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Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg seeking development associate

The Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg is seeking a development associate to support all fundraising activities. This position includes primary oversight of the donor database as well as generation of all fundraising reports as needed by the development department and all mailings. The development associate oversees the integration of records from the box office, merging all duplicates, and interacts regularly with the finance director to ensure clean financial data. This position works closely with the senior development director in the execution of cultivation and solicitation of corporate, individual and foundation gifts. The development associate is a full-time, exempt position reporting to the senior development director. Hours are Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and as needed. Stewardship and Donor Relations

  • Responsible for all donor acknowledgements and assists with regular donor "touches"
Annual Fund -- responsible for coordinating and implementing annual fund activities
  • Generate invoices for pledged gifts and mail at least quarterly
  • Assist with folding, stuffing, sealing and stamping large mailings
  • Assist in the execution of all United Arts Fund collateral including brochures, online giving campaigns, direct mail solicitations, etc
  • Coordinate the printing, production, and mailing of all United Arts Annual Fund direct mail appeals, monthly anniversary letters and annual corporate grants and requests
  • Coordinate with senior development director to assist with the bi-yearly phone-a-thon including preparation of calling materials, and follow-up letters
Database Management
  • Utilize Blackbaud Raisers Edge software and Target Analytics to support strategic donor cultivation and solicitation and to prepare campaign management reports, campaign forecasting, prospect tracking, etc
  • Ensure accurate and timely gift record-keeping, management of database, and all records, files, gift processing, pledge reminder and donor acknowledgements
  • Post daily pledges/gifts/grants/payments to Raisers Edge database
  • Maintain data in Raisers Edge by running various clean-up queries and manually adjusting data or merging/purging records
  • Generate email lists from Raisers Edge for Constant Contact emails
  • Coordinate with director of finance to reconcile information between Raiser’s Edge and Financial Edge monthly
  • Prepare all necessary fundraising reports
Events
  • Assist senior development director in executing three annual donor stewardship events
Competencies
  • Associates degree in a related field or 4 years related work experience
  • Raiser’s Edge proficiency with data entry, queries, exports, reports, batch gift entry, conditional mail merges, and database clean-up
  • Demonstrated ability to use a variety of software applications, especially Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher and Outlook
  • Knowledge of basic accounting principles
  • Highly organized and detailed-oriented
  • Must be able to work independently, and handle confidential information and navigate sensitive situations
  • Detail oriented; ability to set priorities, work without supervision, and handle multiple tasks
  • Organized and efficient
  • Ability to work as part of a team
  • Ability to foresee a need and act upon it
  • Physical requirements: 8+hrs of sitting, walking, talking and listening. Able to lift up to 25 lbs. Close vision to read monitors. 7+ hours of computer work per day
To apply for this position please send a cover letter and resume to  LHemond@SpartanArts.org. The mission of The Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg 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. Founded in 1968 with a current budget of $2.1 million, The Arts Partnership is the oldest and largest countywide arts agency in the state of South Carolina, conducting the 19th largest United Arts Fund in the United States raising $1.2 million in grants and contributions. www.chapmanculturalcenter.org Via: Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg

Four arts projects receive Elevate Upstate grants

From GSABusiness.com Four communities have received 2015 Hughes Investments Elevate Upstate Community Vibrancy grants. Phil Hughes and Hughes Investments annually provides two grants of $5,000 each. However, for 2015, Hughes provided an additional $5,000 with the third grant being split between two communities. The two $5,000 recipients:

The two community projects each receiving $2,500:
  • Art in the Park, Woodruff — The Woodruff Living Arts Festival will be a downtown event that aims to bring art to life in the Upstate.
  • Walkable Cultural District, Spartanburg — The Art Partnership, in collaboration with the Spartanburg Art Museum, is planning a temporary public art installation to launch the newly designated Spartanburg Downtown cultural district.
“The goal of the Elevate Upstate program is to get communities thinking about what types of initiatives or programs might help spark vibrancy within their area and then provide some seed money to get some of them started,” said Hughes Investments President Phil Hughes. “In the three years we have done this program, I have been amazed by the great ideas and passion of communities across the region to grow their vibrancy and sense of place. It was a real challenge to narrow the field to five finalists and to select the recipients.” The program, which began in 2013, annually provides seed funds to support vibrancy initiatives in communities across the Upstate. Since then, Hughes Investments has provided $43,000 to fund projects in 12 different communities. Image: Anderson Mayor and Ten at the Top board member Terence Roberts (from left) with Elevate Upstate grant recipients Alyson Leslie, from Main Street Woodruff; Nancy Halverson, president and CEO of The Children’s Museum of the Upstate; Jennifer Evins, trustee from the Spartanburg County Foundation; Stephanie Turner, Uptown Market manager at Greenwood Farmers Market; and Anne Craig, director of the Greenwood Arts Center. Hughes Investments President Phil Hughes is on the right.

