Home for the Arts and Crafts of our State
by: Gail Lang

The Artisans Center occupies a beautifully restored historic home in Walterboro, South Carolina. Joint efforts from community, government and businesses helped to buy the building. Since then it has been established as a center representing over 190 of the finest artists from across the state of South Carolina. The Artisans Center contains not just the quality work of South Carolina artists, but shares the history behind the art. The desire was to create an artistic center that would also be a resource and educational center offering craft workshops and demonstrations.

In the spring of 1995, the Handmade Series began a celebration of the elements of crafts. Artists from across the state gather on the grounds three Saturdays in March, three in April and three in May. They set up on the grounds to create, share and sell their arts and crafts. People come and watch them create their crafts and sometimes even participate, depending on the craft and crafter. Each series lasts from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. The series is repeated in September, October and November.

Artists also share their skills and knowledge with the schools and the communities. The Artisans Center arranges for artists to visit the schoolsas well as occasional school visits to the center. By teaching about their crafts, artists develop supporters as well as creating their own kind ofmagic. The workshops and the history and skill behind each craft will continue to be taught throughout 1997. The workshops are very important to the Artisans Center, representing what is most important, the knowledge and skill behind each piece of beauty.

Participation in the Artisans Center is unique. There is a strict two-step acceptance process. Oncea year the Center sends out a call for entrance. First, the artists must apply in writing and send 10slides that are representative of their work. The slides are forwarded to judges in Virginia, toensure impartial judging. The judges review and grade the slides. The center notifies the artists who aretentatively accepted.

The second stage requires the artists to come to the center. They provide samples of their work atthis face-to-face interview. These samples MUST be representative of the slides that wereaccepted in the judging. Their physical work is compared with the slides and the informationprovided in the first stage of judging. If they are accepted into the Artisans Center, their work isadded to the collection.

There is currently no maximum amount of acceptances but, as the number of entrants growsbeyond the capability of the Center to host their work, one will likely be set. The Artisans Centerhopes to grow physically and house more art, but must be mindful of its limitations each time itsends out the call for new exhibitors. In the meantime, artists may contact the center to be put onthe list for the next call scheduled for the summer of 1997.

Accepted artwork is not limited to pieces with historical significance. Some of the Center's art isvery modern. The history behind art is critical, but so are quality and origin of the art. All art atthe Artisans Center must be of high quality and made in South Carolina. Artists have to live andcreate the art in South Carolina to be represented by the Artisans Center. Even after acceptance, artists must continue to live and produce their art in South Carolina for it to be exhibited and sold thru the Artisans Center.This assures the visitors to the Center that all pieces are South Carolinian art. If artists move out ofstate, the Center returns their work to them.

The accepted artists receive 60 percent of the selling price while the Artisans Center receives 40percent. In return the Artisans Center does all the marketing, billing and maintaining of financial records forthe exhibitors, allowing them to use their talents to create more works of beauty for all to share.