SCAC selects five for Emerging Artist grant
Up to $1,500 grant includes mentorship, more
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE COLUMBIA, S.C. – A ceramicist, a dancer, a painter and fiber and installation artists make up the five #SCartists receiving South Carolina Arts Commission Emerging Artist Grants in FY2022. The South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC) defines emerging artists as being at an early stage in their artistic career development with no basis in age. Five South Carolina artists were selected to each receive an up to $1,500 Emerging Artist grant from the SCAC in the current fiscal year (2022). They are, left to right:
- Robyn Arnold of Central (dance)
- Evelyn Beck of Anderson (fiber)
- Jordan Sheridan of Columbia (installation)
- Adrian Smith of Darlington (painting)
- Jordan Winiski of Greenville (ceramics)
In addition to financial support, the artists will benefit from mentorship and professional support facilitated by the SCAC and Artist Development Director Ce Scott-Fitts. The combined benefits are intended to deepen artistic practice and foster artistic excellence; encourage career growth, advancement, and sustainability; and provide professional development and opportunities for collaboration.
The SCAC awarded an inaugural class of emerging artists in 2021. Work resulting from their grant can be explored in an online exhibition on SouthCarolinaArts.com. An online exhibition of works by the new class of emerging artists is expected to be available in late summer 2022.
“It means a lot to be considered an ‘emerging artist’ in my 60s,” fiber artist Evelyn Beck of Anderson said. “Art is a second career for me, and I’ve devoted myself to it completely. This recognition and support for my project spurs me forward and makes me feel that I’m heading in the right direction.”
“Funding for emerging artists is crucial for cultivating a community of young creators who are able to discover their artistic voice. I am so thankful for this opportunity,” ceramicist Jordan Winiski of Greenville said.
Beyond funding support, Arnold, Sheridan, and Smith expressed that they anticipate benefit from the mentorship provided by the Emerging Artist program, summed up by Arnold: “I am amazed by how comprehensive and engaging the emerging artist program is. The other grant recipients and I not only receive funding to create, but we also get to meet once a month as a group and meet individually with Ce (Scott-Fitts), the artist development director. That means receiving an incredible support group of other artists as well as personalized insight and direction into our emerging journeys.”
The application period for the next round of the Emerging Artist Grant is to begin in Fall 2022. The SCAC will announce it on The Hub (https://www.scartshub.com/), on its social media at @scartscomm (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) and other channels.
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 Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for #Arts4SC and #SCartists content.
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!"
Grants Coaching
Individual Artist Fellowship Grants
“The fellowship program is one of the arts commission’s signature programs. It directly impacts artist development, one of the agency’s three core functions,” Artist Services Director Ce Scott-Fitts (right) said.
“Increasing the award makes the program more prestigious, but better serves the recipients. They receive financial resources so that they may focus on developing and creating art. Adding disciplines allows for more inclusion while demonstrating how many aspects of the creative economy are touched by the arts.”
Fellowships are made through a highly competitive process and 
Marlanda Dekine, Sapient Soul[/caption]
First, Marlanda Dekine is having quite a summer. In July, 