Local art studio may also be the smallest natural history museum in the country
By Lorne Chambers | Editor
Studio Open has been open on Folly Beach for 10 years. However, if you didn’t know it was there, you might just walk right past it. Formerly located on East Hudson, next to what is now The ‘Wich Doctor, for the last four years Studio Open has been located at 103 W. Erie Ave, tucked in directly behind Black Magic Café.
Studio Open owner Sherry Browne, a self described “Folly gypsy,” says she wants more locals to know about Studio Open, not just because of the business, but because of what’s inside. Browne says her space is more than an art studio and framing shop, she says it’s Folly Beach’s Art and Natural History Museum, admitting it may be the smallest museum in the country.
“I just want to share art with people,” says Browne, whose tiny studio is filled with artifacts and memories, pieces of Folly Beach’s history, including a series Browne created herself called “Story of the Storm,” which includes pieces of the house on East Ashley she lived at the time Hurricane Hugo hit the South Carolina coast and took her home and studio with it.
Browne herself rode out the storm a couple blocks back in a house that still stands. Known for her elaborate and elegant paper cutouts, Browne created a scene of that house, which still hangs in Studio Open, along with many more of her intricate cutout pieces and other works by her and fellow local artists depicting nature. “You kind of paint what you know,” says Browne. Studio Open also has lots of local jewelry from local artisans and handmade pottery and hand painted glass at a variety of prices. The space is also filled with nature’s natural art — seashells, driftwood, and a variety of fossils and animal bones, like dolphin vertebrae and pelican skulls.
On Thursday, Sept. 3, Studio Open hosts a special art show, from 5-7 p.m. with wine and hors d’oeuvres, featuring the works of local visual artist Jennifer Ashe Thompson. Entitled From Sea to Shining Sea, the exhibit features oils and watercolors of coastal scenes from the artist. “My creative purpose is to evoke both the positive and joyful aspects of the human condition,” says Thompson. “I am constantly inspired by the balance and movement of nature as it flows from being peaceful to powerful at any given moment.” From Sea to Shining Sea will be on display through the end of October.
