FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 10, 2015
Contact: Kerry Murphy
Executive Director
864.271.9398 (o)
[email protected] ARTISPHERE 2015 EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS, SHATTERS ALL RECORDS
Greenville, SC, –August 10, 2015—Artisphere presented by TD Bank, one of the top rated Fine Art Shows in the country, reported a record breaking year for its 11th Anniversary Festival with participating artists recording average sales of $7,300 (up from $6,800 in 2014) and estimated attendance swelling to 84,609 (up from 70,000 in 2014). Artisphere greatly appreciates this year’s attendees and hopes this trend will continue.
Beautiful weather attracted lively crowds to Main Street for the three-day annual celebration of visual, performing, and culinary arts May 8-10. With 121 artists representing 17 different medium categories patron buying energy pushed total art sales just shy of $1,000,000, according to artist surveys.
After a few years’ hiatus, Charleston-based photographer Ron Rocz said he was thrilled to be back and part of this record-breaking year. He spoke highly of the show, stating “Artisphere is the best run show in all my 40 years of experience.”
Now ranked a Top 10 Fine Art Show in the country, four times since 2009, and voted the #3 Art Festival in USA TODAY’S 10BEST Readers’ Choice contest, Artisphere, in conjunction with Clemson University’s Real Economic Analysis Laboratory (REAL), conducted patron interviews to reveal a $5,554,847 million economic impact on the community for the weekend.
Surveys indicate twenty-six percent of attendees were from outside of Greenville, fourteen percent stayed at least one night in a hotel and 83% of patrons said Artisphere was the primary reason for visiting downtown; an impressive statistic given that Furman and Clemson graduations pushed Main Street hotels to capacity during Mother’s Day weekend.
“TD Bank is proud to support an organization that creates opportunities for the community to learn about the importance of art, which also benefits local businesses through economic development,” said David Lominack, Market President for TD Bank. “We congratulate Artisphere on another successful year in the Upstate and on the National stage.”
In addition, Artisphere contributed a total of $25,000 (up from $20,000 in 2014) to its Arts Partners for their volunteer assistance during the festival. Arts Partners for 2015 included Pride of Greenville Men’s Chorus, Palmetto Statesmen Barbershop Chorus, GLOW Lyric Theatre, The Greenville Chorale, Greenville Concert Band, SC Children’s Theatre, Greenville Chinese Cultural Association, Greenville in Harmony, International Ballet, SC Governor’s School, and the Hispanic-American Women’s Association. Artisphere has donated $190,000 in total to its Arts Partners since 2006.
Programing enhancements such as giant puppet parades and more interactive activities in Kidsphere, the Art Lab, and Clemson University’s STEAM Exhibit (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Mathematics) were very well received by festival goers.
“It was an absolutely amazing year,” stated Artisphere Board of Directors President, Charlie Mickel. “We would be remiss if we did not recognize our sponsors for their generosity, our volunteers for their hospitality and our artists (visual, performing and culinary) for their professionalism. The success of Artisphere is a true testament to the impact the arts can have on a community’s sense of connectedness and pride.”
Plans for the 2016 festival, scheduled for May 13-15, are already in progress and the festival is accepting visual artist applications on www.zapplication.org through October 15. For more information visit www.artisphere.us.
About Artisphere
Artisphere is a highlight of Greenville’s cultural calendar and a Top 10 Fine Arts festival. The event features a juried Visual Artist Row; Artists of the Upstate, a juried exhibition of local artists; Outdoor Stages with performances by local and national artists; hands-on Kidsphere children’s art activities; the Culinary Arts Café that highlights local restaurants; and Special Festival Art Projects that enliven the streets of Greenville with street musicians, acrobats, sidewalk artists, and more. Artisphere is a 501(c) (3) not for profit organization. For information, visit www.artisphere.us.
About TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®
TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S., providing more than 8 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at approximately 1,300 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In addition, TD Bank and its subsidiaries offer customized private banking and wealth management services through TD Wealth®, and vehicle financing and dealer commercial services through TD Auto Finance. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J. To learn more, visit www.tdbank.com. Find TD Bank on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TDBank and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TDBank_US.
TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is a member of TD Bank Group and a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services company in North America. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker symbol “TD”. To learn more, visit www.td.com.
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