<\/p>\n
Michael Dickins, the new director of the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, looks to the mirror on an \u201cArt-o-mat\u201d vending machine outside the Halsey, Monday, September 15, 2025, in Charleston.<\/p>\n
Henry Taylor\/Staff<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen working with an artist, the more you peel back those layers of the onion, the more it’s revealed to you,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n
He arrived in Charleston after a gig with Tennessee\u2019s Austin Peay State University building the contemporary art program and visitor speaking series and running the university art collection.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s been following the Halsey for decades, he said, so he sees his role as continuing the quality of programming it already has.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to involve the community a little bit more and not be afraid to have dialogue and conversation, but also put the Halsey on the national map,\u201d he said. \u201cMy ultimate goal is that for people from other parts of the country or world who want to see contemporary art in the South, the Halsey is at the top of their list.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to keeping the Halsey\u2019s reputation as a launch pad for contemporary up-and-coming artists, his goal is to bring in big-name artists.<\/p>\n
\u201cWorking with established artists seen in New York City, Chicago or Miami will elevate the name of the Halsey and put us in the same conversation as those cities,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
As he settles into the dynamics of the Halsey as a hub for experiential and experimental art, he brings his mantra with him: visit, engage, think and repeat.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow can the art on display teach us a little more about ourselves and the world in which we exist? How does it speak to you, not just by color and light, but through your influences, experiences and thought processes \u2014 that\u2019s what the visitor brings,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Nicole Taney, the new vice president of artistic programming, stands with a sign celebrating 10 years of the Gaillard Center on the outside lawn of the venue, Monday, September 15, 2025, in Charleston.<\/p>\n
Henry Taylor\/Staff<\/p>\n
Meet Nicole Taney<\/p>\n
Taney is a returning Charlestonian, having spent eight years as director of artistic planning and operations with Spoleto Festival USA before relocating to serve as artistic director for the Celebrity Series of Boston nonprofit for the last three years.<\/p>\n