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South Arts Awards $323,000 among three grant categories

Four S.C. arts organizations to get funding

South Arts is awarding $323,000 in Performing Arts Touring, Literary Arts Touring, and Cross-Sector Impact grants in its nine-state service region.

Four arts organizations in South Carolina are among those receiving awards. Performing Arts and Literary Arts Touring grants support the presentation of out-of-state Southern artists for public engagements and residences, and Cross-Sector Impact Grants support collaborative, community-building projects spanning arts, culture, and other sectors of society. These three granting programs, supported by a partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, connect arts organizations and communities with artists across South Arts' primary nine-state region of AL, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, and TN. Applicants submitted proposals for each program throughout the spring, which were then reviewed by panels of peers and respected leaders in the field. While each grant has its own criteria and purpose, they collectively build towards South Arts' mission: advancing Southern vitality through the arts. These grants are part of South Arts' annual cycle of programming, and organizations are encouraged to review the current guidelines as they plan current and upcoming work.
Performing Arts Touring Grants support the presentation of Southern performing artists with up to $7,500. Applications for this program were due March 2, 2020. Review the guidelines and meet the Performing Arts Touring Grant recipients. Organizations in South Carolina receiving FY21 awards are:
  • Arts Center of Coastal Carolina ($7,000)
  • Newberry Opera House Foundation ($5,100)
  • Pawleys Island Festival of Music & Arts ($2,750)
Literary Arts Touring Grants support the presentation of Southern writers of fiction, creative nonfiction, and/or poetry with up to $2,500. Applications for this program were due May 1, 2020. Review the guidelines and meet the Literary Arts Touring Grant recipients. One organization in South Carolina is receiving an FY21 award:
  • City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs ($1,750)
Cross-Sector Impact Grants harness the power of collaborative, community-building "arts and..." projects spanning arts, culture, and other sectors of society with awards up to $15,000. Letters of Interest for this program were due March 30, 2020. Review the guidelines and meet the Cross-Sector Impact Grant recipients. No South Carolina arts organization is receiving one of these grants in FY21. These grant programs are supported through a partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

Jason Rapp

Molly Fortune named executive director of Newberry Opera House

From Midlands Biz.com:

Molly FortuneNEWBERRY, SC – Molly Fortune, a former director on the executive staff of the Fox Theater in Atlanta, was named executive director of the Newberry Opera House after an extensive national search. She will be only the second executive director in the NOH’s stellar history. Molly previously served as the Restoration and Operations Director for the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia for 15 years. In her tenure with the Fox she was instrumental in developing and implementing strategies focused on the guest experience through authentic preservation of the historic landmark. Building on the marriage between Operations and Preservation, she was the co-founder of the Fox Theatre Institute; an outreach program that assists historic theatres in Georgia with preservation expertise as well as operational/booking knowledge. Through this program she was able to further develop and hone the guest experience for all who walk through the doors of the Fox, staff, performers and ticket buyers through lessons learned from other venues. She has been active in many national organizations including the board of the League of Historic American Theaters, on which she currently serves. Molly commented “The Fox and The Newberry Opera House are more similar than first glance would allow. They are vibrant economic engines, repositories for memories, launching grounds for dreams and empowerment tools to change the world. They both think beyond their four walls and strive to touch, cultivate and challenge the character of those who walk the halls.” Molly is married to LTC Christopher Kemper and has two daughters age 9 and 6 and one co-dependent golden retriever, Teddy. Phil Spotts, chairman of the board of the Newberry Opera House commented “Molly is the perfect visionary leader for this new phase of the Opera House and for Newberry.”

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