Best Art Towns for Retirement
Tuesday, May 15th, 2007In reading over references to John Villani’s books on art towns in America, an article in USA Today from 2005 on “10 great places for big-city art, small-town feel” (John Villani also contributed to this piece), a “Best Art Towns” list from America’s 100 Best Places to Retire, and my own travel experiences, here is my list of best art towns for retirement (in alphabetical order):
- Beaufort and Hilton Head, SC
- Charleston, SC
- Charlottesville, VA
- Hot Springs, AR
- Lewisburg, WV
- Santa Fe, NM
- Scottsdale, AZ
- Wilmington, NC
Honorable mentions go to Abingdon, VA; New Orleans, LA; Ojai, CA; and Sedona, AZ.
I love the low country art of Betty Anglin Smith in Charleston. I remember being at a wonderful art show in Scottsdale a number of years ago. But for my number one choice, I am convinced that if I had to buy a piece of art of a certain size or price range within the next three days (let’s say an inheritance in the fashion of Brewster’s Millions depended on it), I would immediately get on a plane and head toward Santa Fe for its wide-ranging selection for a variety of tastes. A recent visit [2005] to Santa Fe’s Canyon Road and other areas of the city left me greatly impressed with the art scene there. Generally speaking, I found the sales professionals in the various galleries to be knowledgeable, friendly, helpful, and unpretentious.