Now that spring has officially sprung, many gardening enthusiasts and aspiring botanists eagerly peek out the window to see the fruits of their labor bloom. The same can be said for local artists as the Savannah Local Artist Market’s (SLAM) spring market hosts a blossoming field of creativity on April 13. This grassroots market has become a local favorite, and founder Charlie Ellis is proud to say “those roots are getting deeper, and the grass is growing greener and higher” with each new market.
That grass can’t grow without a little love and a lot of determination, of course. Luckily Ellis is driven by his love of the community and a touch of humor. When he asked the Savannah Art Association, Tybee Arts Association and the Landings Art Association about the number of art events in the area, the answer was unanimous. Savannah needed more art events, and Ellis began gathering the seeds of an outdoor art show.
The universe responded in kind as Ellis took a shortcut home one afternoon and wound up near the Salvation Army baseball field and its 8-foot-tall fence. He slammed on the brakes to check out the field and, a few days later, scheduled a meeting with the Salvation Army.
“Major Paul, who ran the show there, was a nice guy, and he said, ‘How many artists do you think might come?’” Ellis said. “I crossed my fingers and crossed my ankles underneath the table and said 35. Well, it turned out we had 60.”
A place for emerging and seasoned artists
Since that cold February day in 2019, hundreds of emerging and seasoned Georgia artists have flocked to the market, paying a small $60 fee to nab a spot. To make the offer even more promising, participating artists keep all their profits and have creative freedom over their tent (as long as it’s smaller than 10 by 10 feet). The result is what Ellis calls a day of “wall-to-wall artists” selling visual art, textiles, photography, sculpture, jewelry, pottery, mixed media, and much more. Looking out at the market is like marveling at a brilliant bouquet crafted by artists who look after other artists—even if they aren’t convinced of their complete role in the art world just yet.
“[Ellis] always says he is not an artist,” SLAM Communication Director and artist Deborah Miller laughed. “Believe me, he is an artist.”
Ellis’ found object art brings new life (and sometimes cheery new faces) to objects he’s discovered in the marshes. Growing from this accessible medium, SLAM extends the same creative exploration to those who may not consider themselves artists.
The community as canvas
The beloved community canvas, a 4-by-8 foot piece of plywood presented with bottles of paint, allows visitors to let their creative sides run wild. Last year’s experimental use of a white pickup truck as a canvas isn’t returning this year, but there’s no need to worry about running out of room. When one side is full, the canvas gets flipped over to allow guests to collaborate on a project that shines a light on Savannah’s flourishing creative community.
Community takes root in the art world and flourishes outward thanks to SLAM’s partnership with two incredible causes spreading the same kind of hope and love created by creativity and connection.
If you’re still stuck in the winter funk, visit Joanne Morton at the Manifesting Mobile. Her ongoing collaborative art project can easily turn cardboard circles (and most worries) into a colorful collection of hopes, dreams and intentions.
“Joanne is an artist friend of mine and she is just the purveyor of everything positive. I don’t know what else to call her,” Miller said. “She takes cardboard and cuts out all these circles, and [guests] can write something positive. It’s all about positivity.”
Renegade Paws, another purveyor of hope and positivity, will also have a booth at SLAM. Between shopping artists’ booths, visitors can stop to meet a few of the friendly faces that make Renegade such a successful organization and learn more about the process of adopting and fostering animals in need of loving families.
But these partnerships are just two examples of how SLAM creates change and welcomes Savannahians into the local art scene.
“Sometimes people can be intimidated walking into an art show and it’s all pristine and clean and you don’t want to go in the booth. I think SLAM breaks down that barrier a little bit,” Miller said.
A variety of artists help break down that barrier, but they’re not the only ones celebrating those homegrown roots. The spring market will feature live music from Peter Schmid, The World-Famous Crabettes and even a few bagpipe jams from Dan Ailes. Guests can also enjoy ice cream, baked goods and coffee as they jam out between booths.
Just make sure you don’t miss out on the Arts Southeast booth, where you can learn more about The Ellis Gallery, named in honor of Ellis’ dedication to promoting and celebrating local artists.
That mission, and SLAM itself, aren’t slowing down any time soon.
“I would like it to be on the interior: wall-to-wall, elbow-to-elbow people. I’d like them to get lined up at that artist with money in their hand, saying ‘I want that thing there,’ and be fighting the way to the front,” Ellis said.
No matter how many sales they’ve made by the end of the day, each artist can rest assured that they’ve gained the respect and friendship of one of the most devoted figures in Savannah’s art world. After all, it takes a creative mind and generous soul to understand what it takes to help other artists bloom.
“I’ll bet you if we rounded up all of the artists within a 40-mile radius, we’d have hundreds of artists,” Ellis said. “Without them, SLAM would be very dull.”
If You Go >>
What: Savannah Local Artist Market
When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m., April 13 (Rain date: April 20)
Where: Salvation Army baseball field, 3000 Bee Road
Info: slam.slamsav.com
