ArtFields Jr. submissions due this week!
All South Carolina students ages 18 & under are eligible to submit artwork from any medium. Submitting is FREE and takes less than 20 minutes to complete!
The deadline is Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020.
Applications to open for more #SCartists emergency relief
SCAC announces second round of funding
APPLICATION PERIOD: March 8-26, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. ET
Practicing individual artists who are South Carolina residents may apply for up to $500 of emergency relief funding from the South Carolina Arts Commission March 8 through March 26.
These emergency grants support artists who have lost income related to their artistic practice because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
In order to be eligible for these no-match grants, applicants must be:
- a practicing artist in dance, music, opera, musical theatre, theatre, visual arts, design arts, crafts, photography, media arts, literature, and/or folk & traditional arts;
- a legal resident of the U.S. and South Carolina with a permanent residence in the state for at least one year prior to the application date and throughout the grant period; and
- 18 years of age or older at the time of application.
Applicants may not be degree-seeking, full-time students during the grant period.
Click here for complete information.
The South Carolina Arts Foundation, through its S.C. Artist Relief Fund, is supporting these grants by raising funds from private corporate and individual supporters.
Correction
(2/25/21) Early versions of this story incorrectly stated that applications were now open for this second round of relief grants. They open Monday, March 8.
A note about arts organizations
Because of limited funding, eligible South Carolina arts organizations will be invited to apply for this round of funding privately. Please review the eligibility section of the grant page for further information.
Be S.C.’s next poet laureate
Applications open for honorary position
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Friday, March 19, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. ET
The South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC) is accepting applications through Friday, March 19, 2020 to assist Gov. Henry McMaster in appointing the state’s next poet laureate.
Applications opened Monday, Feb. 8 on the SCAC website. To be eligible for the honorary position, applicants must be 18 or more years old, U.S. citizens, and residents of South Carolina for at least a year among other requirements.
Anyone who wishes to be considered must apply by the deadline.
“South Carolina has a long, storied history of gifted poets and writers,” said Gov. Henry McMaster. “I have no doubt the next poet laureate will continue this tradition of excellence and will serve as an inspiration to our next generation of artists. I look forward to reviewing the candidates and making my selection.”
“The South Carolina Arts Commission is both pleased and honored to be a part of naming the state’s next poet laureate,” said David T. Platts, SCAC executive director. “Words are powerful, with the ability to tear down walls and to build bridges. The poet laureate’s role as artistic and cultural ambassador, representing both the voice and even the conscience of the state, provides a unique opportunity and platform to inspire and unite all South Carolinians.”
In FY2018, legislation passed by the General Assembly directed the SCAC to recommend poet laureate candidates to the governor. After a panel reviews the applications submitted to the SCAC, it will make recommendations from among those to the governor for consideration. He will then “name and appoint an outstanding and distinguished person of letters as poet laureate for the state of South Carolina” who will serve a four-year term. The named poet laureate will be eligible for one re-appointment.
That person will be the sixth poet laureate since the first was named in 1934. The most recent was Marjory Wentworth of Mount Pleasant, who was appointed by Gov. Mark Sanford in 2003 until she stepped down this past December.
Poetry is enjoying the spotlight after National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman captured the country’s attention with her high-profile appearances at the inauguration of President Joe Biden last month and the Super Bowl just days ago. She infused those moments with powerful commentary on society and culture using the power of poetry.
“Artistically speaking, there is an immediacy to poetry that can offer insight, hope, and encouragement,” SCAC Program Director for Artist Services Ce Scott-Fitts said.
About the South Carolina Arts Commission
The mission of the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC) is to promote equitable access to the arts and support the cultivation of creativity in South Carolina. We envision a South Carolina where the arts are valued and all people benefit from a variety of creative experiences.
A state agency created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967, the SCAC works to increase public participation in the arts by providing grants, direct programs, staff assistance and partnerships in three key areas: arts education, community arts development, and artist development. Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., the SCAC is funded by the state of South Carolina, by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts, and other sources. Visit SouthCarolinaArts.com or call 803.734.8696, and follow @scartscomm on social media.
