Ask a folk artist to define folk art, and you�ll get a variety of vague definitions with adjectives like �self-taught,� �tradition� and �community.� But there�s one word you�ll hear time and time again: Beauty.

The old art form endures because it brings beauty to ordinary life, and nowhere is folk art more celebrated than in the cities and towns of South Carolina. Here, in one of America�s first colonies, folk art thrives in tiny back-yard shops and in sprawling artisan centers.

It is a popular art form that encompasses everything from whimsical wood carvings to delicate blown glass, from Native American pottery to African-American basket-weaving, from intricate needlework to hand-me-down quilts.

�A good definition of folk art is art that is learned within a community, art that is passed from one generation to another,� said Denise Simmons Butler, executive director of the SOUTH CAROLINA ARTISANS CENTER in Walterboro. The eight-year-old center features folk and contemporary art from more than 200 South Carolina artists. Housed in 2,400 square feet of an old Victorian cottage, the center offers both not-for-sale exhibits of South Carolina�s folk art, and also a wide-ranging collection of items for sale. Hundreds of artists submit slides of their work each August, hoping to be chosen for the collection. To date, more than 361 artists have been featured during the life of the center, Butler said, and their work ranges from the bargain ($2 for a hand-carved pencil) to the treasure ($10,000 for a hand-forged iron lamp.)

Artists currently featured include woodworkers Warren Carpenter of Seneca, Tom Boozer of Yonges Island, Gary Dickey of Columbia and Ronnie Riddle of Meggett; potters Chris Troy of Seneca and Regina Tobin of Columbia; basket weavers Debbie Ogle of Greenville and Patti English of Seneca; and jewelry artists Rachael Weiss of Charleston and Herbert Jones of Westminster.

Besides providing exposure to South Carolina�s finest artisans, the non-profit center has another purpose: education. On Saturdays in the spring and fall, the center brings in a half-dozen juried artists who actually create their work on site, giving people the opportunity to observe, or even work alongside them. And within a few months, they plan to open a gallery in an adjacent building so they can offer classes year-round.

The Upstate of South Carolina also has a showcase for the state�s folk artists in the CREATIVE HANDS ARTISANS CENTER, located 15 minutes from Spartanburg in the town of Lyman.

This 8,000-square-foot warehouse was established in 1999 and features hand-crafted gifts by a variety of artists whose wares include oil paintings, carousel horses, ceramics, quilts, wood carvings, ceramics, pottery and stained glass. Anywhere between 80 and 90 artists, mostly from the Upstate, are represented at any given times, and the center also offers classes for the general public in media such as painting, pottery and stained glass.

Another showcase for a wide variety of artists is the CAROLINA FOOTHILLS ARTISANS CENTER, which opened last year in downtown Chesnee. The 3,200-square-foot facility features juried art by South Carolinians, and like the centers in Walterboro and Lyman, offers educational programming, demonstrations and workshops.

Other outlets for folk art in South Carolina are more specific, such as the work available at the CATAWBA CULTURAL PRESERVATION PROJECT in Rock Hill. Here, the work of Catawba Indians, lovingly passed down from generation to generation over 4,500 years, is showcased at a craft store which features the work of modern Catawbas.

The work is done by about 50 adult Indian master potters, who are assisted by another 150 people who dig the clay and fire the wares. The resulting pottery, considered one of the purest art forms of its kind, is hand-built, burnished and fired using the primitive methods of their ancestors.

One of the most popular forms of folk art in South Carolina is the sweetgrass basket, an art form brought to the South Carolina coast more than 300 years ago by slaves from West Africa. It is one of the oldest art forms of African origin in the United States and is only practiced in the Lowcountry of South Carolina.

Today in Charleston and neighboring Mount Pleasant, visitors can watch African-American women weave the intricate baskets in busy city shops and at roadside stands. The work is time-consuming, and the price often reflects that: Baskets by artisans such as Rose Marie Manigault of Mount Pleasant, can cost up to $400, as it can take more than a week�s work to weave a sizeable basket of marsh grasses, pine needles and palmetto fronds. Smaller baskets can be obtained for less than $100. The baskets are for sale in Charleston�s historic downtown Market, in numerous Lowcountry shops, over the Internet at www.charleston.net, and by individual weavers at roadside stands.

The South Carolina State Museum in Columbia also carries sweetgrass baskets, as well as baskets made from kudzu, the ubiquitous southern vine.

Dozens of South Carolina shops offer a wide range of folk art in traditional commercial settings. Among them is People, Places & Quilts, a Summerville shop that has been named one of the top 10 quilting stores in America by America Patchwork and Quilting magazine. The store is home to local folk art, quilts and fabric.

In the small town of Edgefield, the Village Blacksmith Shop offers wrought-iron work such as candle holders, hardware, fireplace tools, andirons, gates, railings and reproductions of antique iron works. The building itself is a work of art, built in 1917 and recently restored by the Edgefield County Historical Society.

And dozens of other artists offer their work individually, through backyard shops, roadside stands and over the Internet. Here�s a small sample of what South Carolina folk artists have to offer:

� African-American folk art scenes, Geraldine Smith of Columbia, (803) 736-9080

� Split-oak baskets, Gale McKinley of Anderson, (864) 224-1287

� Pine-straw art, Ampon Applby of Elloree, (803) 897-1151

� Clay sea-biscuit breadwarmers, Chris Nietert of Isle of Palms, (843) 886-6356.

� Hand-carved waterfowl decoys, Tom Boozer of Yonges Island, (843) 549-0011.

� Handcrafted dolls and dollhouse furniture, Ferne�s Miniatures and Dollhouse Museum, Liberty, S.C. (864) 843-2486

� Handmade brooms, Susan Simpson of Rembert, (803) 425-0933.

HOW TO CONTACT THE ARTISTS AND ARTISAN CENTERS IN THIS ARTICLE

� The South Carolina Artisans Center is at 334 Wichman Street, Walterboro. To reach the center from I-95, take exit 53 or 57.Their website is southcarolinaartisancenter.org, and their phone number is (803) 549-0011.

� The Creative Hands Artisans Center is at 107 Hwy. 29, Lyman. Phone (864) 949-9144.

� The Carolina Foothills Artisans Center is located at the intersection of S.C. 11 and U.S. 221 in Chesnee. Call (864) 461-3050.

� The Catawba Cultural Center and Craft Store is at 1536 Tom Stevens Road, Rock Hill. Phone (803) 328-2427 or visit www.ccppcrafts.com.

� People, Places and Quilts, 129 West Richardson Avenue, Summerville. (843) 871-8872. And 1 Henrietta Street, Charleston; (843) 937-9333.

� The Village Blacksmith Shop is at 206 Jeter Street, Edgefield. Call (803) 637-9008.

� The Cotton Mill Exchange, the gift shop of the South Carolina State Museum, is at 301 Gervais Street, Columbia. (803) 898-4967.

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Media Contact: Melissa Williams +1 803-734-0193 mwilliams@scprt.com