Walking Quotes

Thoreau, Lake City, SC   

I found a few good walking quotes in a botanical display in Lake City, SC

Portrait Contest - Artfields

Artfields, Lake City, SC   

There was a respectful hush in the building where the portrait contest was taking place at Artfields in Lake City. The artists were painting their models on the ground floor and observers were allowed to walk in on either side and watch the work in progress. Most of the models had two different artists.

It was fascinating to watch. Twenty-four artists competed for "Best in Show" and over $1500 in cash prizes while creating portraits in three four hour timed rounds.

ArtFields 2017

Lake City, SC    

If you are artsy, all roads lead to Lake City this week. Since 2013, this week long art festival in little Lake City offers more that $120,000 in prizes and invites attendees to pop into almost every business in town from barbershops to boutiques to enjoy the art on display. Everyone in town seems to be in on the project. I particularly enjoyed the elementary and high school art. Some of it was pretty incredible. The festival continues through next weekend. Go if you can!

Artfields: An annual, nine-day art competition in Lake City, South Carolina – and the largest competition of its kind – Artfields awards more than $120,000 in cash prizes to artists from across the Southeast. And, it’s also infused new energy, creativity, and growth into Lake City and its surrounding communities.

Artfields - Lake City, S.C.

Lake City, S.C.

I made it up to Lake City on the very last day of Artfields driving up from Charleston to get to the Moore Botanical Garden for the 10 a.m. tour which was a great treat. After the garden tour we headed into Lake City to the sense that the art festival party had fizzled. It was billed to last until the Sunday but I imagine if they handed out the awards on Saturday that felt like the end of the party for most folks. Some of the locations gradually opened and we were able to see some of the art hanging but there was no energetic festive buzz. The Bean Market Building was empty. Restaurant Table 118 didn't even open for lunch and their web site didn't work so everyone piled into the Railway Restaurant for the buffet. We walked down to the ROB to see the art below and then wandered back through town peeking into closed up shops and headed home. I've made a note not to go on the last day next year.

Some of the art was great. I almost hate to show pictures without the artist's names but I don't have them all. Enlarge the picture of Marilyn Monroe to see the fun details! Check this site for more art and links to the artists. Congratulations to the winners!

Artfields, Lake City, S.C.

Artfields, Lake City, S.C.

I don't need to ask if anyone else made the trip to the arts festival in tiny little Lake City this past week because the town was bustling with people touring the art displays. What a brilliant idea! Lake City is the home town of Darla Moore. Under her guidance, they renovated some of the buildings, encouraged business owners and announced an art festival with combined prizes of $100,000. That was enough to get people's attention!

The entire town seems in on the idea with paintings hanging in restaurants, shops and barbershops. Locals asked if I wanted to take pictures of them (I did!) and posed for me. The hostess of the buffet restaurant was amazing that she had a piece of art valued at $50,000 on her wall. Visitors were invited to vote on their favorites which meant every single one of us was welcome to traipse through each business. I loved the idea! I didn't have enough time to visit all the art but did a quick run through town and then headed out to Darla Moore's botanical garden.

Here is a quote from Charleston Magazine's recent interview:

But will the experiment work? Will visitors coming to see art be seduced by a quaint town’s quiet charms and stay a while, spend some tourism bucks? Maybe buy one of those 1910 fixer-uppers? Start a small business? A new hotel is already slated to open soon, a hopeful sign. ArtFields takes its lead from a similar event in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that had positive economic development outcomes, but the net gain for Lake City, besides the prize winning artworks that will stay in the city’s public spaces, remains to be seen. “Dr. George Washington Carver said, ‘Where there is no vision, there is no hope’,” says Lake City mayor Lovith Anderson Jr. “The people of Lake City and the surrounding communities are the beneficiaries of the hope and promise and progress which have sprung from the visionary effort and leadership of Darla Moore.”

My daughter took business and economics at USC and Darla Moore has been so generous in supporting her Alma Mater and the Darla Moore School of Business that I have been grateful fan for years. I will be delighted if this experiment works to revive a sleepy small town in South Carolina. Next year let's get some buses lined up to take people from Charleston for a field trip!