Charleston Scene takes on ‘sea change’ in CHS, S.C. arts leadership
Thought-provoking piece on future of S.C. arts
In a sweeping new story, Charleston Scene interviewed several arts leaders who recently—or will—depart their posts as change comes to South Carolina’s arts scene.
Writer Maura Hogan asks, “What will the next phase look like?” after several high profile departures dating back to 2019. Among them:
- Kathleen (Kathi) P. Bateson (Arts Center of Coastal Carolina)
- Stephen Bedard (Gaillard Management Co.)
- Ken May (S.C. Arts Commission)
- Valerie Morris (College of Charleston School of the Arts)
- Nigel Redden (Spoleto Festival USA)
- Mark Sloan (College of Charleston Halsey Institute)
- Marjory Wentworth (former state poet laureate)
While reasons for the departures varied, nearly all involved foresee major change on the horizon in Charleston and the state, whether as a result of the pandemic, recent emphasis on diversity and inclusion, or other things.
Click here to read the story from Charleston Scene (subscription possibly required).
Charleston photo by Jason Rapp/SCAC.
Take a creative journey to the foothills with ‘Communal Pen’ series
Two-part writing workshop ‘visits’ Westminster
Medlock Bridge Park
Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
Communal Pen, a creative writing workshop presented by the S.C. Arts Commission and South Carolina Humanities, is back for starting Saturday, March 20 to help you write to celebrate memories, stories, and traditions of place… continuing its reimagined virtual format with a brand-new theme!
What are the memories, stories and traditions that make your community home?
What landmarks, customs, sights and sounds connect us with family, friends and neighbors, while highlighting our unique experience and identity?
Sometimes, you’ve just got to write it down!
Facilitator EBONI RAMM will lead the virtual workshop as you write to celebrate and explore connections to place and community. Often, it is in our written words that memory lives. The writing process can itself help us to awaken and preserve thoughts and traditions, offering insight, understanding and respect to present and future generations.
In conjunction with the traveling exhibit Water/Ways, the city of Westminster is co-host of this two-part writing workshop, which will be conducted over two Saturday mornings next month:
- 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, March 20
- 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, March 27
Space is limited; registration is on a first-come, first-served basis online or call 803.734.8680. The new format does not support walk-ins as previous workshops have.
Share it with your friends on Facebook!
NOTE: marking yourself as “Going” on Facebook DOES NOT register you for Communal Pen.
No previous experience necessary! Although Communal Pen is a virtual program, the Water/Ways exhibit will be on display in Westminster Train Depot (129 E. Main St.) from March 6 through April 17.
The Communal Pen writing workshop draws inspiration from the new Smithsonian exhibit, Water/Ways, which is touring South Carolina with the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street (MoMS) Traveling Exhibition Service from June 2020-April 2021. MoMS provides access to the Smithsonian for small-town America through museum exhibitions, research, educational resources, and programming.
Exhibit themes and images are a springboard for igniting our own stories, giving voice to our shared and individual experience of place.
Communal Pen is developed through the S.C. Arts Commission’s place-based initiative, “Art of Community: Rural SC,” a new framework for engagement, learning, and action in rural communities. The writing workshops are coordinated through the SCAC’s Folklife & Traditional Arts and Community Arts Development programs, with generous support from South Carolina Humanities.
Deeply rooted in South Carolina, “Communal Pen” writing workshop creator and facilitator Eboni Ramm fell in love with the arts at a very young age and was encouraged throughout her youth to express herself. Today, an accomplished poet and jazz singer, she invites audiences of all ages to share her passion for combining these art forms, highlighting her belief in the powerful influence of jazz on the American literary experience and aesthetic. She has taught her unique Jazz Poetry Salon at residencies with the Richland County Public Library, Arts Access South Carolina, Youth Corps, Fairfield Middle School, McKissick Museum, and ColaJazz’s partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center, among others. Other selected accomplishments include her publication, Within His Star: The Story of Levi Pearson, celebrating Eboni’s ancestor who added strength to the unprecedented Brown vs. The Board of Education case, and the release of her poetry CD, Passion, and her jazz CD, The Look of Love. Learn more about Eboni at www.EboniRamm.com.
