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Statewide Arts Conference canceled

In consideration of the impacts of Hurricane Irma and its aftermath, we have decided to cancel the Statewide Arts Conference. We've based this decision on the likelihood that participants and presenters from many parts of the state will face weather-related issues around housing and transportation, along with other situations that might prevent conference attendance. Our first concerns are safety and limiting potential difficulties that might result from moving forward with the conference. Although the weather will be back to normal by Friday, we are making this decision today to give everyone ample notice and to allow our contractors and keynote speakers to adjust their plans in a timely manner. We'll be in touch with registered participants as we begin processing refunds. Anyone who made a hotel reservation for the conference should contact the hotel directly to cancel the reservation. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to sort out logistics. Please let us know if you have any questions by contacting Milly Hough, mhough@arts.sc.gov, 803.734.8698. We wish everyone the best possible outcome today and after the storm.

Update on the Statewide Arts Conference and Hurricane Irma

We are monitoring the Hurricane Irma situation closely and will make a decision Monday, Sept. 11 about whether to go ahead with the Statewide Arts Conference. We will then notify conference registrants about our decision no later than Tuesday, Sept. 12. We’ll also post updates on our Facebook page and here on The Hub. There are many unknowns at this moment, but we will certainly take into consideration the aftermath of the storm – evacuations, power outages, traffic congestion, etc. If we have power outages here in Columbia, that will impact our ability to communicate, so please keep that in mind. If you are registered for the Statewide Arts Conference and haven’t heard from us by Thursday, Sept. 14, please feel free to touch base by calling our main number, 803.734.8696 or emailing Milly Hough at mhough@arts.sc.gov.

Reserve your space at the Statewide Arts Conference!

Guided by the theme "No Time Like The Future," we’re gearing up for an outstanding Statewide Arts Conference September 14 and 15 at the State Museum in Columbia. The conference features two national keynote speakers and top-notch sessions, the opening reception for the new State Art Collection exhibition, Eclipsing 50, AND customized museum experiences created just for our conference. We've also added a pre-conference session that is included in your registration fee of $75 ($65 for two or more people who register at the same time.) Register today to reserve your space. Conference highlights:

  • Two national keynote speakers - we welcome two highly regarded keynote speakers, Dr. Jane Chu, (left) Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts, and Elizabeth Merritt, (right) Founding Director, Center for the Future of Museums and Vice President for Strategic Foresight, American Alliance of Museums. Merritt will also lead a session during the conference.
  • Opening reception for new exhibition -  Eclipsing 50: The State Art Collection 1967 - 2017 was created to celebrate the Arts Commission's 50th Anniversary and includes more than 80 pieces from the collection. The exhibition focuses on the spirit of dynamism and leaps of artistic faith of our state’s changing art landscape and spans work from the last five decades. The State Art Collection was established in 1967 as one of the first programs of the South Carolina Arts Commission.
  • Pre-conference session - Join the S.C. Arts Commission staff Thursday, Sept. 14 from 12:30 - 4:30 p.m. at the State Library, 1500 Senate St., to find out about the Arts Commission's new and updated programs, opportunities and grants, including The Art of Community:Rural SC, ArtsGrowSC (a new loan program for artists) and our new grant application platform.
  • Conference location - we're taking advantage of our unique venue by designing museum experiences for you - our conference attendees. Choose from several options created and presented by museum staff.
  • The Vista Cultural District - explore Columbia's only state-designated cultural district during lunch on your own. Numerous restaurants and arts venues are a quick walk from the State Museum.
Conference schedule overview (Except for Thursday's pre-conference, all sessions -- including registration -- take place at the State Museum.) Thursday, September 14
  • 12:30 - 4:30 p.m. Pre-Conference Session (State Library)
  • 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. Registration (State Museum)
  • 6:00 - 7:15 p.m.  Opening keynote address - Elizabeth Merritt
  • 7:30 - 9:00 p.m. Opening Reception for the 50th Anniversary State Art Collection - Eclipsing 50
Friday, September 15
  • 8:00 - 9:30 a.m. Registration
  • 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. Networking & coffee
  • 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. Concurrent Sessions, Round One
  • 10:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Concurrent Sessions, Round Two
  • 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. Lunch on your own in The Vista
  • 2:15 - 3:30 p.m. Keynote address - Jane Chu
  • 3:45 - 5:00 p.m. Museum experiences
A sample of sessions and speakers
  • Peering Into the Financial Future
  • South Carolina’s Creative Cluster - the Arts and Economic Development
  • Transformation: Creating Asset-Based Diversity and Inclusion Strategies
  • NASCAR, Improv and Advocacy?
  • Building Your Arts Community (for artists)
  • Combating Resistance in Your Art Practice (for artists)
  • Recycle and Renew: Hands-On Art Making
  • Moonshot! Exploring the State Art Collection in Eclipsing 50
  • Have Exhibition, Will Travel
  • Over the Moon - An Interdisciplinary Approach to Museums
  • Planetarium Potpourri
Area hotels are offering special rates  for conference attendees. Find out more and register today! Wells FargoThank you to Wells Fargo, our Statewide Arts Conference sponsor.

