May Issue 2002
Charleston Artists Offer Exhibit Which Will Have You Looking Up in Charleston, SC
A parade of 7 foot dolls march across an Anson Street roofline and a comic book page 30 feet long explodes on the facade of Gaillard Auditorium. The streets of Charleston, SC, will become an open-air gallery during this year's Piccolo Spoleto Festival when billboard size works of local artists are hoisted up onto the city's architecture for an unusually public presentation.
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Bill Buggel ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Tyzack
What began as one artist's simple desire to paint on a huge canvas has transformed into a mammoth undertaking by 10 of the city's most well known and long standing artists to create paintings for the public realm.
Larger Than Life: A Second Story Show will offer 14 works for viewing on such landmarks as the Gaillard Auditorium, Anson Restaurant, the Sottile Theater, the College of Charleston and the IMAX Theater as well as other old city buildings. Ranging in sizes from 9 by 12 feet up to 35 by 72 feet, the paintings by Piccolo's featured artists will be an undeniable part of Charleston's most active month for the arts. The exhibition runs May 18 through June 9, 2002.
Linda Fantuzzo
The project originated when painter Linda Fantuzzo was drawing the ruins of an old building on Spring Island, SC. As she studied the 10 by 10 inch drawing, it looked to her as if it was huge and she began to embrace the idea of creating a life-size rendering of the building. She began to explore the technicalities of how to create the piece and where to show it once she did.
Manning Williams
Then she recalled a 15 year old conversation with friend and fellow painter Manning Williams in which he said that someday he'd like to make a painting so big he'd have to hang it out of a second-story window. So Fantuzzo called Manning and asked if he'd like to do it. He said yes.
Mary Walker 
at work(Photo by Mark Permar)
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Will Milner -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Colin Quashie
The problem now was how to get outdoor space for such a large painting. Fantuzzo called Ellen Dressler Moryl, director for the Office of Cultural Affairs for the City of Charleston. She liked the idea and was very enthusiastic. Moryl thought it might whet the public's appetite for public art and increase support for enacting a city policy for a public art program in Charleston. It was decided to make the project a centerpiece of Piccolo Spoleto 2002's visual arts program. With the support of the city, a group of 10 artists began to be assembled. The participating artists are; Bill Buggel, Barbara Duval , Linda Fantuzzo, Will Milner, Kristina Montvidas Kutkus, Colin Quashie, Kristi Ryba, Michael Tyzack, Mary Walker and Manning Williams.
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Kristi Ryba -----------------------------------------------------------
Barbara Duval
Williams describes the project as a "terrifying experiment" that challenges the artist both conceptually and technically to bring art out of the galleries and into a space dominated by the visual images of the market place. " We're not doing this for the art critics," Williams says, "We're doing this for people."
While the future of city-funded public art remains a matter of discussion and debate in Charleston, these artists no longer bound by the limitations of a gallery, challenge their audience to look up! and see art on a grand scale.
Kristina Montvidas
Kutkus
Kristina Montvidas Kutkus' piece depicts the corner of an exterior structure. "I am excited by the thought of how an architectural structure, depicted in painting will 'read' and live on a three-dimensional structure." Kutkus says. "Will it conflict, will it enhance, or will it only decorate a building's facade? There is no way of knowing until the work is actually hung." Kutkus adds that the challenge of the project has already generated a dozen new ideas.
The desire of this group of artists is to have the viewer experience in a large scale way, the impact which art can have on any setting.
This exhibit is an event of Piccolo Spoleto, the official outreach program of Spoleto Festival USA, and is produced and directed by the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs. A portion of this project was funded by The Lowcountry Quarterly Arts Grant. The Fountain Walk space in which the artists created their works was donated by John Rivers Enterprises. Comprehensive maps will be available at Dock Street Theatre and the Gaillard Auditorium.
For more information check our SC Institutional Gallery listings or call the Office of Cultural Affairs at 843/724-7305.
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