Best of Show "Handed Down" mixed media by Susan Lenz of Columbia.

Artists and artisans from across South Carolina were invited to participate in the 12th Annual South Carolina Palmetto Hands Fine Craft Competition & Exhibition, the state’s only juried fine craft competition and exhibition. 

Organized and exhibited annually by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, the show is presented as a component of the North Charleston Arts Festival. 

Following an extensive pre-jury process, 38 applicants were asked to participate and 108 entries were submitted in the categories of clay, fiber, metal, wood, and 3D mixed media.

Cash awards totaling $6,500 were made at the sole discretion of the juror, Clay Burnette, handweaver, basketmaker, and Director of Grants and Fellowships at the South Carolina Arts Commission.

After making his selections, Mr. Burnette stated, “As I viewed the artwork submitted to this year’s exhibit, my goal was to identify examples of works that contained true evidence of the mark of the artist’s hand – proof that quality, individuality, and attention to detail has gone into each piece that I was selecting.” He continued, “It was obvious that individual identity - that mark of the hand - was prominent in many of the pieces presented, which made my task of selecting those that I deemed most worthy of the awards even more difficult.”

After awarding ribbons, Mr. Burnette also selected pieces from the show to assemble a South Carolina Palmetto Hands Fine Craft Traveling Exhibition, which will tour the state through the South Carolina State Museum’s 2012/2013 Traveling Exhibitions Program.  This program gives galleries, museums, and art centers across South Carolina the opportunity to request the exhibit to tour their facilities, thus providing additional exposure for the selected artists.

In addition, two pieces were selected for City of North Charleston Purchase Awards. These pieces will be added to the City of North Charleston Permanent Public Art Collection, which is on display throughout North Charleston City Hall throughout most of the year.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2012 SC Palmetto Hands Fine Craft Competition & Exhibition:

Best of Show
Handed Down (Mixed Media) by Susan Lenz (Columbia, SC) 

Outstanding Merit
Palmetto Sprout (Clay) by Patz Fowle (Hartsville, SC)
Capsulated Conifer (Mixed Media) by Kim Keats (Okatie, SC)

Honorable Mention
Lolly & Pop (Metal) by Matt Wilson (North Charleston, SC)
Vessel No. 359 (Metal) by Lee Sipe (Columbia, SC)
Lidded Jar (Clay) by John Johnson (North Myrtle Beach, SC)
Binky (Fiber) by Ellen Byrd (Mt. Pleasant, SC)
Bloom (Metal) by Mackenzie King (Charleston, SC)
Forged Simplicity (Metal) by Michael DuBois (Ladson, SC)
Henry (Metal) by Matt Wilson (North Charleston, SC)
High Chair Driven (Mixed Media) by Dennis Vernon (Okatie, SC)
Dream Catcher “Carolina” (Mixed Media) by Rebecca Johnson (Wedgefield, SC)
Leaf Necklace (Mixed Media) by Rachel Weiss (Charleston, SC)
Paradise Lost (Fiber) by Connie Lippert (Seneca, SC)
Indigo Dyeing Under the Magnolias (Fiber) by Arianne King Comer (North Charleston, SC) 

SC Palmetto Hands Traveling Exhibition Selections
Handed Down (Mixed Media) by Susan Lenz (Columbia, SC)
Indigo Dyeing Under the Magnolias (Fiber) by Arianne King Comer (North Charleston, SC)
Brown Jug (Clay) by Pamela Steele (Gilbert, SC)
Mark Leaving Series #3 (Mixed Media) by Fran Gardner (Heath Springs, SC)
Lowcountry Server (Clay) by John Johnson (North Myrtle Beach, SC)
Count It All Joy (Mixed Media) by Georgette W. Sanders (McClellanville, SC)
Open Segment Bowl with Foot (Wood) by Kenny Teague (Charleston, SC)
Pearl Fryar’s Glorious Garden (Clay) by Patz Fowle (Hartsville, SC)
I Confess (Fiber) by Ellen Byrd (Mt. Pleasant, SC)
Untitled (Wood) by William Fournier (Mt. Pleasant, SC)
Palmetto Sprout (Clay) by Patz Fowle (Hartsville, SC)
Capsulated Conifer (Mixed Media) by Kim Keats (Okatie, SC)
Large Urn (Clay) by John Johnson (North Myrtle Beach, SC)
Binky (Fiber) by Ellen Byrd (Mt. Pleasant, SC)
Bloom (Metal) by Mackenzie King (Charleston, SC)
Forged Simplicity (Metal) by Michael DuBois (Ladson, SC)
High Chair Driven (Mixed Media) by Dennis Vernon (Okatie, SC)
Dream Catcher “Carolina” (Mixed Media) by Rebecca Johnson (Wedgefield, SC) 

City of North Charleston Purchase Award
Lolly & Pop (Metal) by Matt Wilson (North Charleston, SC)
Urn (Wood) by Ben C. Pendarvis, Jr. (Orangeburg, SC)

For more information about the South Carolina Palmetto Hands Fine Craft Competition & Exhibition, contact the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at 843-740-5854, email culturalarts@northcharleston.org, or visit the Cultural Arts section of the City’s website at www.northcharleston.org. Those interested in hosting the traveling exhibition should contact Jeff Powley, South Carolina State Museum Outreach Manager, at 803-737-4159 or jeff.powley@scmuseum.org.