25 by Joy Dunigan is a direct interpretation of the continuous success Charleston Race Week brings to modern-day sailboat racing. The deliberate size and combination of tiered sails are woven into the fabric of Charleston's iconic landscape, landmarks and maritime history effectively symbolizing that the regatta is as embedded into the grain of the city as Fort Sumter, City Market, the Battery Promenade and Patriot’s Point.
The cover of Charleston Race Week 2021 event program.
Classic rainbow row colors reflect the city’s beauty onto the racing fleets, and in return they illuminate Charleston as a premier yachting destination in North America and around the world, now and well into the future.
In November 2019, Randy Draftz, Event Chairman for Charleston Race Week (Charleston, SC), and I spoke about its upcoming 25th Anniversary, and what to do to commemorate it visually. Knowing the massive effort that goes into hosting and putting on the event, I was honored.
Charleston Race Week has had a massive impact on the sport of sailing. I knew this needed to be something unique. I immediately suggested creating an original piece of artwork which embodied the event from every possible angle. The goal was to create something that documented the milestone, yet infused with everything Charleston.”
The mixed media artwork was created using pastel, pencil, marker, pen and ink, and acrylic paint on illustration board. It was completed over the course of about 3 weeks and finished the first week of January 2020.
Now, more than a year later I am proud to present 25 — a work of art celebrating 25 years of Charleston Race Week, 26 years in the making.
The work is a direct interpretation of the continuous success Charleston Race Week brings to modern-day sailboat racing. The deliberate size and combination of tiered sails are woven into the fabric of Charleston's iconic landscape, landmarks and maritime history effectively symbolizing that the regatta is as embedded into the grain of the city as Fort Sumter, City Market, the Battery Promenade and Patriot’s Point. Classic rainbow row colors reflect the city’s beauty onto the racing fleets, and in return they illuminate Charleston as a premier yachting destination in North America and around the world, now and well into the future.
25 is a full and complete donation to Charleston Race Week. I am thrilled to know that the monies raised from the sale of this original at Charleston Race Week 2021 on April 8-11 will be donated to the future of sailing — the youth teams who are official competitors at this years event.