DockDogs
Local Artist
The city of Charleston may be known for its award-winning restaurants, grand historic homes, and world-class golf courses. But often overlooked are the natural wonders that have predated all of that. A biodiversity hotspot, Charleston and its surrounding areas boast beaches, marshes, cypress swamps, moss-lined forests, and bountiful estuaries, each of them boasting rich ecosystems teeming with wildlife species who have called the Lowcountry home for millennia.
So it only makes sense that Charleston is the home of the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, or SEWE, the largest celebration of wildlife art and nature conservation in the country. Launched in 1983, SEWE has become a beloved event for locals and visitors alike, a unique chance to appreciate the Southeastern landscape and all the bounty it has to offer. Taking place February 13-15, the festival lineup includes fine art exhibits and a variety of animal and sport-centric events held across the city. Visitors can watch hawks, falcons, and vultures take flight as part of the Birds of Prey flight demo, meet endangered turtles with the Turtle Survival Alliance conservationist group, or cheer on their favorite breeds at the DockDogs water-jumping contests. At the Charleston Place downtown, the fine art gallery will feature works by more than 80 wildlife artists, with the Jacksonville, Florida-based painter Henry Von Genk III— a self-taught oil painter and private pilot specializing in coastal scenes— selected as this year’s featured artist. His paintings are at home among the hundreds of works featuring archetypal Lowcountry birds like the Great Egret, hunting dogs, and placid island landscapes. The gallery will also host a live art series, where visitors can watch artists paint, draw, or sculpt an original piece from start to finish, with a live auction to follow for the opportunity to take one home.
Oyster Roast
Kid Friendly
“SEWE is a celebration of wildlife art, conservation, and the sporting lifestyle, all set in the heart of Charleston,” says Meagan Trotta, SEWE’s Marketing & Sales Director. “Each year, we’re proud to bring together artists, conservation leaders, exhibitors, and attendees from across the world to support wildlife conservation while enjoying an experience that’s uniquely SEWE.”
For kids, there are duck-calling lessons, archery tutorials, and the beloved Busch Wildlife Sanctuary show, which gives attendees an up-close look at bobcats, foxes, alligators, and other creatures of the Lowcountry. Black-tie VIP galas and events like Garden & Gun’s “Cocktails & Conservation” or the Charleston Ducks Unlimited annual oyster roast offer ample opportunity to mingle with other humans, too. A stacked roster of chef demonstrations bring some of South Carolina’s best chefs— Town Hall’s Ryan Dalton, James London of Chubby Fish, and the Culinary Institute of Charleston’s chef instructor Kevin Mitchell among them— together with their favorite local farmers for live cooking demonstrations and tastings featuring the freshest ingredients. In a world increasingly removed from the ways of the wild, SEWE is the perfect opportunity to reconnect, nurture, and appreciate the exquisite natural environment of South Carolina and the greater Southeastern United States, while also passing that appreciation onto the next generation. It’s also just a great excuse to eat great food and watch puppies jump into the pool. Go ahead, take a walk on the wild side.