Greenville, SC (February) – Artisphere presented by TD Bank, announced several programming highlights for the 13th annual festival scheduled for May 12-14 2017 and promised more to come.
GE Artist Row will feature 135 artists selected by a panel of 5 jurors from a record high applicant pool of 1,136 (1 in 8 chance of acceptance). Forty-one of the 135 are first time exhibitors at Artisphere and seventeen are local artists including Kent Ambler (Printmaking), Hallie Bertling (Watercolor), Joseph Bradley (2D Mixed Media), Janina Ellis (Oil/Acrylic Painting), Kate Furman (Jewelry/Semi-Precious), Darin Gehrke (Ceramics), Lynn Greer (Watercolor), Katie Poterala (Jewelry/Semi-precious), Jerry Maxey (Fiber), Erin Hall (Ceramics), Ray Mosteller (Photography), Llyn strong (Precious Jewelry), Judy Verhoeven (2D Mixed Media), Tami Cardnella (2D Mixed Media), and Keith Grace (2D Mixed Media). Two Emerging Festival Artists received scholarships to participate in this year’s show: Kiah Bellows (Painting) and Daniel Bare (Ceramics) will receive free booth space, mentoring and a professional photograph of their booth display. A full list of participating artist is now available.
Darin Gehrke, local ceramics artist, Artisphere 2016 Award Winner and 2017 juror commented, “Having the opportunity to participate in Artisphere as an out-of-state artist, a local artist, and now a juror, I continue to marvel at Greenville’s support of the festival and the participating artists. The outstanding commitment to the participating artists’ places Artisphere in a league of its own.”
Darin Gehrke, 2017 Ceramics Artist
Other Visual Arts Programming for the 2017 festival include the Furman Art Lab that will feature 13 new experiences for the 13th annual festival. These interactive demonstrations allow patrons to roll up their sleeves and flex their creative muscles with instruction by local artists including Cecilia Ho (needle felting), Izzy Mitchell and Heather Brame (collaging), Carol Funke (handmade paper), and Joann Benzinger (photo image transfer) to name just a few.
Michelin Artist Demo Row welcomes back Glassblower Ryan Gothrup (Richmond, VA), Woodworker Michael McDunn (Greenville), Metalsmith Ryan Calloway (Greenville), The Ceramics Makers Collective (Greenville) and The Contemporary Print Making Collective (Greenville) to entertain festival goers and reveal the intricacies of their respective crafts.
Michael McDunn, Woodworking
Also back by popular demand are the Clemson University STEAM Exhibit, the Greenville County High School Exhibition and The Greenville Journal and Greenville Health System Artists of the Upstate Juried Exhibition for which the festival is now accepting applications through March 31 – click here for more information.
For the performing arts fans Artisphere will host dozens of local and regional acts on four stages. Headlining the Artisphere After Hours Concert Series on the WYFF-4 Stage is Louisiana Americana Singer/Songwriter, Marc Broussard (Friday) as well as Houston based Soul Band, The Suffers (Saturday).
Traveling to Greenville from the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Broussard makes his second appearance at the Artisphere festival. “It’s amazing how things come full circle,” stated Broussard. “So honored to be back at Artisphere Festival after 9 years! It’s going to be a blast so ya’ll come on out!”
Spin Magazine calls The Suffers “a ten-piece soul collective that steeps their tracks in jazzy history with a modern twist. They’re the sort of neo-retro group you never knew music was so badly missing”
Last but certainly not least, the always crowd pleasing performance artist Brian Olsen returns to the Wells Fargo and RealOp Investments “Art in Action” Stage. Using 6 brushes simultaneously and often just his hands, Olsen paints the perfect likeness of famous musicians, sports legends, iconic movie stars and historic figures. In less than 10 minutes Olsen turns an oversized canvas into a work of art.
Brian Olsen
“This year’s festival is chock full of cool arts programs that will elevate that patron experience to a new level,” stated Artisphere Executive Director, Kerry Murphy. “We are so excited about the weekend from start to finish. Just when you thought you’d seen it all, something new pops up to delight and surprise. Don’t miss a minute of it.”
Other programming announcements to come including a new University of South Carolina Exhibit, the complete roster of musicians and performance artists, the lineup of participating local restaurants in the Culinary Arts Cafe, the list of projects in Kidsphere and more.
