Archaeology has the task of understanding human behavior through the material remains left behind by past people. It examines both the people with and without a written history. This exhibition will present the fundamentals of urban archaeology in South Carolina and how it has been applied at Columbia’s historically significant properties under the stewardship of the Historic Columbia Foundation. Urban Archaeology will use the archaeological resources from the Foundation’s house museums to illustrate the fundamentals of archaeological investigation. It will also emphasize the importance of urban archaeology in the preservation of our historically significant properties.

McKissick Museum is proud to again host the USC Department of Art Faculty Exhibition. This biennial exhibition presents the University community and the public with a sampling of work created by art faculty over the past two years. The exhibition is an opportunity to view the work of professors who instruct the university’s undergraduate and graduate art students. Expect to see a wide range of mediums including painting, photography, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, digital arts, computer graphics presentations, textiles, drawing, and film presentations.

Jak Smyrl, from Camden, South Carolina, served as the illustrator and artist for The State newspaper from 1949-1986. During his thirty-seven year career, Smyrl created hundreds of caricatures of leading political and community figures, illustrations for magazine covers, and portraits for The State newspaper and The Columbia Record (a former afternoon newspaper). Smyrl masterfully understood the region in which he lived and connected with readers through personal reflections and an awareness of southern culture and history.

Grass Roots traces the parallel histories of coiled basketry in Africa and the United States, starting from the domestication of rice in West Africa, through the transatlantic slave trade, to the migration of African rice culture to America. The exhibition addresses the history of the Carolina rice plantation and highlights the technological innovations brought to American agriculture by people from Africa. It tells the compelling story of the survival of African-American basketry over three hundred years. Grass Roots focuses on the coastal town of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, across the Cooper River from Charleston, where basket makers have taken control of their craft as independent entrepreneurs. The exhibition features baskets made by contemporary American and African basket makers as well as historic examples, some dating to the early 19th century, from Lowcountry rice plantations and African villages.