Statewide Arts Conference to feature two national keynote speakers

Special anniversary pricing of $50 is valid through July 21. The Statewide Arts Conference will feature two national leaders as keynote speakers: Dr. Jane Chu, (left) Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts, and Elizabeth Merritt, (right) Founding Director, Center for the Future of Museums and Vice President for Strategic Foresight, American Alliance of Museums. Merritt will also lead a session during the conference. The conference kicks off at the S.C. State Museum in Columbia's Vista Cultural District Thursday, September 14 with an evening plenary and a reception for the exhibition Eclipsing 50: The State Art Collection 1967-2017. The conference continues Friday, September 15 with a full day of sessions and museum experiences. A sample of conference sessions:

  • South Carolina's Creative Cluster: A Look at New Data About the Arts and Economic Development
  • Making Your Life as an Artist: A Guide to Building a Balanced, Sustainable Artistic Life
  • Advocacy and NASCAR
  • Recycle & Renew: Hands on Art Making
  • Peering Into the Financial Future - Finding New Strategies for Sustainable Support
  • Moonshot! Exploring the State Art Collection in Eclipsing 50
  • Have Exhibition, Will Travel
The conference also includes customized tours and presentations by State Museum staff members. Take advantage of special anniversary pricing!  Registration is only $50 through July 21. After July 21, registration is $75 per person ($65 per person for two or more participants who register at the same time.) Area hotels are offering special rates  for conference attendees. Find out more and register today! Thank you to Wells Fargo, our Statewide Arts Conference sponsor.

Register today! Statewide Arts Conference registration is $50 through July 21

Special anniversary pricing of $50 is valid through July 21. Fifty years? Where did the time go? Half a century can fly by when you’re busy making your state a thriving place for the arts. The 2017 Statewide Arts Conference will celebrate the S.C. Arts Commission’s 50th anniversary with a focus on the future. Keynote presenters include National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu and Center for the Future of Museums Founding Director Elizabeth Merritt. Sessions will cover topics of interest to artists, arts organizations, arts educators and community partners. The conference kicks off at the S.C. State Museum in Columbia September 14 with an evening plenary and the opening reception for the 50th Anniversary State Art Collection Retrospective and continues September 15 with a full day of sessions and museum experiences. Take advantage of special anniversary pricing!  Registration is only $50 through July 21. After July 21, registration is $75 per person ($65 per person for two or more participants who register at the same time.) Find out more and register today! Thank you to Wells Fargo, our Statewide Arts Conference sponsor.

Call for proposals – Statewide Arts Conference

Save the date! The South Carolina Arts Commission invites session proposals for the 2017 Statewide Arts Conference scheduled for Sept. 14 - 15 at the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia. The conference, a featured event on the Arts Commission's 50th Anniversary calendar, kicks off Thursday, Sept. 14 with an evening plenary and reception and continues Friday, Sept. 15 with a full day of sessions. Conference registration opens in July. Call for proposals Theme: No Time Like the Future Fifty years? Where did the time go? Half a century can fly by when you’re busy making your state a thriving place for the arts. Reminiscing upon the past can be a pleasant diversion, but preparing for the future requires action. So after celebrating our accomplishments, it’s time to move forward…focused. It’s time for our next 50 years. Do you have knowledge or expertise to share with South Carolina's network of arts leaders, educators, artists, and supporters around these broad categories?

  • FORWARD – Have you overhauled an older arts program, restructured your governance, or redesigned your website with an eye toward moving your organization forward?
  • FOCUSED – Are you focused on harnessing today’s rapid pace of technology and/or change to impact your organization or community through the arts?
  • FUTURE – Are you already out there, gearing up for the Next Big Thing in the Arts, waiting for the rest of us to arrive?
Potential audiences
  • Arts educators
  • Artists
  • Arts leaders/executives
  • Board members
  • Community members
Possible topics
  • Board development/governance
  • Communications and promotion
  • Creating a thriving arts environment
  • Creative placemaking
  • Economic development
  • Education
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Executive transition and succession planning
  • Future trends
  • New business models
  • Next generation of emerging arts leaders
  • Participation
  • Program evaluation and assessment
  • Rural arts
  • Strategic planning
  • Technology
Proposals will be evaluated according to these guidelines:
  • Proposals submitted by Friday, June 16, 2017 will be given priority consideration. Final deadline is Friday June 30, 2017.
  • Proposal reflects the theme of the conference and should serve to advance the mission of S.C. Arts Commission.
  • Proposal is fully developed with the subject, format, and substance of the discussion, workshop, or presentation.
  • Proposal offers innovative modes of thinking, diverse and broad perspectives, and a concrete demonstration of the benefits to participants.
  • Proposal is not commercial in nature.
  • Qualifications of presenter(s).
Find out more and submit your proposal online.

Sessions for everyone at the Statewide Arts Conference!

