4th Annual Cottontown Art Crawl is Coming Up - Saturday, March 12, 2022, from 10 am to 3 pm

The fourth annual Cottontown Art Crawl will welcome 115 artists to show and sell their original work in the downtown Columbia neighborhood. The event will be held on Saturday, March 12, 2022, from 10 am to 3 pm with more art, more artists, more food and more fun for visitors.

In 2019, the historic neighborhood in downtown Columbia, S.C. held the first Cottontown Art Crawl. The event drew hundreds of people to explore the neighborhood and its businesses and garnered the 2019 Neighborhood Program of the Year from the Columbia Council of Neighborhoods. The event has seen significant growth since. The 2022 event will be the largest yet sponsored by the neighborhood.

“The Cottontown neighborhood is looking forward to supporting the Columbia arts scene on March 12th,” said organizer Julie Seel. “Artists will be selling their work throughout the entire neighborhood. Some of the artists are emerging, some are quite accomplished, and some are award winning, juried artists. So, we truly have something for every level of art enthusiast,” said Seel.

This event is entirely outdoors and spread over several city blocks, but social distancing and masks are encouraged. The organizers of the event are committed to creating a safe and welcoming environment for all and providing an opportunity for artists to showcase and sell their work safely.

Due to the success of the last three Art Crawls, this year boasts many more artists than previous years, as well as an accessibility and entertainment corridor on the 2200 block of Sumter Street with artists, food vendors and entertainment. While artists are located throughout the neighborhood, the corridor is intended to be more accessible to individuals with mobility issues. 

The event is FREE and open to the public and will also feature live music featuring local bands and performers at Indah Coffee’s outdoor stage. The main host station will be located at 2200 Sumter Street, where information and maps will be available. Maps will also be available at specially marked post boxes throughout the neighborhood.

For more information about CAC and to see work by artists, please visit the Facebook and Instagram pages, or email jseel1@sc.rr.com.

2021 Cottontown Art Crawl is Just What Everyone Needs Right Now

It’s like all the art gods got together and whispered in the ears of Julie Seel and her team of talented friends and neighbors in the charming little hamlet of Cottontown at once, “Your community needs art and sunshine and music and a reminder that people are basically good and giving. Give them the art they crave!”

And it was so.

This Saturday from 10 - 3 plan to put your troubles on a plane to the moon, but take yourself and everyone you love to Columbia’s Cottontown-Bellevue historic district where you can bask in the vibes of 83 artists who have been cooped up for a year with nothing to do but express the gamut of their emotions with their hands and pent up creativity.

There is no telling what these amazing people have put together for us.

What we do know is this:

• the Host Station is at 2150 Sumter Street where you can pick up maps or meet your friends

• 42 art sites are neighborhood porches, yards, & in the areas of local businesses

• the Cottontown Art Crawl organizers are committed to creating a safe and inviting atmosphere so social distancing and masks are required across the entire area

• the event is free but the art is not - while almost all artists will take cards, it’s a good idea to have a little cash on hand

• this is the third annual Cottontown Art Crawl, but it’s the biggest thus far, so plan accordingly

• there will be music in the Indah Coffee parking lot - see the line-up below

While you’re here, why not check out all our friends who have committed to supporting their local arts magazine by joining the JASPER GUILD

HERE

and maybe while you’re there you might want to add your own name to the list of esteemed supporters