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SCETV to broadcast the 2023 South Carolina Arts Awards

Sunday, May 14 at 8 p.m. ET

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina Arts Commission and University of South Carolina McKissick Museum continue a partnership with South Carolina ETV to present the South Carolina Arts Awards when they are broadcast on television Sunday, May 14, 2023 at 8 p.m. ET.

South Carolina ETV, the state’s public educational broadcasting network, will broadcast the awards ceremony through its 11-station TV network that spans the state. Viewers can access the broadcast via livestream on the homepage of SCETV.org; by using a digital antenna; or through cable, satellite, and streaming live TV providers. Further information about accessing SCETV is available here. South Carolina First Lady Peggy McMaster and David T. Platts, executive director of the SCAC, will be joint hosts of the South Carolina Arts Awards for the fourth year in a row. They will recognize seven award recipients: two receiving the Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Award and five receiving the South Carolina Governor’s Award for the Arts. McKissick Museum Executive Director Jane Przybysz will introduce each Folk Heritage Award recipient:
  • Emily H. Meggett (Edisto Island): artist category, Gullah Geechee cooking
  • Hampton Rembert (Bishopville): artist category, gospel singing
Meggett will be recognized posthumously after her passing April 21 at the age of 90. Platts will introduce the five recipients of the Governor’s Award for the Arts:
  • Ray McManus (Lexington): artist category
  • Carlos Agudelo (Spartanburg): individual category
  • American College of the Building Arts (Charleston): arts in education category
  • Aiken Center for the Arts (Aiken): organization category
  • Nigel Redden (Mystic, Connecticut): Special Award
The partnership between the SCAC and SCETV allowed for the South Carolina Arts Awards to take advantage of an SCETV production team, led by executive producer William I. Richardson, that created the pre-recorded ceremony. The award recipients will be introduced to the audience through seven new short films by four South Carolina filmmakers: Rick Fitts, Yulian Martínez-Escobar, Gavin McIntyre, and Shae Winston.

About South Carolina ETV and Public Radio

South Carolina ETV (SCETV) is the state's public educational broadcasting network. Using television, radio and diverse digital properties, SCETV's mission is to enrich lives by educating children, informing and connecting citizens, celebrating our culture and environment and instilling the joy of learning. In addition to airing local programs, such as Carolina Classrooms, Making It Grow, Palmetto Scene and This Week in South Carolina, SCETV also presents multiple programs to regional and national audiences, including By The River, Expeditions, Reconnecting Roots, Reel South, Somewhere South, Yoga in Practice and Live from Charleston Music Hall. In addition, SC Public Radio produces the national radio production, Chamber Music from Spoleto Festival USA.

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 https://sc.edu/mckissickmuseum.

About the South Carolina Arts Commission

The mission of the South Carolina Arts Commission 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 artist development, arts industry, arts learning, creative placemaking, and folklife and traditional arts. 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 Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for #Arts4SC and #SCartists content.
South Carolina Arts Commission News Release, Media Contact: Jason L. Rapp, Communications Director. jrapp@arts.sc.gov or 803.734.8899

Jason Rapp

SCAC announces additions, change to team

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina Arts Commission welcomed to its team two new program directors who are tasked with serving South Carolina’s individual artists (#SCartists) and facilitating arts initiatives in rural communities.

Additionally, a current staff member transferred to become the first person in a new role at the agency.

Tanisha Brown joins the SCAC as artist development director. Brown will provide leadership related to building and sustaining support for individual artists in South Carolina in all disciplines (literary, performing, visual, etc.) at various stages in their careers (emerging, mid-level, advanced). A Columbia native, Brown is a multi-disciplined artist-entrepreneur, arts administrator, leadership developer, and business consultant. She received an associate degree from Midlands Technical College and a bachelor’s degree in media arts from USC. Tanisha has served on several local boards, including Columbia Opportunity Resource (COR) and the Midlands Housing Alliance for the Transitions Homeless Center. She enjoys driving economic development within her home state through advocacy and amplification of local arts and culture.

Rebecca Pearson, also joining the SCAC, is the agency’s first rural arts director. Pearson will provide consulting, assistance, and leadership for activities related to building participation in the arts and strengthening rural South Carolina communities through arts initiatives. The long-time Laurens County has lived and worked in rural South Carolina all their life. They have been active in local and state theatre since 2006 and holds a bachelor’s degree in English, theatre, and art history. Pearson has taught at Laurens District 55 High School since 2015.

Margot Lane Strasburger, formerly the SCAC’s digital content manager, is now the first public art coordinator for the agency. In her new role, Strasburger will provide consulting and assistance to constituents who could be grantees, artists, organizations, or local governments throughout the state on public art initiatives.

