There’s art around every turn during ArtFields . The festival is now in its 11th year and has revitalized the small SC town of Lake City by turning the once-agricultural community into a living art gallery featuring artists from across the Southeast.
ArtFields Jr. features artwork from K-12 SC-based artists. | Photo by COLAtoday team
Step into The Nail Refinery and you’ll see people pampering themselves to a mani-pedi, but with a quick look to your left, you’ll see Columbia artist Ellie Marie Rose’s 90" x 69" “Katheryne the Gallant” oil painting. Peer into the window of the Lake City Chamber of Commerce and you’ll see local artist Cameron Porter’s “Gateways” wood sculpture, a four-foot-tall installation cut and shaped with imagination. It could be yours for $2,000.
Located just an hour and a half from Columbia via a scenic country drive down Highway 378, the free festival has expanded to 11 days this year and runs through Saturday, April 29.
Each year, the nonprofit awards $145,000 in cash prizes that are split between artists chosen by the people and by an expert panel of judges. This year, the selection panel included Michael Neumeister , Curator at the Columbia Museum of Art.
Being chosen as one of the ~400 pieces of art in the festival is an accomplishment unto itself, and this year’s festival features 17 Midlands-based artists that we’re highlighting in the table above. We’ve also created a map so you can easily find each artist.