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S.C. museum hires first arts ed director

With funding from the South Carolina Arts Commission, the Cecil Williams South Carolina Civil Rights Museum is announcing Valencia M. Goodwin as its first arts in education director.

Using the extensive collection of the museum, the director will work with middle and high schools and community organizations to explore the South Carolina history that shaped America. Goodwin, a native of Hopkins, believes that "like life, in art, there are no mistakes, only magic." This is the motto she lives by as a mother, creative visual artist, art instructor, model and owner of her own creative arts company, SoulSweet Avenue. Since the age of 3, Goodwin has been drawing. She can recall in elementary school completing a "When I Grow Up" form. Her top five options were to be the most famous artist in the world, become a fashion model, have her own art school, make art for the rest of her life, and have lots of children. It was during her years as a student at Lower Richland High School, under the instruction of Mr. John Johnson Jr., that she realized the uniqueness of her gift. He influenced her to further her education and pursue a career in the arts. In 2001 she won a Black history poster contest with an illustration titled, "My History," which is one of her most popular pieces to this day. Once her name was called as the winner she knew what was her life's purpose: to tell her truth, her history, our story, share our beauty and culture with the world and leave a legacy.
Located in Orangeburg, the Cecil Williams South Carolina Civil Rights Museum honors a generation of people throughout the Palmetto State, who deserve to be remembered for their unselfish commitments and sacrifices. Together, they destroyed Jim Crow, demanded dignity and justice for all people, changed the Constitution, and inspired mankind. The museum is open for visits by appointment. Now through the latest technology, virtual reality tours also allow an extremely immersive experience for everyone. You may tour the museum virtually at https://www.cecilwilliams.com/virtual-tour.

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Contract position opens at S.C. museum

The Cecil Williams South Carolina Civil Rights Museum is seeking a director of arts education.

The arts education director is to manage the museum’s arts in education programs utilizing arts-based strategies to teach academic content and strengthen social emotional learning skills. This individual will be responsible for:
  • coordinating with teaching artists, schools, and partners to ensure a high standard of program delivery
  • program coordination and documentation, and
  • assisting with the coordination of lesson plan development and events
Individual must have experience with educational program management, arts education and/or working with public schools, be highly organized and self-motivated, have experience managing programs and expertise with software such as Google Suite programs, a background in the field of arts education or in K-12 education, and knowledge of South Carolina’s civil rights history. No deadline or compensation information were provided. -Ed.

Preferred qualifications

- BA or BS degree - Knowledge of South Carolina’s civil rights history and contributions. - Relevant work experience - Excellent program management skills and experience - Expertise with Microsoft Office and Google Suite – Photoshop a plus - Excellent written and verbal communication skills - Highly organized and self-motivated - Experience hosting video meetings (Zoom, Meets, Teams) - Expertise with Microsoft Office and Google Suite – Photoshop a plus This independent contractual arrangement has no fringe benefits and the contract is dependent on availability of grant funding. Eligible candidates should submit a resume to: Jannie Harriot at sccivilrightsmuseum@gmail.com or mail to:

JMH Professional Services PO Box 2675 Hartsville, SC 29551

 

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S.C. author sees third book published

Artist, writer, and illustrator Janet Kozachek has published her third illustrated book of poetry.

