From its inception this remarkable gathering of skilled artists has brought a rare collection of magnificent work to Downtown. Each year is a growing number of artists and patrons making this a hightlight of Spring in Greenville!
This is a great festival with a little something for everyone. Ton of art vendors to view, a kids tent with awesome face painting, a food avenue with all of Greenville's top restaurants. Great way to spend a weekend in May and enjoy the city and the art. In the West End are performance artists and entertainers. Cold beer carts almost every block. Perfect for visiting family or just to enjoy what a great city we have here in Greenville.
My wife is a retired Fused Glass artist (www.dureedesign.com) and we were excited to attend this show, just moving here from Colorado in October. (Actually most of her glass art was made when we lived in California, when we moved to Colorado she focused more on Silver Smithing). Anyway we have participated in some of the Finer Art Festivals on the West Coast and Artisphere is right up there with shows like La Jolla, Laguna Beach, LA and all of the fine art shows in the Bay area. We felt the jury process set very high standards and the variety of medium was excellent. We discovered a brilliant glass blower from GA and purchased one of his pieces. Just a great festival with a great feel in a great city...Greenville. We our blessed to be living here and look forward to next years Artisphere.
I see some comments say pricey... well it's not a flea market. There are artisans at Artisphere and it is juried so there are a limited amount of spots and not everyone is accepted. Yes some of it pricey but you never know what you will find!
My favorite part is Brian Olsen's show. It's nice to walk around and see the art and the performers, however it gets very crowded. I've been run over by more than a few strollers.
I went for the first time in 2014, and was so amazed that "yeah, this Greenville" hosted a world-class arts festival. There are artists of every medium, and literally from all over the world. I lived in Atlanta for decades, and this festival is better than anything I ever attended there. I always go on Friday after work (smaller crowds). Saturday afternoon is VERY crowded. I am having friends family from out of town come over and visit this year to attend Artisphere 2015 (may 8-10).
We have been to Artisphere several times and have enjoyed it thoroughly. The variety of the artists is amazing. We mostly look but have bought a few things. The food is nice and the demonstrations are interesting. It's a great way to usher in Spring in the Upstate!
If you love art and downtown Greenville, then you'll love this festival. Why decorate your abode from a national chain store when we are very fortunate to host one of the best art festivals in the nation right here. While many are national artists, several are local and regional. There are lots of performances to enjoy the whole weekend with several being free or at very affordable prices.
Artisphere is one of the top art shows in the country now! It is attracting artists from all over the country and just keeps getting better and better every year!
We had a blast this year! It's always good to have some wine and walk the tents. Great art and some odd art....