“We look forward to all the creative contributions from these staff members as they step into their new roles. South Carolina’s communities, whether they are large or small, and artists will benefit from their expertise and collaborative spirit. I am excited to welcome them to our growing team,” SCAC Executive Director David Platts said.

About the South Carolina Arts Commission

The mission of the South Carolina Arts Commission 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 artist development, arts industry, arts learning, creative placemaking, and folklife and traditional arts. 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 Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for #Arts4SC and #SCartists content.
South Carolina Arts Commission News Release, Media Contact: Jason L. Rapp, Communications Director. jrapp@arts.sc.gov or 803.734.8899

Jason Rapp

Gullah Geechee chef and gospel singer to receive 2023 Folk Heritage Awards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COLUMBIA, S.C. – For 2023, the Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Awards will be presented by the General Assembly to honor a Gullah Geechee chef and a gospel singer whose talents keep the state’s traditional art forms alive.

The two practicing artists and are to be recognized as ambassadors of traditions significant to communities throughout the state. Their traditions embody folklife’s dynamic, multigenerational nature and the way it fuses artistic and utilitarian ideals. The Folk Heritage Awards are managed jointly by the South Carolina Arts Commission and the University of South Carolina McKissick Museum. The 2023 recipients are:
  • Emily Meggett: Artist, Gullah Geechee Chef (Edisto Island)
  • Hampton Rembert: Artist, Gospel Singing (Bishopville)
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. In the fall, nominations are sought from citizens across the state to recognize exemplary artistic achievement/advocacy. An independent advisory panel appointed by the lieutenant governor and president of the South Carolina Senate select the recipients, who must be living and practicing in the state. Up to four artists or organizations and one advocate may receive awards each year. As McKissick Museum Executive Director Jane Przybysz notes, "These artists are masters of longstanding South Carolina traditions. The meals that Emily Meggett prepares daily ensure that the culinary know-how of her Gullah Geechee kin gets passed along to and nurtures the next generation. Hampton Rembert’s gospel singing is a point of community pride and inspiration to all who have been touched by a music tradition that uplifts the human spirit, particularly in times of adversity. We thank them for their dedication to keeping alive the traditions that have become our shared South Carolina inheritance." “The recipients of this year’s Folk Heritage Awards embody South Carolina’s rich artistic traditions and our broad diversity as a people and society,” South Carolina Arts Commission Executive Director David Platts said. “Their crafts connect our modern society to, and honor, South Carolina’s cultural past. They remain vibrant parts of rich tapestries that weave together people and communities across the Palmetto State today. We are all grateful for the way these artists enrich the lives of all South Carolinians.” Recipients of the Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage and South Carolina Governor’s Awards for the Arts Awards are honored during a broadcast presentation of the South Carolina Arts Awards, expected to air on South Carolina ETV this May at a date and time to be announced later. South Carolina First Lady Peggy McMaster will join Platts and Przybysz to honor award recipients.

About the 2023 Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Award Recipients

[caption id="attachment_52743" align="alignright" width="250"] Provided photo.[/caption] Emily Meggett | Edisto Island | Artist, Gullah Geechee Chef Gullah Geechee chef Emily H. Meggett, known by many as “M.P.,” was born in 1932 on Edisto Island, a place she calls “heaven on earth.” Meggett grew up on her grandparents’ farm, where they grew a wide variety of vegetables and kept livestock for butchering. Meggett learned traditional Gullah Geechee dishes standing next to her grandmother using ingredients grown on the farm. She honed her skills in the kitchen of wealthy white family’s Edisto Island house. Miss Julia, the Gullah head chef, had a mantra of “You do it right or you do it over.” Anything that wasn’t up to Ms. Julia’s standards went straight to the trash. Meggett married Edisto native Jessie Meggett and they built a four-room home on one acre of land for their 11 children. From there, she cooked for everyone in her family and, as she recalls, likely more than a hundred area children. Meggett’s family and friends long encouraged her to share her recipes in a cookbook, a novel concept to someone who never used one herself. She eventually relented, and a friend visited her daily to work on one recipe at a time. In April of 2022, Gullah Geechee Home Cooking was published and quickly became a New York Times bestseller. Among Meggett’s accolades is the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award from President Joe Biden. To this day, she wakes around two in the morning with inspiration of what to cook that day for all comers. When the door to her kitchen is open, you know you’ll be fed—no money needed, and no questions asked. [caption id="attachment_52744" align="alignright" width="250"] Credit: Amanda Malloy/McKIssick Museum[/caption] Hampton Rembert | Bishopville | Artist, Gospel Singing Raised on a sharecropper farm in Bishopville, 85-year-old Hampton Rembert has been singing gospel from a very young age. He learned with his family who would sing on Sundays and during family reunions. When he and 10 living siblings were younger, they formed a gospel choir of up to 21 members at one point that would sing at a different church every Sunday evening in Lee and Sumter counties. Rembert worked hard at his professions throughout his life. From working at his church to driving trucks through 28 states, and the lawn services he performs today, he always sang. Singing is one of his greatest joys and an experience that connects him to his family and his faith. His talent was threatened in 1998 with a prostate cancer diagnosis. Rembert had surgery in February, but one month after leaving the hospital, he was diagnosed with oral cancer and went back immediately for mouth and throat surgery. He knew that there was a possibility that he would never talk or sing again, a fear confirmed by his doctors. But Rembert credits the power of prayer from his friends and family for allowing him to testify at his church three months after surgery, and while that might be true, his attitude and tenacity played no small part. It has been 25 years since that diagnosis, and he still sings twice a month at his church and as often as he can with his siblings.