[caption id="attachment_48277" align="alignright" width="250"] Click image to enlarge[/caption] A Rendering of Soliloquies - Figures Painted in Spots of Time marks observations between artist, model and memory through an emblematic juxtaposition of verse and images. It is on sale now through the publisher, Finishing Line Press. It is her second book with them. Poet and professor Dr. Sarah Wyman said in a review, “In Kozachek’s art, cats and quilts, jewels and molecules fragment and scatter like dropped words from the mouths of models. Sketched subjects sit in the artist’s studio and tell their stories as she paints them: the feminine Kinnari birds with tongues like whips, la mente malevola, a migraine like a doomed mouse before the feline paw, memories of a mother who worshiped the mango bone. In poems, paintings, and drawings, the artist captures moments of deep listening, translated to word and image.” Janet Kozachek has an eclectic educational background, having studied arts and languages on three continents. She has worked as a peripatetic artist/educator, teaching Chinese art, drawing, painting, and mosaics to students from grade level through college. Her previously published chapbook, My Women, My Monsters (Finishing Line Press, 2020) won an honorable mention award from Concrete Wolf Press. When not writing, drawing, or painting in her studio in Orangeburg, Kozachek finds joy in cooking, gardening, and making her one of a kind ceramic musical instruments. She is represented by the Artisan’s Center in Walterboro. Finishing Line Press is a poetry publisher based in Georgetown, Kentucky. In addition to the Chapbook Series, it publishes the New Women’s Voices Series and sponsors the Finishing Line Press Open Chapbook Competition.

Jason Rapp

Coastal Community Foundation of S.C. furthers SCAC grantmaking

Getting by with a little help from our friends

Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina

"Though not the only way, grants are among the main ways the SCAC accomplishes its work."

Savvy and/or loyal Hub readers should recognize that sentence as the opening line of the weekly "Grants Roundup" feature from Monday mornings. But did you know that grants from the South Carolina Arts Commission are made possible, except in either infrequent or limited circumstances, by public funding appropriated by the state General Assembly? One exception to that is the regular generous support of the John & Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of the Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina. In FY21, which marked 17 consecutive years of awards, the fund provided $33,197 to support the SCAC's efforts in subgranting to local arts organizations throughout the state and funding arts projects by individual #SCartists in select counties. Not all of the artists and projects listed below were directly funded by the John & Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund, but including them all could inspire another artist with a project in mind for which they might need a little help. So let's take a look at what artists, sorted by county, were up to in recently closed FY21 thanks to the SCAC's Arts Project Support Grants, funded in part by the John & Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of CCF. (Ed. note: Expect a formal wrap on FY21 to come later this month.)

Julie Hamer | Anderson County

Ceramic artist Julie Hamer upgraded her current kiln and purchased a second pottery wheel with this grant funding. The new equipment allowed her to teach more students and increased her capacity to keep producing her own work while providing facilities for students to complete their projects. During the grant period, she taught in person and online, in group classes as well as private lessons. The second wheel also allowed her to provide demonstrations and introductory throwing opportunities at art events in the area. Her students ranged in age from six to 75, including multiple people who had never had the opportunity to learn pottery and have now gotten experience throwing on a wheel and creating their own works of art. One 75-year-old woman shared that she had wanted to try art her whole life, and Hamer’s pottery class was the very first class ever; now that she has tried it, she wants to do it for the rest of her life. The artist helped multiple students find resources to continue their pottery work, from setting up their own home studios to connecting with established local studios to allowing them to fire their work in her upgraded kiln.

Terrance Washington | Barnwell County

The funding supported artist Terrance Washington’s mobile exhibition of The Lucidity Collection, eight paintings utilizing imagery to evoke thought and conversation, internally or outspoken, colored by aesthetic relevancy of our present condition. The exhibit included live performances by singers and musicians to further elicit emotion and thought along with the visual works. The Lucidity Collection traveled to five different communities (Walterboro, Columbia, Blackville, Aiken, and Hampton) and continues to travel around South Carolina. The mobility of the exhibit allows it to be shown in rural locations without galleries, often in spaces that have other functions such as church halls and conference rooms. The artist reported experiencing professional growth as an artist and inspiring thought within each community.

Bhakti Hough | Lee County

“Jazzy Poetic: The South Carolina Jazz & Poetry Connection – Music and Words for Healing the Nation” was a virtual program featuring poets sharing their thoughts about poetry and reading or reciting from their works. The poets were former SC Poet Laureate Marjory Heath Wentworth; Columbia, SC, Poet Laureate Ed Madden; Len Lawson; and Felton Eaddy. The poets shared their works and explained how they think engaging poetry as reader, listener, or writer can help to ease anxiety and provide hope during the current public health crisis. The event also featured video and audio presentations of Bhakti Larry Hough and the Bhakti Project jazz combo reciting original poetry that paid tribute to other poets, the poetry of Claude McKay, and performing jazz poetry and the music of South Carolina native John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie. The project showcased some of the literary and musical artistry to which South Carolina lays claim, raising awareness of the kind and level of jazz and poetry performance that can be produced in local communities, some of which often “flies beneath the arts radar.”

