Self-guided Trail. Local Artists. Giant Oyster Shells. Bluffton, SC.

Welcome to the Lowcountry. We’re proud of our great oysters and gracious hospitality. The Shell Art Trail is a public art trail in Bluffton created to be a fun, interactive and uniquely interesting way to learn more about oysters, as well as help promote the importance of the local Lowcountry marine ecosystem and help marine restoration efforts throughout our region.

As a project of the Lowcountry Oyster Trail, the Shell Art Trail is a cultural exhibit placing 21 giant oyster sculptures throughout Bluffton, South Carolina. Each sculpture has been individually painted by a talented local artist or group and sponsored by a local business or organization — making each individual oyster a true work of art, and giving people the opportunity to embark on a public art trail unlike anything else in the region … while learning more about one of the Lowcountry’s most important and beloved resources: the oyster.

ShellArtTrailPassportBOOK-1

Download a digital map, or print out your own Shell Art Trail Passbook and get ready to follow the trail to the most spectacularly decorated sculptures you’ve ever seen. A special plaque on each will provide you with a unique “oyster fact” in answer to questions in your Passbook. Match questions and answers to increase your knowledge as you travel the Trail. Take lots of selfies along the way. Post them to your social media accounts, tag us @LowcountryOysterTrail, and use #LowCountryOysterTrail #heARTofBluffton #SeeShellsinBluffton and you could be chosen to win some special prizes while completing the trail!

Download Your Guide

See what’s happening on the Shell Art Trail

Please consider double checking the hours of operation of Shell Art Trail locations you plan to visit to ensure you will be able to view the public art display of your choice.

 

“Lowcountry Honey”
Sponsor: Bee-Town Mead & Cider
Shell Location: 1230 b May River Rd.
Artists: Pam Donahue, Art Teacher, Cross Schools; Neely Albert, Morgan Kronimus, Caroline O’Gorman, Eliza Albert, Ava Pratt

Artist: Amiri Farris “Lowcountry Snapshot”
Sponsor: Bluffton Orthodontics
Shell Location: 337 Buckwalter Pl Blvd (Inside Main Lobby)

Artist: Anri Flickinger “Lowcountry Tradition”
Sponsor: Calibogue Catering
Shell Location: Seasonal viewing opportunities. Check back for updated location.

Artist: Maria Anna Bissacco“Oyster Season”
Sponsor: Charter One Realty
Shell Location: 1 Promenade St (Inside Main Lobby)

Artist: Julie Jones “Pluff Mud Treasures”
Sponsor: Cocoon
Shell Location: 6 Promenade St (Inside Store)

Artists: Missy Gentile, Eilene Mazu“Pump it Up”
Sponsor: Corner Perk
Shell Location: 1297 May River Rd #101

Artist: Amos Hummel “Better Banking in Bluffton”
Sponsor: CPM Federal Credit Union
Shell Location: 95 Buckwalter Pl Blvd (Inside Main Lobby)

Artist: Tyler Scott Cieplowski “The Heart of the Low Country”
Sponsor: Don Ryan Center for Innovation
Shell Location: The Store/56 Calhoun Street

Artist: Pam Bain Davis “Upper West Side”
Sponsor: Downtown Catering Co.
Shell Location: 1223 May River Rd

Artist: Andrea Pejeau, National Art Honor Society – Bluffton High School AP Studio Art “Greetings from the May River”
Sponsor: Eggs ‘N Tricities
Shell Location: 5 Lawton Street

Artist: Margaret Pearman “The Lowcountry, Our Oyster”
Sponsor: Hargray Communications Bluffton
Shell Location: 65 Towne Drive, Belfair Towne Village, Bluffton (Inside Main Lobby) (Inside Main Lobby)

Artist: Sylvia Culpepper Pitts “On the May River, Bluffton, 1922 (from the Caldwell Archival Photos)”
Sponsor: Bluffton Historical Preservation Society, Town of Bluffton (and Anon. Gift)
Shell Location: 70 Boundary St

Artist: Kelly Logan Graham “Archioysture”
Sponsor: Pearce Scott Architects
Shell Location: 6 State Of Mind St, Suite 200

Artist: Pearce Scott Architects “Protect Our May River”
Sponsor: Lowcountry Oyster Trail
Shell Location: Edward Jones Bldg/1323 May River Road

Artists: Larry Hughes, Linda Meacham Lynn Oberg “May River Mermaid”
Sponsor: The Society of Bluffton Artists (and Anon. Gift)
Shell Location: 6 Church St.

Artist: Dennis Lake “Learning in the Lowcountry”
Sponsor: St. Gregory the Great Catholic School
Shell Location: The Store, 56 Calhoun Street

Artist: SGGCS Art Club “Protect Our Precious”
Sponsor: The Cottage Cafe, Bakery & Tea Room
Shell Location: 38 Calhoun St.

Artist: Monica Tovar “Bee Conscious”
Sponsor: The Juice Hive & Health Emporium
Shell Location: 14 Johnston Way, Suite B

Artists: John Welch & Ami Hughey “Oyster Factory Memoirs”
Sponsor: Toomer’s Family Seafood Restaurant
Shell Location: 27 Dr Mellichamp Dr (inside restaurant)

Join us as we celebrate the beauty, and importance, of the Lowcountry oyster. The Trail awaits … and while you may not find a pearl in every oyster, you are sure to find some of the most unique sculptures as you travel this very special public art trail and explore the oyster’s role in the heART, culture, and marine ecosystem of the Lowcountry.