Greenville Open Studios sets new sales record in 2019

Greenville Open Studios broke a new record for sales in 2019, bringing in $376,022 for the 158 artists participating — an average of just under $2,400 per artist.

The total sales for the event, held Nov. 9-10, surpassed 2018’s results by nearly 18%.

“These fantastic results are due to the outstanding talent and professionalism of Greenville’s visual arts community,” said Metropolitan Arts Council Executive Director Alan Ethridge.

Since its debut year in 2002, there have been more than 621,000 visits to the various participating studios, and more than $3.8 million in art has been sold.

The art showcase, presented by SEW-Eurodrive, South State Bank and the Peace Center, aims to provide an educational experience to the community about local artists while also giving artists a way to promote their work to the community.

Jessica Fields, a painter with a studio in the Village of West Greenville, was new to the event in 2019. Fields called Open Studios “the highlight of my year.”

“I was overwhelmed by the profoundly tangible connection to the community,” Fields said. “It created real relationships that inspired and stretched me as an artist.”

Printmaker Kent Ambler, a participant in Open Studios for many years, echoed that sentiment of connectivity.

“It is such a great way for people to find new artists,” he said.

The 2019 iteration of Open Studios was the second year the event offered an app to allow users to track locations of studios and plan their visits. About 1,500 unique users downloaded the app to their desktops or phones in 2019.

Next year’s Open Studios is scheduled for Nov. 14-15.

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