November 2011

Charleston Fine Art Dealers’ Association Hosts its 13th Charleston Fine Art Annual, in Charleston, SC - Nov. 2, 4-5, 2011

Charleston, SC’s premier fine art weekend, the Charleston Fine Art Annual hosted by the Charleston Fine Art Dealers’ Association (CFADA), will take place in the Charleston Historic District on Nov. 2, 4-5, 2011. The fine art event features works from over one hundred nationally renowned artists, including paintings, sculptures, glass, mixed media, photography and jewelry. The highlights of the fine art weekend are art openings at CFADA member galleries, plein air painting, reception and silent auction and lectures. Proceeds will benefit Charleston County High Schools’ fine art programs.

CFADA Member Galleries include: Charleston Renaissance Gallery, Corrigan Gallery, Ella Walton Richardson Fine Art, Helena Fox Fine Art, Horton Hayes Fine Art, Smith-Killian Fine Art, The Sylvan Gallery, and Wells Gallery.

Featured in Charleston Magazine, American Art Collector, AmericanStyle and Art & Antiques as the most important fine visual arts festival in Charleston, the Charleston Fine Art Annual celebrates the diverse fine art scene that the growing art market of Charleston has to offer.

The fine art weekend kicks off on Wednesday, Nov. 2, from 6-8pm with “Women in Art” lecture series presented by the Gibbes Museum of Art. Held in conjunction with the exhibition Breaking Down Barriers: 300 Years of Women in Art, this three-part lecture series celebrates women and art. Following each 6pm lecture, enjoy a wine and cheese reception, book signings, and a chance to mingle with the speakers. For ticket information on the lecture series, please visit (www.gibbesmuseum.org).

Friday evening is traditionally reserved for special art openings at CFADA member galleries. Art collectors stroll through the historic streets of downtown Charleston to enjoy an array of works from local and visiting artists. Artist receptions start at 5:30pm on Friday, Nov. 4. Join us for an enchanted evening filled with art. This art stroll is free and open to public.

The highlight of the fine art weekend is the Painting in the Park which will feature some of the most celebrated local and visiting artists, including West Fraser, Johnson Hagood, Julyan Davis, Ted Ellis, Rhett Thurman, Shannon Smith, Jennifer Smith Rogers, Simon Balyon, J. Christian Snedeker, Karen Larson Turner, Laurie Meyer, George Pate, Mark Bailey, Lese Corrigan Mark Horton, Chris Groves, Nancy Hoerter, Shannon Runquist and Larry Moore.

On Saturday morning, Nov. 6, starting at 9am, stop by for a cup of coffee bright and early at Washington Park where CFADA artists will be gathering to work on their paintings for the evening’s Silent Auction. This is the most popular event of the weekend as hundreds of art enthusiasts flock to the park for an opportunity to meet their favorite artists and watch them create their works of art that will be sold to benefit the Charleston County High Schools’ art programs. The Painting in the Park ends at noon.

The Eighth Annual High School Art Competition, an outdoor juried exhibition of outstanding student works from eleven local high schools, is held in conjunction with the Painting in the Park. The student art works will be on display from 9am and judged by a panel of celebrity judges. The winners will be announced at 11:30am.

The “Silent Auction & Patrons’ Reception” is a benefit created for art collectors and patrons interested in spending time with their favorite artists and supporting CFADA’s mission. The evening starts at 6:30pm at Ella W. Richardson Fine Art. The works from the park will be up for bid. The silent auction ends at 8pm and the event ends at 8:30pm.

Tickets for the “Silent Auction & Patrons’ Reception” are $55 per person. Ella W. Richardson Fine Art is located at 58 Broad Street in downtown Charleston.

The Charleston Fine Art Annual raises funds that keep art alive in local high schools. Since 2004, CFADA has donated over $180,000 to art programs at eleven local high schools.

Founded in 1999, the Charleston Fine Art Dealers’ Association is the source of fine art in the South and consists of the city’s prominent galleries. The association promotes Charleston as a fine art destination for avid collectors and passionate art enthusiasts and supports the artists of the future. CFADA has donated more than $200,000 to local high schools, the Gibbes Museum of Art, Redux Art Center and the Studio Art Department at the College of Charleston.

For further information check our SC Commercial Gallery listings or contact CFADA, at (www.cfada.com).

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