← View All Articles

Celebrate 50 years of the Governor’s Awards for the Arts tonight

SCETV special starts at 8 p.m.

Tonight, South Carolina ETV will premiere the stories of nine high-profile past recipients of the Governor's Awards for the Arts at 8 p.m. on South Carolina ETV and streaming.

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. Host Jackie Adams (right) will lead viewers through the result: 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
Read the SCAC news release on The Hub here. Adams, a freelance on-camera talent based in Columbia with an extensive arts background, 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.

How to watch

South Carolina ETV, the state’s public educational broadcasting network, will broadcast through its 11-station TV network that spans the state. Viewers can access the broadcast via: Further information about accessing SCETV is available here. Can't make it or forget to DVR? 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.

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

Gibbes Museum opens 1858 Prize cycle

$10,000 for contemporary southern art

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: September 30, 2022

The Gibbes Museum of Art is pleased to announce the 2022 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art.

Each year, Society 1858, the museum’s young professionals auxiliary group, awards a $10,000 cash prize to one artist whose work demonstrates the highest level of artistic achievement in any media, while contributing to a new understanding of art in the South. Past winners include Stephanie J. Woods (2021), Stephen L. Hayes (2020), Donté K. Hayes (2019), Leo Twiggs (2018), Bo Bartlett (2017), Alicia Henry (2016), Deborah Luster (2015), Sonya Clark (2014), John Westmark (2012), Patrick Dougherty (2011) and Radcliffe Bailey (2010). Submissions for 2022 will be accepted online at www.1858prize.org from Aug. 1–Sept. 30, 2022. “Society 1858 strives to celebrate diverse Southern artists through the 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art,” says Emily Broome, president of Society 1858. “We are thrilled to announce the call for submissions for this esteemed prize. Past winners have gone on to receive many accolades and often return to the Gibbes as visiting artists.” Artists from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia are eligible to apply. All submissions are thoughtfully reviewed by a panel of visual arts professionals, Society 1858 representatives and Gibbes Museum of Art staff members. The winner will be awarded $10,000 and a feature at the Amy P. Coy Forum on Feb. 10, 2023. Two honorable mentions will be awarded $500 each. Artists must submit:
  • Completed registration form
  • Brief artist statement (150 words or less)
  • Resume or CV
  • Portfolio of work (up to 10 images) including title, date, medium, and dimensions for each work
  • $25 non-refundable entry fee
  • Submit at www.1858prize.org
  • For general questions about the 1858 Prize, please contact the Gibbes Museum of Art at 1858prize@gibbesmuseum.org
  • For technical support, while submitting your application, please contact SlideRoom at support@slideroom.com
Winner and honorable mentions will be announced in November 2022 on the 1858 Prize website and via press release.

About Society 1858

The 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art is presented by Society 1858, a member auxiliary group of the Gibbes Museum of Art. This group of dynamic young professionals supports the Gibbes Museum with social and educational programs tailored for up-and-coming art patrons. To learn more about membership in Society 1858, please visit https://www.gibbesmuseum.org/become-a-member/#society-1858.

About the Gibbes Museum of Art

Home to the Carolina Art Association, established in 1858, the Gibbes Museum of Art is recognized among the oldest arts organizations in the United States. Housing one of the foremost collections of American Art from the 18th century to the present, the museum’s mission is to enhance lives through art by engaging people of every background and experience with art and artists of enduring quality and by providing opportunities to learn, to discover, to enjoy and to be inspired by the creative process. For more information, visit www.gibbesmuseum.org.

Submitted material

‘A Fine Hand’ exhibition features accomplished #SCartists

SCAC Fellows, State Art Collection artists included

This is not to be missed.

As it continues to celebrate reopening, Orangeburg County Fine Arts Center opens A Fine Hand this week:

“Dexterous skill, creative imagination and focused intellect pursuing the mystical aura of unique; gifts to the world that cultivate and revere beauty,” is how we envision the purpose and pleasure of this show.

