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Twiggs Rose Festival


The I. P. Stanback Museum & Planetarium at South Carolina State University, in tandem with academic and community partners, Claflin University, Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College, The Orangeburg County Fine Arts Center, The Orangeburg County Library, and other local constituent groups, takes great pleasure in announcing the inaugural events for the newly proposed Twiggs~Rose Festival of the Arts in Orangeburg County combined with a month-long celebration of local HBCUs and institutions of higher education, including South Carolina State University, Claflin University, and Orangburg-Calhoun Technical College. Listen to TRF Discussion programing here ..

The purpose of the Festival is to both enhance the awareness of local residents with the richness and variety of educational and creative resources within our community, and to advocate for the wealth of cultural and heritage tourism offerings in Orangeburg County. The Twiggs~Rose Festival venue will employ the creative arts as a means to establish intra-community discourse, and an appreciation of local diversity. The proposed activities listed below serve as a celebration of the contributions of both “Town-and-Gown”; a reference to the importance of the local academic institutions (“Gown”) in fueling both cultural and economic growth in the Orangeburg community and the importance of collaboration with local businesses and the city administration and Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Orangeburg Revitalization Association, DORA (“Town”). This project is aligned with the goals of The ONE Orangburg County initiative.By honoring the outstanding works of Dr. Leo F. Twiggs, a recipient of the Order of the Palmetto, our state’s highest civilian honor, and a nationally recognized visual artist and art educator, and his mentor, Prof. Arthur Rose, whose civil rights activities, dedication to education, and service as an inspiration for his Claflin University students, and beyond, continue to influence local residents in our entire state and region, we highlight local cultural, intellectual, and community brilliance.

The listed activities (some of which remain tentative) may be held both in person and via Zoom in order to respect COVID19 safety protocols and to assure the safety of our audiences and simultaneously maximize participation by interested community members.

The Inaugural Proposed, Annual Twiggs-Rose Festival of the Arts of Orangeburg County & HBCU & Higher Education Celebration Day ~ A Month-Long “Town and Gown” Arts Celebration

TWIGGS ~ ROSE FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS & HBCU CELEBRATION DAY (2022)

APRIL 4th –APRIL 29th SENIOR EXHIBITION: Claflin University Department of Art, Arthur Rose Museum; Members of the public interested in viewing the exhibition must be fully vaccinated and must contact the Claflin University Arthur Rose Museum, 400 Magnolia St. Orangeburg, SC. The museum is open Monday-Friday from 9am-4pm. (803) 535-5337

APRIL 7th – DRAFTED INTO THE SERVICE OF A LARGER DESTRUCTIVE FORCE:  A Conversation with Artist Malcom Cunningham: This inaugural event will be held via Zoom as a conversation regarding the ideas, and issues, raised by the works of visual artist, Malcom Cunningham, whose images are on display in the Fine Arts Building (FAB) Gallery at South Caroling State University from March 16th 2022- April 8th, 2022. The exhibition is curated by Ian Welch, Assistant Prof. of Printmaking, and Curator, of The FAB Gallery. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Frank C. Martin, II, Director of The I. P. Stanback Museum & Planetarium.

APRIL 12th: Tuesday PBS documentary film on local culture – SHARED HISTORY Amphitheater Screening Orangeburg County Public Library ( possibility of Food Trucks at Library site for refreshments for viewers of outdoor screening) Sponsored in tandem with The I. P. Stanback Museum & Planetarium.

APRIL 13th: Wednesday (11:00 AM): The Office of International and National Student Exchange Programs (OINSEP)- hosts a Brazilian International Showcase to acquaint the SCSU campus and Orangeburg community with the nation and culture of Brazil. Pre-registration is required by April 12th at:

APRIL 13th Wednesday (5 PM – 6:30 PM):  ZOOM CONVERSATION (perhaps in partnership with Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College): Dr. Kizzi Staley- Gibson Arts, Education, and Entrepreneurship (with invited members of the Orangeburg Community)

APRIL 14th, Thursday: Planned discussion with film director Felicia Furman & Producer, Vivian Glover: combined ZOOM and In-person Discussion Event Orangeburg County Public Library Sponsored in tandem with The I. P. Stanback Museum & Planetarium.

