The BCD Council of Governments assists local governments with the administration of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. One of the conditions of receiving CDBG funds is to take proactive steps to further fair housing. To this end, participants in the CDBG program take time to observe April 2012 as the 44th Anniversary of the passage of the Fair Housing Act. Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, as amended, known as the Fair Housing Act, prohibits discrimination in the sale or rental of housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. Congress amended the Fair Housing Act in 1998 to provide stiffer penalties, establish an administrative enforcement mechanism, and expand its coverage to prohibit discrimination on the basis of familial status and disability.

In 1989 South Carolina passed a Fair Housing Law that provides rights and remedies substantially equivalent to those found in the Federal Fair Housing Act. At the time of passage, South Carolina was the first state in the Southeast Region, and the second State in the nation to pass a Fair Housing Law recognized by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as being substantially equivalent to the National Fair Housing Law. By resolution, Berkeley and Dorchester Counties, and the Towns of Harleyville, Moncks Corner, and St. Stephen have all officially designated April 2012 as Fair Housing Month.

When the Fair Housing Act was first passed, racially and ethnically diverse neighborhoods were generally discussed only in terms of benefits to racial or ethnic  minorities. Today, many recognize that diverse neighborhoods have tangible benefits for all people who live in them and that true diversity is more than just “racial integration”. Rather, a diverse community is one where all residents are included, where no group is privileged above any other group, and where everyone has equal access to opportunity.

Congress passed the Fair Housing Act in 1968 to guarantee the right to choose where to live without facing discrimination or legally imposed obstacles. This is a core value that needs no additional justification. But it is also important to recognize the other benefits and values that are promoted by inclusive and diverse communities:

• Inclusive, diverse communities have quality schools with diverse student bodies that enhance outcomes for all children.
• Inclusive, diverse communities have a healthy, robust market that competes for buyers and renters from all racial and ethnic groups in a region and cannot be easily targeted by predatory lenders.
• Inclusive, diverse communities contribute to the regional economy with a range of housing choices for workers of all income ranges, and help to prevent the harmful concentration of racially isolated poverty at the core of the metropolitan region.
• Inclusive, diverse communities incorporate accessible design and housing options that maximize inclusion of persons with disabilities in the build environment and in communications.
• Inclusive, diverse communities successfully resist sprawl and its negative social and environmental impacts by consolidating growth for a mixed income, diverse population along efficient transportation corridors and by bringing workers closer to regional job centers.

The goal of the fair housing movement is to support and promote these inclusive, diverse communities of choice: communities and neighborhoods where families choose to live; where housing and schools are stable and well supported; where employment is accessible; and where all racial and ethnic groups, and persons with disabilities, are an integral part of the larger community.

The BCDCOG is interested in hearing from area employers looking at the costs and benefits of vanpooling programs for their employees. A commuter vanpool is defined as a group of seven to fifteen people who ride to and from work each day in a comfortable passenger van. Vanpools can benefit both the companies and the employees. Van pool drivers are rewarded by usually riding free, receiving personal use of the van, and sustaining less wear on personal automobiles. Riders are rewarded by saving money on gas costs, being able to read the paper, sleep, or socialize during the daily commute, potentially reducing personal auto insurance premiums and sustaining less wear on personal automobiles. Companies benefit from vanpooling because employees are willing to work farther from home if they know they do not have to drive every day; peer pressure also keeps tardy people from holding up the vanpool. Employers who sponsor commuter vanpool programs can also recapture some of their costs by claiming a tax credit for purchasing or leasing vanpool vehicles. The costs of vanpooling can vary depending on the type of vanpooling program used (company or employee operated), whether an organization buys or leases the van and the size of the fleet vehicles. Companies in the troicounty area interested in hearing more about vanpooling including how to partner with other organizations should contact the BCDCOG Mobility Manager Vonie Gilreath at vonieg@bcdcog.com or (843) 529-0400.

BCDCOG Revolving Loan Fund Can Assist Local Businesses

The BCDCOG’s Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) currently has funds to loan. The RLF’s primary goal is job creation and retention. It is designed to assist businesses whose projects will improve the tri-county economy. Eligible uses for loans include the purchase of equipment and land, and the improvement of real estate and building facilities. Contact us today for more information.

Schools throughout the BCD Region will be participating in the first National Bike to School Day on May 9th as part of the 2012 National Bike Month in May.

National Bike to School Day is based on the Walk to School Day model as a way to bring community leaders and children together to build awareness for communities to be more bikeable. Schools may register to participate through the SC Safe Routes to School Center website. Registered schools and resources will then be entered to win a Saris bike rack being given away by the National Center for Safe Routes to Schools.

Trident Rideshare Provides Company Rideshare Sites

The BCDCOG’s free Trident Rideshare program has been updated and now gives employers and schools the option to have their own rideshare matching site. Employers provide registered rideshare users with a pass code so that they can easily find a good carpool match based on user defined proximity, a variety of personal preferences, and time of commute. Registered users of the sites will be eligible for the Emergency Ride Home Program as an additional incentive to utilize alternative transportation modes.

