New Year, New chART Gallery

Last fall the Charleston Art Outdoor Initiative (chART) took its first baby steps out of Alycia Alley behind the Savannah Highway strip of Avondale shops to the thin alleyway between Mellow Mushroom and Voo Doo Tiki Bar.

In January chART lept all the way to North Charleston's Park Circle to start building it's second gallery location. The initial piece on the wall of 4845 Chateau Ave. in North Charleston was done by artist Patch Whisky, who also has a piece in Alycia Alley. So far artists Ishmael and Molly Rose Freeman have also added works, and chART founder Geoff Richardson said plenty of walls are available for interested artists.

He added there are also still spaces to paint in Alycia Alley, and that the alleyways on both sides of the building that occupies are also available.

The most recently finished Alycia Alley mural was created by Noah Jordan, a freshman at the Charleston County School of the Arts.

"This is the first mural I've ever done so I'm pretty excited about that," Jordan said.

Jordan knows several local artists including many who have produced chART pieces including Patch Whisky, Ishmael and John Pundt. He attended the most recent chART Block Party in November and signed up for his wall at the event.

"I look to street art and graffiti influences," Jordan said.

chART was never meant to stay within the confines of Alycia Alley or the Avondale Point Business District, Richardson said. His plan has been to expand chART across the Charleston area to any building with a willing property owner, and Richardson has been working with officials in Charleston and North Charleston ahead of the art projects to ensure all of the artworks are created following the relevant municipal codes.

In Park Circle Richardson has been working closely with Thea Anderson of Mixon Development to find locations for the chARTists.

"I approached Geoff about bringing chART to Park Circle and he handed me the torch and said 'Go for it,'" Anderson said. "So now what I'm doing is playing Geoff's role from Avondale here."

Mixon provided a partial sponsorship for Patch Whisky's mural on Chateau Avenue that helped offset some of the cost of the spray paint he used to create what is the largest chART piece to date.

Anderson said she is currently working on finding Park Circle property owners who are willing to provide wall space and artists who are rady to start painting.

"Once we get those first murals up and going we'll throw another chART Block Party and get some beautification added to this blighted area," Anderson said. "I feel like this outdoor art gallery concept has really taken off."

In addition to the pieces already up or in progress in Park Cirlce, Anderson said she has already lined up several other artists that have already painted chART murals in West Ashley, including Molly Howie and Ben Sellers; and she has some new artists lined up as well including Proton, Scott Parsons, Sheetman and David Springer.