Spartanburg selects 10 locations for public art installations

All 10 neighborhoods that applied to take part in Seeing Spartanburg In A New Light have been selected to participate in the project, according to an announcement by Spartanburg Mayor Junie White. Seeing Spartanburg in a New Light is a temporary public art project supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies through its Public Art Challenge initiative. In October 2014, Bloomberg Philanthropies invited mayors to collaborate with artists and arts organizations to develop innovative temporary public art projects that engage communities, enhance creativity, and enrich the vibrancy of cities. More than 230 U.S. cities submitted proposals, and Bloomberg Philanthropies selected Spartanburg as one of four cities to receive up to $1 million to develop temporary public art projects. Seeing Spartanburg in a New Light is a partnership among artist Erwin Redl, The Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg, and the city of Spartanburg. Redl is collaborating with the city’s police department and participating neighborhood associations to design and develop LED light installations that transform open spaces and create more vibrant neighborhoods. The project builds on the momentum of National Night Out, an annual event that promotes crime prevention efforts, police-community partnership and neighborhood camaraderie. By bringing site-specific art into neighborhoods, the project will foster greater understanding of both the artistic process and the transformative impact of public art. “Seeing Spartanburg in a New Light is providing a great opportunity for our communities to work together on a project that has the capacity to truly transform our city,” said Mayor White. “I look forward to seeing how this project engages our citizens and police department as they create a unique experience that can be shared by everyone.” While originally intending to select only five neighborhoods, Redl and the selection committee chose to support all 10 proposals from these neighborhoods:

  • Beaumont Village
  • Downtown Spartanburg
  • Forest Park
  • Hampton Heights
  • Highland Neighborhood
  • Maxwell Hills/Duncan Park
  • Northside
  • South Converse
  • Andrews Farm & Converse Heights will participate in a joint installation on the Cottonwood Trail that connects both
The selection committee, comprised of city officials and arts experts, carefully reviewed each neighborhood's written submission, interviewed each group and conducted extensive site visits. Submissions were evaluated on a number of factors, including potential for community engagement, site accessibility, and feasibility to host a work of art. Beginning in December 2015, Redl will collaborate with the selected neighborhood associations to design and develop the light installations. The design process will take approximately three months, with the fabrication and installation scheduled for April through July 2016. The installations will be unveiled at National Night Out on Aug. 2, 2016, and will remain open to the public through 2017. “Working with the Spartanburg community has been such an inspiring experience,” said Redl. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to explore the city’s extensive creative resources and work with such talented neighborhoods in designing installations that I hope will engage the community in a meaningful way.” More information about Seeing Spartanburg in a New Light can be found at www.cityofspartanburg.org/new-light. About The Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg The mission of The Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg, Inc. 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. Founded in 1968 with a current budget of $2.1 million, The Arts Partnership is the oldest and largest countywide arts agency in the state of South Carolina and is serving as the lead arts agency and project manager for Seeing Spartanburg in a New Light. About the Artist Erwin Redl is an Austrian-born digital artist who currently lives in Bowling Green, Ohio. In 1993, after his studies at the Vienna Music Academy, he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for computer art studies at School of Visual Arts, New York, (MFA 1995). He lived in New York from 1993-2007 and moved to rural Ohio in 2007. Redl was featured as part of the 2002 Whitney Biennial, when he covered the museum’s facade with LED veils. He created a sound and light installation for the Austrian Pavilion at the World Expo in Zaragoza, Spain (2008). The Pacific Design Center’s Red Building in Los Angeles features four installations by the artist (2013). His largest work is a 590 ft. long outdoor LED-installation at the Wexner Center in Columbus, Ohio (2010). The artist’s work is collected by prominent institutions, such as the Whitney Museum New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, the Milwaukee Art Museum and Borusan Contemporary Istanbul, as well as by many private collectors. About Bloomberg Philanthropies Bloomberg Philanthropies’ mission is to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: Public Health, Environment, Education, Government Innovation and the Arts. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s charitable activities, including his foundation and his personal giving. In 2014, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $462 million. For more information on the philanthropy, please visit bloomberg.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @BloombergDotOrg.

