Step Right Up! Sideshows in American Culture runs until May 21 | Arts & Culture

Step Right Up! Sideshows in American Culture will be on display January 19 – May 21, 2013 at the University of South Carolina’s McKissick Museum.  There will be an Opening Reception on Thursday, January 24 from 5:30 – 7:30 pm.

Featuring the work of Beaufort-based visual artist Rebecca Davenport, Step Right Up! explores the sideshow as a cultural phenomenon during the late 19th century and continuing today.  Focusing on several key themes, the exhibition will explore the dynamic nature of sideshow culture, the concept of "the other,” and the public perception of showmanship and exploitation.  “Ideas of what defines ‘normalcy” are very subjective,” says Saddler Taylor, McKissick Museum’s Chief Curator of Folklife and Fieldwork. “The history of the sideshow provides an opportunity to explore the complexities involved with defining what  being ‘normal’ means  and why we as human beings are so fascinated with the unfamiliar, the mysterious.”  

The exhibition features over twenty large format paintings and mixed media works by Davenport, historic photographs, sideshow banners, and classic gaffes like the two-headed baby and feejee mermaid. 

Several programs are planned for early 2013, including a film screening on April 12th and a symposium on March 28th.

McKissick Museum is located on the University of South Carolina’s historic Horseshoe with available parking in the garage at the corner of Pendleton and Bull streets. All exhibits are free and open to the public.

Museum hours are 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday thru Friday and 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Saturdays. The museum is closed Sundays and holidays.

For more information, visit http://artsandsciences.sc.edu/mckissickmuseum/index.php?q=welcome

 or call Ja–Nae Epps at 803-777-2876.