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 https://sc.edu/mckissickmuseum.

About the South Carolina Arts Commission

The mission of the South Carolina Arts Commission 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 four areas: arts learning, community and traditional arts, artist development, and arts industry. 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 Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for #Arts4SC and #SCartists content.
South Carolina Arts Commission News Release, Media Contact: Jason L. Rapp, Communications Director. jrapp@arts.sc.gov or 803.734.8899

Jason Rapp

Five honorees to receive 2023 S.C. Governor’s Awards for the Arts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina Arts Commission is happy to announce it will bestow five recipients in 2023 with the state’s highest award for exceptional achievement in practicing or supporting the arts: the South Carolina Governor’s Awards for the Arts.

The SCAC presents the Governor’s Awards for the Arts annually in the spring. The appointed members of the agency’s board of directors vote on panel recommendations for the award. In 2023, the SCAC board approved the recommendations of the following honorees from their respective categories to be recognized for outstanding achievement and contributions to the arts in South Carolina:
  • SPECIAL AWARD: Nigel Redden; Mystic, Connecticut
  • ARTIST: Ray McManus, Lexington
  • INDIVIDUAL: Carlos Agudelo, Spartanburg
  • ARTS IN EDUCATION: American College of the Building Arts, Charleston
  • ORGANIZATION: Aiken Center for the Arts, Aiken
“Recipients are talented, successful, and dedicated. They always represent the best of South Carolina. They give of themselves to ensure access to the arts for all. By presenting them the Governor’s Award, we celebrate their achievements and thank these accomplished recipients for enriching life and culture throughout our state.” SCAC Board of Directors Chair Dee Crawford said. “Making the arts more representative is central to the South Carolina Arts Commission’s mission,” SCAC Executive Director David Platts. “This class of Governor’s Award recipients is notable not just for its excellence, but also for the ways it improves access to the arts. All five of these have made demonstrable efforts to help make the arts in South Carolina more inclusive and accessible.” A committee appointed by the SCAC Board of Directors reviews all nominations. After a rigorous process and multiple meetings, the panel sends to the board a recommendation from each category with a nomination for its approval. Serving on the panel in 2023 were Shani Blann (Lexington), Flavia B. Harton (Greenville), Tamara Herring (Ridgeland), Ed Madden (Columbia), and Regi Strickland (Columbia). Recipients of the South Carolina Governor’s Awards for the Arts and Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Awards are honored during a broadcast presentation of the South Carolina Arts Awards, which are expected to air on South Carolina ETV this May at a date and time to be announced later. South Carolina First Lady Peggy McMaster will join David Platts and Jane Przybysz, executive director of University of South Carolina McKissick Museum to honor award recipients.

