Charleston Area Inspiration Guide - Charleston Area Inspiration Guide 2019
Art from the Hip
2019-07-10 08:35:18
THE REGION’S CREATIVITY IS ON DISPLAY IN MUSEUMS, GALLERIES, THEATERS & MORE
MAYBE IT’S THE EVER-CHANGING palette of colors as seasons pass. Or the timeless, constant flow of the ancient river carving its way through the town. Whatever the source of artistic inspiration, one thing is certain: Charleston appreciates, celebrates and nurtures its vibrant arts community.
New City Art Trail
Public art is increasing exponentially around town with works finding their way into local businesses, restaurants and hotels – and it’s all part of a new initiative called the “Art From the Hip Trail.” There’s no admission fee, it’s all public and it’s ready for you to discover.
One of the newest unexpected public art galleries is the recently expanded and updated Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center. The “Deep Roots, Long Reach” kinetic sculpture is the latest installation, an aluminum and stainless steel “tree” standing 20-feet tall with “branches” that move as the wind blows. Right inside is “Mirror Helix,” a mesmerizing 4,000-pound glass and steel spiral that is a showstopper with 512 separate glass panels reflecting different prisms of light.
Staying at one of our downtown hotels? You won’t have to travel far for a dose of local art. The warm, texture-rich paintings of Paula Clendenin are the perfect backdrop for sipping a handcrafted cocktail or grabbing an evening snack at the Courtyard by Marriott. At Holiday Inn Express, you can get a feel for the deep connection Mountain State artists have to their home by taking in the “Explore West Virginia” series of hand-pressed prints created by sisters Emily and Betsy Sokolosky of Base Camp Printing Co. Here, you’ll also find the art of Appalachian photographer Roger May, whose work may be familiar to readers of the New York Times and National Geographic. While Ian Bode’s colorful acrylic canvases don the walls of the Charleston Town Center Marriott, his faceless keyhole shaped figure “The Passenger” can also be seen all over town in various forms, including freestanding colorful bike racks.
Voted best art gallery in the state by readers of WV Living magazine, Art Emporium has an ever-changing installation featuring works by new and established artists.
Outdoor Art, Large & Small
Charly Jupiter Hamilton’s West Side Wonder Mural shares a bright and whimsical perspective worthy of every traveler’s Instagram feed. Stretching across a two-story brick building on a cozy corner in Elk City, the 20x30-foot painting features people, dogs, monsters and primitive likenesses of some of Charleston’s historic figures.
One of the city’s smallest works of art is one of its more iconic. Just inches tall, tiny Mortar Man emerges from a gap in the façade at 108 Capitol Street, 12 feet above the busy downtown sidewalk.
A bronze Doughboy Statue, representing a World War I U.S. Army infantryman, stands watch over Living Memorial Park in Nitro, a town built to house workers from a local munitions plant supplying Allied Forces during the “War to End All Wars.”
An assortment of Egyptian-style columns (some more than 30-feet tall), art deco- style burial crypts and assorted statuary all mark the final resting places of many early-day Charleston movers and shakers at Spring Hill Cemetery. On the National Register of Historic Places, it also offers sweeping views of the city.
Vibrant Performing Arts
Broadway-quality Charleston Light Opera Guild, the Charleston Ballet and the West Virginia Symphony all call Charleston home, and Alban Arts Center in nearby St. Albans offers an array of stage productions, including everything from “Annie” to “Urinetown the Musical.”
At the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences, the six-story abstract steel sculpture “Hallelujah” towers above the facility, while inside the recently renovated Juliet Art Museum provides interactive art space for children and an art studio for hands-on classes and demonstrations. The Juliet’s permanent collection holds more than 800 objects.
State Museum Gift Shop
This hidden gem is Charleston’s direct connection to Tamarack – The Best of West Virginia, home of 20,000 juried products from jewelry to handcrafted furniture and sculptures. A satellite of the main location, West Virginia State Museum Gift Shop inside the Culture Center on the State Capitol grounds carries a wide collection of fine art, gourmet foods, pottery, glass, souvenirs, music and books. Find jams and jellies, hand-blown glass, carved bowls and Fiestaware. tamarackwv.com/shop/wv-museum-shop
GET YOUR ART ON?
©Charleston. View All Articles.