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Nation’s largest free farm + arts crawl announces 2023 event

No bull! Annual event has ... bumper crop of counties

The annual South Carolina Ag + Art Tour is adding Aiken and Sumter counties while returning eight previously participating counties to feature a cornucopia of more than 100 tour sites during the 2023 iteration of the event—the largest such in the U.S.

[caption id="attachment_52401" align="alignright" width="300"] Click to enlarge.[/caption] Will Culler, Clemson Extension agribusiness agent and tour director, bills the free, self-guided farm and art tour as a great way to educate people about where their food and fiber come from while they're introduced to local artisans. Now in its 12th year, it has seen steady growth in length and counties and sites participating. Ag + Art Tour is looking for #SCartists who want to exhibit! Go here for information and to apply. Have a farm? Tour sites are being sough to apply too. “We are proud of the commitment of our farms, artisans, and county teams. Because of that, we can sustain continued growth,” Culler said. “One of our goals has been to give people a better knowledge of what is produced in their backyard and help them to support local businesses while making healthier food choices. This event does that by putting food and product with a face.” The 2023 tour include farms and artisans in Aiken, Chester, Colleton, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lancaster, Lexington, Newberry, Richland, Sumter, and York counties.

2023 schedule

Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1-5 p.m.
  • May 6: Lexington
  • May 13-14: Aiken, Lancaster, Sumter
  • May 20-21: Colleton, Newberry
  • June 3-4: Kershaw
  • June 10-11: Richland, York
  • June 17-18: Fairfield
  • June 24-25: Chester
Tour stops include farms and farmers' markets, with art at each location. Artisans on the tour range from weavers, painters, musicians, storytellers, metalworkers, and craftsmen to poets and live musical performances. Some farms will offer value-added products, such as jarred and canned foods, honey, baked goods, or even farm-fresh meals.  There is no fee to attend; visitors can start and stop their tour at any location.
The tour began in York County in 2012 and has added at least one new county each year since. The interest in the South Carolina Ag + Art Tour continues to be high, and it is the largest free farm tour in the nation. More than 85,000 visitors have enjoyed it since its inception. More information about the participating farms, markets, artisans, and ancillary sites can be found online at www.agandarttour.com and its social media accounts:
  • Facebook: @agandarttour
  • Instagram: @agandarttour
Various counties have accounts too, so do a quick search for yours. And don't forget the hashtag: #agandarttour. Plan your mooooooves now.
About the South Carolina Ag + Art Tour The South Carolina Ag + Art Tour is a free self-guided tour of farms and farmers' markets featuring artisans at every stop occurring every weekend in June.  The first Ag + Art Tour was held in 2012 in York County to blend agriculture and art. The tour began to expand in 2013 and has continued to do so yearly. It is the largest free farm and art tour in the nation. The tour is coordinated by leadership and county-level planning teams led by Clemson University Cooperative Extension. Partner organizations include economic development agencies, chambers of commerce, tourism bureaus, farm and artisan organizations, education and extension offices, arts councils, and community volunteers.
Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/corn-fields-under-white-clouds-with-blue-sky-during-daytime-158827/

Jason Rapp

S.C. Arts Awards Spotlight Series: Ann Phillips

Folk Heritage Award: Artist Category

As the day nears for the 2022 South Carolina Arts Awards, The Hub is focusing on this year's recipients: four receiving the South Carolina Governor's Awards for the Arts and three receiving the Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Award, which are managed jointly by the South Carolina Arts Commission and McKissick Museum at the University of South Carolina.

For centuries, South Carolina women have contributed to their communities artistically, culturally, and socially through the making of quilts.

[caption id="attachment_50361" align="alignright" width="300"] Ann Phillips, seated, receives the Folk Heritage Award May 19, 2022 from Jane Przybysz of McKissick Museum at UofSC. Click image to enlarge. McKissick Museum photo.[/caption] Though Alabama born, ANN PHILLIPS of Sumter is a 40-year contributor herself. As a child, seated under her mother’s quilt frame, she threaded needles and learned to make a secure knot. However, she didn’t begin quilting until her husband’s military job landed the Phillipses in Sumter; Phillips felt their new country home needed quilts. Central to her approach is taking a traditional quilt block pattern and using it in a new way to great visual effect. Phillips has shown immense creativity and elevated the artistry of quiltmaking. She will change the set of a block, put it on point, or frame it with multiple borders or use non-traditional fabrics and colors with the same pattern. Quilting groups in South Carolina invite her for trunk shows and presentations to demonstrate taking a traditional, simple quilt block design and doing something new with it. Phillips’ work is regularly included at the South Carolina State Fair, and she shares her skill in her community: Through partnerships at her church, she assists in making quilts for a Sumter pregnancy center, all babies born to Shaw Air Force Base families, and for area assisted living centers.    
The South Carolina Arts Awards are coming live to SCETV on Monday, June 13, 2022 at 9 p.m. ET. South Carolina ETV, the state’s public educational broadcasting network, will broadcast the awards ceremony 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.

