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Artist Amanda Mensing hangs up one of her oil paintings at the Artists' Loft located in downtown Seneca on Thursday morning in preparation for the "POP" Open Studio Tour taking place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Photo by Jessica Nelms/Staff

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Click on photo to enlarge

Oil painter Amanda Mensing arranges jewelry for one of the other artists at the Artists' Loft located in downtown Seneca on Thursday morning in preparation for the "POP" Open Studio Tour taking place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Photo by Jessica Nelms/Staff

“From an artist’s standpoint, this is a dream come true,”

— Blue Ridge Arts Council Executive Director, Bess Ciupak

SENECA — The Pickens, Oconee and Pendleton areas will showcase their artistic talent this Saturday and Sunday in the inaugural POP Studio Tour.

An eclectic group of 41 Upstate artists, from painters to photographers, from potters to basket weavers, in places like Salem, Seneca, Walhalla, Pendleton, Clemson, Easley, Westminster and Cateechee will open up their studios to the public in an effort to promote the depth of the area’s creative prowess.

The Blue Ridge Arts Council (BRAC), ARTS Center of Clemson, Pickens County Museum of Art & History and the Pendleton District Commission are the key planners of the event, in conjunction with the Artists’ Loft, Daily Journal/Messenger, Oconee County Heritage Center, Downtown Seneca Merchants and Ram Cat Alley Merchants.

“This is a good example of our partnering efforts with all the other art organizations,” BRAC Executive Director Bess Ciupak said. “Every one of them has played a part in pulling this whole thing together.”

The tour, which offers the public the opportunity to view the artists’ work, as well as watch them in action, begins at 10 a.m. Saturday and at noon Sunday, ending at 6 p.m. both days.

The POP Studio Tour was inspired by a similar event in Greenville. However, POP is completely funded by the Oconee County Arts & Historical Commission, S.C. Arts Commission and the U.S. National Heritage Corridor, with the only additional funds being entry fees paid by each artist.

“This event gives people a good idea of what is behind the artwork,” Ciupak said. “We’ll all be demonstrating, and they’ll see us at the wheels and the painting easels and get a better understanding of our work. We’re hoping for a good turnout. We hope people carpool when possible, and take advantage of the CAT bus system, as we know gas prices are a problem right now. We’ve got 41 very excited artists right now ready to share their work.”

The studio tour has the potential to be a welcome economic boost due to the influx of people in the area.

“We’re hoping for good numbers,” Ciupak said. “We’ve promoted it all across the state and Georgia and North Carolina. We hope that people will go into the area for the weekend specifically for the tour and take advantage of restaurants and hotels, and in that way, it would be great economically for the Upstate.”

More than 75,000 postcards advertising the tour were printed for distribution, along with 68,000 tabloid inserts circulating in local newspapers. Ciupak said the purpose of the first ever POP Studio Tour was clear.

“I think the overall purpose from our standpoint is to show things to the outside world,” she said. “We want to make visitors aware of what we have to offer here in Oconee County and Upstate South Carolina, and art is one of them. We have incredible talent.”

The tour not only presents a remarkable opportunity for dining and lodging businesses to reap the benefits of the weekend crowds, but also provides the dozens of participating local artists a chance to present the fruits of their creative labors to a larger audience.

“From an artist’s standpoint, this is a dream come true,” Ciupak said.