For more information, click on the link below:

The Carolinas II Information

2008 Best of Show, The Charleston Bridge by Mary Margaret Porter

BCAC Looking to Start Community Band

If you played an instrument in your high school or college band and still have that instrument, do you ever wonder what it would like to play in a band again?

Well, wonder no more.

Black Creek Arts Council is seeking a few good musicians (or "rusty" ones) who have the desire to play in a community band.

So dig your instruments out of the attic, dust if off, and start practicing.

The first meeting for the community band will be held on June 15th at 5:30 at the Black Creek Arts Center on College Avenue in Hartsville.

For more information about this project, contact Bruce Douglas at 843.332.6234 or Judy Haenni at 843.383.4654.

Black Creek, Blue Jeans, & BBQ: May 1st & 2nd

What: Black Creek, Blue Jeans, & BBQ
When: May 1st & 2nd
Where: Cargill Way in Downtown Hartsville

Friday Night - 7pm
Anything Butt Contest - appetizers, entrees and desserts using any ingredient but pork

Friday Night - 8:30pm
I Love My Blue Jeans Contest - strut your stuff in front of our celebrity judges

Nikki & DaBlooze will be on stage all evening.

Friday Night Tickets - $15

Saturday - 11am
All you can eat BBQ for $10

A Match Made In Heaven: BBQ in Hartsville, SC

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. This age-old phrase that conjures up wedding bells also applies to an upcoming event in Hartsville: Black Creek, Blue Jeans, and Barbeque will be held on May 1st & 2nd on Cargill Way.

Something old: Barbeque is a southern tradition. Vinegar-based vs. mustard-based is nearly the Yankees vs. Red Sox of the South. Variety will abound at this festival. Rumor has it, there will be a cherry-based barbeque.

Something new: Hartsville’s Good Living Marketplace is one of the best additions (if not the best) to our community in the last year. Black Creek Arts Council is pleased to be sharing Cargill Way with the Marketplace on Saturday.

Something borrowed: Nicki & DaBlooze will be covering your beach, blues, classic rock, and country favorites onstage Friday Night. You may even hear a little Motown and Golden Oldies.

Something blue: Come out and enjoy yourself in your favorite blue jeans. On Friday night, there will even be an I Love My Blue Jeans Contest.

Cargill Way will be the place to be on Friday, May 1st and Saturday, May 2nd. Don't miss it.

For more information call Bruce Douglas at 843.332.6234.

The Carolinas II: Community Photography Contest & Exhibit

Black Creek Arts Council and the Friends of Hartsville Memorial Library will be hosting their second annual community photography contest and exhibit in July. The Carolinas II will debut at the Hartsville Library and the Black Creek Arts Center with an opening reception and gallery crawl on July 9th from 5 - 8pm.

2008 Winner:

The Charleston Bridge by Mary Margaret Porter

To enter the contest, simply bring your photo(s) to the Arts Center between June 22nd and July 2nd. Three entries per person are allowed and the prices are: $15 for the first entry, $25 for two, and $30 for three. A discount of $5 will be given to Friends of the Hartsville Memorial Library and Members of Black Creek Arts Council.

All photographs will be considered in the Best of Show Category and will be entered in one of the following categories: Images of Darlington County, Photographers 18 & Under, Small Photos (dimensions smaller than 11 x 14), and Large Photos (dimensions 11 x 14 and larger). One winner and two honorable mentions will be given per category. One People's Choice Award will be voted on by visitors at each display location.

The above photo, taken at Kalmia Gardens, is an example of an image of Darlington County.

(image by Mary Margaret Porter)

The Images of Darlington County Category is new for the 2009 Contest. The category is intended to get entries of images that represent important landmarks, buildings, places, etc that make Darlington County special. The contest is open to anyone who lives, works, or creates in Darlington County. All photos must be taken in North or South Carolina.


For more information, contact Bruce Douglas at the Arts Center, 843.332.6234.

Another recognizable Darlington County image: A look across Prestwood Lake at Sonoco.

(image by Johnny Payne)

Works by Twenty-Four Artists on Display at Black Creek

The Arts Center has Variety of Local Works on Display

The Dead Sea by Herb Roos

While the Every Child Is An Artist Exhibit has works by five local artists on display, the Black Creek Arts Center is currently exhibiting works by nineteen other artists.

These artists range from past gallery exhibitors (Deborah Boyet, Pollie Bristow) to a nationally acclaimed artist (Ilona Smithkin) and on to a current Coker student (Henna Koponen). The works range from photography (Suzanne Muldrow) to pottery (Barbara Watson, Sammy Clark) and on to copper enameling (Rolfe Godshalk).

In addition to those mentioned above, work by the following artists is on display at the Arts Center: Catherine Anderson (painting), Laurie Brown (glass), Mike Gann (glass), Susan Harvey (sand-casted leaves), Ina Ingram (painting), Candice Ivy (drawing), Angie Ketchum (sculpture), Norm Miner (pottery), Howard Moore, Jr. (wood carving), Herb Roos (sculpture), and Holly Young (earthenware).

In total, twenty-four artists, all with local ties, have work on display at the Black Creek Arts Center. The Every Child Is An Artist Exhibit will remain on display until the end of February. The next gallery show will feature abstract painter Dr. Hiller Spires, a native of Hartsville, and Shirley Holmes, a paper-mache artist.

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. 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.

Oschip joins BCAC for Semester-Long Internship

Black Creek Arts Council is pleased to welcome Thomas Oschip to its staff. Oschip comes to Black Creek as its new Communication Intern.

Oschip is a senior from Coker College. He is currently finishing his degree in Communication and will graduate in May of 2009. He is from Mentor, Ohio and an avid enthusiast of all Cleveland sports. He is also a member of the Coker College baseball team. “Tom is a great young man with a bright future. We are fortunate to have him working with us at BCAC,” stated Mr. Bruce Douglas, Executive Director of the Arts Center.

Oschip will join Jessica Barnes on the intern staff at BCAC. Like Oschip, Barnes is Communication major at Coker. “Working with Bruce and Jessica at the Arts Center is an opportunity I could not turn down,” states Oschip.

Oschip, like many other students from Coker College, was encouraged to seek an internship at BCAC by his faculty advisor, Richard Puffer. Coker College faculty and staff believe that its students should experience careers that they deem suitable for their interests in order to gain insight and prepare them for life after Coker.

If your business is interested in being part of Coker College’s internship program, please contact Darlene Small in the Center for International and Experiential Education (CIEE) at dsmall@coker.edu or 843-383-8035.