Who we are:
CAFfeine (Contemporary Art Forum) is a progressive new artist’s group founded by local artists Darlene Fuhst, JJ Ohlinger, and AnnDouglas Pinckney -McLeod in October, 2007.

Our Mission:
To be a catalyst for the positive growth of contemporary visual arts in the Greenville area by fostering mutually beneficial interactions between artists and the community, and by developing new resources and directing existing resources into commercially and culturally viable outlets that will help to make Greenville an arts destination city.

How we will achieve it:
We believe that molding Greenville into an arts destination city requires focused effort in two areas: developing and supporting the work of commercially viable artists, and creating mutually beneficial partnerships between these artists and the community at large

Artists:
We seek to support artists who are working at a professional level, have a unique “voice,” and are actively engaged in an ongoing exploration and development of their artistic themes and ideas. The artists involved in the group have had their work displayed in commercial galleries, museums, and national arts publications; many have won awards for their work, and all have an immediately recognizable style and artistic vision.

We believe an important component of positive growth is the opportunity for artists to interact with, teach, and inspire one another. CAFfeine is committed to opening dialogue between artists by sponsoring exhibitions, critique circles, artist discussions, field trips and collaborations between working artists. These activities enrich and enhance each artist’s work, and enable them to create pieces of significance that art collectors will want to own, generating demand and commercial viability.

The Community:
We not only want to encourage growth and development of the artists, we also want to encourage growth and development of the audience. We hope to expose the community to quality art by offering opportunities for people to connect in a meaningful way with the artists. 

Encouraging people to interact with the artists on a more personal level allows the community at large to develop a better understanding of the processes used to make art and the meaning and intention behind the art, which will lead to greater appreciation of the work and the development of a collector base. Too many people are intimidated by art and feel they are not knowledgeable enough to make an intelligent purchase. We want to demystify the process and engage people in a nonthreatening manner that makes art enjoyable for all. We will do this by utilizing both traditional and non-traditional exhibition outlets to increase exposure, by making our website a centralized place for the community to learn more about the artists and their work, by creating open forums for discussion about works on display, and by partnering with local government and other arts organizations to increase awareness and appreciation of the arts in general.

We also want to engage the business community by creating mutually beneficial partnerships between artists and established businesses in the form of advertising and event sponsorship opportunities. This helps the artists by allowing their work to be seen, but also benefits the businesses because they can use the events as a marketing opportunity to make a connection with the patron base that will also support their companies. If you are interested in learning more about event sponsorships, please email info@caffeinesouth.com.