Off The Front Porch

BEAUFORT, S.C. -- With the opening of the new Jonathan Green Maritime Cultural Center on the campus of the University of South Carolina Beaufort, the work of world-renowned artist JONATHAN GREEN is celebrated against the backdrop of the wider study of art inspired and informed by African culture. In this second installment of our visit to the Lowcountry, our conversation turns specifically to the making of Green as an artist, the influences he drew from growing up in the sea island culture, and how love and friendship helped him grow into the famed creator he is today.

BEAUFORT, S.C. -- The artist JONATHAN GREEN is known worldwide for his paintings that capture the beauty, pride and dignity of Lowcountry culture, the people and the places who have lived and worked on South Carolina's sea islands for centuries. Green's passion for his heritage now has burst off the wall and into the galleries of the new Jonathan Green Maritime Cultural Center on the campus of the University of South Carolina - Beaufort. Not simply a museum celebrating the legacy of this unrivaled artist, this center is home to a scholarly mission to explore the cultural impact of the broader African diaspora. Here, we talk with the center's namesake and its resident scholar, DR. KIM CLIETT LONG, for an eye-opening journey through time.

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Whenever the University of South Carolina Gamecocks football team or baseball team take to the field, the school's famously furry and frenetic mascot Cocky is usually close at hand to entertain the faithful. On many occasions, the festivities also include the school's real-life mascot, an honest-to-goodness fine feathered fowl, a majestic and dignified creature named Sir Big Spur. On this episode of our series exploring the Southern experience, we travel to the university's Garnet & Black Spring Fest, a fan-friendly event previewing the upcoming football season. As the street party unfolds, we pause to chat with VAN and BETH CLARK, the human caregivers for the school's live mascot. Turns out, the care and feeding of a world-famous bird is basically a full-time job.

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Our weekly podcast exploring the Southern experience, premieres on this second Sunday in April 2026 -- which happens to be the Sunday afternoon of arguably the world's greatest golf tournament, held at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Golf takes center stage not just on the hallowed grounds of the Augusta National but also at the AUGUSTA MUSEUM OF HISTORY. Today's debut of our podcast takes us to the museum for a conversation with NANCY GLASER, the museum's executive director. She discusses the two galleries devoted to golf in Augusta, as well as other exhibits that explore the community's culture -- including another marquee gallery focused on the life and legacy of the "Godfather of Soul," James Brown.