Library Residents
The library's budding residency program connects the community with local working artists, entrepreneurs and writers.
Artist-in-Residence:
Richland Library’s Artist-in-Residence Program aims to connect the community with local working artists and to provide creative and educational opportunities to the community in a way that supports cultural and artistic exchange.
Created in 2015, the residency program gives artists, performers and makers of all types and disciplines the ability to work freely in their own studio space, share their works and artistic process with the community and provide learning opportunities and programs for library customers.
⚠️ Due to the current pandemic, we are currently assessing the schedule for future residencies. For now, we will be suspending the Artist-in-Residence program for the Summer Session, but plan to open applications for Fall beginning in June. Please stay tuned for further updates.
Current Resident:
Martha Brim
January - May 2020
Office Hours: 3 - 5 p.m., Thursdays and Sundays at Richland Library Main
Martha Brim is a choreographer, educator, and arts professional whose artistry is influenced by her early training as a visual artist and voice student, early dance training in ballet and now draws from body/mind investigations, various somatic practices, a strong foundation in feminist theory, and many days of digging in the dirt. After 35 years as a dance professor at Columbia College in South Carolina, Martha has produced a rich legacy of creativity, mentoring multiple generations of dance students and artists across disciplines. She continues as artistic director of The Power Company Collaborative, instigating large-scale performance installations involving musicians, designers, and artists as co-creators.
During her residency, Martha will be working on a community performance installation combining textiles, collage, printmaking, and movement, exploring the power of memory and identity through art with library customers, and collaborating with other artists within the community. She'll be offering presentations and workshops for customers of all ages, and you may even be surprised to catch her doing pop-up performances in locations around the library system!
📢 Call for Submissions: Follow the Thread
Current Artist-in-Residence, Martha Brim, has been working on a project to present as a culminating event for her residency called Follow the Thread.
This project explores memory, identity and transformation using articles of clothing (or any material that envelops the body) to spark memory. This project will result in the form of a video montage and will be released in June of 2020. Martha is a firm believer that everybody dances, and is inviting as many people who are interested to contribute to this performance.
We're excited about your participation in this meaningful community art installation. Please review the instructions below on how to share your experience and e-mail Arts Coordinator Ashley Warthen at awarthen@richlandlibrary.com with any questions.
Entrepreneur-in-Residence:
The library's Entrepreneur-in-Residence supports, mentors, and educates new entrepreneurs and budding start-ups through office hours and public programs--building an ecosystem that sustains the development and growth of future entrepreneurs in the region. The program also aims to connect entrepreneurs with peers who have successfully designed, launched and run a new business venture.
Current Resident:
Kimico Myers
February - May 2020
Meet with Kimico
Kimico Myers, the Owner of TeamLogic IT of Columbia. With almost 25 years of technology experience in both the public and private sectors, he has used the knowledge and expertise gained over nearly 3 decades to successfully grow his business.
A strong advocate of those who drive job creation and economic growth while also strengthening our communities, he currently serves as the Chair of the Service Core of Retired Executives (SCORE) Midlands Chapter.
“Conventional wisdom is that about 50% of businesses won’t make it to their fifth year of business. I’d like to change that fact. My hope is that by working together with entrepreneurs seeking assistance with different aspects of their business I can help another small business grow and thrive. By giving back through mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs, either through sharing my failures and successes; providing advice; acting as a sounding board; sharing my knowledge and expertise; or simply being helpful, I can do my small part in growing our thriving community.”
Writer-in-Residence:
Noted children’s author, Dinah Johnson, served as the library's first Writer-in-Residence from September 2015 - November 2016.
The South Carolina native held weekly office hours at Richland Library Main--interacting with aspiring authors of all ages. Known for her poetic stories, including Black Magic, Johnson gathered inspiration from her surroundings during her residency and applied it to numerous projects.