Open studios call to Columbia-area artists
Registration deadline: December 1. Early bird rate until November 1.
701 Center for Contemporary Art is having its second year of Columbia Open Studios, a self-guided, weekend long tour of artists’ studios across Richland and Lexington Counties, taking place Saturday, March 23, 2013 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and Sunday, March 24, 2013 (noon to 6 p.m.). Each artist will open their studio to the public and share their working practices. The tour is free to the public; all sales proceeds will go directly to the artist.
Open to any artist that has their own studio (in their home or somewhere else) in Lexington and Richland Counties. Arts and crafts of all disciplines are accepted, and the event is not juried. Registrations will be accepted until 11:59pm on December 1, 2012. The fee $100 for 701 CCA members and $150 for non-members (who become members upon registration). Early bird special: $25 off if you register before November 1.
Participation fees go directly toward marketing the artist roster statewide. With an early December deadline, 701 CCA can ensure that the marketing materials reach all over the state and city. The marketing campaign for this event is huge, with a statewide reach via traditional and new media outreach including 100,000 full-color programs that include maps, images of participating artists’ work, contact information and info about them and their art.
A large-scale Preview Party will be held at 701 CCA on Thursday, March 21 as a kickoff for 701 CCA Columbia Open Studios.
In presenting Columbia Open Studios, 701 Center for Contemporary Art seeks to provide easy access to the wealth of fine artists in Columbia, Richland and Lexington counties; generate excitement about area artists from first-time buyers and seasoned collectors; and further establish Columbia, SC, as a regional cultural tourism destination. In 2012, 10,000 attendees enjoyed the rare opportunity to visit with individual artists in their private, working studios, learning about their cultural backgrounds, their tools and techniques, and how their personal stories impact their art. Once again, the public will have the opportunity to purchase participating artists’ works at zero markup, thus making a long-term investment in our state’s creative economy (which generates $9 billion in statewide revenue each year). 701 CCA would like to thank the event’s major donors, without whom the event would not be possible: The City of Columbia and Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Via: 701 Center for Contemporary Art
For more information and to register, visit www.columbiaopenstudios.org
