Summerville welcomes artists to Azalea Park event

A little something for all ages and artistic tastes was on display during the 11th annual Sculpture in the South Show and Sale held Saturday and Sunday at Azalea Park.

Nearly three dozen sculptors from across the country displayed sculpture that ranged in style from the representational to the whimsical and abstract.

"From all the feedback I've gotten, it's been highly successful," Sculpture in the South Executive Director Janet Meyer said. "The artists are very pleased with how the Summerville community supports and embraces it.

"I really like the intimacy of the show. By the time people leave, they really get to know our artists."

Final numbers haven't been calculated yet, but Meyer said she was sure attendance had exceeded last year's number of about 2,000.

"We actually ran out of tickets for children. That tells us more families came," she said.

The festival featured a few new wrinkles that were well-received. Among the highlights was a quick sculpt contest in which seven artists had an hour to produce a piece that was then auctioned off.

Florida artist James Hixson offered a mini-sculpture class for children to show them how he finishes wood sculptures. He handed each student a block of wood and turned them loose with filing and sanding tools.

"That's what I like about teaching. It gets you up and moving around. And I like the kids," Hixson said.

Summerville resident Bunny Scott enjoyed watching her 8-year-old granddaughter, Anna, filing away at a piece of cherry wood. She noted that Hixson's interaction was typical of the entire show.

"All of (the artists) have been very outgoing and personable, especially with the kids," she said.

Dorchester School District 2 also made a big impact on the show. In addition to displaying a tent full of student art, the district brought art teachers, who set up an interactive booth where children could make mobiles and aluminum foil figurines.

Meyer said she would look for ways to add more interactive elements to future festivals, including workshops and seminars and definitely more children-oriented activities.

"The introduction of art can't start early enough to invoke creativity," she said.

The artists hailed from all parts of the country, with many from Texas, Florida, Georgia and a few from as far away as Oregon and Colorado. Most of the artists tour the country to show and sell their work at a number of shows each year.

Sculpture in the South, the organization, uses the show as its main fundraiser.

The group gets 30 percent of the artists' sales, and the money is reinvested into the Summerville community. Over the past decade, Sculpture in the South has placed 19 pieces of art around town to beautify public spaces.

The show didn't attract just artists from across the country. At least one pair of tourists from Lexington, Ky., planned their trip to the Lowcountry around Sculpture in the South.

"We came here last year and loved it," said Carol Snyder as she admired a large bronze lion with her husband, Kirk, in the middle of Azalea Park. "We bought a fox (sculpture) last year. The hard thing is choosing what to buy."

Reach Bill Henley at 937-5433 or bhenley@postandcourier.com.