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POLK COUNTY—Polk County is home to many talented artists and craftspeople, so it’s no surprise there’s lots of art and craft in public spaces across the county. To help folks find and learn about them, the Polk County Appearance Commission, the Tryon Fine Arts Center, and the Tryon School of Arts and Crafts have teamed up to create a Public Art and Craft Trail.

“The purpose of the trail is to guide people, visitors and locals alike, so they can enjoy the work of the many creative people that have their work in our area,” says Joe Cooper, a member of the PCAC, who adds that the trail is an effort to raise awareness about and promote public art in the county. 

Cooper says the trail is the idea of fellow PCAC member and Tryon resident Debra Torrence. At a PCAC meeting, Torrence suggested doing an inventory of all the public art and craft in the county and using that to create a trail to help people find it all and learn about each piece. The inventory includes more than 30 pieces of art and craft in Tryon, Saluda, Columbus, Mill Spring and Sunny View. 

The PCAC is in the process of creating a brochure that provides a description of each piece, its location, and a photograph. A map is being developed as a companion piece to the brochure. 

“It’ll be online so you can use your phone while you’re driving around, but it will also be printed out and will be at the visitor’s center in Columbus and some other public places around the county,” says Cooper. 

The PCAC expects the brochure and website for the Public Art and Craft Trail to be published by October.