May Issue 2002
Beaufort Art Association Opens Art Gallery in Beaufort, SC
by Kristine Cox
Beaufort got a new, state-of-the-art art gallery and the Beaufort Art Association found a new home when doors opened recently on a new BAA Art Gallery at 905 Port Republic Street, downtown.
Housed in a former bank building, the interior was renovated with the latest technologies to best display works of art. It is spacious, 2500 square feet; and diversified, with more than 60 artists represented.
The gallery opened with a special all-star show of works by BAA artists. Starting in June, one artist among the exhibitors will be spotlighted on a "featured-artist wall" for a six week period. New works will be added to the inventory on a regular basis, and there will be a change-over of all art work every six weeks. In addition to framed paintings in various media, the gallery offers prints, photographs, unframed matted originals, greeting cards, jewelry, sculpture and ceramics, all created by member artists. Visitors can watch an artist at work on the premises. Special events involving student art and historical art are in the planning stages.
BAA artist Ellen Long, who had her own design business in Atlanta before taking on the job of turning a bank into the new art gallery, and her committee spent a year researching researching the best ways to display gallery art. The hanging system, for example, needed to be sturdy, yet unobtrusive; secure and safe, yet easy to rearrange. Moveable display walls were needed to expand the display options. Long found a museum-quality system "fabulously easy to set up and indestructible." But it was too costly. So Long designed a similar set of panels and had them constructed locally. "Lighting is critical to the success of a gallery," she says. How many, how high, how far from the wall, these were specifics she had to research. The result is 96 75-watt narrow-floods-6,300 watts of artificial sunshine to illuminate the art work-better lighting than exists in many museums.
Long says the way you turn a bank into a gallery is to have a very stable volunteer group. A BAA gallery committee met every week for a year and a half. Many were past presidents of the BAA. Joan Templer organized the DaVinci Circle, a way to honor the first hundred persons who pledged $300 toward gallery start-up costs. Barbara Tuckwiller, manager of the Craftseller in Beaufort, contributed her experiences as a merchant. Gay Torrey offered Long an extra pair of hands for any task that came up. BAA President Betty Betz could pull a runaway train back on track, when necessary. Hetty Nijman understood gallery needs because she was the past BAA Library Gallery chairman. And Tim Holland offered organizational and management expertise.
Now, the gallery workers number many of the members of this 45-year-old organization, including some of its founding members. BAA volunteers will staff the entire gallery, handling sales, bookkeeping, promotion and janitorial services.
The BAA has grown over the years, both in membership and stature, contributing to Beaufort's reputation as an arts town. Among the artists are some who have earned national acclaim, many with regional reputations, as well as artists exploring newly found talents. An active and energetic group, the BAA sponsors workshops with famous artists, offers informative lectures for the general public, maintains satellite galleries where locally-produced art is shown in public areas such as the Beaufort County Building, and supports student art programs in the Beaufort area. The BAA plans to continue these activities both inside and outside the new gallery, which will facilitate the BAA mission to promote the visual arts through exhibition, education and community involvement.
Regular gallery hours are Mon.-Sat., from 10am to 5pm. After hours, the gallery is available for special, private events.
For further information check our SC Institutional Gallery listings or call the gallery at 843/379-2222.
Mailing Address: Carolina Arts, P.O. Drawer
427, Bonneau, SC 29431
Telephone, Answering Machine and FAX: 843/825-3408
E-Mail: carolinart@aol.com
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