By HEATHER WALTERS
Walterboro’s first WHAM! Festival ended with a bang on Saturday amid crowds of performers, artists, farmers, shoppers and spectators.
Serving as the city’s first Walterboro History Art and Music Festival (WHAM), the WHAM event was unique in that it was offered both virtually and in person during the month of May. On Saturday, May 22nd, however, the festival ended with an in-person culmination of concerts, art showcases, historical tours, a farmer’s market and history reenactors.
“I was overjoyed to see the range of programs we had on offer throughout the city as part of WHAM! bring out so many people. Visitors from as far away as Beaufort, Newberry and Charleston believing in this event enough to come on out and be a part of it in its first show,” said Matt Mardell, director of Colleton Museum. “To have so many new experiences in the arts and culture realm take place at one time here is certainly a first … We had thousands of interactions with our online content, the other events all across the city undertaken by our WHAM! partners.
“I just want to extend a big thank you to everyone who was involved, whether a participant or a visitor, and especially to our grant sponsors at the SC Arts Commission and the Coastal Community Foundation,” he said.
The Saturday event featured the Colleton Farmer’s Market, which included fresh produce from local farmers, artists, crafters and live music by Josh Jarman.
Newberry-based artist Robert Matheson was on scene, painting a “live” rendering of the entire event, while children participated in a Creation Station filled with arts and crafts.
A “Living History” portion of the festival was also happening inside the adjacent Colleton Musem, where Revolutionary War reenactors took spectators back to the days of George and Martha Washington. The historical scenes also included the War of 1812, with actors portraying Captain Dent and his wife, Elizabeth.
During the day, both the historical Bedon-Lucas House and the Little Library were open for public tours, hosted by the Colleton County Historical and Preservation Society.
Adding to the art portion of the WHAM! Festival were several artists showcases on display, including famed work by multiple artists (see list below).
For those who preferred auditory art, local musician Bruce Standiford performed at the Walterboro Waterfall, downtown. His performance was sponsored by the Colleton County Arts Council.
Tying the art and historic components together was Gullah Geechee Chieftess Queen Quet, a beloved storyteller known throughout the region for bringing the Lowcountry’s unique Gullah Geechee culture back to life.
The event also featured a dance recital by the Lowcountry Gymnastics, a performance by the Colleton County High School’s Band of Blue and a virtual-only reenactment from the Charleston-based play, “She Returns From War,” which was performed in the Spoleto Finale in Charleston in 2017.
Noted artists
During the WHAM! Festival, the following artists had work featured inside the Market Hall, the Colleton Museum and the Walterboro Wildlife Center: Terrance Washington; Robert Matheson;
Isobel Amundson; Lisa Rivers; Carolanne Call; Andrew Heape; Luke Mixson; Thomas Fulton: Dave Matthews; C.C. Phillips; Quadre Stuckey; Karla Irby; Alice Ravenel-Huger Smith; Krista McLauren; Victoria Smalls, plus pieces from her personal collection which included works by Jonathan Green, James Denmark, Cassandra Gillens, Synthia Saint James, Christopher Smalls, Michael Moore, Zayid Majid, Alan Laird, Amiri Farris, Patricia Sabree, Laura Cody, Demetric Denmark, Charles DeSauaaure, Joe Pinckney, Allen Fireall, Hank Herring, Mary Mack, Floyd Gordon, Jery Bennet-Taylor, Min. Johnnie Simmons, and Jospeh “Crip” Legree.
