The 2015 North Charleston Arts Festival is just one month away, taking place May 1-9. The event offers some excellent exhibition opportunities for fine artists and photographers ages 18 and up, including the annual North Charleston Arts Festival Art Walk and Judged Fine Art and Photography Competitions & Exhibitions. The Art Walk, set for Wednesday, May 6, in the Olde Village area of North Charleston, provides a fun and casual setting for artists to both display and sell their work. Entries for the judged competitions may compete for ribbons and cash prizes and will be on display throughout the festival at the Charleston Area Convention Center Complex, located at 5001 Coliseum Drive in North Charleston. Complete details and entry instructions for all exhibition opportunities are available for download at NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com/apply.
Local fine artists, fine craft artisans, photographers, and sculptors are invited to exhibit and sell their original works during the Arts Festival’s Art Walk. From 5:00-8:00pm on Wednesday, May 6, paintings, photography, pottery, jewelry, sculpture, and more in a full range of styles will be displayed along the sidewalks and within a number of local businesses and restaurants in the Olde Village area of North Charleston. Other Art Walk offerings include live music, art demos, and kid’s activities, creating a festive evening of art and culture for the whole family to enjoy.
Artists are selected to participate in the Art Walk through a juried application process. There is no fee to apply. Sales of originals, prints, notecards, and other small works are welcome and selected artists may also offer their own original brochures, business cards, and supplemental handouts. Display screens can be furnished by the Cultural Arts Department at no charge to assist the artist in presenting his/her work. Display equipment for 3D artwork is available on a limited basis.
The deadline for submission of applications for the Art Walk is Monday, April 20, 2015. Applications may be emailed to [email protected], mailed to the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at PO Box 190016, North Charleston, SC 29419, or hand-delivered to the Cultural Arts office on the 2nd floor of North Charleston City Hall, located at 2500 City Hall Lane in North Charleston.
Judged Fine Art Competition & Exhibition
Fine artists are invited to enter original work into the annual North Charleston Arts Festival Judged Fine Art Competition & Exhibition and compete for cash prizes totaling up to $4,675. Submissions are accepted in five categories: Acrylic, Oil, Drawing/Pastel, Watercolor, and Mixed Media. This year, awards will be at the sole discretion of the judge, Wim Roefs, an independent curator, author, art consultant, exhibition designer, and owner of The if ART Gallery in Columbia, SC. Roefs is the chairman of the board of Columbia’s 701 Center for Contemporary Art (701 CCA) and was the organizations founding volunteer executive director from 2008-2013. He chairs the curatorial team for 701 CCA and has curated dozens of exhibitions for his own gallery and art institutions throughout South
Carolina and beyond. In addition, he is a member of the Art in Transit Advisory Committee of the Charlotte Area Transit System, supervising the implementation of the light rail system’s public art component. He has taught courses in contemporary art and African-American art at the University of South Carolina Art Department and Honors College. Roefs has published more than 20 exhibition catalogues and written dozens of essays about the artists he represents, and has written numerous articles on art for a wide variety of other publications.
Fine art entries will be accepted at the Charleston Area Convention Center on Wednesday and Thursday, April 29 and 30, from noon to 7:00pm, as well as Friday, May 1, from 9:00am to noon. Artists may enter any combination of categories with a maximum of four entries in one or more categories. A non-refundable fee of $10 per entry is due at drop-off.
Judged Photography Competition and Exhibition
Professional and amateur photographers are invited to enter original prints into the annual North Charleston Arts Festival Judged Photography Competition & Exhibition and compete for cash prizes totaling up to $2,175. Submissions will be accepted in the Professional/Advanced division or Amateur division under the categories of Color, Monochrome, or Digitally Enhanced. Judging and awards will be based on the Photographic Society of America Print Guidelines. Three competent judges in the field of photography will score entries using the 3-9 range of scores. Each judge will evaluate each entry as a whole, considering the areas of Impact, Composition, and Technique. However, there is no specific weighting or allotment of points for each category. This system is used efficiently and effectively by many arts councils, at international exhibitions, and by camera clubs. It allows an adequate qualitative separation of entries while lessening the potential for a large number of the higher scoring entries having identical scores. In the event of a tie-breaker, judges will choose the winning entry.
Photography entries will be accepted at the Charleston Area Convention Center on Wednesday and Thursday, April 29 and 30, from noon to 7:00pm. Artists may enter any combination of categories with a maximum of four entries in one or more categories. A non-refundable fee of $5 per entry is due at drop-off.
The Judged Fine Art and Photography Exhibitions are free and open to the public throughout the North Charleston Arts Festival. Viewing times are Saturday, May 2, 10:00am–4:00pm; Sunday, May 3, 2:00–5:00pm; Monday through Friday, May 4-8, 9:00am–5:00pm; and Saturday, May 9, 9:00am–Noon. Awards for 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place, and Honorable Mentions in each division and category for both the Judged Fine Art and Judged Photography Competitions will be announced at an artist reception on Friday, May 1, from 6:00-7:00pm at the Charleston Area Convention Center. Musical entertainment will be provided by David Archer and Abe White and the public is welcome to attend.
The North Charleston Arts Festival, scheduled May 1-9, is one of the most comprehensive arts festivals in the state, providing thousands of residents and visitors with a fabulous array of nearly 200 performances, exhibitions, and activities. The Main Event, held May 2 and 3 at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center and Charleston Area Convention Center, offers free admission and parking to more than 40 performances on four stages, exhibitions, a gem and mineral show, an antique show, children’s activities, art and crafts booths, and a food courtyard. The Arts Festival continues with an array of free and moderately priced ticketed events throughout the week at various locations and concludes with fireworks over the Cooper River at the Grand Finale at North Charleston Riverfront Park.
For more information about the North Charleston Arts Festival, or to download the Art Walk application or entry instructions for the Judged Fine Art and Photography Competitions & Exhibitions, visit NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com. For more information about other exhibition opportunities offered by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, visit the Arts & Culture section of the City’s website or call 843-740-5854.