the Artwalk

I always knew that Charleston has a thriving art community, but I had no idea how user friendly it could be made for relative cultural neanderthals like me. take the Charleston Artwalk, for example. a divine inspiration. so simple in design, so enjoyable in the execution. the premise is that many of the city's galleries, linked together within blocks of one another, form a sort of hedonistic chain as they entice passers by to come inside and not just enjoy their wares, but drink their wine and eat their food as well. they got my attention. and so began my early education in, and introduction to, the low country art universe. sometimes stacked 3 or 4 in a row, these galleries -- now morphed into cocktail party mode -- opened my eyes into a truly entertaining, and sometimes inspiring, creative surrounding. to see this region depicted in so many wildly diverse perspectives is to find new appreciation for the area we now call home. from watercolors to oils to etchings to mixed media to photography, they all reflect a true melange of color and ideas. if you close your eyes and try to synthesize all the different impressions you've just been exposed to, it really does create a sort of 3-D impression of this part of the world. sure, there were moments when gallery owners would drone on long enough to make you want to say, "yes, but are you serving any wine?" but, the show they put on was worth the occasional extended tutorial. and, we won't mention the one gallery where I mortifyingly tripped into one room throwing all of the red wine in my cup against a wall that just moments before was a perfect white. thankfully, my profuse apologies were quickly accepted although I have suspicions they deleted me from their mailing list the moment I walked out the door.