Harvesting Heritage: Gathering Ground

Doors open at 6 p.m.
Note: This event will take place at the Penn Center on St. Helena Island
 

Harvesting Heritage is a series dedicated to the past, present, and future of creativity, innovation, and artistry in Black foodways throughout South Carolina. 

On Feb., 21st, the museum's popular event series will return to the Penn Center on St. Helena Island with Chef Amethyst Ganaway for Harvesting Heritage: Gathering Ground – a program dedicated to our state’s harvesters – farmers, oystermen, fishermen, and more – and our storytellers. 

Made possible through a partnership with SC Humanities and By the People: Conversations Beyond 250, this will be a special event that includes free daytime activities, followed by a ticketed evening program.

The daytime activities are dedicated to Black foodways, the history of Penn Center, and South Carolina storytelling, with two 30-minute tours of the Penn Center and three hour-long workshops. The activities from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., the program is free and open to the public, but we encourage you to register as space is limited.

Daytime Schedule:

10:30 a.m. | Penn Center tour with John Kamara

11:00 a.m. | Storytelling workshop, featuring Charleston poet laureate, Asiah Mae; author, public historian, and griot Sara Makeba Daise; and chef, food writer, and author of the upcoming cookbook, From the Roota to the Toota Amethyst Ganaway

12:00 p.m. | Community writing workshop led by the Communal Pen, a collaborative effort led by the South Carolina Arts Commission, Athenaeum Press at Coastal Carolina, and SC Humanities

1:00 p.m. | Harvesting the Sea: A Study in St. Helena Island Oystering with Ed Atkins, Gullah Geechee fisherman, owner of Atkins Bait Shop, and founding member of the Gullah Geechee Fishing Association

2:00 p.m. - Penn Center tour with John Kamara

The ticketed evening program will highlight South Carolina’s Black foodways, Lowcountry land stewardship, and the legacy of Gullah Geechee food traditions. The evening will include a cocktail hour for early arrivals, a panel discussion, and a reception featuring a thoughtfully crafted menu of SC grown, harvested, and curated dishes, along with a specialty cocktail.

Evening Event Schedule:

5:00 p.m. | Cocktail hour for early arrivals with a special presentation by mixologist Will Green

6:00 p.m. | Evening program

· Welcome and introductions with Dr. Ramon Jackson, SCSM Curator of Cultural History 

· A poem by Asiah Mae, Charleston poet laureate

. A libation ceremony by Sara Makeba Daise, griot, public historian, and author of Sankofa Shadow Work: Diaries of a Diasporic Diviner

· A panel discussion with Chef Amethyst Ganaway, Chef William “Bubba” Green of St. Helena, Johnathan Sims of Sims Farms in Dorchester, and Dr. Najmah Thomas of Earth People Farms and the University of South Carolina Beaufort 

7:00 p.m. | Reception

· Oyster roast 

· Curated menu by Chef Ganaway and prepared by Charlotte Jenkins and Keisha Jenkins, including okra soup, Carolina Gold rice, and mixed green salad with field peas

· Desserts by Christina Miller of Bert and T’s Desserts

· Drink ticket included