As executive director of ARTworks, Beaufort’s community arts center, JW Rone’s mission is to “weave the arts into everyday life,” so his daily schedule includes mentoring artists, running an afterschool program, auditioning actors and adjusting lights in the black box theater, scheduling bands for the Street Music on Paris Avenue series, and promoting Beaufort as an arts destination.
“Art matters a lot in this town,” he said. “It’s a significant part of the economy and the culture, and there’s a demand for more information, from the residents and all our visitors.”
Now there’s a new weekly component from JW Rone, for the artists and audiences of Beaufort, and everyone else who’s planning their next visit — Art Matters w/ the Art Guy, a weekly video blog featuring gallery visits, interviews with artists, public art, art facts, and all the exciting happenings in Beaufort, South Carolina, one of America’s Top 100 Art Towns.
“Video is spectacular for the topic of the arts,” JW explained. “It captures everything about Beaufort except the salt marsh aroma. When I interview an artist in Waterfront Park, viewers are there with us, hearing the artist’s words and analysis, seeing the swaying palm trees and the salt water view. Beaufort has a lot of beauty and creativity, and these videos are one way that we at ARTworks share the bounty.”
And since 92% of South Carolinians agree that art is important, according to a poll from the University of South Carolina, these videos fulfill the demand for better connections to the creativity, colors, and calendar of Beaufort’s art scene, which was recently ranked #16 by American Style magazine.
The video series can be found through www.artworksinbeaufort.org, the community arts center’s busy site, and www.artseensc.org, ARTworks’ national arts marketing program. JW Rone can be reached at ARTworks offices in Beaufort Town Center, 843-379-2787.