Update: Richard Evans' session (mentioned below) is now full. Conference registrants will receive information about the waiting list. The Statewide Arts Conference taking place Sept. 18 at the Columbia Conference Center is chock full of opportunities to learn from experts and network with colleagues. For less than $100, you'll have access to the kind of high-quality professional development usually found at regional and national conferences -- and you don't even have to leave the state! old cell phonesThe conference features not one, but two highly sought-after keynote speakers. National Book Award-winning poet and S.C. native Nikky Finney will kick off the conference, and Richard Evans of EmcArts will talk about adaptive change and innovation during lunch. Richard will also present a daylong session targeted at arts organizations and the complex changes we're facing. Space is limited in this interactive session and seats are going fast; everyone who registers for the conference will receive details about signing up for Richard's session. Registration is just $98 per person, or $88 per person if you and a colleague register at the same time. Session highlights (find complete details online.) For artists:

  • Making Your Life as an Artist: A Guide to a Balance, Sustainable Artistic Life
  • Practical Legal Tips for the Creative Person
  • A Life in the Arts: 10 Big Ideas on Career and Financial Success
  • Roundtable discussions/short sessions with Artists U facilitators
For everyone:
  • Creating and Cultivating the Agriculture and Art in Your Community
  • The Arts and Social Change
  • Creativity + Community: Leveraging Change for Good
  • Developing Community Partnerships for Arts Education
  • Everyone Tells Our Story But Us - Toward Authenticity in Artistic Presentations
  • Now Tweet This: Online Marketing is Here to Stay
  • Accessibility and New Audiences
Plus, explore program and funding opportunities from South Arts and the Humanities CouncilSC and get technology assistance through our curbside consultant. Read more details about the sessions and register today!

Second stellar keynote added to Statewide Arts Conference

Another internationally known speaker has joined the line-up for the Statewide Arts Conference being held Sept. 18: Richard Evans, president of EmcArts, a leading not-for-profit provider of innovation services to the arts and culture sector across the United States and abroad.

In addition to the opening keynote address by Nikky Finney, the conference will now feature a luncheon keynote and a workshop presented by Evans, who will share his experience of helping arts organizations innovate, with an emphasis on adaptive organizational change and effective ways to respond to the demands of a new era.

The two 90-minute portions of Evans' interactive workshop will be connected -- one occurs in the morning, and the second takes place after lunch. Participants will work in groups to explore complex challenges South Carolina's arts community is facing and dig in to some of the fundamental approaches that are helping organizations address our complex and rapidly changing world. Space for this workshop is limited to 60 participants, so pre-registration will be required. Everyone who registers for the conference will receive information about reserving a spot in Evans' workshop.

All conference attendees will have a chance to learn from Evans during lunch, when he will facilitate a conversation based on what he and his colleagues have learned from nearly a decade of leading adaptive work with 200 arts and cultural organizations of all types and sizes.

Arts organizations should consider bringing at least two people to the conference -- one person to participate in Evans' session, and one person to take part in the other sessions offered at the same time.  The $78 early-bird rate is good only through July 31, so register today!

More information about Evans' workshop and the conference is available online.

A big thank-you to the South Carolina Arts Alliance for generously sponsoring Evans' participation. Related: Poet Nikky Finney to headline Statewide Arts Conference

Poet Nikky Finney to headline Statewide Arts Conference

Nikky FinneyWelcome Nikky Finney as the keynote speaker for the 2014 Statewide Arts Conference! An award-winning poet and South Carolina native, Finney returned to S.C. in 2013 as the John H. Bennett, Jr. Chair of Southern Literature & Creative Writing at the University of South Carolina. After Finney’s fourth book of poetry, Head Off & Split, was awarded the 2011 National Book Award for poetry, her electrifying acceptance speech prompted the ceremony’s emcee, actor John Lithgow, to proclaim, “That’s the best acceptance for anything I’ve ever heard in my life.” Watch the video and get a glimpse of what’s in store for the conference at nikkyfinney.net. Early bird conference registration is $78 per person until Aug. 1. Find out more and register today! Image: photo of Nikky Finney by Rachel Eliza Griffiths

Early birds get the best rate for Statewide Arts Conference!

It's back! The South Carolina Arts Commission's biennial Statewide Arts Conference is scheduled for Sept. 18, and registration is now open! Take advantage of the early bird rate of $78 and register before Aug. 1. The conference takes place at the Columbia Conference Center from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. We're gearing up for an outstanding conference around the theme of CHANGE - acknowledge, anticipate, adapt. Change can transform and improve a situation, or it can wreak havoc with lightning speed if you're unprepared. Come learn from those who have successfully managed the challenges and the opportunities of change. Sessions will include topics of interest to artists, arts organizations and community partners. Here's just a sample of what's in store:old cellphones

  • Real-life tales of surviving change - planning for major transitions and managing the results
  • Sustainable and profitable artistic practices - learning from the common behaviors of successful artist entrepreneurs
  • Moving arts education forward in S.C. - why artists, arts organizations and community partners all have roles to play
  • Stimulating development and attracting visitors - is your community a cultural district in the making?
  • And much more!
Join your colleagues from around the state and enjoy a full day of professional development and networking. Find more information and register online.

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