Jason Rapp

Arts ed position posted in Sumter

Director of Art Education at Sumter County Gallery of Art

Deadline to apply: n/a, applications open until position filled This position is filled.

The director of art education at the Sumter County Gallery of Art (SCGA) manages the Art Education Program.

He/she is responsible for curriculum development, coordination and operation of the Gallery’s educational programs, which include gallery based programs and art classes, and off-site, community–based art education programs and partnerships. The position requires professionalism, commitment to quality programming and excellent service, connecting with families and children, artist communities, education communities, community organizations, and the community at-large. The successful candidate should be a highly creative thinker with the ability to develop an art education based and fun curriculum that utilizes a variety of media. Shall possess knowledge of modern and contemporary art and artistic practices, including socially engaged and culturally diverse art; commitment to community engagement; research, budgeting, personnel management skills.
 

Job Duties/Responsibilities

  • Implement, evaluate and manage all established SCGA art education programs including: 7-week Summer Art Camp for youth ages 4-17, spring and fall classes for youth and adults, Summer Art Camp Scholarship Fund, workshops, festivals and off-site partnerships including, but not limited to, the HYPE afterschool program serving 450 children at 8 sites and Art for Seniors partnership serving 6 rural Community Centers.
  • Develop and implement new art education programming and community partnerships.
  • Seek out community groups with different missions for possible collaborative programming that align with the socially aware and inclusive mission of SCGA.
  • Collaborate with gallery staff, the Director, Curator, and education assistant on ideas, programs and activities that relate SCGA art programs with the exhibitions when appropriate.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office and graphic design computer programs. Ability to design and generate spreadsheets, invitations, brochures, posters for all SCGA art programs strongly desired. Maintain the Education page of the SCGA website.
  • Identify and write grants to fund educational programming
  • Work with educators from Sumter School District to coordinate field trips and design assignments based on SCGA exhibitions.
  • Supervise and train education staff and volunteers
  • Plan and manage education budget
  • Prepare written reports for bi-monthly Gallery Board meetings.

Job qualifications/requirements

  1. A bachelor's degree is required, and a master's degree preferred in Art Education, Studio Art or related field OR a minimum 2 years experience in art education at the classroom, museum or arts organization level is preferred. The position involves some weekend and evening work, to include at least one Saturday a month.
  2. Knowledge and appreciation of contemporary art, artistic practices, socially engaged art, and museum education methodology
  3. Solid computer skills including Filemaker Pro, Word, Excel, PhotoShop or Illustrator.
  4. Knowledge of WordPress website platform.
  5. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
  6. Strong organizational skills, including personnel management, budgeting, prioritization, preparation and time management.
  7. Self-directed, energetic, highly motivated, and outcome-oriented. Respect for and sensitivity to diversity and individuality.
  8. Must be able to lift up to 40 pounds.
  9. SCGA has a small, close-knit staff and we all wear many hats – some not directly related to the job description. Must be a good “team player” with an attitude and willingness to help and support each other.
  10. Some evening and weekend work – at least one Saturday a month.
Competitive salary based on experience. Vacation and sick leave. E.O.E.

Update

This position was filled, and no more applications are being sought.

Jason Rapp

Downtown Sumter installs public art

3-ft. butterflies take flight

From the Sumter Item/Shelbie Goulding:

Visitors to downtown Sumter can now see colorful 3-foot butterflies hanging overhead, as the City of Sumter and Main Street Society teamed up to showcase local artists and bring positivity to the community amid the pandemic.

"We've been doing revitalization downtown for 20 years, and one thing we really don't have downtown is art," said Leigh Newman, downtown development coordinator for the city. "This was an art installation project that we wanted to do just to have some art downtown and brighten things up."

...

Six local artists and a group of children painted 3-foot fiberglass butterflies more than a year ago, and now, their art is permanently displayed in the downtown area.

"Public art adds so much value to a community, and I really hope that when people see the butterflies that they can feel proud of downtown and that they can be proud of Sumter," Brown said.

The six Sumter artists are:
  • Connie Brennan
  • Erin Duffie
  • Liz Duffy
  • Cleo Klopfleisch
  • Matthew Morse
  • Nurai Tucker
Read Shelbie Goulding's full story here. The story includes locations of butterflies.

