GREENVILLE’S NATIONALLY ACCLAIMED ARTISPHERE RECEIVES OVER 1,000 APPLICATIONS FOR 2017 FINE ARTS SHOW
Largest applicant pool in festival history
Greenville, SC (November), – The 13th Annual Artisphere presented by TD Bank, consistently one of the top rated Fine Art Shows in the country, received an unprecedented 1,136 artist applications for the 2017 event; a 4% increase over last year’s applications. Show organizers attribute the rise in applications to the festival’s track record for garnering meaningful sales for participating artists; 2016 exhibiting artists reported average sales of $8,200 (up from $7,300 in 2015). This year’s jury review will be held November 19-20.
Of the 1,136 applicants, 125 are South Carolinians with 74 residing in the Upstate. Artists have applied from all across the country with the majority, 160 applicants, hailing from Florida and an unprecedented 7 international artist applicants. 23% of candidates are new to Artisphere entirely, having never applied to the festival before.
This year’s esteemed jury panel includes Todd Anderson, Assistant Professor of Art, Printmaking, Clemson University, (Clemson, SC), Darin Gehrke, Artisphere 2016 2nd Place 3D Award Winner, Ceramics, (Greenville, SC), Mercedes Jelinek, Artist in Residence, Penland School of Craft, (Penland, NC), Marilyn Zapf, Assistant Director, Center for Craft Creativity & Design & Curator of CCCD’s Benchspace Gallery & Workshop, (Asheville, NC) and Bill Pelham Vice President, Artisphere Board of Directors and President of Pelham Architects, LLC.
“Outside of the festival weekend itself, this is the most important thing we do all year,” stated Tod Tappert, current President of the Artisphere Board of Directors and former juror.
The panel will review applicants in seventeen different medium categories (glass, jewelry, painting, ceramics, etc.) and assign scores based on their artistic merit. “Artists applicants are welcome to attend the jury review so they can see, first-hand, how the process works,” stated Artisphere Executive Director, Kerry Murphy.
After scores are tabulated, the top 135 artists will be notified of their acceptance to the show in early December. A complete list of participating artists will be announced in early 2017.
The 13th Anniversary Artisphere presented by TD Bank is scheduled for May 12-14, 2017. For more information about the event visit www.artisphere.org