About the 2023 S.C. Governor’s Awards for the Arts Recipients

Nigel Redden (Special Award) retired as the general director of Spoleto Festival USA in 2021 having rejoined the festival in October 1995 after having previously served as its general manager from 1986 to 1991. Redden was director of the Lincoln Center Festival from 1998 to 2017. He has also served as executive director of the Santa Fe Opera (1991-1995), artistic consultant to Philadelphia’s American Music Theater Festival (1992-1994), and consultant to the chairperson of the New York International Festival of the Arts (1991-1992). He was director of the National Endowment for the Arts’ dance program from 1981 to 1986 and has served on numerous panels for the NEA, regional arts organizations, and various foundations. He is president of the Spaulding-Paolozzi Foundation and serves on the board of South Arts. In 2001 he was awarded the Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters and was promoted to Commandeur in 2019. He has received honorary doctorates from the College of Charleston and the University of South Carolina. He is currently the project leader for the Anson African Burial Memorial in Charleston which will honor 36 Africans/African Americans buried in the late 18th century whose bodies were disinterred during the renovation of the Charleston Gaillard Center. Born and raised in Lexington County, Ray McManus (Artist Category) is frequently active in poetry initiatives across the state. He serves as the writer-in-residence at the Columbia Museum of Art. McManus founded Split P Soup, a creative writing outreach program that places writers in schools and communities across South Carolina, and former director of the creative writing program at the Tri-District Arts Consortium that serves Columbia area schools. He coedited a collection of writing responding to historical photographs from South Carolina archives. He is the author of five collections of poetry. His first was selected for the S.C. Poetry Book Prize and published in 2007 and a fifth, Last Saturday in America, will be published by Hub City Press in 2024. His poems and prose have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies of Southern and Irish-American writers. McManus earned his master’s in poetry and his doctorate in rhetoric and composition from the University of South Carolina. Now an English professor at USC Sumter, he teaches creative writing, Irish literature, and Southern literature. He is division chair of both arts and letters and humanities and social sciences and director of the school’s Center for Oral Narrative. Carlos Agudelo (Individual Category) has been Ballet Spartanburg’s artistic director since 1991. Among his choreography are classic and contemporary favorites; some of these have been performed at Piccolo Spoleto Festival, Columbia, Greenville, Greenwood, and Rutherford County, North Carolina. Under Agudelo’s direction in 2012, Ballet Spartanburg formed a resident professional company comprised of a diverse group of dancers from across the world. For 10 years, it has performed from Spartanburg to North Carolina, Texas, and Las Vegas, in the process staging more than 85 presentations of his choreography. The native of Colombia, Agudelo began his training in Florida under the direction of Ruth Petrinovic. He received a scholarship to study at the Harkness Ballet School in New York City and danced with the Israel Classic Ballet in Tel Aviv and the International Ballet de Caracas. Alvin Ailey coached him in Ailey’s ballet, The River. He also danced with Ballet Hispanico of New York. Mr. Agudelo received the 2021 Civitan Servant’s Heart Award for the community of Spartanburg and the 2022 Spartanburg Citizen of the Year awarded by the Spartanburg Kiwanis Club. In 2018, Ballet Spartanburg was awarded the S.C. Governor’s Award for the Arts in the organization category. Real-world implications led Charleston’s School of Building Arts to become the American College of the Building Arts (Arts in Education Category) in 2003. A 1968, a warning came that American artisans in the traditional building arts were aging out of the job market. As school systems cut traditional crafts training, no new generation was being trained to create or repair, restore, and preserve American architectural, historic, and cultural treasures. Then, owners of historic Lowcountry properties had to look to Europe to find artisans who could repair and restore damage after Hurricane Hugo.  A group of Charleston’s preservation leaders created ABCA as a unique higher education experience that fills a gap. ACBA was the first to combine old-world apprenticeship training with a liberal arts core curriculum. ACBA students graduate with the skills to practice their trade and broad liberal arts foundation that allows them to design while leading their fields. They understand not only how to do something, but to think critically within the context of their specialization, manage a business, and communicate effectively with clients. ACBA students have trained through a wide range of community service projects, restoring or creating from the Oval Office back to the Lowcountry. Making art more inclusive and accessible is a high priority for Aiken Center for the Arts (Organization Category). Staff and board of directors use this lens to make the vision a reality for the 40,000 people who come through its doors yearly. Three galleries change exhibitions every six weeks. ACA staff work to incorporate each exhibition into their ongoing educational programs, making a cohesive experience for the community. ACA provides instruction from local artists and musicians, enabling community members to find a creative voice through lessons, camps, workshops, and classes—with scholarships available. ACA works closely with the Aiken County public schools. A program brings Aiken Head Start 4K students into the gallery, and ACA places authors and artists in schools as the arts that are integrated to connect learning and life. Further, ACA serves individuals with cognitive and physical disabilities in its community. Youth summer workshops and year-round adult workshops provide for the development of communication skills, teamwork, and decision making at no cost to participants, and art experiences relating movement and painting reach the Alzheimer’s/dementia community.

About the South Carolina Arts Commission

The mission of the South Carolina Arts Commission 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 artist development, arts industry, arts learning, creative placemaking, and folklife and traditional arts. 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 Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for #Arts4SC and #SCartists content.
South Carolina Arts Commission News Release, Media Contact: Jason L. Rapp, Communications Director. jrapp@arts.sc.gov or 803.734.8899

Jason Rapp

The arts sector’s contribution to S.C. economy tops $14 billion

New S.C. Arts Commission report shows 45% growth in five years


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COLUMBIA, S.C. – A new South Carolina Arts Commission economic impact report using 2021 data estimates an annual $14.1 billion impact is made on the state’s economy by the arts-related economic cluster.

