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Great Place to Bee

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Thursday, September 30, 2021

While not in South Carolina, Gastonia, North Carolina is just a stone's throw away!

Keep Gastonia Beautiful’s art committee seeks to commission artwork for the downtown area of Gastonia, North Carolina titled “Great Place to Bee” and include interactive smaller art pieces that will weave/waggle their way through Main Street to a larger art piece. The artwork will be sited in a prominent location at a Gateway to the new FUSE Baseball Stadium. We are currently looking for an artist who could fabricate unique 3-D bees as a creative way for Keep Gastonia Beautiful to showcase its Bee City USA affiliation by educating our community about the importance of bees and pollinators through public art. This project, titled “Great Place to Bee,” has the potential to create a buzz of excitement and interest for the entire downtown. Custom metal bees will “waggle” (a waggle is a movement performed by a honeybee at the hive or nest, to indicate to other bees the direction and distance of a source of food) through downtown as part of a scavenger/honey hunt. At each stop of the scavenger/honey hunt we would include fun facts about bees, and depending on the location, the historical significance. We envision groups “buzzing” around downtown searching for these bees. The “end” of the hunt will lead groups to a new art installation, envisioned as a kinetic piece where bees will be “swarming” around a hive near the baseball stadium, home of the Honey Hunters. We are looking for around 8-12 bees to start with the potential to grow, at least 3 inches in length but we are open for interpretation and the ending sculpture should connect and coordinate the bees to their final location. Metal bees should be able to be moved over time to different locations. We believe it’s important to recognize where we came from in order to see where we are headed and encourage you to use the nectar of your imagination when creating this project. View the RFP here (PDF). The deadline to submit materials is Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021.
Photo by Antonella Pal from Pexels

Submitted material

Love at first arc for S.C. welder

New direction leads to arts entrepreneurship

The Hub was honestly not expecting a don't-miss story from The Welder.

Shame on us. Do yourself a favor and read the story of Kristen Albro of Charleston from the Illinois-based trade publication. Writer Amanda Carlson does a terrific profile of the unexpected blacksmith. Here's a small excerpt:

As a veteran of the Air Force, Albro spent her time in service as an aircraft mechanic. Later she earned a degree in criminal justice with a minor in intelligence and homeland security from The Citadel. Seeing the writing on the wall about a white-collar desk job, the lifelong artist did a little soul-searching about what exactly would make her happy. Working with your hands can lead to many pathways, but she landed on welding because she wondered if she could somehow incorporate that into her art.

Carlson mentions Albro's techniques and inspiration and how the two came together to form her entrepreneurial artistic venture. We'll stop there, because you should just go read it right now (TheFabricator.com).
Photo by Kateryna Babaieva from Pexels

Jason Rapp

3D metal and glass fusion studios coming to Spartanburg

Chapman Cultural Center announced last week that it received an $80,000 grant from the Timken Family Foundation of Canton, Ohio. The grant will support the construction of a 3D Metal and Glass Fusion studios at the soon to be open Mayfair Art Studios in the Arcadia neighborhood of Spartanburg. Scott Lamitina, HR Manager of The Timken Company’s Duncan location, said: “The Timken Foundation of Canton has a long-standing tradition of supporting the arts and education initiatives within the communities for which the Timken Company operates. The Mayfair Art Studios project is a great example of how the local community can come together to make art, learn about each other’s cultures, and build a new, vibrant, and economically sustainable community.” Mayfair Art Studios (right), scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2019, will feature a variety of arts studios that will support over 200 artists annually. Located in the Arcadia community, 4 miles west of Downtown Spartanburg, the studios will offer affordable space for artist, musicians, performers, and other creatives. The 3D Metal and Glass Fusion studios will be available to rent by the hour and provide a collaborative studio experience for artists to work together on projects. With this investment, Chapman Cultural Center will be able to offer classes, workforce development training, and scholarships to neighborhood residents. “We are absolutely thrilled to receive this support from the Timken family,” said Brad Wright, Corporate Giving Manager for Chapman Cultural Center “We were already grateful to have local Timken support for our education programs from the Duncan distribution center, but to receive this kind of support from the family foundation is truly overwhelming. To see a family with so much business investment in the area that understands the community’s needs and invest in us is a wonderful and encouraging experience. This generous gift will have a lasting positive impact for Arcadia and our entire community.”
About Chapman Cultural Center
Our mission is to provide cultural leadership for Greater Spartanburg by developing, strengthening, and promoting the scope, excellence and educational role of the arts, humanities and sciences, and to further their significance in the life of our community and all of its citizens. Visit our website to learn more.
About The Timken Company
The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR; www.timken.com) engineers, manufactures and markets bearings, gear drives, automated lubrication systems, belts, chain, couplings and linear motion products, and offers a spectrum of powertrain rebuild and repair services. The leading authority on tapered roller bearings, Timken today applies its deep knowledge of metallurgy, tribology and power transmission across a variety of bearings and related systems to improve the reliability and efficiency of machinery and equipment all around the world.
The company’s growing product and services portfolio features many strong industrial brands including Timken®, Fafnir®, Philadelphia Gear®, Groeneveld®, Rollon® and Cone Drive®. Known for its quality products and collaborative technical sales model, Timken posted $3 billion in sales in 2017. With more than 17,000 employees operating from 33 countries, Timken makes the world more productive and keeps industry in motion.

