The 2025 North Charleston Arts Fest is just five weeks away, taking place April 30-May 4. The event offers some excellent exhibition opportunities for fine artists and photographers ages 16 and up, including the annual Judged Fine Art and Judged Photography Competitions & Exhibitions.
Entries for these judged competitions are eligible for ribbons and cash prizes and will be on display throughout the festival in Exhibit Hall C at the Charleston Area Convention Center Complex, located at 5001 Coliseum Drive in North Charleston. Complete details and entry instructions for all exhibition opportunities are available for download at NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com/
Judged Fine Art Competition & Exhibition
Fine artists aged 18 and up are invited to enter original work into the annual North Charleston Arts Fest Judged Fine Art Competition & Exhibition and compete for cash prizes totaling up to $6,550. There are eight accepted media categories: acrylic, oil, drawing, pastel, watercolor, printmaking, printed new media, and 2-D mixed media. Awards will be at the sole discretion of the judge, Kayla Twomey Flamman, owner and curator of The Miller Gallery in Charleston, SC. A Greenville native, Kayla earned her BS in Exercise Science with an Art History minor from High Point University. While earning her degree, she spent time studying British Heritage and Culture abroad in Oxford, England. Afterwards, she continued her education and earned her MBA from Webster University to combine her love of art and marketing. After six years of working in fine art galleries in Greenville, SC, and Charlotte, NC, she moved to Charleston with her husband and two pups. Kayla joined The Miller Gallery team in 2021 and in 2023, stepped into the role of owner, purchasing the gallery from founder, Sarah Miller Gelber. Kayla uses her creativity and passion for the arts to contribute to Charleston’s thriving art scene. Her intuition for producing shows, staging exhibitions, and curating site-specific installations have added to The Gallery’s wide array of services.
Judged Photography Competition & Exhibition
Professional and amateur photographers aged 16 and up are invited to enter original prints into the annual North Charleston Arts Fest Judged Photography Competition & Exhibition and compete for cash prizes. This year’s prizes have increased to a total of $2,050. Submissions will be accepted in the Professional/Advanced division or Amateur division under the categories of Color and Monochrome. This year, awards will be at the sole discretion of the judge, Charleston-based photographer and multimedia artist Kirsten Hoving. Over the last fifteen years, Hoving has shown her work in galleries around the world and has published several books of her work, including Svala’s Saga, a project done in collaboration with photographer Emma Powell. With a PhD in art history from Columbia University, Hoving had a long career as a professor and scholar of modern art, with books and articles on many topics, including Surrealist photography and the assemblages of Joseph Cornell. Those interests heavily influence her creative practice. Kirsten’s art balances on the edge between fact and fiction. She frequently combines photographs with unusual processes, materials, and presentations to evoke quiet dreams and half-remembered tales. Using unexpected viewpoints, three-dimensionality, and kinetic elements, she expands photography’s decisive moments into visionary states of wonder.
The Judged Fine Art and Photography Exhibitions are free and open to the public throughout the entirety of the North Charleston Arts Fest. Viewing times are Wednesday, April 30, 6:00-8:00pm, Thursday through Saturday, May 1-3, 10:00am–6:00pm, and Sunday, May 4, Noon-5:00pm. Award winners will be acknowledged at the Arts Fest Opening Celebration in the Exhibit Hall on Wednesday, April 30, 6:00-8:00pm. The free public celebration features food, live music by Alva Anderson and Porto Seguro, live art demonstrations by local painter Scott Truman and members of the North Charleston Artist Guild, and more, set among the hundreds of pieces of artwork on display. The Exhibition Encore will be held on Sunday, May 4, from 2-5pm. This free event serves as a closing reception for these exhibitions, allowing patrons to view the artwork in a festive atmosphere and make final decisions on purchases. In addition to the vast array of artwork on display, the event offers musical entertainment, fiber art demonstrations, and complimentary “bubbles and bites.”
The 2025 North Charleston Arts Fest, set for April 30-May 4, will mark the event’s 42nd year. The festival schedule offers something for all to enjoy, including concerts, theatre presentations, dance performances, exhibitions, children’s programs, and more. All festival events and activities are FREE. For more information about the Arts Fest, to download the prospectus for the Judged Fine Art and Judged Photography Competitions & Exhibitions, or for details on volunteer opportunities, visit NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com. For more information about other exhibition opportunities offered by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, visit culturalarts.northcharleston.