[Guest Post] Charleston Artist Collective, Summer Partnership

Director of Charleston Artist Collective, Allison Williamson

So much of what I love most about growing up and living in Charleston revolves around our waterways. My family spends as much time as we can exploring Charleston’s creeks and rivers by boat. We spend many summer afternoons jumping off docks on the backside of Sullivan’s island, fishing and crabbing around Dewees and Capers, and surfing on the Isle of Palms. We frequent the shrimp docks at Shem Creek to indulge in the local catch. For the past two years, we have spent my children’s birth parties Seining at the beach.  As we pull in the nets, we all marvel at what sea life we have pulled in only to quickly return it to the ocean. Oysters Roasts in the Fall are just part of our culture. Without question our water quality is vital to our lifestyle.

The Charleston Artist Collective members derive a lot of their inspiration from the beauty of our waterways for their paintings. Many of them gather each week to paint En Plein Air at different locations. They capture many local spots that make Charleston so alluring.

We chose to support the Charleston Waterkeeper through our June and July sales because preserving our water quality is crucial to continue the enjoyment of the Lowcountry’s best asset. The Charleston Artist Collective was created to showcase local artists while supporting local area non-profits through a portion of our sales. We have raised close to $60k for charities since our launch in 2010. We believe giving back what we can helps Charleston continue to be such an amazing place to live. We appreciate the work of  Charleston Waterkeeper.

Visit www.CharlestonArtistCollective.org to purchase one of the works featured above and view the rest of the ‘Salt + Tide’ collection. 15% of total sales through July 31st will benefit Charleston Waterkeeper’s data-driven programs.