When: Saturday + Sunday April 21 – 22, 2012
Saturday 10am-6pm; Sunday noon-6pm
Deadline: January 31, 2012, 11:59pm
(http://www.columbiaopenstudios.org)
Artists all over Richland & Lexington counties in South Carolina will open their private, working studios to the public for the weekend!
Artists keep 100% of sales.
New for 2012: 701 CCA is proud to announce that the event is an official Festival Partner of the Nickelodeon Theatre’s 6th Annual Indie Grits Festival!
Support from the arts community is tremendous. For example, Main Street gallery owner Anastasia Chernoff posted on her Facebook wall today:
“To all my artist friends out there looking for publicity and exposure – you WANT to do this. I’ve done it a couple of times and, not only did I realize some great sales, I had people come to my studio from all over the country! The fee associated with it isn’t much at all when you consider the incredible amount of exposure and sales you’ll receive from being a part of the tour. I think, it’s one of the easiest, most effective ways to get your work and name recognized both locally and outside the Columbia area.”
What is 701 CCA Columbia Open Studios? A weekend-long, self-guided tour of artists’ studios, where you can meet the artists and see their working process in situ — like a tour of homes, but totally unique & out of the box!
6th ANNUAL INDIE GRITS FESTIVAL PARTNERSHIP This year, we’re happy to announce a partnership with the Nickelodeon Theatre’s signature, regional cultural event, the 6th Annual Indie Grits Festival. The festival has grown from a weekend-long film festival to a full-blown, 10-day affair!
Other 2012 Indie Grits partners include festival host The Nickelodeon Theatre (and their full film festival roster), Morihiko and the SC Philharmonic, the smash hit ConvergeSE interactive conference, the Crafty Feast indie craft fair, the Slow Food Columbia “Sustainable Taste of Columbia” party, the Spork in Hand Puppet Slam at Indie Grits, nationally known live bands, parties, workshops, kids’ events and more. As the schedule firms up, it will be viewable here: (http://www.indiegrits.com).
Artists who have registered thus far: Alejandro Garcia-Lemos, McClellan Douglas, Grace Rockafellow, Patrick Parise, Nancy Will, Laurie McIntosh, Joseph & Kelly Shull, Richard Lund, Claire Farrell, Nancy Butterworth, Jan Swanson, Richard & Gay Vogt, Lucinda Howe, Bonnie Goldberg, Judy Bolton Jarrett, Susan Lenz, Amanda Ladymon, Alicia Leeke, Ben Compton, Ruby DeLoach, and Betty Rivers.
Why participate? By giving people a chance to peek into artists’ studios, get a sense of how they work & interact directly with them, 701 CCA Columbia Open Studios hopes to create new marketing opportunities for artists & expose the public to the wealth of fine artists working throughout Richland and Lexington counties.
Your name will be all over the state! Close to 100,000 copies of the full-color program guide with an image of your work, your contact info, media, studio directions, etc. will be hand-distributed around the Midlands, throughout SC, and beyond at well-trafficked businesses, galleries, shops, restaurants, etc. Like last year, guides will likely be inserted and distributed in a high-volume publication in the weeks prior to the event. Plus: hundreds of posters will be printed and displayed throughout the Midlands and beyond, and artists will have access to a digital version to post on their websites, Facebook pages, etc. and/or print and distribute as they wish.
Statewide PR + marketing plan: We’ll execute a statewide PR, marketing & advertising plan and leverage our website, Facebook, & Twitter! Our team will work to achieve editorial mentions and articles in publications across the board. For example, we were thrilled to see Jeffrey Day’s piece in the Free Times about the 2011 event: (http://www.free-times.com/index.php?cat=11001804073474158&ShowArticle_ID=11011805113258145).
How does this fit into the arts landscape here in Columbia, South Carolina? One of 701 CCA’s major goals in presenting Columbia Open Studios is to contribute significantly to the capitol city’s continued efforts toward building a thriving creative economy. We want Columbia, SC to be known as a destination for cultural tourism!
What does it cost? Free to the public, 701 CCA Columbia Open Studios’ artist participation fee is $100 for 701 CCA members and $150 for non-members (comes w/”Family” level membership to 701 CCA). There is also a fully refundable $50 compliance deposit pending post-event submission of attendance & sales data.
PREVIEW PARTY at 701 CCA will be held on Thursday, April 19, 2012. Artists and a guest will receive complimentary admission!
701 CCA takes NO commission on sales — artists retain 100% of all profits.
Questions? Visit our FAQ/guidelines page:
(http://www.701cca.org/701-cca-columbia-open-studios-faq/)
Contact for Artists, Media, & General Public:
701 CCA Columbia Open Studios 2011
c/o Flock and Rally: Events + Communications for a Brave New South
701 Whaley Street, Studio 210
Columbia, SC 29201
Phone: Tracie Broom, Partner 415/235.5718 or Debi Schadel, Partner 803/348.8861
E-mail: (OpenStudios@701CCA.org).
Tags: 701 CCA Columbia Open Studios, 701 Center for Contemporary Art, Carolina Arts, Columbia SC, Nickelodeon Theatre's 6th Annual Indie Grits Festival, Visiting Columbia SC, Visiting South Carolina
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