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May Issue 2004
Piccolo Spoleto Crafts Show Celebrates 25th Year in Charleston, SC
The 2004 Piccolo Spoleto Crafts Fair will celebrate it's 25th year of offering fine craft art to festival goers and the lowcountry community on May 28-30 and June 4-6, at Wragg Square Park in Charleston, SC.
The event began as an offshoot of the emerging South Carolina Crafts Guild in the late 1980's and with the support and backing of the South Carolina Arts Commission and City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs. The first events primarily showcased South Carolina crafts artists, many of whom had been juried into the newly formed SC Crafts Guild. A group of these artists including Rosemary Stafford, David Stuart, Linda Yates, and others handled the artist selection and operation of the event. First held in Marion Square, the booths offered an atmosphere that celebrated the hand-crafted work of seasoned professionals and emerging craft artists.
Stafford, an early event organizer, recalls
Linda Yates suggesting they go to the City Market and view the
work of a sweetgrass basket weaver who had a novel approach and
style to her work. This artist was Mary Jackson who now is featured
internationally in collections that also include the Smithsonian
Institution. Jackson served as one of the show jurors for the
2003 event. Many of the current top artists in their media were
exhibitors in the formative years of the show. As the event grew
in popularity among patrons and artists, the events slowly evolved.
Nancy Roth, another event organizer during the early years, remembers
that artist slides were held up to the ceiling lights, one-by-one,
to select exhibitors outside of the crafts guild for participation.
The event still occurred in Marion Square and began charging a
nominal entrance fee to help cover the expenses. Weather was usually
on the sunny side, some years intolerably so. One year, the temperatures
soared to 105 degrees in the shade and the decision was made to
locate an indoor venue to house the show. The Gailliard Auditorium
Exhibition Hall served as the site for the inaugural indoor event.
Other Crafts Association members served as organizers of the event, including Kitty Parrot. The event continued to evolve and with the indoor location, became a prestigious craft show that attracted exhibitors from beyond the state borders. As the world of craft art began to focus on more high-end work, the Piccolo Spoleto Craft Show also featured a more varied display of craft art. The event began including patron receptions and the crafts artist unloading their van in shorts and tee shirts transformed into the coat and tie artist.
As the years progressed, the SC Crafts Guild became the SC Crafts Association. Charleston Crafts formed in 1989 for artists of the lowcountry as an off-shoot of this group. Dorinda Harmon took on the organizing of the craft show and suggested that Charleston Crafts take on the revival of the outdoor show to complement the indoor event. The SC Crafts Association disbanded and Charleston Crafts became the sole producer of both an indoor and outdoor event during the first two weekends of the festival.
Regina Semko became involved as an organizer and the events continues for several years in this manner. It became increasingly more difficult to locate a suitable indoor venue and the event is now held outdoors both weekends. Piccolo Spoleto Craft Shows continue to attract acclaimed and emerging craft artists from throughout the state and the entire southeast. Exhibitors from as far away as New York, California, Louisiana, and Colorado have been featured in addition to local crafts artists.
The event provides an annual selection by the show juror entitled, City of Charleston Mayor's Purchase Award, for the best in show artwork as a donation to the city collection of artwork. The Office of Cultural Affairs and Mayor Riley have been long-time supporters of this event. Today, a committee of coordinators from Charleston Crafts artist cooperative organizes the events. The craft shows offer a wonderful opportunity to stroll among the artist booths, talk with the craftsperson's about their work and techniques, and get a glimpse of the variety of fine and traditional craft available. It is truly an event for all ages that remains a very affordable offering of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival.
For further information check our SC Institutional
Gallery listings, contact Dorinda Harmon by calling 843/953-5620,
e-mail at (harmond@cofc.edu) or at (www.charlestoncrafts.org).
Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc. Copyright© 2004 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© 2004 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.