Alligators have lived on Daniel Island long before humans, but rapid growth in the Charleston area has brought more people in and pushed more alligators out.
Kimber Keene ’25, a studio art and environmental studies double major from Daniel Island, has seen that imbalanced interaction between man and nature play out over the course of her life, and her perspective on it is shown through her multimedia art exhibition as the Whetsell Fellow.
“A Fed Gator is a Dead Gator” is on display through Feb. 28 in the Richardson Family Art Gallery. Keene will give her artist talk at 6 p.m. on Feb. 27, and a light reception will follow. Both the event and exhibition are free and open to the public.
Each year, the Whetsell Fellowship is given to a student-artist at Wofford to provide funding for a personal project while receiving mentorship. Keene worked with Jessica Scott-Felder, associate professor of studio art, to unearth her topic and refine her ideas.
Keene knew she wanted her Whetsell Fellow exhibit to be connected in some way to the extensive trail system in Daniel Island, which she spent many days running on and meandering through. The warning notices scattered throughout the trails, which are built on or around alligator habitats, became a focal point.
“There have been signs that say, ‘A Fed Alligator is a Dead Alligator,’” Keene says, “because the second you give them that sign of friendship, it creates a domino effect of them coming on shore, going up to people’s driveways, exploring new areas they wouldn’t have before, because now they’re not scared of humans. But we’re scared of them.”
The centerpieces of Keene’s exhibit are two gator replicas connected by a television monitor with images, videos and posts on social media about the Daniel Island alligators.
The darker replica hints at the danger humans feel about alligators possibly hiding in wait, with a large polyfoam creature blending in with the mulch around it.
The lighter replica, a sandform topped with seashells, conveys human intrigue at alligators — natives of brackish water — appearing in saltwater oceans nearby and the dichotomy of wonder and terror. Keene says people feel lucky to see such gators, though there are biological reasons for the behavior, such as maintaining salt levels, healing wounds and feeding.
“They really have nowhere else to go because we’re closing in on these spaces so much that there’s all of a sudden sidewalks and new buildings,” Keene says. “If they want to move, they are confined to such a small space that they need to get out.”
Keene’s exhibit also features three other pieces: two pieces that feature linocut prints on different kinds of media and an oil painting.
“I hope this exhibit provokes thought and reflection on our relationship with the natural world,” Keene says.
The Whetsell Fellowship is a summer fellowship established in 2006 by Dr. William O. Whetsell ’26 in memory of his brother, Dan. Its purpose is to support and promote the visual arts at Wofford, giving one student each year the opportunity to pursue studying an aspect of the visual arts. The fellowship covers the cost of art supplies and instruction.