Mary Martin Gallery of Charleston to host Youth Charleston Art Festival

Creativity is the heart of art. Encouraging, nurturing, and teaching creativity to our youth provide skills to remain an artist…not just of painting or sculpting or drawing, but of everything.

YOUTH CHARLESTON ART FESTIVAL 2022, June 4, sponsored by Mary Martin Gallery of Fine Art located in Charleston Place Hotel, is a celebration of creativity involving young lovers of art of the Lowvountry. During a day of fun events led by professional artists, the youth will create artworks while learning to think out of the box.

A special guest appearance by artist David Michael Beck will highlight our day of creative art activities.

David’s great strength as a conceptual artist, as well as his masterful technical skills, has developed a visual voice quite unlike any other in the field of illustration. In recent years, he has developed an impressive body of work in genre illustration covering adventure, science fiction, fantasy, horror, and comic books.

David has accrued numerous awards of excellence from The Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts Magazine, Print, and other regional and national competitions. His original artwork hangs in the private collections of such notables as George Lucas, Jerry Garcia and Mickey Hart of The Grateful Dead rock band, Hugh and Christy Hefner, and the American Italian Museum.

Our young participants will rotate through exciting centers of art activities taught by successful artists from throughout America.  The participants will experience success as they complete various works of art that will be displayed in the gallery.  Each of our young artists will receive art supplies as a special gift from our gallery. The group will be given the opportunity to donate some of their art creations that may be purchased during an auction.  The proceeds will benefit a non-profit art program directed by Dorothea Gerber.

In addition to the visual art activities, our summer event will feature music performers; sweetgrass basket demonstration; visits via video from our international artists of Italy, Russia, Zimbabwe, Cuba, France, Ukraine, Spain, and South Africa. The first YOUTH CHARLESTON ART FESTIVAL 2022 will culminate in a celebration of success during an interactive art exhibition in our Mary Martin Gallery.

Youth from throughout the Lowcountry, ages six to sixteen and accompanied by a parent, are invited to visit Mary Martin Gallery’s celebration of art festival through-out the day of Saturday, June 4, 10:00 AM through 6:00 PM, as we celebrate the announcement of the opening of a new Mary Martin Gallery of Fine Art in downtown Charleston.