Coronavirus got you hemmed in? Take this virtual gallery art tour of Beaufort County
We have all been so impacted by the cornonavirus in so many ways, and our Lowcountry museums and galleries have responded to all government safety directives.
As a lover of the cultural arts, all of them, I’ve been looking at a pathway to pursuing that very important part of my life. I’ve streamed and I’ve recorded and I’ve plugged in and opted out ... as I’m sure so many of you have.
But here’s a thought to provide some visual arts encouragement until social distancing will no longer be an issue. I checked in with a number of art gallery owners in Bluffton, Beaufort and Hilton Head Island to find how they were dealing with these challenging times ... and further to see if they could offer all of us a “Virtual Gallery Tour.”
What a gift to me, and to you, to be in touch with these arts enthusiasts, to speak with them, and join them on a Virtual Gallery Tour. We talked, we walked, we streamed and we zoomed, and through it all, we shared a brief glance at some of the work in their galleries, even some of the gallery settings.
So take the virtual tour. The owners have provided links to explore their galleries, and if you have trouble with any of them, they are available on the gallery website.
La Petite Gallerie
La Petite Gallerie, 56 Calhoun St., Bluffton; 843-304 2319; www.lapetitegallerie.com/slideshow.
The artists at La Petite Gallerie, an intimate gallery celebrating fine local art, are busy sprucing up the setting, the garden and their entrance, anticipating the day that it will be appropriate for gallery visitors to drop in at their location, on Calhoun Street in the heart of Old Town Bluffton. It is open now by appointment only.
The La Petite Gallerie is a cooperative gallery with seven member artists: Murray Sease, Lauren Terrett, Rose Coffield, Wally Palmer, Don Nagel, Bill Winn, Kevin Palmer.
Murray Sease, associated with the gallery since its beginnings almost six year ago, was on hand the day I called to arrange our Virtual Gallery Tour.
“It really was Peggy Duncan, who had the idea, and Don Nagel and I thought it was a very good,” said Sease. “But we all realized that our project was definitely going to take an investment of time and effort, to make the gallery go in the way we all had in mind. We were a determined trio, and we just kept working to bring about the ongoing success of our gallery.”
The current seven members have been hard at work brightening their setting, watering their amazing begonias, and shining up the stunning garden pieces in anticipation of reopening.
Look forward to La Petite Gallerie’s invitation to a July Kickoff Party!
Four Corners
Four Corners Fine Art Gallery and Framing, 1263 May River Road, Bluffton; fourcornersbluffton@gmail.com; www.fourcornersgallerybluffton.com; https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0i6ym6ghzw9i977/AACqTAIxT1wCI8V6vKpt3YjVa?dl=0
Charlene Gardner’s gallery has been one of Bluffton’s best known destinations for more than 15 years. We have seen it from the very beginning, and have enjoyed close contact through all of those years. The gallery has grown and grown, over time, as has her list of gallery artists, whose work she proudly represents.
Last year she expanded, with increased exhibit space, expanded framing area and an opportunity for visitors to stand back or move up close to view the carefully curated artwork.
“Times like these make you develop new ideas and encourage you to renew what you thought were good ideas, earlier,” Charlene said. “I found this quote by Albert Einstein... ‘Logic will get you from point A to point B ... but Imagination will take you everywhere.’ It seemed absolutely perfect for me to come across it, when I did, and further to remember it, too.”
Gardner welcomes you to look at her Facebook, Instagram and website locations for continuing virtual presentations of the artists.
Mystic Osprey
Mystic Osprey Fine Art Gallery, Habersham Marketplace, 23B Market #1, Beaufort; 843-475-6781; robert@mysticosprey.com; https://www.mysticosprey.com/inside; 3D look: https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=UpMpe9kS5Rp
Owner Robert Howell says, “We let people become interested in the art, and then tell the narrative behind the artist, and how they came to be in the gallery, their interest in nature, earth, wildlife ... their why.
“And then we direct the viewer/guest to the artist’s statement where they can learn more about the artist’s pedigree. The gallery is never static, it’s always changing. The gallery feels like a special place you might have had in the outdoors, back when you were a child.”
Word of the arrival of Robert Howell reached me this past year. To say that I was looking forward to meeting him and seeing, firsthand, his gallery would be a triumph of understatement. Happily during the preparation of our Virtual Gallery Tour, we had the opportunity of virtually meeting each other, gathering some background, and seeing the amazing gallery from a variety of reference points.
Robert Howell, and his wife, New Yorkers, very much involved in separate careers, he a producer and she in the medical field, in and around New York City, were always, at the heart of it, lovers of nature and natural surroundings. His wife, who graduated from Furman University in Greenville, brought a love of the South, and the Southern lifestyle, saw to it that he experienced the nature he so valued, in their Northern setting.
