Feature Articles


June Issue 2000

Art Works in Litchfield, SC, Serves Waccamaw Neck Area

A new life for the arts on the Waccamaw Neck of SC began in Oct. 1997 with the opening of Art Works at the Litchfield Exchange, a consignment gallery featuring local talent in functional and fine art. Now 100 artists from Myrtle Beach to McClellanville regularly exhibit their original work in three showrooms, augmented each month by a special exhibit which opens with a public reception. Art Works' newest expansion into cyberspace brings these artists' works to the world at (http://www.artworksonline.net).

Among the artists featured at Art Works are award-winning painters working in pen and ink, pastel, acrylics, oils, and watercolors, as well as artists working in fiber, clay, stained glass, wood, photography, mobiles, metal sculpture, and the decorative arts, including textiles, murals, faux finishing, painted glassware, tiles, floorcloths and furniture. An adjacent showroom features prints and framing displays by Art Works' custom framer Gwen Coley.

Each participating artist displays a sampling of work, with the goal of establishing Art Works as a great place to find original, one-of-a-kind art at reasonable prices. The displays are rotated quarterly to keep the gallery's face fresh, and artists are encouraged to rotate among their own works as well. The gallery also provides display opportunities for commissioned art and custom art services, such as interior design, residential and commercial wall murals, and portraiture.

Art Works' main showroom at the center of the Litchfield Exchange utilizes the existing architecture to create miniature galleries within the larger space. Expansive windows serve as frames for stained glass, woven, and batik pieces; the floors showcase antique rugs around elevated platforms for three dimensional art; the walls, of course, are graced by paintings.

Special exhibits are hung across the hall in the Annex, which also doubles as adult education space for art workshops and Community Learning About Special Subjects (CLASS). Surrounded by beautiful works from unique exhibits, such as The Big Picture, Furnishings by Design, Celebrations in Clay, Perfectly Porcelain, Women X Women, Honoring Cultural Diversity, and In Black & White, students are taught by talented instructors in a casual classroom environment.

The Litchfield Exchange is a charming specialty shopping mall with a beautiful exterior courtyard of fountains and bridges, ducks and willows. The interior courtyard between the main gallery and the annex provides comfortable space for the monthly wine and cheese receptions. As Georgetown County's only climate controlled mall, the cheerful, airy center with its vaulted ceilings and gracefully turning fans will satisfy a variety of shopping interests no matter what the weather. The Exchange houses unique specialty shops with quality gifts, casual apparel for women, clothing and toys for children, jewelry, oriental rugs, and a full service hair salon, Pastaria 811, a family-owned Italian restaurant, and The Chocolate & Coffee House will richly reward hungry browsers.

For further information and event schedules, call owner Linda Ketron at 843/235-9600, or visit the website at (http://www.artworksonline.net).

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Mailing Address: Carolina Arts, P.O. Drawer 427, Bonneau, SC 29431
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Copyright© 2000 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts Online, Copyright© 2000 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.