Historic Marion Revitalization Association | Marion County

This project produced the first artistic mural in Marion, SC’s Historic District. A graphic designer was hired to create a "Greetings from Marion, SC" mural, in which photos of historic and significant places from around the area are rendered within the letters of “Marion” to look like a traditional postcard. The mural includes images of cotton fields, the Marion Museum, palmetto trees, tractors, the courthouse, and magnolia flowers. Artist Narzhio was hired to complete the mural in a little over two weeks. The project is paving the way for more art to come to Marion by inspiring further art creation and conversation within the community. The initial goal of the mural was to provide some artistic content in a town that considered itself to have “a nonexistent art scene.” The positive feedback on the project has expanded to include discussion about the mural both on site and on social media, with memories being shared of what it was like in the "good ol' days" and people talking about their favorite part of the mural. The artist has been in talks with several local business owners about more work, and the association has been approached about bringing art to other buildings downtown.

Robert Matheson | Newberry County/Bamberg County

Newberry-based artist Robert Matheson is creating “A Different View of Bamberg County,” a short film designed to introduce viewers to the beauty and assets found in the four largest cities of Bamberg County: Denmark, Bamberg, Olar, and Erhardt. Matheson worked with Bamberg artist James Wilson to collect still photography and drone video footage showcasing community assets found throughout the county. The final product will include voice and music. The video will be distributed via YouTube and social media channels, and the work will be shared with local media outlets and statewide art networks.

Dr. Eunjung Choi | Orangeburg County

With the support of this grant funding, musician Eunjung Choi recorded Celebrating Women Composers, a CD of classical music for piano. The project highlighted classical women composers and their musical influences and impact on Dr. Choi’s professional artistry. The featured composers included Cécile Chaminade, Teresa Carreño, Fanny Mendelssohn, and Amy Beach. This project provided Dr. Choi an opportunity to grow as a professional artist through the exploration of women composers’ piano music. The completed CD can enhance the listeners’ knowledge of classical piano music of women composers with diverse cultural backgrounds.

Stephen Winkler | Orangeburg County

Stephen Winkler, graphic artist and CEO of 75 Flavas, showcased vinyl printing to children of all ages at Garden Oasis: Spring Seedling Day 2021 in Denmark, SC. After a demonstration to learn about heat transfers and t-shirt making, Parents and children produced their own unique shirts starting with the creation of their own vinyl design. Children also decorated raised garden beds in the park with precut vinyl numbers, letters, and flowers provided by the artist. The activities inspired the children to ask questions about starting their own graphic design businesses, and the artist was able to connect with a new community through the arts.

Bullets and Bandaids | Richland County

Bullets and Bandaids is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to further a living anthology of veterans, writers, and artists to celebrate our common humanity through a traveling art project spanning North and South Carolina. By giving veterans a platform to speak their truth, as well as an opportunity for civilians to take an active listening role, the program helps alleviate problems on an individual as well as communal level, covering issues like domestic violence, drug abuse, and suicidal ideation. The program also provides a venue for local artists, writers, and businesses to join in the celebration of their own potential in all the communities they impact. With this funding, the organization was able to set up workshops through Veterans Affairs in Columbia to teach creative nonfiction to veterans from multiple demographics; set up workshops through the Arken Media Group to teach veterans photography therapy; and collect stories from across the Carolinas through online linking through the VAs, as well as independent organizations like Brothers and Sisters Like These, the Charlotte Art League, and local VFWs. The organization continues to collect work by artists from South Carolina, create and edit voiceovers for veterans’ stories, create merchandise designs from veterans and artists, and connect with local writers to amplify veterans’ stories. In addition, this project resulted in three-time presidential advisor Henry Lozano joining the organization’s Board of Directors, providing greater connections within the veteran community and guidance and resources to a degree that was beyond their expectation at this point in their development.

