Carolina Arts Unleashed

For once Linda’s and my schedules matched up and the June 2010 issue of Carolina Arts was finished, so that we could attend the Sculpture in the South exhibit in Summerville. What’s different after 11 years – a very small issue of Carolina Arts. Usually this time of year we are scrambling in what we used to call Spoleto hell – dealing with the hustle and bustle of the May and June issues – before the Spoleto & Piccolo Spoleto Festivals even started. But not this year.

So, on May 15 – Saturday morning we headed for Summerville to see the show. We arrived at Azalea Park just in time as some of the early birds were leaving and we shortly found a nice parking space in the shade. Our first pleasant surprise was a man riding a motorized golf car who gave us a ride to the park’s entrance. He was riding up and down the road along the park giving people rides to and from their cars to the show entrance. That was a nice touch.

At the entrance, a copy of the Sculpture in the South ad from Carolina Arts got us a $1 off (each) on admission – which was only $5, but after all – we do own and operate an arts newspaper and every dollar counts. And, after all – it was a very small June issue. Once past the entrance, we got our second nice surprise. A man at a table of pamphlets of information about Summerville arts was making sure everyone got a copy of Carolina Arts. But, I told him he could save ours for others, which turned out to be a good thing – as you will learn later. We did identify ourselves as the publishers of the paper so he wouldn’t think we didn’t care for the paper. I assured him we had a trunk full of them.

Our first look at sculpture was of the Dorchester II School District’s student sculpture exhibit, which offered some interesting works. And, as usual with viewing student works, there are always some which make you ask yourself – “This was made by a student?”

We passed by the table of children’s art activities and the wonderful smell of barbeque to reach the tents where the sculptor’s displays were – all 35 of them from around the country. It was like going to the Sculpture Mall of America.

Work by Karryl

This is where the talking and looking; looking and talking and talking took place. Linda will tell you it’s like every other art event we go to – it starts with a single question, then we run into some we know, and it’s more questions and then people find out we do Carolina Arts and we move to the information gathering mode.

Work by Jack Hill

A show like this gives me access to artists from throughout the country – artists who travel around the country to other art shows – so it gives me an opportunity to find out how art sales are going, if things this year are better than last year. The answers I get are what everyone in the art community wants to know – we’re all dying to know if things are getting better and it seems they are – very slowly, but they are getting better. And the artists at this show seemed to be happy and were impressed with how the event is growing and the marketing of the event. And, when it comes to marketing an event – I don’t know of many who do a better job than Janet Meyer, Executive Director of Sculpture in the South. This is not only my observation, but that of many others.

Work by Jo Pratt

Yes, I’m speaking as someone who benefited from that marketing program, but I saw ads and articles about this event everywhere. It was as if this year news about Spoleto/Piccolo had to wait until Sculpture in the South was over.

As usual, I didn’t take too many photos of the art being displayed – it sometimes makes artists nervous about people who take photos to order cheap copies of sculpture made in Asia, but mostly it’s because I talk too much.

And, what was my favorite sculpture? This is the question I hate to answer, but is only fair to wonder. First, I’ll say there was nothing there I wouldn’t be happy to own – nothing. These are some of the best sculptors around, but I really liked the work of Wayne Salge, from Johnstown, CO, which is no surprise with my lean toward the abstract. And, I guess the folks at Sculpture in the South agree as they added one of Salge’s works to their permanent sculpture collection – of which there are 19 works.

Work by Wayne Salge

Salge’s work is not so abstract that you have to strain your imagination to figure out what it is, but the works are sharp edged and elongated. You can see what I mean by clicking on his highlighted name above.

Like I said, I liked a lot of works that I saw, but you can only have one true favorite and although that can bother artists sometimes, I can assure you if I went back to the show tomorrow – something else could catch my fancy – so I wouldn’t take one bit of slight in my selection.

Don’t worry, I’m not a person who seems to be shy in telling you what I don’t like. Believe me, or ask around – I’m not shy about giving criticism. In fact I feel some coming on now.

Now this is no slight to Summerville, but you would think this kind of event would be going on in downtown Charleston. But, Charleston seems to have a thing about sculpture or should I say a thing about not having much (modern – non-Civil War related sculpture) or displaying any. Committees have been formed to delve into the subject of public art, but in Charleston, that’s a way to kill an issue. There just isn’t much there that isn’t historical.

The City of North Charleston is into its 5th year of hosting a yearlong display of sculpture during its National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition, on display at that City’s picturesque Riverfront Park. (Which will be the subject of a future blog posting – hopefully not to far off in the future.)

So, the not-so-small town of Summerville is now the undisputed king of sculpture in this area and only second to Brookgreen Gardens in Pawleys Island, in South Carolina. There may be cities that have more sculptures on display, but no other city or town is bringing in sculptors from around the country for a week or more of events and educational offerings. And, Brookgreen Gardens isn’t a city but is unique in itself in presenting one of the largest collections of sculpture in America.

And, the good thing is – if you missed this event – it will take place again next year. Mark you calendars for May 14 and 15, 2011. But, you can see 19 sculptures all year long – most in Azalea Park and the others not too far off in downtown Summerville. And, if you catch this blog entry early on – there is always tomorrow (May 16, 2010) the event is open from 10am-5pm.

Sculpture in the South has expanded the annual Show & Sale to include the inaugural Arts Education Week, which took place between May 9-14, 2010. Teaming up with many local arts organizations and businesses, this week offered workshops and lectures for all ages. Theater, writing, dance, visual arts, music and more were all included in the week of celebrating the arts. Internationally to regionally known instructors presented workshops, after-school programs and an exciting evening lecture series. I also heard this new offering also went very well.

So, if you’re into sculpture or want to learn more about it – actually meet and talk with a sculptor – check out the Sculpture in the South Show & Sale.

Of special note to us – we got to meet and talk with Garland Weeks a sculptor from Lubbock, TX. He created the life-sized sculpture of General Francis Marion (the Swamp Fox of America’s Revolutionary War) which is located in the Berkeley County Administration Office in Moncks Corner, SC – our backyard. We think of Moncks Corner as the backyard to Bonneau, SC. We learned that he has also created a sculpture of Francis Marion for Francis Marion University in Florence, SC – the subject of another future blog entry.

If I remember correctly the commission for the Berkeley County sculpture was a direct result of Weeks’ participation in Sculpture in the South, which then lead to the commission at FMU.

Exposure is everything to artists and Sculpture in the South is providing it for the artists and the people who attend it.

On the way out I noticed that they were out of the May issue of Carolina Arts which featured this event on the cover. They had copies of our April issue, but I went to our car and got another 150 of the May issue for them to give out. It was a good day for Carolina Arts.

For further information call Sculpture in the South at 843/851-7800 or visit (www.sculptureinthesouth.com).

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