On any given day, Artists Collective | Spartanburg has hundreds of locally made works of art in its three-story building, everything from inexpensive handmade bookmarks to award-winning sculptures worth thousands of dollars — nearly all of it for sale. But COVID-19 has changed the making and selling of art. People are sheltering in place, not going to galleries, not buying art. Artists, too, are sheltering in place, making more art than normal. As a result there’s a glut in the market, and the Collective has more art than it has room for.
To stimulate sales and make way for new art, the Collective will have an “Art Warehouse Sale” in February 2021. Patrons can expect to see select items marked down by as much as 50 percent in Galleries II and III on the main floor. (They can also see the exhibition The Art of Survival, a collective of art that was created during the pandemic by various artists. It is being held over through the end of February in the Solomon Gallery.)
The sale will start Tuesday, Feb. 2, and will continue through Saturday, Feb. 27. The work can be seen Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. There is no entrance fee, however, everyone must abide by safety guidelines set forth to stop the COVID pandemic, including the use of facemasks and staying socially distant from each other.
“For people looking to buy great art at a great price, this will be the event of the year in Spartanburg,” sale organizer and Collective member Judy Martin said. “About 20 of our most prolific artists will be participating, everything from jewelry and photography to pottery and portraits. And all of the work will have been created by some of the most well known and respected artists in Upstate South Carolina. We need to move this art and make way for new items.”
Among the participating artists are Joan Wheatly, Sally Weber, Jim Weber, Thomas Koenig, Marci Fedalei, Rosemary McLeod, Judy Martin, Beth Regula, Patrick DeCrane, Barbie Workman, Nancy Williamson, Ruza Pocivavsek, Shannon Patrick, Brandi Tucker, Janis McElligott, Craig Denesha, Patty Wright, Carol Story, and Chuck Bishop. The Collective has more than 50 members, and about 30 of them have working studios onsite.
Normally, the Collective has three exhibitions per month by members and guest artists. In addition to the art found in the galleries and the two-room gift shop, for-sale art can be found on nearly every wall and in every corner of the 20,000-square-foot building that was originally a Baptist Church.
Martin emphasized that all safety precautions will be in place during the sale, including the number of people who can enter the building at the same time. “Since the very beginning of the pandemic, Artists Collective | Spartanburg has been extremely safety conscious,” she said. “We’ve not had receptions, performances, or social events. We’ve stepped up our cleaning practices. And, we have strict rules about wearing masks and letting in only a few people at a time. Of course, there is a risk no matter what you do. But we are as safe as it gets. This will be a once in a lifetime opportunity to buy top-quality art at bargain-basement prices.”