Jason Rapp

‘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

Workshops to unite communities’ business, creative sectors

Orangeburg, Georgetown first to benefit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Business and creative sector representatives in two communities will have opportunities to explore potential collaborative efforts there because of a new South Carolina Arts Commission initiative. Logo for AIR Institute of Berea CollegeThe workshop “Art Builds Business Builds Art” is itself the result of a collaboration between the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC) and AIR Institute of Berea College in Kentucky, which was created to teach creatives and business people to connect and share their strengths. Funding for the free workshop is provided by SCAC and the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation (ETF). Business owners and those who work in the business world and creatives—be they chefs, painters, musicians, photographers, graphic designers or from other creative disciplines—are invited to gather at The IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium on the campus of South Carolina State University (300 College St.) from 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019 for the workshop. The workshop is free, light refreshments will be served, and parking is also free. AIR Institute founder Beth Flowers will join workshop facilitators Yvette McDaniel, director of choral activities at Denmark Technical College and chairwoman of Bamberg County Community Rural Arts Work League (CRAWL), and GP McLeer, executive director of the South Carolina Arts Alliance. South Carolina State University and The IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium are pleased to bring “Art Builds Business Builds Art” to Orangeburg. Orangeburg County Fine Arts Center, Downtown Orangeburg Revitalization Association, and Simple Chef are also serving as event sponsors. Three days later, a workshop will take place in Georgetown Friday, Aug. 16, 2019 from 1-3 p.m. at the Georgetown County Airport (129 Airport Rd., Georgetown). The new Georgetown Arts & Humanities Council is responsible for bringing ABBBA to the lower Grand Strand. Vanessa Greene is the director of the new council, and she will co-facilitate with Georgetown-based actress and artist Natalie Daise. “The South Carolina Arts Commission sees the business and creative communities as natural partners for community revitalization. In business you need creative solutions to finding competitive advantages, and creatives often need connections offered by business to realize the unique solutions they can offer. ‘Art Builds Business Builds Art’ is an important first step in Orangeburg and for the state as the commission seeks to expand these opportunities,” SCAC Executive Director David Platts said.

About the South Carolina Arts Commission

With a commitment to excellence across the spectrum of our state’s cultures and forms of expression, the South Carolina Arts Commission pursues its public charge to develop a thriving arts environment, which is essential to quality of life, education, and economic vitality for all South Carolinians. Created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967, the Arts Commission 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 Arts Commission is funded by the state of South Carolina, by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts and other sources. For more information, visit SouthCarolinaArts.com or call 803.734.8696.

About AIR Institute

The AIR Institute is an empowering ecosystem that provides artists, businesses and communities the tools, resources, and support to learn, connect, and succeed. The AIR Institute merges the creativity of the arts with the innovation of business to raise the value of arts and creativity in all our communities. AIR has evolved since its humble beginnings in 2012 in Fort Collins, Colorado. We’ve transformed from a small town’s big idea to an impactful program that has served several thousand artists, creatives and communities across the United States. Learn more at AirInstitute.org.

Director sought by Orangeburg Co. Fine Arts Center

Ed. note, 9 Aug. 2019: applications are no longer being sought for this position.


