08 Nov Upstate Headlines: Greenville’s Open Studios, Clemson Agriculture Drones, Spartanburg Public Art and More!
A collection of the top Upstate headlines for the week of November 8, 2017
16th Annual Greenville Open Studios
Greenville Open Studios is a weekend event which opens the studios of local visual artists to the public and showcases artists at work in their studios. The event is held annually – this year, falling on the 10th -12th of November. Now entering its 16th year, Greenville Open Studios began as an idea cast about during a casual conversation between a small group of artists; they discussed doing something to raise awareness in the greater community of the tremendous creative energy in the area. The 2017 self-guided tour features 145 artists and their studios. Studio locations vary throughout a 15-mile radius of downtown Greenville with Easley, Greer, Travelers Rest and Simpsonville included. Open Studios catalogues can be found at all the studios as well as here at MAC in late October. The goals of Greenville Open Studios are to provide free and convenient community access to visual arts, to educate and create a dialogue between artists and the general public by opening artists’ place of work and inviting the community-at-large to participate in the creative process, and to create new marketing opportunities for artists.
College Town Hub-Bub Bring Art, Designing Utility Boxes Across Spartanburg
The newest public art project in Spartanburg seeks to give the county’s seven colleges more of a presence downtown. Electric Art, an effort by Hub-Bub and the College Town consortium, features colorful vinyl coverings on nine utility boxes across the city. Each of the county’s seven colleges and College Town are featured on boxes, and the work of Roderice Cardell, also known as the Maddd Artist, is in front of the Spartanburg County Headquarters Library. “We wanted to do something arts-based that showcased the colleges in downtown Spartanburg,” said Naomi Sargent, director of College Town. “We wanted to give students a sense of ownership in downtown.” Sam Veremchuck, a Wofford College graduate and outreach administrator at the Chapman Cultural Center, surveyed students at several of the county’s colleges to learn what icons should be included with each college’s colors and design. He worked with local artists Russell Bannan and Eli Blasko to design each college’s vinyl pieces. Eric Kocher, director of Hub-Bub, which now falls under the Chapman Cultural Center umbrella, says, “There’s no point at which we reach capacity for public art. There’s no point that we say, ‘And now, we have enough.’ Public art is about the continuing transformation of our community. I think these boxes right now are a moment to signal some of that.”
Clemson Agriculture Drones Boost Farm Production Across US
Clemson agriculture drones could boost farm production across the U.S., making it a possibility for drones to be flying across America’s farmland soon. The Federal Aviation Administration has granted Clemson University a special license for researchers to pilot unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) weighing less than 55 pounds anywhere in the United States. One of those pilots is Joe Mari Maja. Maja, a sensor engineer, joined Clemson’s precision-agriculture research program two years ago to develop techniques and technologies that could improve profitability and environmental sustainability in agriculture, South Carolina’s largest industry. So, he turned his attention to drones, which in recent years have been used by various industries, including retail and aerospace. “I believe the applications for this are very diverse. Maja is currently developing sensors that can transmit crop data from drones to wearable devices such as smart glasses. He is also developing a circuit board that allows drones to communicate directly with farm technology irrigation systems. “That’s my dream,” Maja said. Farmers could reap the benefits of the technology.
Plans Announced for Food Hall Concept – Gather GVL
Two major national trends – shipping container repurposing and food halls – are converging in one new project in Greenville’s West End. Gather GVL, a new 12-restaurant food hall is planned for a near-vacant lot at 126 and 128 Augusta St., across from the new South Carolina Children’s Theatre site. A small cinderblock building that currently sits on the site will be demolished, and both used and newly fabricated shipping containers will be positioned around a courtyard to create Gather GVL. The 17,000-square-foot, multicolored complex that will sit on a 0.5-acre lot steps away from Fluor Field. The project will be presented at the Dec. 7 DRB public hearing. The timing of this project is in line with national trends in the restaurant and development industries. The Wall Street Journal reports that the food hall trend is still white hot: “The number of food halls grew by 37% to 105 in 2016, and is predicted to double by 2019 in the U.S., according to commercial real-estate firm Cushman & Wakefield.”
Delaney’s Owners Have Big Plans for Downtown Spartanburg Staple
Delaney’s owners Brian Greene and Kevin Moore have acquired full ownership of their downtown establishment and plan to add to the pub’s menu — and, eventually, its seating capacity. Greene and Moore bought out the shares from the Columbia-based company that opened Delaney’s in Spartanburg and split them 50-50. It has become a staple in the city’s center since opening here in 2003, with downtown literally growing all around it. “This is 100 percent locally-owned now,” Moore said. Menu changes will start early next month. Moore said a total of 15 new items will be brought onto the menu, in addition to a new dessert menu that was put in place this week. Moore, who has been at Delaney’s since it opened, said he has wanted to add outdoor seating for more than a decade. “We can’t wait. That’s something I’ve pushed for for 11 years. We’re hoping to get 10 tables out there,” he said. “This is the first time I’ve ever felt really positive about it. To me, it’s going to be a win-win.”