OPENING: VISUAL ARTS PROGRAM 50th ANNIVERSARY ALUMNI EXHIBITION CELEBRATION, SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY FAB Gallery

APRIL 18th, Monday:  An additional program on the culture of  Mexico entitled International Perspectives will be offered later in April. Contact Dr.  Learie Luke at lluke@scsu.edu for developments and details.

APRIL 18th, Monday: Soft OPENING: MATERIAL, MEMORY, & METAPHOR: Visual Arts as Narrative Experience (An exhibition of works in diverse media highlighting the quilts of Dr. Marlena O’Bryant Seabrook, SCSU alumna, and members of the Orangeburg quilting Community as well as artists working in a variety of media.)

APRIL 18th – 22nd: CLAFLIN CALABASH CELEBRATION of The Arts to be held during the third week of April contact Prof. Tabitha Ott at tott@claflin.edu for additional details on activities and for information on contacting the Claflin Campus University Administration for COVID19 campus entry protocols and vaccination restrictions which may apply.

APRIL 19th, Tuesday: Screening of the PBS documentary – Meltdown in DIXIE Amphitheater Film Screening Orangeburg County Public Library ( possibility of Food Trucks at Library site for refreshments at the outdoor screening) Sponsored in tandem with The I. P. Stanback Museum & Planetarium.

APRIL 20th, Wednesday: OPENING 50th ANNUAL STUDENT EXHIBITION, SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY (with Reception Wednesday April 20th 2022)

APRIL 21st, Thursday: Film Discussion MELTDOWN in DIXIE Discussion with film director, 5:00pm – 6:30pm Emily Harrold and Members of the Orangeburg Community, Orangeburg County Library. Sponsored in tandem with The I. P. Stanback Museum & Planetarium.

APRIL 21st, Thursday (7:15 PM – 8:40 PM): Jazz Concert Mr. Willie Bradley & Ensemble (SCSU Fine Art Building Amphitheater/ Barbara Vaughn Recital Hall for inclement weather)

APRIL 22nd, Friday: STUDENT ARTS ACTIVITIES: SCSU ART CLUB & CLAFLIN ART CLUB (conceptualized as family-oriented Recruitment EVENTs on SCSU campus. Potentially may include volunteers from OCTech in addition to SCSU & Claflin Students)

APRIL 22nd, Friday ~ Athletic Awards Banquet – Friday Evening; VIP Reception, Ring Ceremony (bring high schools students to campus)

APRIL 23rd, Saturday ~ HBCU DAY, Orangeburg – Student volunteers and faculty will conduct art presentations, workshops, demonstrations, and be available for discussion of materials in the exhibition.

APRIL 23rd, Saturday ~ HBCU NATIONAL CHAMPION TEAM PARADE – SCSU Coach Buddy Pough, and SCSU Athletic Director, Stacy Danley. Celebration of South Carolina State University’s defeat of Jackson State University 31-10 to win the 2021 Celebration Bowl in Atlanta. SCSUoftball vs. Morgan State- 1PM –

3 PM Spring Football Game ~ 2 PM: Spring Jam Fest (Concert – Quinn & the Jukebox) ~ 4 PM

APRIL 23rd, Saturday ~ Exhibition GAME  (2 PM, Oliver Dawson Stadium)

APRIL 26th, Tuesday: Proposed Conversation with Dr. Leo F. Twiggs on The Importance of the Arts in Building Community Identity Sponsored by The I. P. Stanback Museum & Planetarium.

APRIL 27th,  Wednesday: COUNTY-WIDE POETRY EXTRAVAGANZA ~ organized by Dr. Thomas Cassidy with guest MC Omari Fox 5pm -7pm Poetry Competition for Students and Interested Participants from Orangeburg County to be held jointly with Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College (OCTech). Organized by Dr. Thomas Cassidy and Sigma Tau Delta Poetry Society of SCSU and Co-sponsored with OCTech and Serve & Connect.

The ORANGEBURG COUNTY FINE ARTS CENTER EXHIBITION on view through May 4th, 2022: CREATIVE SPIRITS: Works by Chris Bilton, Dianne MunKittrick & Lisa Gilyard-Rivers

Last week of April, 2022: Orangeburg Showcase (MLK – Prof. Ursula Robinson) c. April 29th 2022 (date to be determined)

APRIL 30th, Saturday: THE ROSE FESTIVAL & ORANGEBURG ARTS CENTER EVENTS