Crafting Civil (War) Conversations — McKissick Museum’s commemorative exhibition

As part of its commemoration of the end of the Civil War, McKissick Museum at the University of South Carolina will launch a major juried art exhibition that symbolically re-enacts the war’s end as a scene of reconciliation -- not between the North and the South—but between former slaves and former slave owners. Crafting Civil (War) Conversations will run from February 2 to May 31, 2015. Artists working in craft-based media (clay, fiber, glass, metal and wood) are invited to submit entries for the exhibition. The Museum asks artists to imagine a scene of reconciliation, perhaps giving visual and sculptural form to what Martin Luther King conjured when he dreamt of a day when “the sons of former slaves and the sons of slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.” What kind of table, chairs, and table wares might bring people together to share a meal and speak candidly about how the institution of slavery continues to shape Southern life? Would the table be set with china, ceramic stoneware or wooden plates? Would sterling flatware or oyster shells serve as eating utensils? Would a tablecloth grace the table’s surface? Are there serving pieces on the table suggestive of the food traditions Southerners forged and share? In other words, what might the material culture of restorative justice look and feel like? $25,000 in purchase prizes will be awarded to artists and/or artist collaboratives. To participate, artists must have been born in, raised in (a minimum of one year), or be currently living and working in one of the states that joined the Confederacy:  Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Submitted artworks must have been completed since April 2011, the start of sesquicentennial commemorations of the American Civil War. The deadline for submissions is October 31, 2014. Complete participation guidelines are available on McMissick Museum's website. Via: McKissick Museum

Entries sought for statewide juried Fine Craft Competition & Exhibition

[gallery link="file" columns="4"] Fine craft artists from across the state are invited to participate in the 13th annual South Carolina Palmetto Hands Juried Fine Craft Competition and Exhibition. The state’s only fine craft competition and exhibition, the show offers cash prizes totaling up to $6,500. The exhibition is presented as a component of the annual North Charleston Arts Festival, to be held May 2-10, 2014, at the Charleston Area Convention Center in North Charleston. The application is only available online at NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com/apply. Deadline for submissions is Friday, March 14, 2014. Presented by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, this unique exhibition offers fine craft artists from across South Carolina the opportunity to exhibit objects in the media of clay, fiber, glass, metal, wood, and three-dimensional mixed media. Following the close of the show, up to 30 works will be selected to tour the state through the South Carolina State Museum’s Traveling Exhibitions Program. Sites across South Carolina may request the exhibit to tour in their facilities, thus providing additional exposure for the selected artists. Alfred D. Ward NDD, ATD, Emeritus Professor in the Fine Art Department at Winthrop University, will jury this year’s exhibition. As a consultant designer for Spink & Sons in London (by Appointment of her Majesty the Queen) he designed and produced pieces for The Royal Family, Revlon of Paris, and Covent Garden Opera House, among others. Ward’s work is featured in many museums and collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. After moving to the United States in 1981, he taught at the University of Michigan and the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit. In 1985, he became the director of the Appalachian Center for Crafts in Tennessee, and in 1989 became the chair of Art and Design at Winthrop University in South Carolina. Winthrop University awarded him the Distinguished Professor of the Year Award in 1998 and the Medal of Honor in the Arts in April of 2011. A free public reception and announcement of awards will be held at the Convention Center on May 2, 2014. For more information, contact the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at (843)740-5854, email culturalarts@northcharleston.org, or visit NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com. (Images are of works from previous exhibitions.) Via: North Charleston Cultural Arts Department

