Launched in the spring of 2022, Art Charleston raised over $500,000 to support the mission of the Gibbes. In turn, the Gibbes invested more than $250,000 with local businesses in its very first year! Art Charleston enhances the cultural landscape through unique programs and events that highlight Charleston’s strong and diverse human stories through the visual arts. The week’s activities begin with the Art of Design, a glorious daytime luncheon and lecture; followed by the annual Gibbes on the Street, a fun-filled, culinary street fair experience featuring Charleston’s best restaurants, Live at the Gibbes, a cocktail event paired with a musical performance, a panel discussion between Artistic Visionaries, and an Artisan Fair, community art fair with local artists and vendors.
Art is powerful. Art challenges one’s perspective, one’s imagination, and one’s beliefs. Art can be both a safe space to discuss challenging topics and a space to welcome innovation. Art is creativity and exploration in its purest form. The power exists within the art. Art Charleston 2023 will push the boundaries for all that is possible. Through immersion in this five-day visual arts festival featuring unique programs and events, our presentations and collaborations will inspire, challenge and present Charleston’s strong and diverse human stories through the visual arts. We invite our community and participants to imagine with us, to question, to explore, and to recognize Art is the Reason.
PRESENTED BY THE WOMEN’S COUNCIL OF THE GIBBES MUSEUM OF ART
Art of Design is one of Charleston’s most iconic events of the year. Kicking off Art Charleston week, the luncheon and lecture has garnered national media coverage and become Charleston’s most sought-out ticket due to the world-renowned experts we bring to our city to present on a variety of design themes. Previous speakers include Hamish Bowles, Eva Chen, Vern Yip, Cathy Horyn, Melissa Biggs Bradley, Carolyne Roehm, Plum Sykes, Andrew Prince, Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin of The Home Edit, and Lewis Miller, who launched Flower Flash in New York City during the pandemic.
Carrying on in the tradition of excellent programming, our 2023 featured presenter is United Talent Agency (UTA) partner, creative director, and leading contemporary art collector Arthur Lewis. One of the largest talent agencies in Hollywood representing some of the biggest names in entertainment, UTA has expanded into the visual arts by luring major contemporary artists from around the world such as Titus Kaphar, Ai Weiwei and Enrique Martinez Celaya to their Artist Space gallery in Beverly Hills. With a new UTA satellite office now opening in Atlanta, charismatic Lewis stands poised to make a definitive impact on the art scene in the South.
Our classical European-style garden serves as the backdrop for our festive and informative gathering, welcoming more than 350 guests to enjoy a beautifully styled, exquisite, seated luncheon followed by a lively presentation with our experts.
Since 2010, the Gibbes Museum of Art has celebrated the power of art in the street through a fabulous one-night-only event under the stars. The center of Meeting Street transforms from a busy thoroughfare into a fully-staged event, complete with live music, dancing, an open bar, and delicious bites from Charleston’s top chefs. This gathering has become one of Charleston’s most sought-after tickets and it only gets better each year!
Join us for a lunch and interview with Beverly McIver and curator Kim Boganey celebrating the opening of Beverly McIver: Full Circle.
Join us for an intimate cocktail affair set to the backdrop of a performance by the two-time Grammy Award–winning musical ensemble: RANKY TANKY. The classically designed Lenhardt Garden and Fellows Reception Hall will be transformed into a cabaret setting for enjoying this concert with libations and lite bites. The group’s style of music has been described as, “soulful honey to the ears” by NPR. Self-described global ambassadors, Ranky Tanky performers are passionate about their local culture and community, helping to faithfully preserve the traditions originated by African Americans in coastal South during slavery that are kept alive through the present day. While they have performed on The Today Show, PBS Newshour, Stephen Colbert’s Play at Home, and were featured artists in We The People, Live at the Gibbes will provide a uniquely personal opportunity to experience the group.
Live at the Gibbes is a sponsored event only and will not have tickets available for purchase.
The art world is anything but static. Join us for a panel discussion highlighting artists working on the edge and leading the way. This year we’ll host artists working with NFTs and digital arts, pushing the boundaries of what art is and who is classified as an artist.
We are pleased to be partnering with Beeple for an evening of digital art, fun, cocktails and light fare. Beeple is Mike Winkelmann, an American graphic designer and world-famous digital artist. One of the originators of the current “everyday” movement in 3-D graphics, Mike has been creating a picture every day from start to finish and posting it online for over fifteen years without missing a single day. Now referred to as his “Everydays,” in 2021, Winkelmann sold “Everydays: The First 5000 Days” at Christies for $69 million. Beeple’s Everydays often use references to politicians, pop-cultural icons, and the like to satirize current world events and create interpretations of modern politics and culture.
Beeple has recently opened a 50,000 sq. foot studio in Charleston, SC where he makes his artwork. The Studio also features a 13,000 sq. foot gallery and 13,000 sq. foot experiential space.
Art Charleston & Beeple Studios is a sponsored event and will have a limited number of tickets available for purchase.
At the Gibbes, we celebrate local creatives of all disciplines. Come shop our curated selection of artist-vendors during our first ever Artisan Fair. With up to forty skilled makers, there will be nothing short of unique finds. Join us as we cap off a week engaging with artists, boundary-pushing artwork, and experiences that make Art Charleston great.
Free and open to the public.
Free for kids and families
