A Collective Effort

Once a year, the Greenville County Museum of Art assembles an army of experts who lend more than a little insight into the heirloom items we collect (and even covet) for ourselves.

The museum’s 24th annual Antiques Show takes place Friday, Oct. 16-Sunday, Oct. 18, and features the wares of twenty-two regional and national dealers of antiques, fine arts, Oriental rugs, silver, linens, and much more.

Devoted collectors will find more dealers per square foot than almost any antiques spot in the Southeast.

At 10:15 a.m. Friday, Oct. 16, featured speaker and nationally renowned architect Bobby McAlpine will present “The House Within Us,” a lecture about the personal search for home and what he calls the quest to “match our physical surroundings with our inner beauty.” He reveals his thoughts on grace, the human condition, tenderness of place, and what we know to be true in our lives—all based on the body of work he has created over the past 25 years. The $25 ticket to his speech includes admission to the antiques show. Arrive thirty minutes early and enjoy coffee with McAlpine himself.

And for an affordable $5 ticket on Saturday, Oct. 17, novices and experts alike can enjoy access to experts from two niche markets:

Antique Furniture: Nationally recognized dealer, author, and broadcaster David Lindquist of Whitehall Antiques will present a special session on “What to Know Before You Buy,” 10-11 a.m.

Silver: Antique silver expert Mark Antebi of Atlanta Silver and Antiques will lead a workshop on acquiring, collecting, and preserving silver for its beauty and its investment potential, “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly,” 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Tickets to the Antiques Show are $5 in advance ($8 at the door) and offer access to all three days. While you’re there, make time to tour the Art & Artists of South Carolina exhibition so you can see the acquisitions supported by this year’s Antiques Show. (Curator Martha R. Severens will give a free tour of the exhibit at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18.) That’s because the annual Antiques Show is much more than a market for vintage furnishings and homegoods. The event marks the museum’s largest fundraiser, benefiting its American art collection. Last year, more than $580,000 was raised, allowing the museum to purchase works by renowned artists Joshua Shaw and Jasper Johns, among others.

That’s just one more investment that’s sure to grow more valuable with time.