Soup Day: Hub City Empty Bowls to feed the public and the needy

Hub City Empty Bowls’ seventh annual Soup Day will be Saturday, Sept. 26, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. at Chapman Cultural Center with a goal to feed both the socially responsible public and the community’s most needy citizens. On Soup Day, more than 15,000 handmade pottery bowls will be available for purchase for donations of $15 each. Participants will then enjoy unlimited gourmet soup provided by more than 20 local restaurants. In addition, the event will feature continuous live music, a silent auction, and drum circles throughout the day. They money raised will be given to TOTAL Ministries, a faith-based nonprofit agency that provides assistance to Spartanburg’s most needy citizens. Last year, Hub City Empty Bowls, which is spearheaded by Carolina Clay Artists, gave a record-breaking $22,500 to TOTAL Ministries. “This is one of Spartanburg’s most respected and enjoyable fundraisers,” said Nancy Williamson, Empty Bowls’ chairwoman. “It touches people in so many personal ways. It appeals to the creative community because of the pottery bowl-making. It appeals to shoppers who want unique handmade pottery for a great price. It appeals to foodies, who want all-you-can-eat gourmet soup. And it appeals to the socially responsible citizens who see this as a grassroots way to help make the world a better place. Plus it is a lot of fun on every level. What better way to spend a Saturday than coming together for a good cause, hearing great music, eating the best soups to be found in the city, banging on a drum, and taking home a few pottery bowls? The fellowship is amazing.” For the past three months, Carolina Clay Artists led public bowl-making sessions in Spartanburg Art Museum’s Art School and at West Main Artists Co-op. These have been free events, where anyone could make pottery bowls for Soup Day. The clay and professional instruction were free. Those bowls were then glazed and fired. Come Saturday, Sept. 26, more than 1,500 colorful bowls of all shapes and sizes will be laid out in the lobby of Chapman Cultural Center’s theater. “When we open the doors, there is a bit of mad rush by some people to get first dibs,” Williamson said. “It all depends on what you are looking for. If you want primitive child-like bowls, we have them. If you want professional bowls, we have them. And we have everything in between, and some people get stacks of them for Christmas presents. It is an impressive sight to see all of the bowls laid out on as many tables as we can cram into the lobby.” After you get your bowls, you are invited to eat all of the soup you want, provided by restaurants stationed around the room. “You are discouraged from eating out of the pottery bowls,” Williamson said. “They are clean but just not clean enough to eat out of until you take them home and wash them. We’ll have plenty of paper bowls to eat out of.” Also provided will be bread, tea, and water. Throughout the day, various local musicians will provide continuous live music. There will also be a silent auction of donated items, many of which are pottery. Everyone is invited to participate in the drum circle. “It is just a fun day,” Williamson said. “It is a very important day for the community’s needy,” Traci Kennedy, Executive Director of TOTAL Ministries, said. “When someone gives us $20,000, we know we can feed a lot people who need it. In Spartanburg County about 43,000 people each day are in danger of going hungry, many of whom are children and elderly. With the money that Hub City Empty Bowls raised last year, we fed nearly 10,000 people. That’s a pretty good dent in the problem. We cannot thank Hub City Empty Bowls enough.” This year’s sponsors are Chris Williams, Carolina Clay Artists, Chapman Cultural Center, West Main Artists Co-op, Spartanburg Art Museum, Action Printing, and Wheresville Productions. The musicians will be Daniel Z, Fayssoux McLean and David Ezell, 2 Daves, mark Miller, Frank Walker, and drum circles led by Melisa Emkjer. The restaurants and food providers will be Willy Taco, Fatz, Sun King, Cribbs Kitchen, Cribbs Catering, Gerhards, Farmer’s Table, Sparks Fire Inspired Grill, II Samuels, Palmetto Palate, Lime Leaf, Moveable Feasts, Renato’s, Basil’s, McClellan’s Urban Eatery, Andre Nguyen, Garner’s, NuWay, Wild Aces, Mon Amie, Southern BBQ, Episcopal Church of the Advent Young Adults, The Beacon, Cakehead Bakery, Little River Roasting Co., Long Horn’s, Chick-fil-A, and Wade’s. This program is supported in part by The Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg, its donors, the County and City of Spartanburg and the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of the Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina. For more information, please contact Williamson at (864) 621-2768 or visit HubCityEmptyBowls.com. Via: Chapman Cultural Center

Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg seeking finance director

Reporting to the President and CEO of The Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg Inc.,  the finance director is responsible for the financial processes of the organization, including accounting, finance, budgeting, human resources and  risk management (insurance program). As a member of the management team, the finance director will provide financial analysis and advice to the CEO and other managers and supervise operations staff. This is a full-time, exempt position. Hours are Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 pm. Qualifications:

  • Education:  Four-year degree in Accounting and/or Business Administration. CMA or CPA preferred.
  • Experience: Minimum of five years’ experience working in nonprofit financial management and administration; experience with Blackbaud’s Financial Edge accounting software required.
  • Knowledge: Demonstrated knowledge of accounting, financial and human resource management practices.
  • Skills and abilities:  Excellent organizational skills. Good written and verbal skills. Proficient in MS Excel, and MS Word and Financial Edge accounting software.  Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work well in a team.  Ability to manage people and demonstrate sensitivity to and appreciation or diverse viewpoints and different communication styles in a multicultural environment.  Ability to meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment, to multi-task and to adjust to competing priorities. Ability and willingness to be pro-active and to take initiative. Flexibility to adjust to new priorities.
  • Physical requirements:  8+hrs of sitting, walking, talking and listening. Able to lift up to 25 lbs. Close vision to read monitors. 7+ hours of computer work per day.
All inquiries should be sent jEvins@SpartanArts.org.  Include resume and cover letter. Application deadline  is Sept. 29. Via: Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg

