Since 2003, the Coastal Community Foundation (CCF) has awarded local artists with the Lowcountry Artist of the Year Award, a monetary award intended to cover the artist’s living expenses during the creation of a special work of art. This year, that award goes to local artist Julia Deckman.
This $6,000 grant, founded by Mike Griffith and Donna Reyburn, will help support the creation of a new work that “represents unique aspects of the South Carolina Lowcountry’s lifestyle, culture, or environment.”
In a press release, Deckman described her ideal final product, which she will create from the viewpoint of a local’s stroll through the Holy City: “My composition will not be a typical depiction you might find on a postcard in the visitor’s center, but rather a piece that would be in a local’s scrap book. I want to evoke a sense of happy nostalgia for my favorite city, and the place I am lucky to call home.” [content-1] We first caught a glimpse of Deckman’s work in 2016, when now-closed West Ashley arts hub Fabulon debuted her large pieces in a special floral-inspired exhibition, Garden Party.
Since then Deckman has continued making colorful work, creating oil paintings representative of various Charleston landmarks including FIG restaurant and St. Michael’s Church. She is also a studio artist at Redux Contemporary Art Center, serving as the organization’s artist representative on its board, and represented by downtown’s Miller Gallery.
See more of Deckman’s work online and learn more about the Coastal Community Foundation at coastalcommunityfoundation.org.
Love Best of Charleston? Help the Charleston City Paper keep Best of Charleston going every year with a donation. Or sign up to become a member of the Charleston City Paper club.