Artisphere 'part of fabric of Greenville': Countdown on for 19th annual downtown arts festival
Greenville’s 19th Artisphere, a weekend celebrating visual and performing arts, will draw thousands of art lovers and fun-seekers downtown, May 12-14.
The festival was founded in 2003 by Henry Horowitz, based on a longtime annual arts event in Oklahoma City.
Horowitz, managing partner of a real estate investment firm, had served on the board for the Oklahoma event and when he moved to Greenville in 1992, brought the festival idea with him.
He joined the board of Greenville’s Metropolitan Arts Council, and as chair organized a trip for other board members and community leaders to the Oklahoma City festival. The delegation returned, impressed, and the effort to create Artisphere took off.
“Artisphere has become part of the fabric of Greenville,” says Kerry Murphy, who is in her 15th year as the festival’s CEO. “It contributes to the specialness of our community, and it wouldn’t be possible without support from our sponsors and patrons, many of whom have been with us since Day One.”
Since the first event was held in 2005, the festival has generated $1.6 million in local artist sales and $12.9 million in total sales.
This year, the family-friendly, free-to-the-public event will feature more than 140 visual artists, selected from an applicant pool of nearly 1,000. Artists are chosen by a blind jury. Jury members come from a variety of fields including curators, artists, academics and other show directors.
There will be numerous musical performances throughout the weekend. The WYFF4 Broad Street Main Stage will feature local and national talent. Headliners Robert Jon & The Wreck will take the stage Friday night, May 12. On Saturday, May 13 it’s Sunny War and on Sunday, May 14, Caitlin Krisko & The Broadcast.
Children’s activities include the Sphinx Kidsphere Tent hosted by ReCraft and Roylco and staffed by volunteers from the Governor’s School for Arts & Humanities. Also, children can participate in mask-making and march in parades to music by Drum Percussion Studios at the Legacy Early College Kidsphere Tent.
The Clemson STEAM Tent will be onsite showcasing various science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics initiatives by students and faculty at the university, including robotics. Numerous culinary and food and beverage tents will be onsite as well.
Always a favorite aspect of the festival, Demo Row features artmaking in action, including metalworking, glass blowing and weaving. New this year is printmaking and local graffiti artist, Nick Burns.
“The festival continues to grow and evolve every year. One of the additions to the festival this year is a student section which provides a small stage for high school performances,” says Artisphere communications strategist Kelley Barnhardt.
Over 600 volunteers representing local non-profits are vital to the success of the festival. In return for hours worked, their organizations receive a stipend. Since the festival’s inception, Artisphere has provided more than $700,000 to local students and emerging and professional artists, in the visual, performing and culinary fields.
Plans are now underway as the 20th-anniversary approaches. In addition to “jacked-up programming for the 20th anniversary of the festival," Barnhardt notes, “they are in the process of finding an artist for a public sculpture in commemoration of this occasion. We are excited to see what develops!”
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: 19th Annual Artisphere to draw thousands to downtown Greenville
