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My Arts and Sciences

Family Weekend

Family Weekend is all about spending time with your University of South Carolina family — and we hope you’ll spend some of it with the College of Arts and Sciences. Our slate of events features educational sessions, hands-on arts and crafts, an ice cream social and many more ways to get to know the people who make up our college. 

Family Weekend 2022 will be held Friday – Saturday, September 23–24. All events are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. 

Friday, September 23

Art Exhibition: Socially Engaged Ceramics
School of Visual Art and Design
Drop by to view “Social Engaged Ceramics,” a two-person exhibition of ceramic artwork by Julie Schnell-Madden and Lydia C. Thompson. The exhibition is on view through Sept. 29, 2022.
McMaster College 119, 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Blacksmithing Demonstration
School of Visual Art and Design
Watch a demonstration of basic blacksmithing techniques, including forging a hook, a leaf and a bottle opener.
McMaster College, sculpture yard by parking lot, 9:30 a.m. – 11 a.m.

Indigo Dyeing
School of Visual Art and Design
Try out indigo dyeing using various shibori (folding) techniques. Cotton fabric will be provided or you may bring your own clean cotton or linen items. (Synthetic materials like polyester will not work).
McMaster, outside Henderson St. entrance, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Ice Cream with the Dean, Faculty and Advisors
College of Arts and Sciences
Drop by Flinn Hall to celebrate Family Weekend with complimentary ice cream from Baskin Robbins. Meet Dean Joel Samuels (11:00 a.m.-noon only) and College of Arts and Sciences faculty, advisors and student ambassadors, and learn more about opportunities and resources within the college.
Flinn Hall 107, 11 a.m.2 p.m.

Behind the Scenes Tour of McKissick Museum
McKissick Museum
Come explore rarely-seen treasures from the McKissick Museum’s massive collection. With more than 35,000 gem and mineral specimens, sweetgrass baskets, Edgefield pottery and even the first Cocky uniform, McKissick has something for everyone!
McKissick Museum 2nd floor, 11 a.m. – noon and 3 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Geography Department Drop-In
Department of Geography
Meet the Geography Department Chair and learn about courses, including study abroad and research opportunities. Students who are interested in technology, international issues and the environment will find a welcoming home here.
Callcott 104, 11 a.m.

Family Weekend: Tour Biology
Department of Biological Sciences
Biology will provide tours of several research labs in CLS and our newly-opened teaching labs and classroom space in Jones PSC.
Coker Life Sciences Building Lobby, noon – 2 p.m.

5K Across Two Cultures – Ethnographic Film and Visual Anthropology at USC 
Department of Anthropology
Anthropology faculty will stream their self-made ethnographic films, which highlight different peoples and their cultures. One of the films, by department chair Jennifer Reynolds, will feature a cross-cultural comparative study of kindergarteners in South Carolina and Guatemala. 
Gambrell 401, 12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m.

SEOE Dive into Research
School of the Earth, Ocean & Environment
Interested in getting involved in Research? The School of the Earth Ocean and Environment will be offering a tour of the department's active research, including projects from Faculty, Graduate and current Undergraduate students. Come join us for an in-depth dive as we visit labs with running instruments and research that is helping to solve environmental issues. Learn how you can get involved. Please meet in the JONES (PSC) Lobby, starting at 2 pm.
JONES (PSC) Lobby, 2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Family Weekend – Stargazing at Melton Memorial Observatory
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Join us for an evening of stargazing (*weather permitting*) at the Melton Memorial Observatory, which is located at 1429 Greene Street.
For weather updates, please monitor our website (uof.sc/melton).
Melton Observatory 201, 8 p.m. – 10 p.m.


Saturday, September 24

Tour of McKissick Museum's Exhibitions
McKissick Museum
Enjoy a curator-led tour of the museum’s exhibitions, “Sewn through Time: Sweetgrass Basketmakers Reimagine a Tradition,” “The Medium is the Message” and “Natural Curiosity: The University of South Carolina and the Evolution of Scientific Inquiry in the Natural World.”
McKissick Museum, 2nd floor, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.


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