Columbia Open Studios Tour, April 1-2, 2017, presented by 701 Center for Contemporary Art, announces 64 participating local artists

701 Center for Contemporary Art (701 CCA) welcomes a roster of 64 local artists for the free, self-guided Columbia Open Studios tour on Saturday, April 1 and Sunday, April 2, 2017. The weekend-long, daytime driving tour is free for guests of all ages and gives attendees the opportunity to explore working artists’ studios across the City of Columbia, S.C., and Richland and Lexington Counties. Plan your free #ColaOpenStudios tour at http://www.columbiaopenstudios.org.

Located inside the historic 701 Whaley building in downtown Columbia’s Olympia neighborhood, 701 CCA is a nonprofit contemporary art center that features a gallery with free admission and cutting-edge exhibitions of regional, national and international contemporary art. The center also runs an artist-in-residence program that allows artists from all over the world to create art in 701 CCA’s live-work united during residencies lasting two weeks to three months. The current artist-in-residence is acclaimed New York painter and Columbia native Osamu Kobayashi. 701 CCA also hosts an array of multi-disciplinary programming and educational programs, including a kids’ summer art camp.

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 seventh consecutive year. Columbia Open Studios typically sees between 6,000 and 10,000 visits to art studios over the course of the weekend.

New Artists Make Up 1/3 of This Year’s Tour
23 of this year’s 64 artists are new participants and either will be opening their studios for the very first time or will be returning to the tour after a hiatus.

Thousands of visitors will have the opportunity to explore the South Carolina Midlands’ vibrant fine art community and experience, free of charge, the work and workspaces of its artists. The event offers an opportunity to buy art directly from participating artists. Artists keep 100% of their sales.

NEW: City Hall Exhibition of Columbia Open Studios Artists
To provide an early look of what Open Studios has to offer, 701 CCA has installed a Columbia Open Studios Exhibition at Columbia City Hall. The work of some three dozen Open Studios participants will be on view through March 24, 2017. The City Hall exhibition is a partnership with One Columbia for Arts & History, a nonprofit organization which supports and promotes tourism in Columbia, S.C.

Columbia Open Studios Preview Party, Thursday, March 30, 2017
701 Center for Contemporary Art will host a ticketed Columbia Open Studios Preview Party on Thursday, March 30, 2017, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the center on the second floor of 701 Whaley. During the event, guests can meet participating artists, see some of their work and view 701 CCA’s exhibition of film and video productions by Greenville, S.C., artist Jeff Sumerel. Tickets are $5 for 701 CCA members and $10 for non-members.

Preview Exhibition at 701 Whaley’s 1st Floor Community Gallery
Work by Columbia Open Studios artists also will be featured in an exhibition hosted by 701 Whaley in its first-floor Community Gallery, from Saturday, March 11, 2017 to Friday, March 31, 2017. Guests can view the exhibition free of charge. The Community Gallery is located in the entry hallway on the building’s first floor.

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 64 artists who are opening their studios to the public. Guests can view firsthand the construction techniques required to craft intricate ceramic pieces, watch glassblowers create unique vases and jewelry, discuss painting and drawing techniques, 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 – 2017 Participating Artists (64 Total)
The 23 artists who are new this year to the tour are marked below with an asterisk.

Abstract Alexandra*
Laurel Steckel Archie*
Angel Allen
Will Barnes
Nora Floyd/Ruth Bayard
Eileen Blyth
Frol Boundin
Noelle Brault*
Ed Bryan
Nancy Butterworth
Joseph Byrne*
Michael Cassidy
Trahern Cook*
Dylan Critchfield-Sales
Mike Donkle
Clark Ellefson
Renea Eshleman*
Amanda Fangue*
Lily Farina*
Henry Foster
Jason Freeman*
Diane Gilbert
Mary Gilkerson
Lauren Greenwald
Billy Guess
Caroline Harper
Lyssa Harvey
Mary Anne Haven
Ruby Haydock-DeLoach
Craig Houston
Howard Hunt
Judy Bolton Jarrett
Susan Johnson*
Jason Kendall
Osamu Kobayashi*
Heather LaHaise*
Christopher Lane
Alicia Leeke
Susan Lenz*
Nancy Marine*
CJ Martin-Marchese
Penny McPeak*
Jaime Misenheimer
Lee A. Monts
Julia Moore
One Eared Cow
Patrick Parise
Carol Pittman*
Mary Robinson*
Wayne Rogers*
Jane Schwantet
John & Venetia Sharpe
Stacy Shepanek*
Sue Shrader
Ericka Sizemore
Greyson Smith*
Laura Spong
Curran Stone*
Jan Swanson
Cedric Umoja*
Pamela Vandervelde*
Steven Whetston
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
Tour: Saturday, April 1, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sunday, April 2, 2017, 12-6 p.m. in Columbia, S.C.
Preview Party: Thursday, March 30, 2017, 7-9 p.m. at 701 Whaley St., Columbia, S.C.
701 Center for Contemporary Art presents Columbia Open Studios, a free, self-guided daytime driving tour of artists’ studios in the City of Columbia, S.C., 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, with free admission for all. Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sun. 12-6 p.m. Visit www.columbiaopenstudios.org for more information.
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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.