“Communal Pen: Water/Ways” coordinator Laura Marcus Green is program specialist for community arts & folklife at the S.C. Arts Commission, where she provides statewide outreach and project coordination through the Art of Community: Rural SC initiative and other projects, while managing folklife grant and award programs. She holds a Ph.D. in folklore from Indiana University and an M.A. in folklore/anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin. Selected prior positions include folklife & traditional arts program director at McKissick Museum, community engagement coordinator for the Museum of International Folk Art’s Gallery of Conscience, and work as a folklife fieldworker and researcher, writer, curator and consultant for various arts and culture agencies nationwide. Having attended, coordinated, and facilitated diverse workshops, she is a devoted believer in the power of community writing.
South Arts introduces new presentation grant
Supporting Southern artist engagements
- Informational Webinar: March 30, 2021 at 11 a.m. ET
- APPLICATION DEADLINE: May 3, 2021
Our partners South Arts are introducing a new grant today for presenting a Southern artist in a performing arts, literary arts, visual arts, or film engagement.
South Arts Presentation Grants provide up to $7,500 and replace the former Performing and Literary arts touring grants promoted regularly by The Hub. (For the legions who are regular watchers of The Hub’s post tags, we are hereby retiring those.)
The new grants are an opportunity for organizations in South Arts’ nine-state region (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee) to receive artist fee support of up to $7,500 to present Southern guest filmmakers, visual and performing artists, or writers from inside or outside of the presenter’s state. Projects must include both a public presentation (film screening, performance, reading or exhibition) and an educational component.
Because of COVID-19, eligible projects can include virtual activities by the guest artist and/or projects that engage local artists. Projects must take place between Sept. 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022.
Want to learn more? Review the guidelines and join an informational webinar Tuesday, March 30, 2021 at 11 a.m. ET. Discussion is to include the goals of the program, its guidelines and application process, and some frequently asked questions. Can’t attend? Don’t worry, the recorded webinar will be available on South Arts’ website within 48 hours.
The deadline to submit a Presentation Grants application is May 3, 2021.
#SCartists making rounds in the media
Keeping our eyes on you
Listen, don’t get creeped out, but we’ve got our eyes on #SCartists.
If the SCAC sees you getting into the news, whatever the medium, The Hub is here to amplify the message. Here is a recent story for our readers to enjoy:
- Dr. Leo Twiggs is about as accomplished as it gets. He’s a decorated artist, being awarded the Governor’s Award for the Arts for lifetime achievement (2017) and the prestigious 1858 Prize for Southern Contemporary Art (2018). He and fellow Orangeburg resident and art historian and philosopher Dr. Frank Martin recently sat for a conversation on American art and the African American aesthetic for Black Art In America.
Image by Oliver Kepka from Pixabay
Grants Roundup: Deadlines for the Week of March 1
SCAC Deadlines and Coaching Opportunities
Though not the only way, grants are among the main ways the SCAC accomplishes its work.
Because of their importance to that, and what they mean to so many of you, The Hub wants to help keep Arts Commission grants top-of-mind and reduce the number of times we hear people say, “If only we’d known about (X or Y) grant!”
We can’t reach everybody, but we can try. On Mondays* with deadlines on the horizon, “Grants Roundup” highlights first what grants are due that week and then includes what’s coming later in increments.
*The Roundup might run on Tuesdays when state holidays occur on a Monday.
ICYMI: Arts Emergency Relief Grants from the SCAC reopen (for individual artists) on March 8
Grant Deadlines
The state of South Carolina and South Carolina Arts Commission fiscal year runs July 1-June 30 each year. We are currently in FY21.
THIS WEEK
These are to serve mainly as final reminders to finish in-progress applications. Most grant applications simply cannot be undertaken well in this short a time frame. Consult an appropriate member of our team with questions.
- MARCH 1: Arts Project Support (last day to apply for assistance on projects taking place by/on June 30, 2021)
- MARCH 5: Arts Education Project and District Arts Support (also see Hub story here)
NEXT WEEK
- n/a
NEXT 30(ish) DAYS
- MARCH 15: Folklife & Traditional Arts
ROLLING-DEADLINE GRANTS
These grants offer convenient, rolling deadlines, but you are advised to apply at least six weeks before your project for some. Check guidelines for specific instructions.