Like other large sectors of the state’s economy, arts and creativity form a cluster. The research reviewed 2021 data from the portions of the state economy associated with the performing arts, individual artists and artisans, design arts, crafts and further related activities. The SCAC engaged Joseph C. Von Nessen, Ph.D., research economist with the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina, for the report. He analyzed data from the U.S. census and economic analysis bureaus and commerce department. The research discovered across-the-board increases in the arts-related economic cluster’s annual economic impact in South Carolina from the previous study released in 2018.
  • 123,550 jobs paying $5.7 billion. That is the total number of local jobs supported by the arts-related cluster. This level of employment represents 5.5 percent of the total employment base in South Carolina, generating $5.7 billion in wages and salaries. It is a 7.5 percent increase from the 2018 study.
  • $360.2 million in estimated annual tax revenue generated for the state of South Carolina that arises from the arts-related cluster. That is a 33 percent increase from the 2018 study.
  • A $14.1 billion total economic impact, which represents both the direct and indirect demand generated by the local spending activity of all arts-related businesses, their suppliers, and their employees. This is a 45 percent increase from the 2018 study ($9.7 billion).
“This report illustrates clearly the powerful impact of our state’s investment in the arts,” SCAC Executive Director David Platts said. “The Arts Commission currently receives an annual appropriation of around $8 million, 70 percent of which is returned directly to artists and arts organizations in communities across the State in the form of grants which fund arts experiences for our citizens, fuel the creativity of emerging and established individual artists, and address pandemic-related learning loss for students. And the resulting economic activity generates more than $360 million in tax revenue which comes back to the state. It is truly a win-win for all South Carolinians.” The SCAC is seeking to increase its recurring base appropriation by $3 million starting in FY2024 to sustain and grow arts learning programs. Much of those are directed by its Arts Grow SC program, a federally-funded partnership with the South Carolina Department of Education. Funding for the three-year partnership will expire after FY24, and additional state funding would allow its work with national, state and local partners to continue. “Since it began, we have been proud of the work accomplished by Arts Grow SC. The arts, and especially arts learning, do so much to help our students learn to be creative problem-solvers. We are especially proud that this work reaches rural and underserved communities because the Arts Commission works to ensure everyone has access to the arts’ benefits,” SCAC Board Chair Dee Crawford said. The study utilized an economic multiplier model to determine the extent of the arts-related cluster’s impact. Researchers first analyzed the number of direct jobs in the sector and then assessed its economic impact using a model of South Carolina’s economic linkages—how spending in one sector spreads. The complete report is available from the SCAC website: https://www.southcarolinaarts.com/why-arts-matter/arts-the-economy/.

About the South Carolina Arts Commission

The mission of the South Carolina Arts Commission 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 artist development, arts industry, arts learning, creative placemaking, and folklife and traditional arts. 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 Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for #Arts4SC and #SCartists content.
South Carolina Arts Commission News Release, Media Contact: Jason L. Rapp, Communications Director. jrapp@arts.sc.gov or 803.734.8899

Jason Rapp

2022 Southern Prize exhibition now open in S.C.

Opening reception tonight in Florence gallery


Compelling visual art from the nine southeastern-state fellows in the running for the 2022 South Arts Southern Prize is now on display in Florence, and an opening reception is tonight from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

South Carolina Arts Commission Executive Director David T. Platts will be on hand for a greeting and remarks to attendees. Launched in 2017, the Southern Prize and State Fellowships acknowledge, support, and celebrate the highest quality art being created in the South. Approximately 600 artists applied for consideration in fall and winter 2021, and jurors reviewed each application to recommend the State Fellowship recipients. After review from a national panel of jurors, Louisiana mixed media artist Hannah Chalew was named winner of the $25,000 Southern Prize. [caption id="attachment_52309" align="alignright" width="300"] Click image to enlarge. Courtesy of South Arts.[/caption] The other 2022 State Fellowship recipients are:
  • Jenny Fine. Multidisciplinary. New Brockton, Alabama.
  • GeoVanna Gonzalez. Multidisciplinary. Miami, Florida.
  • Antonio Darden. Sculpture. Atlanta, Georgia.
  • Crystal Gregory. Sculpture. Lexington, Kentucky.
  • Gloria Gipson Suggs. Painting. Holly Springs, Mississippi.
  • Marcus Dunn. Painting. Fayetteville, North Carolina.
  • Brittany M. Watkins. Mixed Media. Columbia, South Carolina.
  • Sarah Elizabeth Cornejo. Sculpture. Memphis, Tennessee.
Visual artists living in South Arts’ nine-state region and producing crafts, drawing, experimental, painting, photography, sculpture, mixed media, and multidisciplinary work were eligible to apply. The nine fellows receive $5,000 cash awards and inclusion in this touring exhibition, which has made its way to South Carolina. The Stephen F. Gately Gallery at Francis Marion University is host of the exhibition. The Southern Prize and State Fellowships program is made possible through the generous financial support of many donors. [caption id="attachment_52307" align="aligncenter" width="950"]In a dimly-lit room, an art patron with short black hair in a black t-shirt snaps a mobile phone picture of South Carolina State Fellow Brittany M. Watkins' "Maladaptation Sits," on exhibit at the launch of the tour. An exhibition attendee snaps a picture of South Carolina State Fellow Brittany M. Watkins' "Maladaptation Sits," on exhibit at the launch of the tour. Provided photo/South Arts.[/caption]

