Outside The Box

If you’ve ever strolled down Alycia Alley, behind the Avondale Point shops in West Ashley along Savannah Highway, then you’ve seen one of Charleston’s most unique and dynamic art galleries. Created by various local artists, the ever-evolving series of colorful murals is part of chART (Charleston’s Outdoor Public Art Initiative & Gallery).
The brainchild of West Ashley resident and business owner Geoffrey Richardson, chART strives to foster creativity in the community by providing a non-traditional public canvas for artists in the Charleston area. Geoff and his wife Noel, own Lava Salon, which is immediate neighbors with the offices of West Of — West Ashley’s Newspaper, in the Avondale Point Business District.
When West Of publisher Lorne Chambers recently purchased 35 refurbished metal outdoor newspaper vending machines, the two business owners hatched a plan that would allow resident “chARTists” and other locally chosen artists to use the newspaper boxes as their own blank canvas.
Before the newspaper boxes find their way onto the streets, they will first be on display as part of an opening reception and art walk, spanning a handful of businesses in Avondale on Friday, September 5 from 6-9 p.m. The following business are participating in the “chART Walk” evening and each will have a handful of newspaper boxes at their locations along Savannah Highway — Jericho Advisors, Avondale Wine & Cheese, Lava Salon, Non’Pa*reil Photography Studio, and the office of West Of. The event is family friendly and there will be entertainment and refreshments at each location.
“This is part of a unique community art project taking chART’s mission from beyond the back walls of Avondale and deep into the West Ashley community,” says Chambers. “It’s like peanut butter and jelly,” adds Richardson. “chART’s mission to spread art publicly goes together perfectly with West Of’s broad local distribution channels.”
The West Of chART box project is also a competition for the 30 participating artists. Four judges from the local art community will each vote for their favorite box. The judges for this contest are acclaimed local visual artist Nathan Durfee, Art Mag publisher Olivia Poole, Redux Contemporary Art Center Director of Operations Greg Colleton, and Amy Pastre, co-owner of Stitch Design Co. A fifth “judge” will be the attendees, who can vote by putting quarters in any or all of their favorite newspaper box entries. There’s no limit to the number of quarters people can put in the boxes and 100 percent of the proceeds from this contest will benefit future chART projects. (Cashiers will be on hand with rolls of quarters.)
Behind the businesses in Alycia Alley, DJ Kav1ani and the Senate DJs will be spinning records, local comedian Jeremy McLellan will be reprising his roll as a “MisFortune Teller” inside the Roll With It Enterprises, LLC Airstream (where it never ends good but it always ends funny). The Lowcountry Street Grocery: a Mobile Farmers’ Market will be out, and Hot Links will be slinging their local, homemade sausages. King of Pops  will be hanging at Jericho Advisors and Ashley Bakery will be providing cupcakes at the West Of office.
The winners of the competition will be announced at the official after party at Voodoo Tiki Bar & Lounge, located across Savannah Highway at 15 Magnolia Road. DJ Kav1ani and the Senate DJs will also entertain at the after-party.
In addition to the “Best In Show” $500 cash winner, there will also be other prizes from event sponsors. Judges will also choose the box that best embodies West Ashley for the “Most West Ashley” prize. Readers of West Of will be able to vote online at www.westof.net, between Sept. 6-16 for “The Reader’s Choice.”
The West Of chART Box Art Walk will be held this Friday, Sept. 5, from 6-9 p.m. at various shops on the Savannah Highway side of Avondale Point. The official after-party and announcement of winners will be held across the street at Voodoo Tiki Bar & Lounge, 15 Magnolia Road. For more information go to West Of chART Box Walk on Facebook.