- Accessibility Grants (FY21 funding deadline is April 20)
- Arts Project Support Grants (see note above)
- Arts Teacher Support Grants (formerly Teacher Standards Implementation Grants, FY21 funding deadline is April 3)
These S.C. Arts Commission rolling deadline grant programs are temporarily suspended to focus our efforts on supporting grantees during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Presenting and Performing Arts Initiative Grants(suspended for all of FY21)
Important Notes
- You are encouraged to also consult the SCAC grants page for up-to-date information on all grant deadlines (subject to change) and deadlines for non-grant programs.
- For next steps, grant guidance, and more information, consult the appropriate member of our team if you are an artist or represent local organizations, an educational institution, or a non-arts business or organization offering arts programming.
Grants Coaching
Learn the ins and outs of the South Carolina Arts Commission grant application process and how to manage one of our grants from the professionals on the Grants Team! Grants Coaching topical sessions are held the first Thursday of every month.
- Thursday, March 4, 11 a.m.: (change) Operating Support Final Payments
- Thursday, April 1, 11 a.m.: Filing Final Reports
The free topical discussion is held via Zoom. Registration is required. Need to get some assistance with something else? Try a one-on-one call. The Grants Team is available to answer your questions about the grants process with 15- or 30-minute sessions, Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Wednesdays from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Visit the Grants Coaching page for further information and registration links.
OPEN COACHING CALLS FOR ARTIST DEVELOPMENT GRANTS
Artist Services Director Ce Scott-Fitts and the SCAC Grants Team are using Zoom to host open coaching calls on artist development grants to better enable artists to make competitive applications for our competitive grants. The sessions are free, but you must register in advance.
- Next call TBA
APPLICANT COACHING CALLS
SCAC program directors are hosts of periodic informational sessions using Zoom about currently-available grant opportunities. Each session reviews a grant’s guidelines and application and includes a Q&A session. Sessions are free, but you must register in advance by visiting the link below to a grant’s guidelines page.
- Arts in Basic Curriculum Grants Final Reports/Applicant Coaching: Thursday, April 1, 3;30 p.m. The Grants Team will be joined by our Specialist for Arts Organizations & Education for an overview of the ABC Advancement Grant FY21 Final Report and FY22 grant application. Includes Q&A. Register for Zoom session by clicking here.
2021 Folk Heritage Awards recipients announced
Proving S.C. traditions ‘long-lived and ever-evolving’
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COLUMBIA, S.C. – In 2021, the Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Awards will be presented by the General Assembly to two recipients being honored for work keeping the state’s traditional art forms alive.
One practicing artist and one arts advocate are to be recognized as ambassadors of traditions significant to communities throughout the state. Their traditions embody folklife’s dynamic, multigenerational nature and its fusion of artistic and utilitarian ideals.
The 2021 recipients are:
- Jugnu Verma (Lexington): Traditional Indian folk arts
- Robert Hill, III (Plantersville): Advocacy, American long rifles and accoutrements
The Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Award is named for the late State Rep. Jean Laney Harris of Cheraw, respected as an outspoken advocate and ardent supporter of the arts and cultural resources of the state. Up to four artists or organizations and one advocate may receive awards each year. The program is managed jointly by the South Carolina Arts Commission and the University of South Carolina McKissick Museum. Community members make nominations to recognize exemplary artistic achievement/advocacy. An independent advisory panel appointed by the lieutenant governor and president of the Senate select the recipients, who must be living and practicing in the state.
“From a gun-making tradition that hearkens back to colonial America, when Carolinians commonly used rifles for hunting, to the art of rangoli—a patterned ground decoration created with colored rice and flower petals that community members have more recently brought with them from India and introduced to South Carolina—the state’s folklife is both long-lived and ever-evolving,” observes McKissick Museum Executive Director Jane Przybysz.