An opportunity presented itself when it seemed the right time to take advantage of their love of sighting bald eagles and bottlenose dolphins and, further, to juxtapose an abiding interest in the cultural arts ...visual, particularly ... toward a surprisingly balanced lifestyle. Their home and gallery are brilliantly set in the village of Habersham.
Camellia Art Gallery
Three locations; https://www.camelliaart.com; https://plus.smilebox.com/play?g=7a91924f-1071-4836-a56d-d178f2cb2210&sbid=3466.
Adrianne Lively’s Camellia Art Gallery has been fully in place on Hilton Head Island since the fall of 1985. We call her first location Pope Avenue, but officially it is 1 Office Way. A well known arts destination, her small-scale but completely appealing gallery was filled to the brim with simply outstanding art work, some local, some from a variety of disparate locations. All of the finest quality.
Tucked further back, toward the rear of the gallery, was her very significant framing area. Islanders counted on her advice and materials for the most artful outcomes.
An opportunity came along for Lively to create and open another gallery, which she did in 2015. That impressive location is in the J. Banks Design Group Building. A much larger space for both exhibiting and her framing focus, 35 North Main Street, has lots of artwork by the same gallery artists, and more. The space is open, and visitors appreciate the opportunity to view work from a distance and to enjoy flashes of natural lighting, which contribute to everyone’s appreciation.
But, wait, there is more. In April 2019, Lively opened a gallery in Bluffton, at 45 Calhoun St. Lots of the work of her other gallery artists fills those walls, as well as kind of lighthearted, almost whimsical work for which several Bluffton artists are famous, and whose work is highly collectible. There is also a framing opportunity at Camellia Art, Bluffton, as well.
“I’m having a ton of fun,” she said.
Her Virtual Gallery Tour contains the work of a variety of her well-known gallery artists as well as a number of new artists.
Red Piano Gallery
Red Piano Gallery, 40 Calhoun St. Suite 201, Bluffton; 843-842-4433; ben@redpianoartgallery.com; https://www.redpianoartgallery.com/events
There is an amazing history attached to the Red Piano Gallery, which actually began years and years ago. There isn’t time to take you through its iterations, but just remember the iconic gallery comes with a rich history ... in a triumph of understatement.
When owners Ben and Lyn Whiteside, along with their partners at the time, Jack Morris and Randy Light, purchased the gallery in 2002, they brought their special spin to that gallery. On the cutting edge, their location flourished and opening nights, and visits by famous artists, and most especially, annual auctions, caught the attention of art appreciators all around the country. The Red Piano Gallery continued to be the renowned Red Piano Gallery.
Times changed, and the demographics, as well. After some internal and external adjustments at Red Piano, and an impressive arts interest throughout the town of Bluffton, the Whitesides moved the gallery to Bluffton.
“We found this terrific space in the heart of Bluffton,” said Ben Whiteside. “We are upstairs, near the entrance to a number of popular shops and restaurants. And you’ll remember that Lyn and I have been living in Bluffton forever. We are truly Blufftonians, and now our new location is conveniently closer to home.”
Lyn said, “Our gallery space is incredible. The room divides impressively, so that we can feature the work of gallery artists, well known and important, as well as additional areas where the work of featured artists is exhibited. Of course, everything is arranged around the famous Red Piano, always, from the earliest beginnings, now comfortably in place at the Red Piano Gallery in Bluffton.”
Lyn and Ben have begun making early plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Red Piano Gallery.
Endangered Arts
Endangered Arts, LTD, 841 William Hilton Parkway, Unit B, Hilton Head Island; wylandhhi@aol.cm; 843-785-5075; http://endangeredarts.com/index.php?/page/video
“We want to personally thank everyone, our collectors, especially, for your continued support of our artists and our gallery every day ... We couldn’t do it without you!”
These comments were shared at a LIVE streaming event hosted by Rodel Gonzalez, one of their gallery artists, from his home studio. The very special day was an accommodation to the impact of COVID-19. The exciting event has been postponed. The good news is that it will certainly be rescheduled as soon as it is appropriate.
Owners Clay and Julie Rogers have prepared a virtual tour through the gallery, selecting images and examples of the work of their many gallery artists. As you know, their focus has always been about incredible natural settings, often featuring wildlife, sunsets, even shrimp boats and sailing vessels.
A link that they have provided will offer you a virtual look through their gallery and examples of the kinds of artwork you will be delighted to find inside.
This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 5:30 AM.