Jason Rapp

S.C.’s original arts learning partnership turns 35

New name, new schools for FY23


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COLUMBIA, S.C. — How do you celebrate 35 years of the Arts in Basic Curriculum Project? By changing your name to Arts in Basic Curriculum Institute, a name that acknowledges your legacy and claims your unwavering commitment to your mission.

Projects come; projects go. After 35 years, ABC is not merely a project but an institution of leadership for countless educators. A first-of-its-kind national model in 1987, the South Carolina Arts Commission’s partnership with the South Carolina Department of Education and Winthrop University is no project. It is an established collaboration that has sustained numerous challenges and continues to serve as an innovative model to assist student recovery from the unprecedented crisis of a pandemic. “South Carolina turned heads in 1987. Our governing partners received a $20,000 planning grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to craft a plan of action based on a vision, to make comprehensive and sequential arts education accessible for all South Carolina students,” ABC Institute Director Kim Wilson, Ed.D said. “The founding steering committee dreamed big. Within a year, it had a plan in place. Within two, there was money going to 11 schools and districts to serve as models for the entire education community. From there, it just hasn’t stopped growing or changing young lives.”

RELATED CONTENT: Read the original ABC Project plan from 1988


In year 35, the original 11 grants have transformed into 69 schools across 20 districts, serving some 41,000 students.

[caption id="attachment_52049" align="alignright" width="250"] Archival image courtesy ABC Institute.[/caption] ABC Institute is proud to announce the three new schools that joined the ranks for FY23:
  • Angel Oak Elementary School |Charleston County School District | John’s Island
  • Beaufort Elementary School | Beaufort County School District | Beaufort
  • Hendrix Elementary IB World School | Spartanburg School District Two | Boiling Springs
Research conducted within ABC Schools have repeatedly provided evidence to the value of arts education in a student’s life. Data collected in 2018 from Gallup Organization research confirmed that South Carolina students who had access to the arts in their curriculum were more hopeful and more engaged than students who didn’t. “The Gallup research validated years of work by our agency and partners over the years,” said SCAC Executive Director David T. Platts, who was an administrator in an ABC school district at the time. “All of a sudden, we had proof of concept. It was, and still is, so gratifying.” However, ABC’s mission states, “all students in South Carolina,” so there was much more to be done. Demand has always exceeded available funding; and funding ebbs and flows throughout the years. Statewide advocates twice helped the SCAC secure $1 million funding increases specifically for the ABC Institute (2013 and 2016). Platts likes to echo da Vinci’s quote that art is never finished, though da Vinci goes on to say it is only abandoned. That  has never been the case for the ABC Institute. After conducting a yearlong internal evaluation, ABC Institute announced a restructure at the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year that featured the development of the ABC School Certification program and the Arts in Basic Curriculum mobile app as the primary tool to serve a redefined ABC Network, and eventually its name change.  Then in 2021, the greatest challenge in recent memory became the greatest opportunity for arts learning initiatives.

Pandemic-related school closures introduced unprecedented learning loss to South Carolina students over two school years.

The American Rescue Plan made funding available to all states to assist in addressing any number of crises, and the SCDE was allotted $2 billion in ARP Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding. The SCAC approached SCDE with a radical idea: we can prove arts learning increases student engagement, it is what students needs to get through this, and we can help address learning loss with arts and creativity using the ABC Institute as a key partner. Superintendent Molly Spearman agreed, and South Carolina turned heads again in June 2021: SCDE committed $20 million over three years to help the SCAC expand ABC Institute and other initiatives using key partners on the local, state, and national levels. “Having the rich history of success with ABC made it easy to sell our idea, but it was only part of the plan for what we now call Arts Grow SC,” Platts said. “It’s after-school learning. It’s summer camps. Eventually, we hope for even more, and all of it uses arts-rich learning.”

