A running directory of Charleston's painters, printmakers, aerialists, jazz players, and dancers — alongside the studios, galleries, and entertainers that keep the city's stages full. No admission fee, no velvet rope.
Charleston's visual arts scene runs through King Street's Redux Contemporary Art Center and the working studios that surround it.
A King Street institution since 2002, Redux houses subsidized studios for 40-plus working artists, the city's only public darkroom, and a rotating exhibition calendar including the annual Creative Corridors studio show.
A Redux resident artist rendering photographic imagery on silk organza, exhibiting multimedia work exploring myth and the natural world out of her King Street studio.
Two of Redux's regularly-exhibiting studio painters, with new work shown together in recent gallery rotations alongside the center's spring open-studio events.
Painter behind the "Warm Light" solo exhibition at Redux, working in a color-driven style shown in the center's rotating back gallery.
CofC's School of the Arts trains the next wave of Lowcountry painters, printmakers, and sculptors, with student and faculty work regularly surfacing in downtown pop-up shows.
The annual outdoor art exhibition at Marion Square is the city's biggest open call for local painters, potters, and jewelers, running alongside the Spoleto Festival each spring.
"It's really welcoming to newcomers — it might seem intimidating, but people don't walk up expecting perfection." — On Charleston's circus community
From West Ashley rig points to the Music Hall stage — Charleston's acrobats and dancers train year-round.
Led by Dr. Andrew Zutell and Dr. Lauren Hernandez-Rubio, this West Ashley-based troupe performs trapeze, aerial silks, lyra, and fire/LED flow at venues from the Charleston Music Hall to Woodlands Nature Reserve.
A dedicated 2,100-square-foot aerial facility with 25-foot rig points, home to Aerial Fit classes and Circus Building Entertainment's roster of silks, sling, trapeze, and lyra performers.
A Lowcountry company fusing jazz technique with contemporary movement, performing on stages throughout the Charleston area.
Charleston's premier contemporary ballet company, staging boundary-pushing choreography in non-traditional spaces like the Music Farm alongside classic stage venues.
Elite-caliber ballet, jazz, tap, and contemporary training led by former New York City Ballet dancers, feeding local performers into companies and stages citywide.
The dance called "The Charleston" was born here, at the Jenkins Orphanage Band, before it swept the world.
Led by drummer Quentin Baxter, this local band carries forward the Jenkins Orphanage jazz lineage that gave the city its name in music history.
Founded by Stephen Duane, the club teaches classes, performs, and hosts social swing nights around town — including a line dance choreographed for the 100th anniversary of "The Charleston."
The nonprofit steward of the city's jazz heritage, documenting the Jenkins Orphanage tradition and presenting live jazz programming year-round.
The flagship big band under the Charleston Jazz umbrella, performing traditional and contemporary jazz repertoire at venues across the city.
Charleston's stage performers don't all hang in galleries — some come to you.
A Charleston-based booking service for private-party and bachelorette entertainment, bringing performers directly to your event across the Lowcountry.
Charleston Artist is an independent directory tracking the people and organizations behind the city's visual art, circus, dance, and jazz scenes. It's updated as new studios, troupes, and performers surface — if you run a Charleston-area arts organization and want a listing corrected or added, reach out.