GA, SC, GA, FLA

I apologize for the time off. I usually blog at night and the last couple of stops have been at a B&B and a private home. Both fabulous night stays but I wasn't "doing the net." I have four visits to report!

Since my last writing we screened in Watkinsville, GA (next to Athens) at North Oconee High School. For those who haven't seen North Oconee, it's the Taj Mahal of high schools. It looks like a college campus...just an incredible facility. The screening went well and I stayed in a charming Victorian B&B. The next morning I walked the campus at the University of Georgia. As much as it pains this University of Tennessee alum to write, I have to give it to our rival SEC East school - Georgia. They have a beautiful campus and Athens is everything you'd want in a college town.

Speaking of college towns with pretty campuses, it was up I-85 to Clemson. I enjoyed my time with the school's film professor Aga Skrodzka-Bates. Aga is a native of Poland, as is our film's editor Greg Grzeszczak. We all call Greg "GG" because no one in North Carolina feels comfortable saying, Grzeszczak. Aga and GG spoke in Polish about their mutual love of films and the epistemology of GG's last name. Aga claims Grzeszczak means "little pea." GG was hoping it was something more grandiose, perhaps, giant grapefruit. I'm betting on Aga. Anyway, we screened in front of a large crowd, including lots of students and had a great showing.

Then I travelled across the Palmetto State from Clemson to Orangeburg, home of South Carolina State. I met Ellen Zisholtz. Ellen is originally from New York. In true Gotham City style, we immediately had coffee and talked. There are lots of exciting things going on at South Carolina State and it seems Ellen is leading many of them. She's an energetic ambassador of goodwill, and an excellent painter! I got to tour the latest exhibit at the I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium: The James Brown Collection. It is an impressive collection that is very well done! I was particularly taken by the original sheet music. Our film played in a planetarium. I've never had that experience before. It was interesting, watching a crowd that reclined (usually a bad sign like they're asleep) but they weren't. The film was warmly received.

Today, I drove from South Carolina down to Brunswick, GA. Truth be told, I got there a little early so I could hang out at the beach for a few hours. I walked and biked around Jekyll Island before making my way to Brunswick. We played at the Ritz Theater - a great venue that dates back to the 19th century. Heather Heath runs the place and, as I'm noticing with most of my hosts, she too is an artist. Heather is an accomplished actress. She's also married to the Mayor of Brunswick but that's a whole other story. I also enjoyed meeting and talking with playwright/director Rob Nixon. As the film played at the Ritz, I strolled down the street and had a glass of wine at a local bar. I sat in one of those big comfy couches, the kind you want to lounge in but don't want to have in your house. I asked the visiting musician to play some Van Morrison. He obliged. As I sipped wine and sailed into "The Mystic" I realized I have only one more gig. It's up in Kentucky, tomorrow.

It has been quite a trip! I hope to report on the Paramount Arts Center tomorrow night. Until then...

The last three stops...

A recap of the last three stops on my Southern Circuit tour...

From Baton Rouge, I drove along the southern edge of Louisiana across beautiful swamps and unspoiled nature preserves to Lake Charles. The point person there is Irene Vandever. Irene is a fun, delightful person committed to maintaining the arts in her corner of the world. (Quick political plug: The state is proposing an 83 % cut of Arts funding. If you call Louisiana home, do everything you can to lobby against such a move.) When the movie started I ran down the street to grab a quick bite of dinner. As I sat at the bar, an elderly couple came in and sat next to me. The woman reached over and tapped my hand and said as politely as the words would allow, "You're not from here." "No ma'am," I said with some trepidation. She then proceeded to welcome me to Lake Charles and tell me all that it had to offer. I found this encounter to be a good representation of the community. The group that watched the film was very affirming, a very nice collection of people.

I then flew from Lafayette, LA to Memphis, TN to Paducah, KY. There is a great deal of artistic promise in the historic river town of Paducah. On the banks of the Ohio even the walls built to hold back flood waters are covered with beautiful murals. It makes sense, Paducah has long embraced the arts. It is the epicenter of quilting. In fact, the American Quilter's Society Quilt Show runs this very week. And with renowned Artist Harvey Sadow ensconced in the community leading the Paducah School for the Arts, the artistic future is quite exciting. The film showed to an enthusiastic audience at the Maiden Alley Cinema. We were then treated to a lovely post-screening event at the downtown home of West Kentucky Community & Technology College President Dr. Barbara Veazey.

