Number of participating artists jumps by 70% for Columbia Open Studios Tour
February 8, 2016
The number of artists who will open their studios for Columbia Open Studios, presented by the nonprofit 701 Center for Contemporary Art (701 CCA) on April 2 and 3, 2016, has risen by 70% from last year, making this year’s tour the largest yet. The free, self-led driving tour will give attendees access to 70 working artists’ studios across the City of Columbia and Richland and Lexington Counties – a marked increase from last year’s roster 41 artists. Plan your #ColaOpenStudios tour at http://www.columbiaopenstudios.org.
Thanks to major support from the City of Columbia and Richland County, 701 CCA is able to present Columbia Open Studios as a signature event for the sixth consecutive year. 27 of this year’s 70 artists are new to the tour and will be opening their studios for the free, weekend-long event for the first time. Thousands of visitors will have the opportunity to tour artists’ private workspaces across the Midlands with no admission charge, and artists keep 100% of any artwork sales resulting from visits made to studios on the tour.
701 Center for Contemporary Art will host a ticketed Columbia Open Studios Preview Party on Thursday, March 31, 2016, from 7 to 9 p.m. on the second floor of historic 701 Whaley, where guests can meet the participating artists, pick up printed, 28-page guidebooks with maps and browse 701 CCA’s latest exhibition in its gallery, which offers free admission year round.
The Columbia Open Studios tour gives art lovers the opportunity to see how artwork is made and chat one-on-one with each of the 70 makers who are opening their studios to the public. Guests can view firsthand the labor-intensive task of making hand-sewn leather handbags; discuss painting techniques and workstyles with lifelong pros; learn about the methods behind traditional Shambori indigo fabric dyeing; watch glassblowers craft intricate vases and jewelry; and more. Studio settings range from mesmerizing backyard sculpture gardens to bustling group studios downtown to quirky garage studios tucked into neighborhoods across the Midlands.
701 CCA’s Columbia Open Studios – 2016 Participating Artists (70 total)
The 27 artists who are new this year to the tour are marked below with an asterisk.
- Sylvia Ady-Potts
- Angel Allen
- Will Barnes*
- Nora Floyd & Ruth Bayard
- Eileen Blyth
- Frol Boundin*
- Ed Bryan*
- Nancy Butterworth
- Michael Cassidy*
- Khris Coolidge
- Dylan Critchfield-Sales*
- Heidi Darr-Hope
- Mike Donkle
- Jeff Donovan
- Michael Dwyer
- Clark Ellefson
- Betty Evans
- Tim Floyd
- Henry Foster
- Marshall Foster*
- Diane Gilbert
- Mary Gilkerson
- Lauren Greenwald*
- Billy Guess*
- Ron Hagell
- Caroline Harper*
- Lyssa Harvey
- Mary Ann Haven
- Ruby Haydock-DeLoach
- Craig Houston*
- Howard Hunt
- Jason Jaco*
- Judy Bolton Jarrett
- Robert Keith IV*
- Jason Kendall*
- Amanda Ladymon
- Christopher Lane*
- Alicia Leeke
- Patrick Mahoney
- CJ Martin-Marchese*
- Jaime Misenheimer*
- Lee A. Monts*
- Regina Moody
- Julia Moore
- One Eared Cow Glass
- Patrick Parise
- Charles Pate Jr.*
- Sally Peek*
- Scotty Peek*
- Carolyn F. Ramsay
- Brian Rego*
- J Renee*
- Grace Rockafellow
- Jane Schwantes
- Walton Selig
- John & Venetia Sharpe
- Sue Shrader*
- Kelly and J. Spencer Shull
- Ericka Sizemore*
- Laura Spong
- Jan Swanson
- JohnHenry Tecklenburg*
- That Godzilla Guy
- Keith Tolen
- Nini Ward
- Carey Weathers
- Charlene Wells
- Steven Whetstone*
- Jay White*
- Ellen Emerson Yaghjian
Details and full guide will be available at http://www.columbiaopenstudios.org.
About 701 CCA’s Columbia Open Studios
Tour: Saturday, April 2, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sunday, April 3, 2016, 12-6 p.m. in Columbia, S.C.
Preview Party: Thursday, March 31, 2016, 7-9 p.m. at 701 Whaley St., Columbia, S.C.
701 Center for Contemporary Art presents the sixth installment of Columbia Open Studios, a free, self-led driving tour of artists’ working studios spanning the City of Columbia and Richland and Lexington Counties, showcasing the Midlands’ brilliant visual art community. During this weekend-long tour, artists open their studios to the public to share their stories and techniques. 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. and 12-6 p.m. Visit www.columbiaopenstudios.org for more information.
About 701 CCA
701 Center for Contemporary Art (701 CCA) is a nonprofit visual art center that promotes understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of contemporary art, the creative process and the role of art and artists in the community via its gallery & artist-in-residence program at historic 701 Whaley in Columbia, South Carolina. 701 CCA also encourages interaction between visual arts and other art forms. For more info visit http://www.701cca.org.