“By their very definition, folk arts illustrate both the rich heritage and broad diversity of who we, as South Carolinians, are as a people,” South Carolina Arts Commission Executive Director David Platts said. “It is sometimes said that we are a state where change and changelessness co-exist, and this year’s award recipients reflect something of this balance between preserving South Carolina’s traditions and opening ourselves to new and exciting art forms and experiences from around the world. Both artists do exceptional work on our behalf, and we are all grateful for what they do.”
The Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Awards and South Carolina Governor’s Awards for the Arts and are presented at the South Carolina Arts Awards ceremony. The pandemic forced the shift of last year’s ceremony to a virtual format in July rather than May. A virtual ceremony is planned once again for 2021, but it will revert to its normal timeframe in the spring. The SCAC and UofSC McKissick Museum will announce a date and time later.
About the 2021 South Carolina Governor’s Awards for the Arts Recipients
Jugnu Verma | Lexington | Traditional Indian Folk Arts
Growing up in the Indian state of Bihar, Jugnu Verma found herself surrounded by Madhubani artists, whose painting was characterized by distinctive geometric patterns and depicted people, nature, and scenes featuring Hindu deities. An early interest led to learning the art form from neighbors in the community, as well as rangoli from the neighbor’s grandmother. From her mother, Verma learned the art of Henna, an integral part of Indian weddings and festivals where a plant-based dye is used to create temporary designs on the body. Verma is eager and enthusiastic about sharing her artistic traditions at various venues, which include her work as a Diwali (Indian Festival of Lights) Kick-off Party Organizer, workshops, and exhibitions at the Columbia Museum of Art, the rangoli educator at Overdue: Curated for the Creative, Richland Library Main Branch, and as a lead artist at Artista Vista in Columbia. She has served as Artist in Residence at Lexington District One’s New Providence Elementary, River Bluff High and White Knoll elementary school where she taught students Madhubani and other art forms. Verma feels it is important for South Carolinians to know about India and its culture and she serves as a cultural ambassador through her work throughout the state.
Robert W. Hill, III | Plantersville | Advocacy: American Long Rifles and Accoutrements
From Plantersville, Robert W. Hill III grew up an avid outdoorsman eager to learn the skills to support his passion for decoy carving, forging knives, and carving gun stocks. His paternal grandfather had been an accomplished blacksmith, woodcarver, and gun stocker who, unfortunately, did not live long enough to teach Hill his skills. But he was nonetheless an inspiration to Hill pursuing his passion. Hill had the opportunity to watch and learn from master engraver Jack Spain and developed a relationship with master gunsmith Frank Burton. After a year of studying and experimenting, Hill completed his first rifle. He recognized the need to preserve the craft and continued his training by studying historic firearms from the Carolinas. Today, he is recognized by gunsmiths across the region as both an exemplary artist and an advocate. In 1994, he co-founded the South Carolina Artist Blacksmith Association, later to become the Phillip Simmons Artists Blacksmith Guild of South Carolina. Through demonstrations and lectures, he has educated people about gun makers from South Carolina to recognize and preserve the artists of the state’s past. Hill passes his skills onto others, including his son and grandson, assuring a legacy of continued preservation, study, and celebration of the traditional craft of gunsmithing.
About the University of South Carolina McKissick Museum
The University of South Carolina’s McKissick Museum tells the story of southern life: community, culture, and the environment. The Museum is located on the University of South Carolina’s historic Horseshoe with available parking in the garage at the corner of Pendleton and Bull streets. All exhibitions are free and open to the public. The Museum is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. The Museum is closed Sundays and University holidays. For more information, please call at 803.777.7251 or visit sc.edu/mckissickmuseum.
About the South Carolina Arts Commission
The mission of the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC) is to promote equitable access to the arts and support the cultivation of creativity in South Carolina. We envision a South Carolina where the arts are valued and all people benefit from a variety of creative experiences.
A state agency created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967, the SCAC works to increase public participation in the arts by providing grants, direct programs, staff assistance and partnerships in three key areas: arts education, community arts development, and artist development. Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., the SCAC is funded by the state of South Carolina, by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts, and other sources. Visit SouthCarolinaArts.com or call 803.734.8696, and follow @scartscomm on social media.
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