The Orangeburg County Fine Arts Center has an immediate opening for a director. If you are a highly motivated person with the skill and ability to lead well, we have an opening for you. Applicant will:
  • Work with the Board of Directors, be responsible for overall vision, planning, leadership, management and success – includes membership, revenue and event growth.
  • Manage the financial affairs of OCFAC including membership, events, programs, grants, etc.
  • Work with current media platforms and marketing strategies.
EOE/D/V Resumes may be emailed to ocfac1@gmail.com or mailed to: Orangeburg County Fine Arts Center PO Box 2106 Orangeburg, SC 29116-2106  

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S.C. Arts Awards: Cecil Williams

2019 Recipient Feature Series

As the day nears for the 2019 South Carolina Arts Awards, The Hub is taking 15 days to focus on this year's recipients: nine receiving the Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Awards for the Arts and five receiving the Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Award, which are managed jointly by the South Carolina Arts Commission and McKissick Museum at UofSC. In between the two groups, we'll run a special feature on S.C. Arts Awards sponsor Colonial Life.

Cecil Williams

Lifetime Achievement Cecil Williams is a professional photographer, videographer, publisher, inventor, and author. Born and raised in Orangeburg, his extraordinary life and career were shaped by the personal, economic, and political boundaries of segregated life during the Jim Crow Era South. He is perhaps best known for using his penetrating lens to document the struggle to achieve freedom, justice, and equality during the civil rights movement. By the age of 9, he had already begun his career in photography and by 15 was working professionally. From a childhood darkroom in Orangeburg to New York hotels with heads of state to the frontlines of protests and mass meetings around South Carolina, Williams has recorded remarkable moments from the past. He worked as a freelancer for JET magazine, the Baltimore Afro-Americana and the Pittsburgh Courier and as a stringer for the Associated Press. As a young journalist, Williams developed close associations with key Civil Rights figures who provided him unique access to events around South Carolina that were closed to outsiders and the mainstream press. The teenaged Williams documented the Clarendon County movement that led to Briggs v. Elliott, an important legal precedent for the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision that desegregated public schools. He also captured the bravery of student protesters at South Carolina State College, desegregation at Clemson University and the University of South Carolina, the quiet heroism of teachers at the Elloree Training School who resigned from their jobs rather than renounce their affiliation with the NAACP and then and was there for the Orangeburg Massacre in 1968. When Lennie Glover, a Benedict College student, returned to the protest lines after a near-fatal stabbing, Williams was there, his camera focused on Glover’s determined steps down Columbia’s Main Street as he challenged segregation. An accomplished architect, he designed six residences that served as his home and art studio. He became an author in May 2006, publishing Out of the Box in Dixie, a photo-documentary. That publication’s sequel, Unforgettable, was released February 2018. Williams earned a degree in art from Claflin University and was recently appointed by Claflin as its historic preservationist. Williams is recipient of the Order of the Palmetto, the state’s highest award to an individual, and last fall received the Governor’s Award in the Humanities from SC Humanities. He owns Cecil Williams Photography, LLC in Orangeburg, and his new creation, the Cecil Williams Museum in Orangeburg, is slated to debut May 17, 2019.
South Carolina Arts Awards Day is Wednesday, May 1, 2019. The festivities begin at 10 a.m. with a reception that leads up to the awards ceremony at the UofSC Alumni Center (900 Senate St., Columbia). The event is free and open to the public. Following the ceremony, the South Carolina Arts Foundation honors the recipients and the arts community at the S.C. Arts Awards Luncheon and Art Sale. Tickets are $50. Please go here for more information and reservations.

Meet the Recipients

Use these links to read the long-form bios of the other 2019 South Carolina Arts Awards recipients.

SCAC grant supports Claflin campers’ ‘Aladdin Jr.’ performance

Here's a brief grantee spotlight from The Times & Democrat:

Claflin University is hosting an intensive residential camp designed to provide high-level artistic instruction to youth entering grades six through 10 in a college environment. It is funded through a S.C. Arts Commission arts education grant.

The camp will conclude on Saturday, June 16 with a musical theater production of Disney’s “Aladdin Jr.”

Claflin University Intensive (CUSAI) Residential Camp participants are taking classes led by college professors in acting, art (graphic design and jewelry making), dance, music and video production while preparing for the culminating musical theatre production featuring music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Chad Beguelin, and book by Chad Beguelin.

Participants are also mentored by college students majoring in one of the artistic disciplines.

Go here to read the full story!