OPEN STUDIOS BACK IN COLUMBIA

SATURDAY + SUNDAY, MAY 21-22, 2011

701 Center for Contemporary Art (701 CCA) is excited to announce the return of Columbia Open Studios! During the weekend of May 21-22, 2011, we are reviving Open Studios in the City of Columbia and Richland and Lexington Counties, showcasing many of the talented visual artists in the South Carolina Midlands.

What is Columbia Open Studios, and what is its mission?

This weekend-long, self-guided tour of artists’ studios allows the public to meet the artists and see their working process. By letting people into artists’ studios, get a sense of how they work and interact directly with artists, 701 CCA Columbia Open Studios hopes to:

• Provide easy access for the community to the visual arts;
• Expose the public to the wealth of fine artists in Columbia and Richland and Lexington Counties;
• Create new marketing opportunities for artists;
• Generate excitement about area artists among seasoned collectors and first-time buyers 
• Further establish Columbia, SC, as a top destination for cultural tourism.

What’s the story?

In 2007 and 2008, 70 to 80 local artists opened their studios for Columbia Open Studios. The event then was held under the auspices of the now-defunct Columbia Festival of the Arts. After a two-year hiatus, 701 CCA is resurrecting the event. Columbia Open Studios fits 701 CCA’s mission of enhancing the enjoyment and understanding of contemporary art. 701 CCA is adding Columbia Open Studios to its broad range of activities, which include contemporary art exhibitions, an artist-in-residence program, concerts, dance performances and literary events. 

About 701 Center for Contemporary Art

701 Center for Contemporary Art in Columbia is South Carolina’s newest art destination for artists and art lovers alike.

701 Center for Contemporary Art (701 CCA) is a nonprofit, visual art center that promotes understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of contemporary art, the creative process and the role of art and artists in the community. 

The center also encourages interaction between visual arts and other art forms.

701 CCA offers:

• Exhibitions with a regional, national or international scope in the center’s 2,500 square-foot gallery

• An artist-in-residence program in a 1,200-square-foot live/work unit, where artists can concentrate fully on creating art during six, ten or twelve-week residencies

• The 701 CCA Plus program at the gallery, in between exhibitions, for performing, literary and media arts

• Educational programs for adults and children, including workshops, lectures, open studios, panel discussions, group tours, school presentations, etc.

Located in the former community center in Olympia, an historic mill village, all exhibitions and residencies during 701 CCA’s inaugural year, 2008-2009, engaged the legacy and materials of the textile industry, mill villages and mill workers.

Moving forward, 701 CCA maintains this focus while reaching out to bring contemporary artists and works of regional, national and international acclaim to Columbia, South Carolina. Join us!