written by Renee Harding
The Iron Fish Gallery & Studio has drawn national attention to Daufuskie Island with Chase Allen’s rustic coastal sculptures since opening in 2001. This past summer The Iron Fish debuted its new gallery venue just a stone’s throw away from the original location.
Starting in 2001, Chase Allen’s Gullah-constructed home created a unique and welcoming backdrop for his art gallery. The gallery showcased sculpted fish, mermaids, stingrays, blue crabs, turtles, and more directly on his own front porch.
This year Chase has officially outgrew the porch and moved his art next door. The new venue won’t be difficult for visitors to find – it is still on his home property. Completed in summer 2016, the current venue presents The Iron Fish artwork on a double-sided covered walkway. With clearly marked parking spaces and an obvious entrance, visitors no longer will question if they’re trespassing. The open space helps to showcase the variations in artistic theme work in a more polished light.
As always, you’ll likely find the artist himself hard at work in The Iron Fish studio, which is directly behind the gallery. What else is new at The Iron Fish? Chase has just finished up a 125-bird suspended installation at Palmetto Bluff Outfitters. In addition, if you haven’t stopped by The Iron Fish recently to check out the new “Put a Light Behind Me!” collection, it is certainly worth the trip. These back-lit pieces of artwork are coming soon to the Iron Fish website.