Jason Rapp

Arts ed position open in Sumter

Director of Art Education at Sumter County Gallery of Art

Deadline to apply: n/a
Update 31 Oct. 2019, 11:25: This position is filled. The director of art education at the Sumter County Gallery of Art (SCGA) manages the Art Education Program. He/She is responsible for the overall curriculum development, coordination and operation of the Gallery’s educational programs, which includes gallery based programs and art classes, and off-site, community–based art education programs and partnerships. The position requires a high level of professionalism, commitment to quality programming and excellent service, connecting with families and children, artist communities, education communities, community organizations, and the community at-large. The successful candidate should be a highly creative thinker with the ability to develop an art education based and fun curriculum that utilizes a variety of media. Shall possess knowledge of modern and contemporary art and artistic practices, including socially engaged and culturally diverse art; commitment to community engagement; research, budgeting, personnel management skills. A bachelor's degree is required, and a master's degree preferred in Art Education, Studio Art or related field OR a minimum 2 years experience in art education at the classroom, museum or arts organization level is preferred. The position involves some weekend and evening work.

Sumter community band seeks musicians

'Dust off your old instrument ... and come play with us'

From the Sumter Item:

Among the band's current 40 to 45 members are teachers, military personnel from Shaw Air Force Base, lawyers, doctors, homemakers, farmers, pilots and college students; several are school band directors. Mitchum said members must be at least 18 years old, have experience in a middle or high school band and able to read music. There is no audition. Prospective members should attend a rehearsal in order to register. Dues are $15 a year, which helps defray the cost of sheet music.

A nonprofit organization, SCCB receives partial funding in the form of a matching grant from the S.C. Arts Commission, which in turn receives funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. The band also belongs to the Association of Concert Bands ...

Mitchum urges interested musicians to register this Thursday, although they may register any Thursday during the band's season. He said,"Dust off your old instrument, if you have one, and come play with us."

Read features contributor Ivy Moore's full story by clicking here.

Sumter ready for 12th annual Art in the Park this weekend

As much as The Hub enjoys checking in on (and loves!) South Carolina's primary arts metropolises of greater Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, and Spartanburg, it's nice to check in elsewhere in smaller cities and towns that also have much to offer from a cultural standpoint.  And so today we have a dispatch from Sumter, which is just far enough away from Columbia to fall outside the "greater" area designation. On Saturday, 80 artists and crafters will display and sell their work in the largest of the city's 12 annual "Art in the Park" events yet. "We're excited about this year's Art in the Park," Cleo Klopfleisch, public relations chairwoman for the Heart of Sumter Neighborhood Association, said. "It'll be like walking through an outdoor art gallery, and it really does have something for people of all ages and budgets." Items at the event will be priced from $1 to $2,000 (for a handmade wooden table). Park visitors will see paintings, sculpture, glass art, metal work, fabric art, handmade soaps, jewelry, garden art and many unique crafts. Klopfleisch said there will also be a Community Corner, which includes activities and items primarily for children. "Nonprofits and profits will have a children's craft center with hands-on activities," she said. "For example, the Evening Pilot Club will teach the children puppetry, the Sumter County Gallery of Art will have some visual arts activities, and Sumter Habitat [for Humanity] will teach the kids to make, and plant, mug planters." Also be on the lookout for demonstrations by Sumter Little Theatre. Proceeds from vendor fees and sales will benefit Willow Drive Elementary School, Shaw Air Force Base Spouses' Club Scholarship Program and the Tuomey Foundation. Brochures with entertainment schedules, a vendor list, a map and more will be available for visitors. Admission is free.

"Art in the Park" receives funds from, among others, the South Carolina Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. Heart of Sumter Neighborhood Association is a local nonprofit organization.

Something for everyone: Fall for the Arts in Sumter

The Sumter County Cultural Commission proudly presents their annual event, Fall for the Arts: a week long art adventure, Oct. 15-20, 2018. There will be an eclectic lineup of local and national talent for the community to enjoy all week. From beach music & modern dance, to theater & visual art - expect a little something special for everyone.

