The Halsey is housed in the Marion and Wayland H. Cato Jr. Center for the Arts at 161 Calhoun Street, in the heart of downtown Charleston.

Since 1984, the gallery bearing the Halsey name has presented exhibitions by regional, national, and international artists.

In 2005, the gallery changed its name to the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art to reflect the broad range of programming produced.

In 2009, the Halsey Institute moved into an expanded gallery space in the newly constructed Marion and Wayland H. Cato Jr. Center, anchoring the first floor of the new arts building.

[1] In 2012, the South Carolina Arts Commission presented the Halsey Institute the Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Award with special recognition to director Mark Sloan.

Past artists-in-residence include Chen Long-bin,[4] Tiebena Dagnogo,[5] Eames Demetrios,[6] Rikuo Ueda,[7] Motoi Yamamoto,[8] Hung Liu,[9] Lonnie Holley,[10] Renee Stout,[11] Jumaadi,[12] Kendall Messick,[13] and Patricia Boinest Potter,[14] among others.

Additional special lectures occur throughout the year by invited visiting artists or College of Charleston faculty.