Ian Welch: 2026 S.C. Arts Awards Spotlight Series
Meet the Recipients
As the day nears for the 2026 South Carolina Arts Awards, The Hub is shining the spotlight on this year’s recipients, introducing them to you in greater detail.
This is the schedule:
- April 29: Tammy Leach and Laurel Horton
- May 1: Bill Harris and Beckee Garris
- May 5: ArtsNOW and Columbia Museum of Art
- May 7: Tiffany Reed Silverman and Dr. Richard O’Malley
- Today: Ian Welch
Ian J. Welch | Governor’s Award, Special Award
- Hampton County, South Carolina
Welch
Ian J. Welch is an artist, educator, and printmaker living and working in Hampton County who was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio. Welch received his master’s in curriculum and instruction from Grand Canyon University in 2025, his Master of Fine Arts in studio art with an emphasis on printmaking and fibers from Northern Illinois University in 2016, and his Bachelor of Fine Arts in studio art with an emphasis on printmaking from Bowling Green State University in 2011.
Welch has had his artwork exhibited both nationally and internationally, with dozens of group exhibitions, including at The Morgan Papermaking Conservatory, ArtFields, Manifest Gallery, Print Austin, and the International Print Center of New York. Welch has had several solo exhibitions, including at Black Creek Arts Center, The Marathon Center for Performing Arts and Majestic Galleries in Ohio, and The Studios of Key West.
Welch is currently the visual art teacher at Hampton Intermediate and Estill Elementary schools in Hampton County and previously worked as assistant professor of art and a curator of the FAB Gallery at South Carolina State University. Welch is the owner/printer at Pegboard Press printmaking studio in Hampton and is the assistant curator at the Stanley Arts Center in Hampton. Welch was previously an adjunct instructor at Bowling Green State University and Owens Community College, as well as the gallery manager/curator at Gathered Glassblowing Studio.
Watch the 2026 South Carolina Arts Awards Sunday, May 17 at 7 p.m. EDT.
The SCAC is excited to present its streaming presentation of the awards, which include new short films documenting the recipients made by talented South Carolina filmmakers.
Viewers can access it via the SCAC YouTube Channel, and it will also be streamed through the SCAC Facebook page. Internet-connected smart TV’s or streaming devices with the YouTube app may be used for a more broadcast-style experience.