701 Center for Contemporary Art Presents:
Artist Talk + Q&A Session by Yvette L. Cummings

And a conversation with Palmetto Place Children’s Shelter 

Artist Talk + Q&A: Sunday, August 26, 2 p.m. 

Exhibition: July 12 – August 26, 2018 

The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are required via  [email protected] or 803.319.9949. 

As headlines are littered with news of human trafficking, sexual abuse, bullying, workplace  and school violence, the 701 Center for Contemporary Art (701 Whaley Street, 2nd Floor,  Columbia, SC), is contributing to the conversation in search for solutions, beginning with an  exhibition running from July 12-August 26 and ending with a closing Artist Talk by 701 CCA  Prize 2016 winner Yvette L. Cummings. This talk will be joined by a conversation with  Palmetto Place Children’s Shelter, whose mission is to “provide a safe and supportive  environment for children and teens who have faced abuse, abandonment, neglect and/or  homelessness.” This joint conversation between Assistant Professor of Painting/Drawing at  Coastal Carolina University, Yvette L. Cummings, and Palmetto Place Children’s Shelter, will  be on Sunday, August 26, at 2 p.m. in the 701 CCA Gallery on the 2nd floor of 701 Whaley  Street. The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are required via  [email protected] or 803.319.9949. 

Palmetto Place Children’s Shelter was founded in 1977 as an emergency shelter for children  who needed safe haven from child abuse and neglect. Their residential home has provided  services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the last 40 years and more than 7,000 children  have called Palmetto Place their home. In 2016, they were able to expand the original home  adding space for more children and teens who have faced abuse and neglect. They were also  able to open a second location that serves the homeless teen and at-risk youth populations  in the Midlands. Palmetto Place now has two houses and more than 50 beds for our state’s  most vulnerable children and teens. 

The exhibition, Uncovered, is a collection of original paintings, installations and hand cut  paper collages of images illustrating Cummings’ transition from child abuse to the dynamics  of motherhood, and echoes “the complicated path of youth, beauty and femininity” as she  experienced it. “The goal of the work,” says Cummings, “is to create a non-confrontational  presentation of tough, current and ongoing subject matter that makes viewers aware of their  discomfort” as they possibly relate to similar or even shared experiences. This exhibition  includes work created during her residency at 701 CCA, which she received for winning the  701 CCA Prize. 

The 701 CCA Prize, organized by 701 Center for Contemporary Art in Columbia, S.C., is an art  competition and exhibition for South Carolina artists 40 years old and younger. The project 

identifies and recognizes young professional South Carolina artists whose work is exemplary  in its originality, shows awareness of artistic developments and is of high artistic merit. The  call for artists was recently announced for the fourth installment of the 701 CCA Prize 2018  and the deadline for eligible artists to apply is September 1st. Application guidelines and how  to apply can be found on the 701 CCA website. 

As the 701 CCA Prize 2016 winner, Cummings received a six-week paid residency and solo  exhibition at 701 CCA. This exhibition features work created during her residency, which she  completed in May of 2018. Yvette L. Cummings received her Masters of Fine Arts degree at  the University of Cincinnati’s School of Design, Art, Architecture, and Planning. While still  enrolled at DAAP she was director of the 840 Gallery, interned at the Contemporary Art  Center of Cincinnati, and was the recipient of the Wolfstien Travel Fellowship to Spain. She  was awarded the Stephen J. Dalton Teacher of the year from USC in 2011. Her work has  been exhibited in multiple group and solo exhibitions throughout the south and Midwest. 

Her technique and medium are a dedication to discernment. “I use pattern as a way to  visually flatten the space, often referring to memory,” says Cummings. “When multiple  patterns are layered in a piece, a camouflaging occurs that mimics the way we live our lives  in the open, but we often cannot see through the layers to the traumas.” The artist uses  damask and floral patterns to flatten the spatial aspects of the work. These very traditional,  elegant patterns create a visual abstraction and represent the confusion that occurs over  time and space. 

701 CCA is a non-profit visual arts center that promotes understanding, appreciation and  enjoyment of contemporary art, the creative process and the role of art and artists in the  community. The center also encourages interaction between visual and other art forms. 701  CCA is located at 701 Whaley Street, 2nd Floor, Columbia, SC 29201. During exhibitions,  hours are Wed-Sat 11–5; Sun 1-5. For more information, visit www.701cca.org.  

For further inquiries or high resolution images, contact [email protected] or call (803)  319-9949. Please check the 701 CCA website for additional information on the exhibition and  associated events. 

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