Kristen L. Rhodes

Stop! Don’t think! Get to the Charlie McAlister Retrospective

Kristen Rhodes

February 9, 2023

Right when I decide to start uploading my old art reviews, one of my favorite Lowcountry artists is getting a much-deserved retrospective.

The exhibit, “Charlie McCalister, it’s a major retrospective,” is currently showing at the McClellanville Art Center in McClellanville, South Carolina, every Wednesday through Saturday from 11 AM to 3 PM, or by appointment.

It opened January 21 and will be going on through Saturday March 4, 2023 (which would have been Charlie’s 54th birthday) — so, anyone in the Lowcountry is still able to make it! The closing night promises to have musical performances and video screenings celebrating Charlie’s creative life.

https://www.mcclellanvilleartscouncil.com/current-show

Below are a couple articles I wrote for the Charleston City Paper, back in the day, that had Charlie in them.

Here’s some blurbs about Charlie’s Letter to Noodle and the Bog-man puppet from Crowning Achievement, as part of a group exhibit, The Garage, at Form of: Gallery.

With a nice (if old grainy black-and-white) photo of Charlie being attacked by the daughter of another Charleston favorite, amazing photographer, Nancy Santos.

Charleston City Paper. June 6, and November 28, 2001.

Charlie’s culinary perspective on big-A, ‘Art’

Charleston City Paper. September 12, 2001.

The show is presented by the McClellanville Arts Council, and by the “SPEW GEYSER friends & family archival team”:

http://www.spewgeyser.com/index.html

They’re also hosting a Facebook page, Charlie McAlister Remembered.

If you have any art or writing by Charlie, or any of his crazy Sardine zines, or any recordings of his music or videos — the folks at Spew Geyser want you to get in touch. They are doing a great job archiving the creative works of this unique Lowcountry artist.