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July Issue 2005
Waterfront Gallery in Charleston, SC, Celebrates Their First Ten Years
In the
spring of 1995, a group of artists under the leadership and vision
of Karen Weihs, came together to create the finest, most complete,
and largest artist-owned gallery in the Southeast. Those artists,
including Victoria Platt Ellis, Amelia Rose Smith, Daryl Knox
and Margaret Hoybach, created a new business plan, searched out
a new gallery location on East Bay Street, and recruited fifteen
of the most talented artists in South Carolina to join the group.
Every part of Waterfront Gallery started from scratch, from the walls to the marketing plan. The grand opening was a success, as was the first week, the first year, and...finally the first ten years. Waterfront Gallery became nationally recognized when Artist Magazine did a complete profile of its creation and success.
An art gallery can only become great through the combined talent of its artists. No other artist-owned gallery in the state has such a complement of award-winning artists with local, state, regional, and national recognition. The following are only a few of the more than thirty-five Best of Show, First Place, and major recognition awards received by Waterfront Gallery artists:
Chris Ritsch - twice winner of the Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Show Mayor's Purchase Award and First Place in the NBSC Oil Invitational exhibition.
Zernie Smith - twice winner of the Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Show Mayor's Purchase Award, First Place and nine other Best of Show awards.
Daryl Knox - winner of the Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Show Mayor's Purchase Award.
Bob Graham - winner of over 20 awards, including 8 southeastern First Place and Best of Show awards.
Joanne Evans - winner of the Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Show Mayor's Purchase Award and selected as one of the Top 200 Artisans in America by Early American Life magazine.
Victoria Platt Ellis - selected for Art-in-Embassies program, placing her art in US Embassies around the world, and Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Show Mayor's Purchase Award.
Amelia Rose Smith - chosen to illustrate the South Carolina Aquarium Coastal Life Textbook for in-state school children.
Karen Vournakis - work selected for museum collections, including Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, Everson Museum in Syracuse and Picker Art Gallery at Colgate University.
Sudie Payne Daves - winner of First Place in the Waccamaw Arts Show.
Dixie Dugan - awarded two Grumbacher National Gold Medal Awards, and was the featured national artist in the American Artist magazine. In 2002 she was invited to present her award-winning collages using origami and Japanese rice paper to the Origami International Convention in New York.
Joann Davis - winner of Best of Show at First Federal Show of Charleston.
Other recognition of Waterfront artists include Michael Kennedy's work being selected as the centerpiece display in the great-room of the 2003 Southern Living Magazine show house. Mott Kornahrens exhibited at the Hilton Head Renaissance Days in 2002 and had a one-person show at the General Shore's Upstairs Gallery in Abingdon, VA. Robert Sweeny was recently featured in a one-person show at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park.
Susan Colwell has had one-person shows at the City Gallery at the Dock Street Theatre and Footlight Players Gallery. Margaret Hall Hoybach serves as Art Director of Camp Happy Days, and has her own PBS-TV series in Washington, DC. Tami Cardnella was selected for Salon International 2005 at the greenhouse Gallery in San Antonio. Sudie Daves is a past President of the South Carolina Watercolor Society and Morgan Kuhn is the founder of Moonshell Gallery in Hilton Head, SC.
Unique style and diversity of expression characterize Waterfront Gallery. The work ranges from abstract expressionism, to realism, impressionism, and modified realism. Mediums include watercolor, oil, pastel, hand-pulled prints, hand-blown glass, collage and photography. Reproductions are available as well. The artwork is always unique, exciting, and new. The staff and artists who keep the gallery open seven days a week are experienced and knowledgeable about the artists' styles and techniques.
Waterfront Gallery artists donate thousands of dollars annually in artwork to charitable organizations around Charleston and the State of South Carolina. A few of the organizations include the Storefront School for the Arts through the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs, Camp Happy Days and Special Times, Carolina Children's Charity, a local chapter of Meals on Wheels and many others.
Recognition of Waterfront Gallery has spread far beyond the Charleston area. Displays and presentations are requested around the Southeast, including four movies produced in the region, and major shows in large cities. In 1998 Waterfront Gallery was selected to be the featured art gallery at the Southern Spring Home Show in Charlotte, NC.
Thanks to the vision and perseverance of Karen
Weihs and her colleagues ten years ago, the first decade of Waterfront
Gallery has been an unparalleled success. The next ten years looks
even brighter and more artistically exciting.
For further information check our SC Commercial Gallery listings,
call the gallery at 843/722-1155 or at (www.waterfrontartgallery.com).
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.