LAKE CITY, SC (WBTW) – The Lake City ArtFields Collective hosts an art competition that has brought thousands to the community, but due to the coronavirus they’ve had to cancel the showcase. as an alternative the staff switched to primarily showing the artwork online.

Kyle Coleman, Fine Arts Manager with the Lake City ArtFields Collective, says this is a huge opportunity for people who have never been able to visit the art show in Lake City to experience it virtually.

“We’re in a brand new world. I don’t think that there will be such a thing as going back to status quo,”says Coleman.

Coleman says that the ArtFields celebration is a visual competition where artists from South Carolina and eleven other eastern states are eligible to submit one piece of artwork. From there the art goes through different judging stages and prizes go to the top picks. The artwork is then displayed throughout different venues in Lake City for all to view and even purchase.

The showcase is known to bring a lot of economic value but since the cancellation Coleman says the Lake City economy is taking a blow.

“There’s no substitute for when we have visitors from not only all over the country but all over the world who make the trip to Lake City and are staying here, are shopping here, are dining here all of that is a boost to the Lake City community,” says Coleman.

While the Lake City ArtFields Collective staff is not able to offer direct financial support, they have found a way to still support local businesses and venues. The staff is using their social media pages to showcase the businesses and what they do.

“We are currently planning our upcoming Fall gallery shows to help encourage visitors to also patronize local businesses through partnership deals,” says Coleman. 

“And some artists are generously offering to provide the 20% commission to their respective venue, if their artwork is sold (during ArtFields, this is a standard agreement between the artist and the hosting venue),” says Coleman.

Next years ArtFields showcase is scheduled for April 23, 2021 through May 1st in Lake City.

Click the link to go to the ArtFields website where you can view and even purchase the 2020 artwork:

https://www.artfieldssc.org/galleries/?festival_year=2020