Founded in 1835, Aiken became a health resort and winter colony for the wealthy during America’s Gilded Age. However, Aiken was originally a railroad town, which included the first steam powered passenger train in the United States, with rail lines running from Hamburg (now North Augusta) to Charleston, with a stop in Aiken. Renowned as an equestrian town, Aiken is also celebrated for its quaint and artsy downtown and myriad other recreational, cultural, environmental, and historical attributes. Artists are requested to submit artwork featuring Aiken’s ‘Spirited Life’.

This exhibit draws connections between the literal and metaphorical threads women wove throughout history.