It’s time to enter the statewide Fine Craft Competition and Exhibition

Calling all ‘Palmetto Hands’

Entry deadline: Sunday, March 15, 2020


The South Carolina Palmetto Hands Juried Fine Craft Competition and Exhibition is calling fine craft artists from across the state  to participate in the 19th annual event, the state’s longest-running fine craft competition and exhibition.

The world-famous Hub Calls for Art Megaphone.

Objects selected for the show may compete for cash prizes totaling up to $6,500. The exhibition is presented as a component of the annual North Charleston Arts Fest running April 29-May 3, 2020.

A $15 entry fee applies. Artists may submit up to four entries. The application is strictly available online and may be accessed via the link at NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com/apply. Deadline for entries is Sunday, March 15, 2020. Artists in need of assistance with the application process may contact the Cultural Arts Department to schedule a one-on-one meeting, which can be conducted over the phone or in person.

Organized and presented by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, this unique exhibition offers fine craft artists from across South Carolina the opportunity to exhibit their inspiring objects in the media of clay, fiber, glass, metal, wood, and three-dimensional mixed media. Thousands have enjoyed the refined talents of South Carolina fine craft artists during past annual exhibitions. Following the close of the show, up to 20 works will be selected to tour the state through the South Carolina State Museum’s 2020/2021 Traveling Exhibitions Program. Sites across South Carolina may request the exhibit to tour in their facilities, thus providing additional exposure for the selected artists.


Juror

The juror for this year’s exhibition is Karen Watson. Watson has been the executive director of the Sumter County Gallery of Art in Sumter since 2005. Before assuming the directorship, her professional background was in biomedical research. Watson’s path from biomedical research to gallery director is not as unlikely as it seems on the surface. She and her former husband were serious collectors of contemporary art. They had the opportunity to meet and befriend many artists and arts professionals within the state and beyond. Watson has a passion for the visual arts and the Sumter County Gallery of Art. She is committed to presenting challenging contemporary and traditional art exhibitions by culturally diverse artists and providing art education opportunities to all the citizens of Sumter County—an extensively rural, economically depressed region of the state isolated from the major art centers of the U.S. Watson served as the juror for the 2009 Waccamaw Arts and Crafts Juried Exhibition at Burroughs-Chapin Art Museum (Myrtle Beach), was a juror for the inaugural CCA 701 Prize in 2012 at 701 Center for Contemporary Art, (Columbia), and has been a judge for several local art competitions throughout the years.


The 19th Annual South Carolina Palmetto Hands Juried Fine Craft Competition & Exhibition will be on display April 29-May 3, 2020, at the Charleston Area Convention Center, located at 5001 Coliseum Dr., North Charleston. A free public reception and announcement of awards will be held at the Convention Center on Wednesday, April 29, 2020, from 6-8:30 p.m. For more information about the North Charleston Arts Fest, Palmetto Hands, or other exhibition opportunities, contact the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at 843.740.5854, email culturalarts@northcharleston.org, or visit NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com.