Trident Rideshare is a free and convenient web-based service that connects commuters looking to share cars, bicycles, taxi, and transit or walking trip in the region. Sharing a ride is not only fun but it helps preserve air quality, decreases traffic congestion, conserves fuel, promotes better health and saves you money – all at the same time!

SPECIAL EVENTS

2012 North Charleston Arts Festival

The City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department proudly presents the 2012 North Charleston Arts Festival, May 4-12. This annual nine-day event highlights national, regional, and local artists and performers in the areas of dance, theater, music, film media, and visual & literary arts, and draws over 30,000 residents and visitors.   The Main Event, held Saturday, May 5, and Sunday, May 6, at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center and Charleston Area Convention Center, offers free admission and parking to over 40 performances on four themed stages; General Audience, Cultural Heritage, Youth Entertainment, and Bands.  Other Main Event activities include judged art and photography shows, the SC Palmetto Hands Juried Fine Craft Exhibit, a gem & mineral show, an antique show, children’s activities, art and craft booths, and a food courtyard.  Over 50 Individual Events take place at various locations throughout the Festival Week. An array of free and ticketed events include street dances, concerts, theater presentations, film screenings, an Art Walk, children’s activities, workshops and demonstrations, a National Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition, and much more. The festival concludes with the Grand Finale at North Charleston Riverfront Park on Saturday, May 12, featuring performances, children’s activities, and fireworks over the Cooper River.  Visit www.NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com for full details.

Free & ticketed events

Various locations

May 4-12, 2012

EXHIBITIONS

Works by Elena Barna

2012 North Charleston Arts Festival Design Competition winner, Elena Barna, will display works in acrylic and oil, including her winning piece, My Muse. Her pieces, often portraits, use vivid colors, thick application of paint, and distinctive brush strokes to convey an emotional vision of the world. Form and color are central to her aesthetic and shimmering surfaces and rich dabs of paint characterize her paintings.

FREE

North Charleston City Gallery (w/in Chas. Area Convention Ctr.)

5001 Coliseum Drive, North Charleston

On view: May 1-31

Gallery hours: 9:00am-5:00pm daily

Meet the Artist: May 5, 10am-4pm, and May 6, 2pm-5pm

Art & Fine Craft Co-Op Gallery & Sale

The Meeting Place

1077 East Montague Avenue, North Charleston

On view: Every Friday & Saturday through May 26

Gallery hours: 11:00am-7:00pm

Free Reception: Wednesday, May 9, 5:00-8:00pm during the North Charleston Arts Festival Art Walk

National Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition

The seventh annual National Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition is currently installed at the stunning North Charleston Riverfront Park.  The eleven month exhibition features fourteen established and emerging artists displaying imaginative and thought provoking large-scale sculpture.  Visitors can enjoy the sculpture displays among ten acres of walking paths, a fishing pier, boardwalk, an oversized sandbox and children’s play area. Organized and presented by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department. Visit http://bit.ly/culturalarts for maps, images, and artists’ statements.

Creation, or Virgin Mother, stories such as Yemaya, are universal. Inspired by the folklore and visual history of African water divinities and explorations of this subject by scholars, the 6th installment of this annual exhibition will feature African American fiber artists from across the nation interpreting stories and depictions of water spirits in African and the Afro-Atlantic world through cloth. Juried pieces will include art quilts and cloth dolls created through traditional and non-traditional fiber techniques.Presented as a component of the 2012 North Charleston Arts Festival.

Following in the footsteps of French impressionist artists such as Claude Monet, Paul Signac, and Georges Seurat, Mariannic Parra seeks to explore dimensions of light. But, like more contemporary artists such as Dan Flavin and Walter di Maria, Parra’s works move beyond the impressionists by using light as a medium.  Her featured body of work includes landscape thematic paintings using natural materials, like volcanic sand and coal, and contemporary materials, such as plexiglass. Pieces in the exhibit are inspired and accompanied by original poems by her husband, Jean Pierre Parra. Her work leaves us with an impression of luminosity and opens the door for the viewer to become part of the art experience and to work with the light, both natural and industrial, as it moves across the surface of the canvas throughout the day. Light enters each piece and becomes a part of the painting, creating movement and change in the colors that dominate what the viewer sees. It is the quest to understand and master light that the French artist seeks to share. Mariannic Parra has been featured in solo and group exhibitions throughout Europe and the United States and has published several catalogues of her work. Her studio is located in Montpellier, France. Presented as a component of the 2012 North Charleston Arts Festival.

This group exhibition offers a sample of the diversity that exists among the work of contemporary narrative artists living and working in the Charleston area. Participating artists Timothy Banks, Erin Bennett Banks, Steve Stegelin, and Melanie Florencio will display a number of illustrations created for children’s books, newspaper commentary, editorial markets, comic strips, and more.  From the lavishly quirky to the classically simple, and from rich hues to the stark contrast of black and white, these artists’ creations enhance the messages conveyed by the words they accompany. Presented as a component of the 2012 North Charleston Arts Festival.

