From staff reports
USCB’s Center for the Arts will present “‘Payne-ful’ Business, Charleston’s Journey to Truth,” its first gallery show of the year.
Running Jan. 9 through Feb. 20, 2025, the exhibit is a collaboration between Charlestonian author Margaret Seidler and John W. Jones from Columbia. The public is invited to an artist reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 9.
Featuring more than 40 paintings created by Jones using oils, acrylics and watercolors, the works in the exhibit are inspired by Seidler’s historical research into her family history, which revealed her relation to William Payne, her great-grandfather and domestic slave trading auctioneer.
Jones drew inspiration from the Payne newspaper ads which promoted for sale, blacksmiths, cooks, child nurses, brick masons and dozens of other talented enslaved people. He transformed their trade, skills, and labor into a compelling visual narrative of the pervasiveness and magnitude of the contributions of the enslaved. Each is accompanied by the textual images of the supporting newspaper advertisement, including its archival provenance.
Seidler’s book, “‘Payne-ful’ Business, Journey to Truth” (Evening Post Books, February 2024, evepostbooks.com), incorporates Jones’ compelling images in support of the historical interpretation of her recently discovered ancestors.
In addition to the exhibit, the CFA will host an opening reception with both Margaret Seidler and John Jones, an author’s talk and book signing co-sponsored with Books Sandwiched In, and a moderated discussion with the author and artist hosted along with USCB’s Osher Life-Long Learning Institute. For more information and details for each event, visit: https://www.uscbcenterforthearts.com/cfa-gallery-exhibit.
Want To Go?
What: “‘Payne-ful’ Business, Charleston’s Journey to Truth,” an art exhibit of works inspired by historical family research and related events
When: Thursday, Jan. 9 through, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025
Where: USCB Center for the Arts, 806 Carteret Street, Beaufort
Cost: Free and open to the public