RELATED HUB CONTENT: Arts Grow SC to expand, first executive director named


ABC Institute continues to grow and innovate thanks to unprecedented funding.

The Certification designation recognizes model practices of what arts learning can be and how it contributes to student development and achievement. As Wilson explained, “ABC Certified Schools serve as a model for others. ABC Schools commit to not only their students but sharing their work for the benefit of all SC students.” Through Arts Grow SC, ABC Schools have offered themselves as ‘learning laboratories” for others to learn how to leverage the power of learning in and through the arts for accelerated learning. Thanks to the new structure, anyone can access the Arts in Basic Curriculum mobile app and connect to the ABC network. “Our peer-to-peer networking has always been a strength, and now we are putting that in the palm of a teacher’s hand.” Wilson said. From its base at Winthrop University, a team of professionals dedicated to the erstwhile “project” with a steadfast vision of equitable access to quality arts education for all students, continues its work. To learn more about ABC Institute, its programs, and opportunity to learn from its network of leadership, visit www.abcinstitutesc.org.
South Carolina Arts Commission News Release, Media Contact: Jason L. Rapp, Communications Director. jrapp@arts.sc.gov or 803.734.8899

Jason Rapp

SCAC to celebrate 50 years of Governor’s Awards for the Arts

SCETV to premiere retrospective special on Jan. 5


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COLUMBIA, S.C. – A retrospective broadcast commemorating 50 years of the South Carolina Governor’s Awards for the Arts with the stories of nine high-profile past recipients is to premiere Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023 at 8 p.m. on South Carolina ETV.

The South Carolina Arts Commission, the sole presenter of the Governor’s Awards for the Arts, initiated a film project telling the story of the awards for their 50th anniversary. The result was nine vignettes that look at South Carolina arts, culture, and history through the eyes of living, high-profile South Carolina artists who have received the award through the past 50 years:
  • John Acorn
  • Wilfred Delphin
  • Mary Jackson
  • Glenis Redmond
  • Tom Stanley
  • William Starrett
  • Leo Twiggs
  • Sam Wang
  • Cecil Williams
“The South Carolina Arts Commission is extremely proud of its role in recognizing our state’s most accomplished artists and advocates with the Governor’s Awards for the Arts each year. If the pandemic had one silver lining, it forced us to switch from an in-person format to a streaming presentation that allowed our work to continue while being accessible,” SCAC Executive Director David T. Platts said. “In 2022, our homegrown streaming presentation became a broadcast on South Carolina ETV. It has been a pleasure to partner again with them to commemorate this anniversary. Renderhouse Films did a phenomenal job telling these artists’ compelling stories, and it all came together in a special way.” A woman with long gray hair smiling and wearing a black top.Jackie Adams (right), a freelance on-camera talent based in Columbia with an extensive arts background, will be host of the hour-long broadcast. She will introduce the films that profile each artist. The filmmakers behind them, Renderhouse Films of Columbia, spent several months documenting the artists. They turned nine stories that cross diverse lines— racial, ethnic, gender, and artistic disciplines—into individual works of art themselves, notable for their high production quality. Adams’ 25 years of experience include positions in non-profit arts administration and leadership, arts education, community arts, and curatorial and studio practice with Columbia College, the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, Richland County School District One, Lewis and Clark, and many statewide, regional, national artists. South Carolina ETV, the state’s public educational broadcasting network, will broadcast the retrospective premiere through its 11-station TV network that spans the state. Viewers can access the broadcast via livestream on the homepage of SCETV.org; by using a digital antenna; or through cable, satellite, and streaming live TV providers. Further information about accessing SCETV is available here. Subsequent re-airings of the production will occur on other SCETV channels, including Jan. 9 at 8 p.m. on the South Carolina Channel and Jan. 23 at 2 p.m. on ETV World.

About the South Carolina Arts Commission

The mission of the South Carolina Arts Commission 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 artist development, arts industry, arts learning, creative placemaking, and folklife and traditional arts. 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 Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for #Arts4SC and #SCartists content.
South Carolina Arts Commission News Release, Media Contact: Jason L. Rapp, Communications Director. jrapp@arts.sc.gov or 803.734.8899

Jason Rapp

Horowitz honored for dedication to Upstate arts, culture

Town Carolina Charitable Giving Award goes to SCAC commissioner


The South Carolina Arts Commission is excited to offer its congratulations to Henry Horowitz of Greenville for earning a prestigious Upstate award.

Horowitz, it was announced late last week, is the latest recipient of the Town Carolina Charitable Giving Award. From Town Carolina:

Henry Horowitz has been contributing to arts and culture in Greenville and South Carolina since arriving here three decades ago this year.

