Visual Arts
Exhibitions of fine arts and artisan crafts from South Carolina and beyond, work by local students and community groups, artists’ talks, and a world-class program of curated gallery exhibitions showcase the visual arts at Piccolo Spoleto.
YOUNG ARTISTS
Share Their Talents & Stories
The Art of Discovery showcases talented young artists in grades 4-12. The exhibit will present work that speaks to the themes of mental health, self-discovery, wellness, the search for meaning, and the work these courageous artists are doing to better understand themselves and the world around them.
When and Where
Location
Upper Lance Hall
Circular Congregational Church
150 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC 29401
Exhibit Dates
May 27 – June 12, 2022
11am – 7pm daily
The exhibit is FREE and open to all visitors!
The City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs presents a Piccolo Spoleto Public Art Exhibition on the West Ashley Greenway.
The City of Charleston and Piccolo Spoleto are excited to present their summer exhibition in the West Ashley Greenway Public Art Boxes, on exhibition from May 27th through June 30th. The exhibition can be viewed along the greenway between Timmerman and Coburg Ave.
Future Offerings
A Public Art Project by Vassiliki Falkehag
Opening May 27
Location: The Greenway between Timmerman and Coburg, Charleston, SC
About the Artist:
Vassiliki Falkehag is a Greek American visual artist whose work engages with living and recycled materials. She has created a varied body of artwork inspired by the Greek concept of Physis for four decades. Her work exemplifies diverse approaches from unseen personal actions to large, immersive installations and public art projects. It is often site-responsive and explores the idea of regeneration and climate challenges.
In the last ten years she has focused on plastic as a medium and subject for her work. She speaks to its impact on our natural environment, working from an environmental concern in critique of human consumption. Within this concept of sustainability and regeneration, the process of collecting and transforming the materials is an important part of her practice.
Her installation in the Greenway public art boxes for Piccolo Spoleto uses vast amounts of single use plastic bags as well as “nurdles” collected by The Charleston Waterkeepers. Nurdles are tiny particles of pure plastic that are often spilled and left in the environment. These problematic toxins infiltrate our landscape and waterways, even our bodies. The artwork is intended to evoke a conversation about the degradation of the natural environment caused by human activity.
Falkehag was born in Athens, Greece, grew up in Chicago, Illinois and attended the College of Charleston in SC. She was a head teacher at Örebro Art College in Örebro Sweden from 2000-2009. Significant exhibitions include: Örebro OpenArt, The Lunds Konsthall, Örebro Konsthall, Stockholm Culture Capital, Åkerby Sculpture Park, Jan Walmark Gallery, Sweden. Lausanne Musée des arts Décoratifs,Switzerland. Skironio Sculpture Park, Polychronopoulos Museum, Greece. John Moores University Gallery, UK. Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Moore Farms Botanical Garden, ArtFields, Redux Contemporary Art Center, USA.
The Greenway Public Art Project brings contemporary Southern artists to the Greenway in Charleston, SC. Our goal is to collectively bring people together, expand connections and create community through artist-initiated exhibitions and curatorial opportunities in an environment that is accessible to all. These boxes are sponsored by the City of Charleston and were originally part of Piccolo Spoleto 2021. They were designed by Jackson Martin. This exhibition is curated by Hirona Matsuda.
“RISING” an outdoor art installation depicting the facades of houses, buildings, and people, printed on a vinyl banner (18” wide and 132’ long) mounted on the construction fence starting at One King Street where the new Low Battery sea wall is being built. An 18ftx18ft acrylic on canvas, entitled “Swell,” is installed at 640 King Street. “Rising” is an observation of the modern urban landscape and the power and awe of the ever changing sea. Artwork by Michelle Seay.
An Exercise in Empathy: James Island Elementary School Fifth Graders Interpret Images of The Civil Rights Era of the 1960’s.
Please view the TikTok post on the teacher instagram about the project.
On View:May 27-June 17, 2022 at the James Island Cultural Arts Center, 1248 Camp Road, Charleston, SC 29412
OPENING NIGHT EVENT: May 27, 2022 from 5:00-6:30pm. RSVP REQUESTED – CLICK HERE
Contact: Caroline Self, Development Coordinator at cself@jamesislandsc.us or (843) 823-3413
On view May 27 – June 17: M-W-F 9:00am-5:00pm; T-Th 10:00am-6:00pm
James Island Elementary School Contact: Shelby Joffrion, 5th Grade Teacher at shelby_joffrion@charleston.k12.sc.us or (843) 762-8240
Join us as we celebrate the 2nd Annual Ocho Festival in Charleston, SC May 28, 2022. Come learn about Princess Inikpi, The Gullah Wars Seminole Wars and More. The always awesome Deninufay African Drum and Dance Group will perform their magic. Visual art exhibit by Abba Nizar. African Redemptive Struggle Museum, 249 St. Philip Street.
- May 28 at 10am
Fine Arts students from the SC School for the Deaf and the Blind created three sculptures under the direction of renowned South Carolina sculptor, Bob Doster in 2017 -2019. The completed sculptures are five feet tall and feature signs forming the “I Love You” sign. Two of the sculptures were placed in Spartanburg and Columbia. Now a third sculpture will be built for the City of Charleston. Want to lend your hand to the ASL “I Love You” sculpture that will be built for the City of Charleston? Come out to Marion Square to get your hand traced and then it will be transformed to become part of this beautiful sculpture that will be returned to the city in the autumn.
Norman Owens, noted Savannah resident and Lowcountry paper cutter and silhouette artist will do Lowcountry nature scenes LIVE at George C. Birlant & Co. in their store on June 3 and June 4. Mr. Owens does scenes, using tiny scissors to cut out, from memory, these amazing Lowcountry scenes.
Norman Owens has a degree in Marketing from The University of South Carolina as well as 47 years of experience as an interior designer. He is also a professional silhouette artist and organist/choirmaster at his local church. In 1973, he started his design career in Charleston, SC, and then in 1999, he started his design firm, “Interiors by Norman Owens,” in Savannah, GA. In 2008, he relocated to Pooler, GA, which is where he lives now.