Exploring Spartanburg ArtWalk

The arts and culture scene is non-stop in Spartanburg, especially in the Downtown Cultural District. Once a month, our cultural entities and creative industries pool their talents to host Spartanburg's largest, consistent, unofficial downtown event. That would be ArtWalk, held on the third Thursday night of every month. (ArtWalk has a brand-new website! Check it out here.)

Galleries and artists' studios host show openings, breweries and events centers host art markets, and local boutiques host "Sip & Shop" specialty sales and workshops. Times vary, but most events span between 5pm and 9pm. AND, the second best part (after the wonderful local arts and handcrafted goods of course) is the complimentary drinks and cheeses. Let us repeat: free wine and cheese. Here's seven locations that participate each month:

1. Artists Collective Spartanburg (578 West Main St) is in one of the most unique gallery spaces in Spartanburg- a former church. Every nook and cranny of the three-story building is full of galleries, 50+ collective artists and 32 studio spaces, a black box theater, ceramics and printmaking studios, a giftshop, and more. During ArtWalk, wander the historic building, exploring the three gallery rooms and main Solomon Gallery, (located in the former church's sanctuary.) You may even find some of the resident artists in their studios for a chat. Click here for more details on Artists Collective's current exhibitions.

2. Chapman Cultural Center (200 East Saint John St) is a one-stop hub for numerous creative institutions and non-profits on one campus, including community galleries for local students' works, the Spartanburg Science Center. Our next two gallery stops host artists' receptions each ArtWalk:

3. The Artists' Guild of Spartanburg Gallery hosts rotating monthly exhibits featuring individual guild artists, (pictured.) Each month's artist holds their public reception during ArtWalk. Click here for more details on Artists' Guild's current and upcoming exhibitions.

4. Spartanburg Art Museum is a regional contemporary art museum, which offers both rotating art exhibitions in the gallery and instructional art classes in its campus studios. Click here for more details on Spartanburg Art Museum's current and upcoming exhibitions.

5. Mayfair Art Studios, a part of Chapman Cultural Center’s community outreach located in Arcadia in a renovated mill, (1885 Hayne St,) is home to shared multimedia spaces, dance studios and practice rooms for rent, and more. Mayfair hosts Open Studios during ArtWalk, featuring their 12 resident creatives’ spaces.

6. The Johnson Collection, a "private collection for public good," has 1,200+ Southern artworks within its holdings, many of which are on display in downtown's TJC Gallery, (154 West Main St, pictured.) The gallery offers curated exhibitions for free public viewing, open 12pm-4pm Wednesday through Saturday, and every third Thursday for ArtWalk. Click here for more details on TJC Gallery's current and upcoming exhibitions.

7. The Art Lounge (1410 Skylyn Dr) moved to a new location outside of downtown in 2021, and offers unique attractions such as the Art-O-Mat miniature art vending machine, (pictured.) The showroom is filled with home decor and functional art, in addition to canvas- and frame-covered walls. Click here for our full feature InTheBurg article on owner Brandi Dice and their new retail location and framing workshop.

   Depending on the month and season, any number of additional downtown retailers may be participating in ArtWalk. Find more details on your favorite boutiques' social media for whether they will participate each month.

Here's three art-centric retailers we love to visit:

The Kindred Spirits(155 North Spring St) holds over 80 different local artists' work on its walls and shelves, offering a shopping and gallery experience daily, (pictured.) In addition to regular arts workshops, the boutique offers a cozy ArtWalk experience with ceramic mugs of tea and cocoa and something new to view in every direction.

The Board Ryders Club (512 East Main St) is one of downtown's newest additions, offering specialty skate shop apparel, riding materials and custom skate decks, skating lessons, and more. Their Spartanburg location is open 5pm-9pm during ArtWalk, with local art displayed daily in-store and pop-up artist receptions during the event.

Market on Main Spartanburg (156 East Main St) consistently opens for Sip & Shop, with tasting events, live art demonstrations, and the occasional thematic art class. More details on upcoming events and vendor artists in-store can be found on their Facebook page.

If you continue down East Main Street, just a few buildings away, you'll find two art-viewing opportunities. USC Upstate's Gallery on Main(172 East Main St) is a one-room gallery offers rotating exhibits with occasional special events. Next door, within the Aug W. Smith Building (174 East Main St,) Spartanburg Methodist College also has a downtown gallery which exclusively hosts campus artists: the SMC Studio. Cheers!