Advertisement
Our winter exhibition, always in mid-January, is the perfect antidote for those after holiday doldrums and provides a way to break up the cold days. For years, it was the Sumter Artists’ Guild Winners exhibition but for the past few years we have featured local and state artists. 2026 is no exception. We are excited to present Sumter artist, Dominique Hodge and Columbia artist, Patrick Mahoney. Dominique Hodge was Born and raised in Sumter. Dominique Hodge, known artistically as “Jakeem Da Dream” is an afro futuristic artist. Upon graduating from high school, he furthered his artistic knowledge by attending The Art Institute of Charleston, which exposed him to a larger world of art. It was in college that Hodge first discovered black representation in art, something he did not often see growing up. This pivotal point sparked the revelation that he could create artwork that reflected himself and those who looked like him.
Actively working in the community, instructing art classes and painting events through local art studios and galleries. In the past decade, Hodge has traveled across the state where he has connected with many artists in such places as Spartanburg, Greenville, Lake City, and Charleston, and beyond the borders of South Carolina. Dominique Hodge is everywhere – at every opening, every artist talk, every event. His unbounding energy and enthusiasm for art is contagious! had his first solo exhibit in June 2025 at the Koger Center of the Arts in Columbia. Throughout the past few years, he has exhibited across South Carolina. Aside from working on canvas he has also completed several mural projects within local schools and businesses. He has been working as a teaching artist since 2018 through the nonprofit Auntie Karen Foundation. Hodge became a part of the Foundation’s Artrapreneur Program, a program that seeks to empower the youth through the arts by placing working artists, singers, dancers, and musicians in rural schools to provide quality art education to students with few creative opportunities. He has been working with the program for the past 8 years. He has had the joy of nurturing thousands of young creative minds. He is a member of the Sumter Gallery of Art and sits on the SCGA board of directors. Hodge is an active member of the Sumter Artists’ Guild, Roc Bottom Studios and Gemini Arts, both in Columbia.
Hodge views artists as the true alchemists. Afro-alchemy originated in Africa and modern interpretations through the lens of Black identity and experience, are often seen in contemporary art. Alchemy is a metaphor for artistic, spiritual, or societal transformation within Black culture. Hodge draws from many sources - mythology, religion, history, astrology, astronomy, and hermetic philosophy. It is important to Hodge to show positive, purposeful, and powerful Black imagery in his work.
Eric Lachance, SCGA curator and assistant director, notes, "Dominique Hodge, believes artists are like alchemists and to this end, creates work that "reflects the heart, mind, and soul" of his subjects. His Afrofuturist pieces weave elements of astronomy and astrology, esotericism, hermetic philosophy, history, and mythology to transcend time and space as he explores the consciousness of the black experience."
Patrick Mahoney has lived a rich life, indeed. Born in 1948 in Kansas City, he served in the Army and earned a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1975. Mahoney moved to New York City in 1975 where he made large abstract paintings and studied at the major museums such as The Met and the Museum of Modern Art. He moved to Japan for two years studying traditional Japanese painting with an old master. It was in Japan that he came by his moniker of “Potlick”. The Japanese language has no ‘R’ sound, so his friends called him Potlick. He now lives and works in Columbia, South Carolina. Mahoney draws, paints and takes photographs. He has been a practicing artist for more than 47 years and has “no intention of slowing down”. Mahoney has had several exhibitions in Tokyo and New York. He is represented in collections in the United States, England, France and Japan.
Mahoney’s small-scale graphite “Tower Series” is currently on view at 701 Contemporary Center of Art as part of the 2025 SC Biennial, which showcases the best artists working in the state today. Across nearly 30 graphite Tower pieces, Mahoney explores form, imagination, and the unexpected turns of creative intuition.
His plan to render each tower identically, set in desert landscapes, transformed the moment he allowed one massive stone tower to float. That single intuitive choice opened the door to a world of surreal possibilities—setting the series on a path of continual metamorphosis. After more than 50 years of painting, Mahoney follows one guiding principle: let the work lead the way.”
Eric Lachance observes, “Mahoney's renderings of local establishments and vernacular architecture will be recognizable to locals and convey familiarity to all while his Tower series captures intimate, Bruegel inspired graphite illustrations of monumental subjects in detailed landscapes which evoke the distant past and far future."
The Sumter County Gallery of Art could not present these important artists without community support. Many thanks to our sponsors, Representative J. David and Cheryl Weeks, Grayco LLC and Hill Plumbing and Air. Flowers courtesy of Azalea Garden Club & Council of Garden Clubs of Sumter.
Advertisement
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
200 Hasel St, Sumter, SC, United States, South Carolina 29150
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.
