Go beyond South Carolina’s abundance of natural wonders and explore the culture that defines the state and its diverse populations. Tradition is very important in South Carolina — a fact that is readily apparent from the state’s artisans and craft makers. It’s easy to find individuals preserving the exact styles, themes or ways of making art that were created when South Carolina was created. However, like any other modern state, there are those creators whose eyes are firmly facing forward. From fine art to hand crafted items, check out a selection of some of South Carolina’s best.
The Traditional
These artisans are creating art that hearkens back to the historic Carolinian art created by its earliest residents.
- The Catawba Indians are indigenous to the Carolinas and have called it home for thousands of years. Through the creation of the Catawba Cultural Preservation Project, the descendants of those indigenous people are creating and curating art that reflects their original way of life. You can visit the center in Rock Hill, South Carolina or visit their online craft shop to purchase their unique jewelry and pottery.
- The Little Red Barn Pottery & Art Gallery is home to Liz Ringus, one of South Carolina’s most recognized creators. Although a master ceramist, her traditional face jugs are the most popular of her creations. Face jugs, pottery designed to mimic human features, are thought to have their roots in the traditional art created by enslaved people before becoming a widespread mainstay in South Carolinian art culture. Many believe the faces on the jugs were placed there to ward off evil spirits and thieving hands. Liz’s jugs exemplify the traditional style and have been exhibited at some of the state’s museums as well as being found all over the world. Pottery fans can take a trip to Barnswell, SC, and visit her studio to purchase their very own jug.
- The laid back lifestyle of Pawley’s Island might explain why it is the home of one of the nation’s most popular hammock styles. Since the 1930s, cotton rope Pawley Island Hammocks have been the hammock of choice. Created in 1889 by riverboat captain Joshua John Ward as he sought a more comfortable way to sleep on his barge, the design hasn’t changed much since. Although often imitated, The Original Hammock Shop continues to be the best destination among the island’s shops to purchase your own hammock. Can’t make it too Pawley’s? The hammocks are also available online.
The New Guard
These artists’ works are not only beautiful to look at and infused with the spirit of South Carolina. They are also underlaid with political messaging that informed the artist’s experiences as modern citizens.
- In recent years, Fletcher Williams III has emerged as one of Charleston’s artists to watch. Williams’s art turns typical Southern themes and symbols, like the white picket fence, on their heads, refracting them through his experiences as a descendant of Charleston’s enslaved peoples. While not explicitly political, his method and meaning most often comes from the materials used, whether those are bricks originally created by slaves or metal salvaged from freedmen’s cottages. The interdisciplinary artist currently has an exhibit at the Redux Contemporary Art Center of selected works from his studio, many have never been displayed before.
- A vocal artist and activist, Clementia “Ment” Nelson is dedicated to using his art and platform to support the causes he believes in. Nelson went viral last year for a painting of Kanye West and President Trump that he priced at $1 million dollars, and since then he’s been leveraging his newfound social media fame to uplift local Black businesses. While his other works are soothing earth-toned watercolors, the self-taught artist continues to also create art that sparks conversation like a blacked out canvas tied to the Blackout Tuesday protests early this year. Nelson donated the proceeds from the sale of that piece to Black Lives Matter.