South Carolina truly breeds creativity. During the summers the thick air gets into the blood and slows the body and perks up the mind. During the winter the weather is perfect for exploring outdoors and finding the art in nature. Our state is full of creative people who have made an indelible mark on our artistic history, and many will argue that living here had something to do with it.

In Columbia there’s a little time left to see an amazing visual history of the state’s creative pioneers. Abstract Art in South Carolina: 1949-2012 opened at the S.C. State Museum Feb. 24 and will remain on view through Aug. 26. The collection features the works of such heavy-hitters as William Halsey and Corrie McCallum, the husband and wife artists who were both awarded Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Awards for their work. William Halsey, whose abstract paintings are evocative and textural, established the studio art program at the College of Charleston, and the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art bears his name. His wife, Corrie McCallum, once served as a gallery director at a WPA/Federal Art Project in Columbia, then later settled in Charleston where she and her husband would teach, create and let the air move their minds.

Another great artist included in the collection is Merton Simpson, who was a student of William Halsey and eventually opened his own gallery on Madison Avenue in New York. He has traveled extensively throughout West Africa studying the arts of the area, which translates into his often geometric and moving pieces.

These are just a few of the artists included in Abstract Art in South Carolina, an exhibition that takes the breath away with the scope and history of what is presented.