National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition

Overview

Sculpture artists from across the nation were invited to participate in the 17th annual National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition. Thirteen sculptures by artists from seven states were selected for the 2023/24 exhibit. Once installed, awards for Best in Show, Outstanding Merit, and Honorable Mentions were selected by the juror, Vivianne Lee Carey. Organized by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department and presented as a component of the annual North Charleston Arts Fest, this unique exhibition offers established and emerging artists the opportunity to display their inspiring and extraordinary sculptures throughout the picturesque North Charleston Riverfront Park, set along the banks of the Cooper River. An estimated 50,000 people visit this public park annually to enjoy the amenities located in the heart of the city’s arts community.

For those who want to learn more about the sculptures in the National Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition from the artists themselves, download a mobile audio guide on the free app, OtoCast. Users can select “North Charleston, SC” from the list of active tours to begin a self-guided audio tour through Riverfront Park. The app is available in the Apple App Store and Google Play.

About the Juror

The juror for the 2023/2024 competition and exhibition is Vivianne Lee Carey, sculptor and Instructor of Art at Converse University in Spartanburg, SC. Vivianne Lee Carey was born in Millville, NJ in 1959. Carl Sandburg wrote, ”Down in southern New Jersey they make glass. By day and by night, the fires burn on in Millville.” As a sculptor that forms metal and glass by fire, the poetic lines are an affirmation of the materials she utilizes in her work. Carey received her BFA from Converse in 1981, and an MFA from Winthrop University in 2016. She has been honored to have received several grants for regional public sculptures and her work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions throughout the Southeast.

Juror’s Statement

I am honored to jury this inspirational sculpture competition located in the beautiful North Charleston Riverfront Park. To all the artists who submitted, thank you for the privilege to view your distinguished sculpture, all of which was exceptional in form and execution. The artists who entered should be proud of the work they are creating and I encourage you to keep striving in your craft.

Congratulations to the selected artists. Many of the pieces were chosen to achieve a unified representation of a whimsical colorful nature. These sculptures remind viewers of colorful surfboards, forests of blue and orange trees, capricious park benches, guest aliens and their rocket ships, plastic children’s toys, rubber roosters, and sexy-leg-lampshades.

That said, ironically, my selection for Best in Show was Mark Chatterly’s Wall, which is neither colorful nor whimsical. These ceramic figures, exceptional in their execution (the patina is phenomenal), wrestle with themes about immigration and the walls and borders that we erect that marginalize other humans. For me, the work also represents women and the children for which they are responsible and the act of carrying each other’s burdens. Very powerful piece, and congratulations Mark!

-Vivanne Lee Carey, 5/3/23

Submit Your Work

Sculptors from across the nation are invited to submit an application for participation in the Annual National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition. Up to 14 sculptures are selected for the exhibit and compete for cash prizes totaling up to $19,750. The application period for 2023/24 is December 15, 2022 – February 25, 2023. Call the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at 843-740-5854 for more information, or to be added to the application mailing list.