The next morning I enjoyed breakfast with Harvey and his lovely wife Sue, also an artist who makes beautiful clothing. Then it was off to Lexington four hours to the east. I arrived early enough to check into the Gratz Park Inn. WOW! This was no Cleveland campground. I don't know how many stars a place can receive but the Gratz Park Inn deserves all of them. Nathan at LexArts put together a triple billing (two films from a local filmmaker), and the final film was ours. It was a beautiful night in Lexington and there was a great deal to choose from: race week at Keeneland, the Harlem Globetrotters, it was even prom night. All of which is to write, we played to a select crowd. Nonetheless, Nathan was great and LexArts has a lot of interesting programs coming up in the next few months.

I returned to the hotel for what I thought would be an early evening. But alas, it was not to be. Between race fans and a large wedding, the Inn was most joyous. In the early morning hours I stepped out of my room to see if folks might keep down the reverie just a bit. The first person I encountered was wearing pink shorts, blazer, bow-tie, and the look of a man who'd down close to 15 mint juleps. "Ain't it great?" he asked. How can you tell a guy in such a state to end the festivities? "Yes, it is," I said and tried to go back to bed.

The capitol of Louisiana is...

Do you remember the episode of the Brady Bunch when Cindy appeared on a televised quiz show? It was this question "Name the capitol of Louisiana?" that did her in. I never had that problem. Capitol of Missouri or North Dakota - yikes, but not Louisiana. Baton Rouge was the capitol that's very essence helped me recognize at least two words on French tests.

The film played last night at the Manship Theatre. The Manship is part of a 6 story cultural center that rises above the Mississippi in downtown Baton Rouge. It is my understanding that the building is part of an effort to revitalize downtown. It appears to be working. The theater is spectacular. From the outside its white round edifice looks like the Guggenheim. Inside, it's a beautiful theater with double balconies and an intimate feel. This is Spring break week in Louisiana and it limited attendance, but those who were there were engaged and delightful. In the post screening aftermath I was given a strawberry beer and spoke with a security guard who had seen the movie and was planning a trip to Bishopville to meet Pearl and see his garden. Today, I travel further west into Cajun Country for the next screening.

The Tour is on...

I was extremely excited and quite impressed when I saw the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art rising above College Street in Auburn, Alabama. This would be the location for the first stop on my Southern Circuit tour and it was an extremely impressive introduction. When one thinks of a museum, and a modernly-designed one at that, the word "inviting" almost never comes to mind. And yet that is how I would describe it. Beautifully landscaped and well-designed, it is quite a venue that they have down here in Auburn.

To get to Auburn from Charlotte, NC required a rental car, two flights, three gate changes and an amazing voyage. I won't spend too much time on logistics except to say that the woman seated next to me on the plane had never flown before and our commuter flight encountered the end of the storm that has caused a great deal of havoc across Dixie these past few days. First flight plus high winds equals great theater. I believe I have my next documentary in mind, or at least a reality show: TURBULENCE. You get a group of people who've never flown before and you send them up in a small plane on a windy day with a camera crew.... Sorry, I digress.

Tonight's screening was a great deal of fun. The folks at Auburn, Scott Bishop in particular, were very kind. The Q&A after the screening was interesting. I found the audience was extremely knowledgeable about film both artistically and technically. "Did you shoot that on tape and bump it to film?" "The editing was layered." Near the end of the evening I was scanning the audience hoping to see another hand pop up. I didn't want it to end.

Tomorrow the circuit continues one state to the West. Baton Rouge here I come...

Southern Circuit Welcomes Scott Galloway and "A Man Named Pearl"

Southern Arts Federation welcomes Scott Galloway with his feature documentary film, "A Man Named Pearl," to the 2008-2009 Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers beginning Tuesday, April 14, at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University in Auburn, AL, and concluding on Saturday, April 25, at the Paramount Arts Center in Ashland, KY. Along the way, the film will also screen in Baton Rouge, LA; Lake Charles, LA; Paducah, KY; Lexington, KY; Watkinsville, GA; Clemson, SC; Orangeburg, SC; and Brunswick, GA.

More about Scott Galloway, "A Man Named Pearl" and the tour schedule

Web site for "A Man Named Pearl"

Audio interview with Scott Galloway

Southern Circuit MySpace Page