Featured among the 16, #SCartists all, are names familiar to those who follow S.C. Arts Commission goings on. Jeri Burdick, Jocelyn Châteauvert, and Lee Malerich are all former SCAC fellowship recipients and all have works featured in the State Art Collection. Orangeburg's own Dr. Leo Twiggs (modeling his hands above) also appears in the State Art Collection and is a two-time recipient of the Governor's Award for the Arts. A Fine Hand opens this Wednesday evening with a reception from 6-8 p.m. It runs through Wednesday, Aug. 18 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Lusty Gallery (649 Riverside Dr., Orangeburg). Free.

Jason Rapp

#SCartists making rounds in the media

Keeping our eyes on you

Sculpture of a man peering through binoculars set in a wooded space

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

Jason Rapp

Decorated #SCartists highlight new gallery exhibition

SCAC fellows, Governor's Award recipients featured

[caption id="attachment_45026" align="aligncenter" width="600"]Unnamed by Edward Rice Unnamed by Edward Rice. 2019-2020. Oil. 84x42.[/caption]

What's going on? What does it mean? What's next? What really matters?

These are questions asked by Hampton III Gallery at its new exhibition, In Times Like These, which runs July 9 through August 29, 2020. From the gallery:

As our world changes, artists continue to create and explore through visual language. In Times Like These is an exhibition that allows the viewer to enter into the personal space of 20 Hampton III Gallery artists.These artworks were created from March through June 2020. All are on display in the center gallery. Visitors are welcome to view the exhibition during regular hours. Social distancing will be observed and masks are required during this time. 

Featured among the 20 Southern artists in the exhibition are several from South Carolina represented by the gallery, including recipients of two of the South Carolina Arts Commission's highest honors: individual artist fellowships or the Governor's Arts Award.

SCAC Fellows

  • Alice Ballard
  • Dr. Philip Mullen
  • Edward Rice

Governor's Award recipients

  • Jeanet Dreskin
  • Dr. Philip Mullen
  • Edward Rice
  • Tom Stanley
  • Dr. Leo Twiggs
Hampton III Gallery is itself a 2019 recipient of the Governor's Arts Award.
Going? Hampton III Gallery is located outside Greenville in Taylors at 3110 Wade Hampton Blvd., Suite 10. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Friday from 1-5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and other times by appointment. Free.   

Jason Rapp

Rucker, Twiggs headed to S.C. Hall of Fame

Induction ceremony is Feb. 7

[caption id="attachment_43813" align="aligncenter" width="600"]Headshots of Darius Rucker, Dr. Leo Twiggs, and Evelyn Wright, the 2020 inductees of the South Carolina Hall of Fame. Photo courtesy of WPDE and the Official South Carolina Hall of Fame Board of Trustees.[/caption]
Two winners of the state's highest arts award will further live in infamy as members of South Carolina's Hall of Fame in Myrtle Beach. Darius Rucker (above, left) received the Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Award for the Arts with his Hootie & the Blowfish bandmates in 2016. Dr. Leo Twiggs (above, center) received it in 2017. Both awards were special awards for lifetime achievement. They will be enshrined with Evelyn Wright (above, right) on Feb. 7, 2020, at 10:30 a.m. in the ballroom of the Myrtle Beach Convention Center (2101 North Oak St.). The event is free and open to the public. Fittingly, the accomplishments of all three inductees are almost too numerous to list, and neither Rucker nor Twiggs need to be introduced to Hub readers (but we'll provide brief ones anyway):

Leo Twiggs to talk art and race in Charlotte tonight

The Mint Museum in Charlotte is to be host of a conversation on art and race with Leo Twiggs of Orangeburg tonight from 6-9 p.m. Twiggs, recipient of two Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Awards for the Arts, sits down with host Sarah Delia of WFAE 90.7FM. The program is inspired by the work of art entitled “Conversation”, created by Dr. Twiggs following his phenomenal exhibition “Requiem for Mother Emanuel” at the Mint Museum Randolph. Requiem was his artistic response to the massacre of nine church members during a prayer meeting in the historical Charleston house of worship, Mother Emanuel AME Church. Dr. Twiggs established the Art Department at South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, South Carolina and its art museum. Read more about the event here.  Story credit to WFAE.