He’s still involved in all of it, including, especially, the springtime arts festival that stands as his most rewarding philanthropic effort.

Still, [John Warner] says, “Artisphere is not about Henry, it’s a whole group of people, plus their staff. It’s a whole community effort.”

"Henry Horowitz demonstrates an excellent mix of vision and service that benefit the arts in South Carolina, beyond just his beloved Upstate. He is deserving of every accolade and award he is given. The South Carolina Arts Commission is grateful for his advocacy and work on behalf of arts and creativity. We congratulate him on this latest award," SCAC Executive Director David T. Platts said. Read the Town Carolina story, with video tribute, here.

Jason Rapp

SCAC doubles grantmaking record with $11.9 million investment

FY22 grants for arts and arts learning impacted 43 counties

[caption id="attachment_50923" align="aligncenter" width="950"]Teenage females play flutes in the hallway of a school while two beaming pre-teen girls look on. Summer STEAM Institute at Northside Elementary School in Colleton County presented by Arts Grow SC partner Engaging Creative Minds. Provided photo.[/caption]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina Arts Commission is announcing that it more than doubled its previous grant-making record by investing $11.9 million in arts organizations, arts learning, and artists in South Carolina in FY22.

South Carolina Arts CommissionGrants from the SCAC and programs run directly by the agency or with diverse partners reached 43 counties. They assisted 550 artists and providers of arts experiences and arts learning. The SCAC’s annual grants made up $9.15 million through 447 grants. Arts Emergency Relief, made possible by CARES Act funding, made up $2.8 million through 103 grants. A new impact map available on the SCAC website provides visual representation of the statewide impact of the grants and their related programs. “The Arts Commission is committed to ensuring the people of South Carolina, wherever they might be, have access to the arts in some way. I applaud the efforts of our staff, who distribute these grants and manage programs. Our commissioners and the staff will continue working toward giving access to the arts to everyone in our state,” SCAC Chairwoman Dee Crawford said. “We are thrilled about the impact these 550 grants made in South Carolina during the most recent fiscal year. This would not have been possible without the vision of Superintendent Molly Spearman and the South Carolina Department of Education partnering with us to start Arts Grow SC to benefit our state’s next generation,” SCAC Executive Director David T. Platts said. “We thank them, along with the General Assembly and Gov. McMaster, for investing in our vision that believes the arts move South Carolina forward in a variety of ways.”

Record year extends to annual grants

The SCAC’s normal grant categories experienced a record year at $9.15 million, topping the previous record of $5.1 million in FY20. Grants that provided funding support to the SCAC’s three service areas of arts learning, artist development, and community arts. Grants were made in 42 of 46 counties, and one out-of-state grant covered programmatic obligations to South Arts, a regional arts organization and frequent partner in the SCAC’s work. Click here to see how grants were distributed in your community in FY22. One big factor in the increases was Arts Grow SC and grants associated with the new program, which was announced in 2021. The partnership between the SCAC and SCDE provides $20 million over three years to address pandemic-related learning loss in South Carolina schools with arts-rich learning. Arts learning grants rose to $5.7 million in FY22 from just $1.7 million in FY21. Funding for Arts Grow SC comes from ARP ESSER funding appropriated to SCDE. Arts Grow SC funded new arts learning projects during the school year and during the summer and allowed for increased awards in other arts learning categories. The SCAC’s largest single grant category remained General Operating Support, which enabled arts organizations across the state to provide arts experiences to residents and visitors alike. $2.34 million was distributed among 125 such organizations. Another $142,000 was awarded in operating support to smaller arts organizations. Increases in state appropriations allowed for those increases. While the majority of the SCAC’s annual funding comes from state, then federal, appropriations, additional generous FY22 funding support came from the Coastal Community Foundation and the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of CCF. That funding is applied to two SCAC grant categories: Subgranting and Arts Project Support.
  • Partnering arts agencies in South Carolina receive grants they may subgrant to artists and arts organizations in the communities they serve. CCF support helped seven awards in the category total $76,577 in FY2022.
  • A grant from the John & Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of CCF helped the SCAC fund arts projects for artists (18) and arts organization (17) in 12 counties totaling around $63,285.
As of the start of FY2023 on July 1, 2022, the SCAC was awarded further funding increases in the state budget, which means another year of record funding through June 30, 2023.

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 artist development, arts industry, arts learning, creative placemaking, and folklife and traditional arts. 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 Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for #Arts4SC and #SCartists content.
South Carolina Arts Commission News Release, Media Contact: Jason L. Rapp, Communications Director. jrapp@arts.sc.gov or 803.734.8899

Jason Rapp