Greenville Magazine - April 2008 - (Page 12) my greenville by Alison storm PrOFIlE T ucked in Kerry Murphy’s cupboard sits a pair of wine glasses, beautiful pieces of glass, masterfully designed and beautifully made by an artist she stumbled upon at last year’s Artisphere festival. “What I bought went really well in my home,” she explains. Over the past few years, Murphy made her way to Greenville’s Main Street for just about all of the Artisphere festivals, always managing to find something she couldn’t live without. “I was actually surprised at all of the different mediums,” she says of her impression of the event. “I was really surprised by the variety and quality.” But months after that artfilled April weekend, Murphy got a bigger surprise. The event she once enjoyed as a spectator would now be organized under her supervision. She started her role as Artisphere’s executive director in December, quickly taking on tasks to ensure the popular event would be better than ever. “The first order of business was settling into a marketing campaign and a PR strategy,” she says. The four-year-old festival has seen big success and growth since it started back in 2005. Last year, poet Maya Angelou served as a signature artist and the Southeast Tourism Society recognized the festival as one of the top 20 events in the Southeast in 2007. left: necklace of mixed media by Barbara and rick Umbel lower left: painted ceramic vase by andy Smith right: landscape in oil by Charlene Marsh Murphy hopes she’ll be able to build on Artisphere’s past achievements and continue to improve the festival. Murphy says during the festival’s first three years, popularity grew quickly, and she believes it’s important to keep that trend going in 2008 so the festival will continue to be a popular draw for the Upstate. “I think one of the things we do want to do is continue to raise the bar for ourselves year after year and continue to surprise the community and keep it fresh and catapult it to the next level,” she says. Murphy sees year four as a big challenge. “We feel like it’s one of those integral years to let folks know we are not resting on our laurels and that this will continue to be a phenomenal event year after year.” 12 Greenville MaGazine | april 2008
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