Halsey's new gallery opens in style, only misses the new car smell

Image by Brian Wilder/TheDigitelImage by 200901024-halsey.jpg You can check out a ton of pics from the new space on the Halsey's Web site.

Being somewhat of a veteran at the College of Charleston, I like to think that I know a thing or two about the overall landscape of the campus. 

Read more stories on this subject in our Halsey topic page.That was until I found myself questioning the newfound expansion of St. Phillip Street from Calhoun to George this past week and realized that the new extension of the Halsey Institute was finished and ready to be unveiled on Friday.

Upon entering, I was immediately flabbergasted at the sheer sterility of it all: white walls and Comic Sans font galore! It was immaculate, clean and brand new. Tile floors glossed to a Cascade-esque shine and halogen lights installed with an intensity that rivaled the sun.

In a word, the opening was perfect.

The people were so vibrant which, I suppose, is to be expected from the Holy City's community of art enthusiasts. Everyone seemed relatively excited to be there. There was much chatter to be had about Aldwyth, the premiere installation for the new gallery, as well as everything under the sun from southern real estate woes to speculations on the origins of the new gallery's funding. Either way, the crowd took this opportunity to focus on the art (by an areas artist, no less), and truly appreciate the time and effort that went into creating such an aesthetically pleasing addition to the College.

Amidst the free-flowing wine and tables full of free hors d'oeuvres as far as the eye could see, it was very refreshing to witness Charleston's love of the art and artist and not solely the pretty lights and complementary foodstuffs that came with it.


Update:

Charlie has a small collection of shots from the opening night; see them here.