Is there really a difference? 

"It's an on-going argument," said Jenny Rone, the development director of the Arts Council of Beaufort County and former owner of a #7 Contemporary American Crafts gallery in the US. "Are contemporary crafters artists? Are traditional crafters? I don't call people 'craftsmen' because in my opinion, they are artists. And that is because their processes involves the same basic principles of art— shape, form, light, color. It's time for us to see the whole big picture of art instead of putting people into little niches."

On Monday, September 14th, at 1pm, Jenny will be joined by three artist-entrepreneurs for a Get Your Art Out session at ARTworks to explore the substance and semantics of crafts, folk art, & fine arts. How do these genres compare and what is their role in the creative economy? Jennifer Kassing-Bradley will opine, drawing on her experiences as the coordinator of the SCAD-Technical College of the Lowcountry arts program and the owner of Coastal Art Supply in ARTworks; Deanna Bowdish, owner of The Gallery in Beaufort will also be there to debate, while her 100 for $100 show hangs in the ARTworks gallery; and Amy Zurcher, director of shopSCAD in Savannah, Atlanta and Lacoste France, will offer her international point of view.

Get Your Art Out is a series of free and $5 workshops at ARTworks in Beaufort Town Center presented by the Arts Council of Beaufort County to artists who are working on (or thinking about working on) their careers. Get Your Art Out is a significant part of ACBC's goal to weave the arts into the fabric of everyday life in Beaufort County. The $5 crafts session will be followed by Writing While Southern on Monday, October 5th, 1pm – 3pm, with author Kathryn Wall, to discuss the South's renowned literary tradition and how the writing-residents of Beaufort County are contributing to the genre, and how they might be, in turn, influenced by the land. On Monday, October 19th, 6-8pm, educators, and artists are invited to attend a free and social reception to meet and greet and learn about arts integration resources in Beaufort County, including natural connections between the arts and SC curriculum standards. Examples of five years of successfully completed projects will be shared; the public is also welcome, at ARTworks in Beaufort Town Center, 2127 Boundary Street. 843-379-2787 & beaufortcountyarts.com for more details.