Don’t forget about these upcoming opportunities…

Here are some deadlines we shared earlier, and now that they're almost here, we want to be sure you don't miss out on the opportunity to take advantage of them!

January 31:

  • The 2013-2014 Southern Circuit Tour provides independent filmmakers with the paid opportunity to participate in a six-venue tour of the Southeastern United States, screen their films for new audiences, and engage audiences in discussions about the content and production of their films. Read more >>

February 1:

  • The 4th annual Charleston Film Festival will review shorts and feature-length films from filmmakers from SC, NC and GA. Cash prizes of $2,500 will be awarded for best regional films; the Grand Prize includes a one-week exhibition at Terrace Theater. Read more >>

February 7:

  • The ArtFields festival juried competition has extended its deadline for new works (2- and 3-dimensional). Three emerging or established artists residing in the Southeastern states will receive career-changing cash prizes that honor their exceptional talents. Top Prize is $50,000 with People’s Choice and Juried Panel Winner prizes of $25,000 each. Read more >>

February 15:

  • South Arts is accepting applications for partner venues to host filmmakers and their work for the 2013-2014 Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers, providing communities with an interactive way of experiencing independent film. Read more >>

March 15:

  • Carolina’s Got Art! invites amateur and professional artists in South Carolina and North Carolina to enter its 2013 juried shows, with more than $15,000 in cash and prizes. Read more >>
  • The 12th annual South Carolina Palmetto Hands Juried Fine Craft Competition and Exhibition is presented as a component of the annual North Charleston Arts Festival. Objects juried into the show may compete for cash prizes totaling up to $6,500. Read more >>
 

Fine craft artists invited to apply for Palmetto Hands Competition & Exhibition

Fine craft artists from across South Carolina are invited to participate in the 12th annual South Carolina Palmetto Hands Juried Fine Craft Competition and Exhibition. Objects juried into the show may compete for cash prizes totaling up to $6,500. The exhibition is presented as a component of the annual North Charleston Arts Festival, to be held May 3-11, 2013. Applications are available online. Deadline for submissions is March 15, 2013. Presented by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, this unique exhibition features objects of clay, fiber, glass, metal, wood and three-dimensional mixed media. Up to 30 works will be selected to tour the state through the South Carolina State Museum’s Traveling Exhibitions Program. Sites across South Carolina may request the exhibit to tour in their facilities, thus providing additional exposure for the selected artists. Karen Derksen, director of Winthrop University Galleries and lecturer for the Department of Fine Arts and the Department of Design at Winthrop, will jury this year’s competition. Derksen has coordinated collaborative community projects including the public art installation of Carla Stetson’s "The Red Line" in Rock Hill, MUSE Fest, Pecha Kucha Charlotte and the Artist & Civic Engagement Projects at Winthrop. She has juried a number of exhibitions, acted as small festival representative for the Edmonton Arts Council Festival Granting Jury and served on the panel for the Center for Craft, Creativity and Design 2011 Craft Research Fund Grants. Derksen is also one of the founding members of Media, Art, Design, Exposed in Edmonton. The exhibition will be on display May 3-11, 2013, at the Charleston Area Convention Center. An opening reception and announcement of awards will be held May 3. For more information about the North Charleston Arts Festival, Palmetto Hands, or other exhibition opportunities, contact the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at (843)740-5854, email culturalarts@northcharleston.org, or visit NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com. [caption id="attachment_3239" align="alignright" width="390"]Susan Lenz, Handed Down Susan Lenz, Handed Down, Best in Show 2012[/caption] Via: North Charleston Arts Festival

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