2018 Fall for the Arts Schedule

Monday, Oct. 15 Fall for the Arts Kickoff Concert – 7 p.m., Patriot Hall (doors open at 6:30 pm) Featuring the Sumter Civic Chorale, Sumter Community Band, Sumter Civic Dance Company, and a few other surprises. This event is FREE to the public. Tuesday, Oct. 16 Ailey II –7:30 p.m., Patriot Hall (doors open at 7 p.m.) The Millican Foundation presents the world-renowned dancers of Ailey II. Tickets are $35. Purchase tickets in person at Patriot Hall and Imports Limited (9 N. Main Street, Sumter SC) after September 1 or online at Eventbrite.com Other events affiliated with Ailey II, Oct. 16: • A Master Class with Ailey II dancers will be held at Morris College gymnasium. Purchase tickets by contacting Melanie Colclough at mcolclough@sumtercountysc.org for $25. Registration is required for entry and tickets for the Master Class are limited. • Greet and meet some of the Ailey II leaders at the VIP Reception - 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Patriot Hall, Tickets are $50. (*VIP reception tickets include both the reception and performance.) Wednesday, Oct. 17 Music on Main - 6-9 p.m., La Piazza on Main Street Featuring the Latin Caravan (Latin Jazz, Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, and Cumbia music) This event is FREE to the public. Thursday, Oct. 18 Sumter Little Theatre Opening Reception – 7 p.m., Patriot Hall (Booth Room) • Student Art Opening • Sumter County Art Gallery open – 7-8 p.m. Sumter Little Theatre presents Little Shop of Horrors – 8:00 pm (14 Mood Ave, Sumter) Purchase tickets at SLT or online at http://www.sumterlittletheatre.com/tickets.html. Friday, Oct. 19 Shag & Jazz - 7 p.m., outside Patriot Hall Featuring Terence Lonon and the Untouchables. This event is FREE to the public. Saturday, October 20 Historic District Art Crawl – 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Downtown Residential Historic District This event is FREE to the public. Most events are FREE to the public. For the latest information about the week’s events, visit PatriotHall.org.
This event is funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, and from the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of the Coastal Community Foundation of S.C.

Submitted material

Tuning Up: New exhibits go(ing) up in Sumter, Columbia

Good morning!  "Tuning Up" is a morning post series where The Hub delivers 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...

  • Sumter County Gallery of Art, in the Sumter County Cultural Center (200 Hasell St., Sumter), recently launched two new exhibits featuring contemporary artists Shanequa Gay and Lorna Ruth Galloway. The exhibits run through June 22. For more information, go here.
  • In Columbia, plan to check in on S.C. Arts Commission Visual Arts and Craft Fellows from 1976-2018 when two new exhibitions open this month, both running from May 10-June 24. Click here for a listing of artists at each.
    • 701 Center for Contemporary Art (701 Whaley St., Columbia)
    • Henry Ponder Gallery at Benedict College (1600 Harden St., Columbia)

U.S. poet laureate, Air Force ‘Rhythm in Blue’ Band in Sumter this weekend

This weekend in Sumter, the Sumter County Cultural Commission and Arthenia Millican Literary Foundation partner to present a new two-day multicultural arts event featuring performances, speakers, an art exhibit, and vendors. "Love. Respect. Unity. Festival" (LRU) is seeking to unite diverse people groups through the arts at Sumter's Patriot Hall March 10-11. Event host Cynthia Hardy from "On Point with Cynthia Hardy" will welcome U.S. Poet Laureate Marjory Wentworth and Hate Won't Win founder Alanna Simmons as speakers. The headlining performer is the U.S. Air Force Rhythm in Blue Band – a nod to Shaw Air Force Base, which calls Sumter home. “We often get into a routine of existing day to day in silos, without meaningfully engaging with people who are different. We have the rare opportunity to unite people around the Sumter area’s rich culture and the diversity of the arts," Sumter County Cultural Center Executive Director Melanie Colclough said. Other performers are scheduled to appear include a combined ‘unity’ choir consisting of choirs from Morris College, First Baptist Church, and Lakewood High and the Sumter County Civic Chorale; a performance by Charleston’s first poet laureate Marcus Amaker; an art exhibit; and performances by a host of Sumter-area and S.C. talent. The AJBM Foundation was established in 2008 to preserve the legacy and literary works of Dr. Arthenia Jackson Bates Millican and to give back. Dr. Millican (1920-2012) was an internationally known poet, educator, novelist and humanist of rural beginnings who called Sumter home. A focal point of the foundation’s contributions is to promote literary and cultural arts locally, nationally and globally. “Many of the performances are inspired by the works of civil rights icon C. T. Vivian and feature themes of togetherness, cooperation, and unity," Millican Foundation Executive Director Richard (Rick) Jones said. “What I’m most excited and passionate about is the impact the festival and ongoing LRU programming will have [on] bringing our diverse and multicultural community together through the arts." Festival admission is free. Hours are as follows:

  • Saturday: vendors from 1:30-3:30 p.m.; program from 3:30-5:30 p.m.
  • Sunday: program from 3:30-5:30 p.m.
More information is available here: https://www.patriothallsc.org/lru.html  

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