Twiggs receives honor from Georgia Museum of Art

Prolific #SCartist adds to his accomplishments with Thompson Award

[caption id="attachment_39247" align="aligncenter" width="600"]Image of Leo Twiggs with award namesake Larry Thompson Dr. Leo Twiggs, left, recipient of the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Award, and Larry Thompson.[/caption]
On Feb. 22, the Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia held its annual Black History Month Dinner and Awards Celebration in Athens, Ga. Leo Twiggs received the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Award for his efforts as an artist. This award is given annually to honor an African American artist who has made significant but often lesser-known contributions to the visual arts tradition in Georgia. It is named for the couple who donated 100 works by African American artists from their collection to the museum and endowed a curatorial position there (held by Shawnya L. Harris) to focus on art by African American and African diasporic artists. Twiggs studied art at Claflin College, the Art Institute of Chicago and New York University. In 1970, he became the first African American student to receive a doctorate of arts in art education from the University of Georgia. Twiggs went on to create the first fine arts degree program at South Carolina State University. In many of his works, he uses the wax-resist process of dyeing textiles called batik. His use of the Confederate flag serves as an evocative symbol of systemic racism in the South, and he continues to address social issues in his art, as with a recent series focusing on the murders at Mother Emanuel Church, in Charleston. A prolific artist, he has had work featured in 75 solo shows, one of which was held at the museum in 2004. Twiggs received the Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Award for the Arts in the individual category from the S.C. Arts Commission in 1980 and was a recipient for lifetime achievement in 2017. Accepting the Thompson Award, Twiggs spoke about the event as a homecoming of sorts for him. “When I came here [to the University of Georgia] at the height of the civil rights movement, Lamar Dodd, chair of the art department, told me, ‘We don’t think of you as a student. We think of you as a colleague.' Art is a journey, but ours is a unique journey because: ‘We have come over a way that with tears has been watered. We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered," he continued, quoting “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” known as the “Negro national anthem." "James Baldwin said that ‘the purpose of art is to lay bare the questions that have been hidden by the answers.’ To that end, I have never looked away,” Twiggs said.

Submitted material

Tuning Up: HBCU artists + Florence arts grants + go for Baroque

Good morning!  "Tuning Up" is a morning post series where The Hub delivers curated, quick-hit arts stories of interest to readers. Sometimes there will be one story, sometimes there will be several. Get in tune now, and have a masterpiece of a day. And now, in no particular order...

Twiggs curates TJC Gallery exhibition on HBCU artists. The recipient of virtually every major arts award South Carolina offers is back in the spotlight with a new exhibition in Spartanburg that coincides quite nicely with Black History Month. “Elevation from Within: The Study of Art at Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” opens tomorrow and runs through May 10. Admission varies; More info here. Grant opportunity for Florence County artists and arts organizations. From the Florence Regional Arts Alliance: apply now for grants from the FRAA's Quarterly Grants Program for Organizations & Individual Artists. It's designed to provide support for a wide variety of quality arts projects, as well as for professional development opportunities for artists and arts administrators. Organizations must be based in Florence County with a Florence County mailing address and be registered charitable organizations with federal non-profit status. Individual artists must be practicing artists in dance, literature, music, theatre or the visual arts and have a Florence County mailing address. Individual artists must be over the age of 18 at the time of application. Application deadline is May 15. Go for Baroque. (It's obligatory, and we're not sorry. - Ed.) And we're back in Spartanburg as Wofford College celebrates the visual art and music of the European Baroque period of the 17th and 18th centuries with a special exhibition, a concert of music from the period and presentations about the exhibit. (Story from GoUpstate.com) And finally... Columbia TV station WLTX looked at the arts in South Carolina with three #SCArtists during a Facebook Live event last night.

Load More