Art Rise Savannah

Vision
Art Rise Savannah will become a leader in the development of a sustainable creative economy in Savannah and propel the city forward as a force for the Arts in the South.

Value Story
1. Sustainable Growth through a cycle of evaluation, action, and results

Art Rise Savannah’s greatest value is our belief in this action-oriented, forward thinking model that supports sustainable growth. This system is at the heart of all that we do and translates vertically throughout the scale of our interactions, informing how we approach personal, program, organizational and community growth.

We are action-oriented, determined and fearless, but we recognize that effective action requires foresight and follow-up. By integrating a holistic system of observation and data collection together with assessment and integration, we become more than just doers, but learners.

2. Engaging in the sustainable growth system with grace, professionalism, and an eye towards excellence

At Art Rise Savannah we recognize that how we act is as important as what we do.

Focusing on grace, we are able to create organizational systems and personally interact with others in a manner that is smooth, elegant, simple, and yet human. An insistence on professionalism allows us to best serve our mission and the city. We work to always be accountable and accurate, bring a skill set obtained through research and experience, and have respect for others and ourselves. Further we always aim to reach the next level of excellence in what we do, and translate this attitude to tasks big and small.

These qualities help us act in a way that is becoming of ourselves as individuals and of Savannah as a whole.

3. Belief in the potential of Savannah, as well as the individuals and groups that exist within it

We believe that our city has the potential to be a better place, and recognize that our conviction in that is a fundamental part of our value story. It is this core value that propels us to keep innovating better ways to enact our mission and reach our goals.

What place would a system of sustainable growth have in an environment lacking in fertile soil to grow? None: which is why our confidence in this city, its citizens, and ourselves is essential.

We believe that we can be better individuals, a better overall organization and most importantly, we can make Savannah a better place.



History
Art Rise Savannah was established in 2013 in response to a need for an arts organization to begin leading the conversation and effort to promote and propel the local art community in Savannah, GA. ARS evolved from a non-profit gallery, Desotorow Gallery, Inc. which was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit in April of 2008 and focused on offering low-cost exhibition space to artists.
Although it was not established as a non-profit until 2008, Desotorow Gallery had a long history prior to that change. In the Fall of 2000 two SCAD graduate students established the gallery, which operated under the name of Oglethorpe Row Gallery until it moved to its current location in the Starland District of Savannah in November of 2003. From 2003 to 2007 the space assumed the name desotOrow gallery and operated as an artist co-op and music venue. It was in 2007 that incorporators of Desotorow Gallery, Inc. began the venture of transforming the space into a non-profit gallery.
Desotorow, now Art Rise Savannah, is an institution that has been handed-down, re-imagined and re-discovered several times throughout its 10+ year lifespan. While this could seem to indicate a lack of viability for the organization, this fact is more precisely a testament to its viability. In those ten years the city and the nation have seen a tremendous amount of change. From the rise of the Internet and the many technologies that utilize it’s power to the Great Recession, the landscape of the world has changed greatly. Many ideas, places and groups have failed or even just become obsolete in the tumultuous marketplace of the last decade, and yet Desotorow has continued on.
Looking back at the history, as the third, fourth, or possibly fifth set of hands this organization has fallen into, inspires a bit of awe. This institution has done so much throughout its history in terms of bringing people together and offering art to this city and it has meant so much to numerous people in Savannah’s artistic community, despite some of the weaknesses it has experienced in its organization and leadership. Interestingly, it is exactly the presence of those weaknesses that reveal the true viability of this organization. It continues on because it is needed: by those who take it on, the artists who affiliate with it, and the public at large.
It is in this context that Art Rise Savannah is born. Understanding the history and recognizing the good and bad of the organization’s roots, makes it clear that the most recent incarnation of Desotorow needs to create something that has never existed before, a solid foundation for the organization. The magic of this organization is that it has always found its way as an idea into the right hands, and those hands have worked to put the idea out in the world. ARS wants to make that magic real; transforming an enduring idea into an enduring organization.
Art Rise Savannah aims to become a bedrock of more than just the artistic community but of the overall cultural fabric of Savannah. By striving to do not just what is easy but what is needed in the city of Savannah, ARS will become the final and most enduring evolution in the journey of one of Savannah’s oldest art institutions.

First Friday Art March- March to support local culture and business
First Friday Art March is a monthly collaborative community experience combining business, art, and the public. It provides a cultural and economic heartbeat in the Midtown district, spreading the vibrancy and entrepreneurial spirit of this area throughout the city.


Savannah Art Informer- SAI hello to local art
SAI is an online space that showcases creative people, places, and events. SAI reviews art and cultural events providing feedback that stimulates a growth in creative quality while increasing local and national access to art in Savannah, GA.


Fresh Exhibitions- Fresh art in a fresh way
Fresh Exhibitions creates opportunities for artists to show their work in spaces throughout the city, facilitated by collaborations with other local organizations and businesses.
Fresh Exhibitions on Desoto Avenue is a blank slate where artists are encouraged to push the space beyond itself and create ‘environments’ for the viewer to experience. Access to Fresh Exhibitions on Desoto Avenue is granted through the Exhibition Fellowship Program, a seasonal call for exhibition proposals.