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May Issue 2009
Artisphere Takes
Place in Greenville, SC, May 8 - 10, 2009
Artisphere, Greenville, SC's Arts Weekend, will be held in Downtown Greenville's Historic West End on May 8-10, 2009. Recently ranked 46 out of 600 Fine Art Shows nationwide in Greg Lawler's Art Fair Sourcebook, Artisphere expects another spectacular year. This year's programming includes tried and true, crowd-pleasing favorites as well as several new attractions to keep patrons entertained for three solid days.
The traditional kick-off party for Artisphere will be held on May 7, 2009, from 6-9pm at Riverplace Plaza (adjacent to the Hampton Inn & Suites, Greenville Riverplace and The Lazy Goat). Festivities include live entertainment by Whitney Walters & The Sound, Fashion as Art with Designer, James Coviello, Art in Action by Brian Olsen, a silent auction with works by the 2009 Artisphere Visual Artists and more! To order tickets visit (www.artisphere.us/html/opening-night-gala.html).
One hundred artists were carefully selected through a juried process from a pool of 585 applicants. The final roster that comprises this year's Artist Row includes some of the highest caliber visual artists from across the United States and beyond. Artist mediums vary from ceramics to photography, glass to jewelry and metal works to sculpture.
Performing visual artist and festival favorite, Brian Olsen returns to Artisphere. Olsen's highly energetic performances on the stage in Falls Park have been drawing huge audiences since the inaugural festival in 2005.
Artisphere offers a variety of cuisine from some of Greenville's finest dining establishments and range from regional to international fare including Pomegranate on Main, Chicora Alley, Island Blend, Smoke on the Water, Sticky Fingers, Thai Restaurant, Fonda Rosalinda's, Takosushi, Barley's Taproom, and India Palace. Performances on the Culinary Arts Café Stage by local and regional musicians will provide a range of music selections from folk to acoustic rock.
On Saturday and Sunday the Gunter Theatre at the Peace Center will offer Southern Arts Federation's Short Circuit Traveling Film Fest. This program spotlights twelve short films created by filmmakers from the Southeast.
On Friday evening the Peace Center's outdoor amphitheater will present Grammy-award winning, singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega. Best known for her self-titled platinum album with its hit single "Luka," Vega has sold over 7 million albums worldwide. Tickets are $20 and are available through the Peace Center Box Office at (www.peacecenter.org). On Sunday, the free Local Performing Arts Showcase will feature performances by the SC Children's Theatre, Carolina Ballet Theatre, the Greenville Symphony Orchestra, Warehouse Theatre and the SC Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities.
Send children on a trip around the world creating free arts and crafts including African Congo shakers, Mexican Aztec fans, Australian kangaroo puppets, Chinese kites and USA Abstract Expressionist paintings at Greenville Hospital System's Kidspere. Volunteer students from the SC Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities will be on hand to help children create their masterpieces. On Saturday from 2-4pm, children can participate in "STOMPing Ground." This will be an interactive area where kids of all ages can have fun playing along with the STOMPvideo on unconventional percussion instruments such as brooms, metal buckets and rubber hoses!
The Founders' Room above Larkin's on the River will feature works from two well established galleries in the Carolinas: Jerald Melberg Gallery (Charlotte, NC) and Hampton III Gallery (Taylors, SC). Featured works will be on display and available for sale on Saturday and Sunday during festival hours.
Street performers will put the festive in festivities. Look for spontaneous performances by roving Visual and Performing Artists throughout the festival including steel drums, jugglers, unicyclists, acrobatics, live statues, marching bands, bubble people, caricaturists and even street muralists!
Artisphere also offers the juried exhibition, Artists of the Upstate, on view at Centre Stage, on view during the festival and through May 29, 2009. The exhibition is open to artists living within a 35-mile radius of Greenville and seeks to recognize the outstanding quality and diversity of work being generated by artists living in the Upstate region of South Carolina. The exhibit is free to the public and will be viewable during Centre Stage's regular hours of operation and during performances. Many of the local visual and performing artists are making special plans for the weekend of Artisphere; visit (www.artistiphere.us) for a list of more to see around town.
Artisphere's mission as an annual signature event for Greenville, SC, is to showcase the arts, reflect the area's international flair, encourage economic development and bring awareness to existing local arts programs. The festival provides a diverse menu of experiences that center around the arts, both visual and performing, and Greenville's multicultural offerings to appeal to visitors from around the world, as well as residents throughout the region. Artisphere is presented by Carolina First.
For further info
visit (www.artisphere.us).
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