River Arts District
The City of Cayce River Arts District, in the heart of historic Cayce, SC, is a perfect hub and doorway to all things creative in our City.
About
If you’ve been near the original downtown core of Cayce lately, where State Street meets Frink Street, you’ve seen new faces and conversation-generating public art. Here, the Cayce River Arts District, increasingly known as CRAD, is emerging. The City has been actively engaged in revitalizing this area, specifically through “previtalization” efforts. This process, appropriately described as “the art of what’s possible,” has already led to the redevelopment of several derelict and underutilized properties into new and thriving businesses and has led to the development of an active artist group.
This transformation was intentional and gained its main momentum as a result of Mayor Partin's invitation to the prestigious Mayors Institute on City Design in 2015. It was there Mayor Partin learned the term "previtalization" and where she got the idea to host the first Soiree on State in 2017 to show potential businesses and property owners what was possible in this unique area. There's been no looking back.
That new energy, along with recognizing the value of public art, led the City to partner with local artists to create compelling and beautiful artistic installments that capture the imagination and inspire creativity. Artists Ija Charles, Michael Geddings, Joel Cothran, Roy Paschal and Will Bryan are among the local artists commissioned for improvements in the area.
The City collaborated with Will Bryan, the founder of Public Works of HeART, to create an overall artistic concept for the CRAD, which further connects our community to the arts and converted this area into an appealing iconic destination.
The Cayce River Arts District is brought to you in large part by generous grants from the Central Carolina Community Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, who believe “art and culture are at the core of our community, connecting people to places, and to each other.” Connect with us by experiencing this creative community in CRAD, where you can explore and enjoy art studios and pottery classes from State of the Art, have lunch at Trini Lime Caribbean Café, coffee from Piecewise Coffee, get your bike repaired at Dialed, hair done at State Street Salon, take art classes at BackyardKoi & ART - all within a short walking distance to scenic trails along the Riverwalk.
This connection between people, places and art is important because it creates value. It will:
- Increase property values
- Increase commerce for City businesses and restaurants
- Improve quality of life and community pride
- Attract new businesses and residents
- Increase public safety and cleanliness of the State/Frink Street area.
And we’re not done yet! Stay tuned for more diverse art installments, such as sidewalk art, a grand sculpture and a sculptural bench that morphs into something extraordinarily beautiful! Come explore the Cayce River Arts District today.
Wayfinding signs can be found throughout Cayce directing visitors to the Arts District. South Carolina Senator Nikki Setzler and South Carolina Representative Micah Caskey secured funding of almost $200,000 in December of 2019 for wayfinding signage for the River Districts of the cities of Cayce and West Columbia. Throughout both cities, approximately 30 signs directing visitors to local attractions have been installed. The signage highlights important features such as public parking, Riverwalk access, local parks, and shopping and dining options.
The CRAD Transformation
You're invited to enjoy the new Cayce River Arts District! This video illustrates the work done to create many of the sculptures and vibrant murals now gracing our city. The transformation from the old to the new is phenomenal to see!
Come see the transformation!
Art Lot
The City of Cayce is proud of the continued progress of the Cayce Art Lot, located at 1908 State Street. This space was created to provide our citizens with a free, open space to use for recreation and to connect residents, artists, and the City with art-focused events. The Art Lot features multiple art installations, a stage, green space, and parking.
The Art Lot is supported by the Connected Communities grant from Central Carolina Community Foundation, received in February 2019. Information on the grant can be found here .
If you are interested in reserving the Art Lot for an upcoming event, please contact the City of Cayce at 803-550-9520.
Continue scrolling to explore more Art Lot images...
Art Lot Gallery
The River Maiden Sculpture
The Light Diamond
Picnic Tables at the Art Lot (built and painted by local students)
Picnic Tables at the Art Lot (built and painted by local students)
Explore
Map of the Cayce River Arts District (click or tap the "Expand Live Content" button in the upper-right corner for more detail)
Before and After
Drag left and right on each image to reveal before and after.
Enjoy the Little Things Mural (2019)
Coffey's Corner (2020)
Coffey's Corner: East Wall
Coffey's Corner: West Wall
Coffey's Corner: Signage
Coffey's Corner: Sign Window
State & Frink (2020)
State & Frink (2020)
Frink Street Body Shop (2020)
Old Cayce Foundry (2020)
Brand Identity
Design: Public Works of HeART
Design: Public Works of HeART Date: 2021
The goal of creating the Cayce River Arts District was to convert an older, industrial area of Cayce into an iconic destination that celebrates the arts and attracts residents, businesses, and out-of-town visitors. The brand identity for the new arts district needed to reflect its location in a historical area of Cayce with industrial roots. The new Cayce River Arts District logo is a badge that features the typeface DDC Hardware designed by graphic designer Aaron Draplin and type designer Riley Cran.
The typeface was created as an homage to vintage hand-painted signage commonly used on mid- century industrial buildings. The historical and industrial roots of this typeface made it a perfect fit for the Cayce River Arts District logo. Although the base colors of black, cream, orange, blue, red, and violet are colorful, the hues are muted to give the color scheme an aged feel. The “E” in “RIVER” is dropped in the logo to create visual balance in the lettering, while also embracing the creative license art gives one to bend the rules.
Come back to see what is coming!
