Joe Riley to receive McNair Award at SC Arts Awards Luncheon

Joe Riley

The Honorable Joseph P. Riley, Jr.

The South Carolina Arts Foundation will honor Joe Riley, former mayor of Charleston, with the 2017 McNair Award for his dedication in ensuring that the arts continue to play a vital role in our communities. The McNair Award will be presented at a luncheon showcasing the South Carolina Arts Awards, which also honor recipients of the Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Governor’s Awards for the Arts and the Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Awards. The luncheon takes place in Columbia May 2, beginning with an art sale at 11 a.m. at the USC Alumni Center, 900 Senate St.. The luncheon follows at 12:30 p.m.

Established in 2007, the McNair Award is named for the late Governor Robert E. McNair, who signed legislation to create the Arts Commission in 1967 to “ensure that the arts continue to grow and play an ever more significant part in the welfare and educational experiences of our citizens.” Originally presented posthumously to Governor McNair, the award continues to honor outstanding leaders who have built on the legacy of the award’s namesake: working diligently to make South Carolina a place where the arts thrive for the benefit of all South Carolinians.

Luncheon tickets are $50. Reserve tickets online or by calling (803) 734-8696.

(Verner Awards and Folk Heritage Awards will be presented May 2 at 11:30 at the Statehouse. The awards ceremony is open to the public.)