In this exhibition of realist portraits, Lori Starnes Isom presents “snapshots” of individuals going about their daily routines. The featured pieces are executed in various mediums and strive to capture the beauty of the everyday. Lori is the current Artist-in-Residence for the City of North Charleston. As a figurative and portrait artist, she has been commissioned to do hundreds of individual and family portraits, many of which include military personnel and heads of companies. Her work has been featured in the pages of American Art Collector, juried into numerous exhibitions, and honored with several fine art awards. Presented as a component of the 2012 North Charleston Arts Festival.

Local artist Hampton Olfus works in a variety of styles, techniques, and mediums. This exhibition marks his first display of solely pen & ink drawings. The featured pieces reflect the artist’s personal statements on three themes: history, music and women. Hampton’s work is collected both nationally and internationally and he has received awards and honorariums from a number of juried exhibitions and institutions, including The Museum of African Art and The Prince George’s Art Council.

For many personal and professional reasons, photographer Dr. Katherine Houghton is compelled to visually depict and seek understanding of the lived experiences of women and children encountered throughout her world travels. This exhibition features an excerpt from the visual story captured during her two circumnavigations of the globe. Houghton’s eye for cultural context allows viewers to understand the complexities of these individuals’ challenges, whether they be historical, societal, economic, cultural, or political. In addition to photography and travel, Katherine is an active advocate for access to higher education for a diversity of learners. She has been featured as a keynote speaker and presenter on topics including leadership in higher education, multicultural programming, students with invisible handicaps, higher education and single motherhood, and global issues impacting women and children.

WORKSHOPS, CLASSES & CAMPS

There are several visual art workshops being offered for both adults and children during the North Charleston Arts Festival. Click here to learn more. Information about media arts classes offered during the festival can be found here.

Open Studio Workshop

Fee: $15. Registration ends two days prior to class. Call 843-740-5854.

The Meeting Place

1077 East Montague Avenue, North Charleston

Tuesday, May 29   

10:00am-12:30pm

Rendering in Pen & Ink with Gary Galarza

Gain confidence in your line art and leave the eraser at home. Instruction will include cross hatching techniques using sepia colored pen and inks to build gradations in simple to intricate renderings. Displays using inanimate objects that possess different textures and shapes will be utilized for renderings. Students will receive a take home photograph image and will produce their own creative rendering to further assist with perspective, design and style. This fun, energetic, and rewarding workshop offers an opportunity for artists to share their passions and desires to create, learn, and grow.

Fee: $90 for 3 week class. Registration ends one week prior to class. Call 843-740-5854.

The Meeting Place

1077 East Montague Avenue, North Charleston

May 17, 24, & 31     

7:00-9:00pm

North Charleston Farmers Market Art Demonstrations

The North Charleston Farmers Market takes place every Thursday through October 18 and offers an abundance of fresh, locally grown produce, and features art & craft booths, food vendors, and entertainment. Enjoy visual art demonstrations by local artists every 2nd and 4th Thursday. Special concerts will be presented during the May 10 market as a component of the 2012 North Charleston Arts Festival. Enjoy bluegrass, country, and swing by Boss Hawg from 3-4pm, ambient jazz by La Junta from 4:30-5:30pm, and beach, R&B, blues and more by The Ocean Drive Party Band from 6-7pm. Debra Marshall will present a knitting demonstration on May 24.

FREE

Olde Village area

1055 East Montague Ave., North Charleston

Thursdays, May 10 & 24

Market open 2:00-7:00pm / Demo 4:00-6:00pm (extended entertainment hours for concerts on May 10)

Summer Arts Camps – Register Now!

Details for each camp can be found here. Space is limited, so register early. Registration forms can be downloaded here. Contact Nancy Rodriguez at 843-740-5851 to request a print copy or to receive more information. Registration for each camp ends one week prior to start date and the cost is $50 per week. Camps take place from 9:00am-12:00pm at Sterett Hall on the former Charleston Naval Base (1530 7th Street, North Charleston).

Visual Arts Camp I: For children ages 5-8. June 4-8

Visual Arts Camp II: For children ages 9-13. June 11-15

Drama Camp I: For children ages 5-8. June18-22

Drama Camp II (2 Weeks): For children ages 9-13. July l9-20

African Drum & Dance: For children ages 5-13. July 23-27

TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES

Teaching artists or arts agencies may submit proposals for classes and workshops in visual arts, photography, crafts, music, dance, theater, and more. Proposal forms can be downloaded here.

Submit by May 20 for Jul/Aug/Sep 2012

Submit by Aug 20 for Oct/Nov/Dec 2012

Submit by Nov 20 for Jan/Feb/Mar 2013

Submit by Feb 20 for Apr/May/June 2013