Spartanburg wins Bloomberg Philanthropies grant for public art

The City of Spartanburg, in partnership with The Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg, has been awarded up to $1,000,000 from Bloomberg Philanthropies as part of its Public Art Challenge, a new program aimed at supporting temporary public art projects that engage communities, enhance creativity, and enrich the vibrancy of cities. (Related: Spartanburg named finalist for public art grant.) From Bloomberg Philanthropies:

In October 2014, Bloomberg Philanthropies invited U.S. mayors to collaborate with artists and arts organizations on developing innovative public art projects that engage residents and attract visitors. After receiving 237 applications that covered a wide range of local and civic issues, Bloomberg Philanthropies selected four winning projects to receive up to $1 million each as part of the Public Art Challenge – a new program aimed at supporting temporary public art projects that celebrate creativity, enhance urban identity, encourage public-private partnerships, and drive economic development. The four selected cities are: Albany, Schenectady, and Troy, NY, which proposed a collaborative project; Gary, IN; Los Angeles, CA; and Spartanburg, SC. https://youtu.be/0aHSa0q2UA8   Learn more about how each project intends to use public art to transform their city:
  • Albany, Schenectady and Troy, NY – Breathing Lights
Through a collaborative effort, the cities of Albany, Schenectady and Troy, plan to illuminate up to 300 vacant homes over several months. Working with lead artist Adam Frelin, lead architect Barbara Nelson, and more than 25 community and private sector partners, including the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, this multi-site installation aims to regenerate interest in once-vibrant neighborhoods that currently have high vacancy rates. This consortium will culminate the project with a regional summit on vacant homes and abandoned buildings to engage local residents, prospective buyers and investors, and policymakers. 
  • Gary, IN – ArtHouse: A Social Kitchen
The City of Gary will transform a vacant downtown building into a cultural hub that showcases visual and culinary arts. ArtHouse: A Social Kitchen is a partnership with artist Theaster Gates and the City to create a civic center that features three commissioned works of visual art, offers culinary training, and provides cultural programming that uses food as a medium for community engagement.  The City will use this public space as a catalyst to develop a cultural district and promote urban revitalization. 
  • Los Angeles, CA – CURRENT: LA River
The City of Los Angeles will commission up to 15 multidisciplinary artworks and public programs that focus on the city’s environmental concerns and engage residents for its inaugural Public Art Biennial. These installations will include locations alongside the Los Angeles River as well as other sites throughout Los Angeles, increasing awareness of the city’s need for water conservation. 
  • Spartanburg, SC – Seeing Spartanburg in a New Light
The City of Spartanburg is planning temporary art installations on city-owned public spaces in five targeted neighborhoods. The project builds on National Night Out, an annual event that promotes crime prevention efforts, police-community partnership and neighborhood camaraderie. Artist Erwin Redl is collaborating with the city’s police and fire departments, and neighborhood associations selected through a competitive process, to design and develop LED light installations that transform open spaces and create safer, more vibrant neighborhoods. We congratulate the winning cities, and look forward to partnering with them as each project takes shape over the next 24 months. Please join us in watching as the projects develop at publicartchallenge.bloomberg.org.  

Spartanburg receives national grant to build “artlets” in Northside neighborhood

The Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg (TAP) has been awarded a $30,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to design, site, and construct artlets in the city’s Northside neighborhood. Artlets are public structures designed to encourage people to be creative in their community. Conceived as public places with a platform approximately eight to 10 feet in diameter and supporting a moveable vertical fence approximately six feet high, they were created during the development of the Northside Community-Creative-Cultural Arts Master Plan in 2014.  “The Northside artlets will be permanent, innovative, and replicable markers of connectivity and shared space for impromptu creativity sited throughout the community. Artlets are where residents make music, read, escape, converse, teach, draw, and share; they are magnets for increasing cultural exchange,” TAP President Jennifer Evins said. These artlets will be sited throughout the Northside; each will accommodate one to 10 people at a time. “Visually and functionally derived from the neighborhood ‘front porch,’ these physical punctuations of community life will be designed, prototyped, and sited in Northside,” Evins said. “This project develops woodworking and design skills for residents, opportunities to learn urban planning strategies, and creates neighborhood portals for artistic enjoyment and appreciation.” Currently, the City of Spartanburg is embarking on an extensive redevelopment plan to revitalize Northside. TAP is leading the effort to include the arts in the redevelopment plans, using the arts as a means for  social and economic change in the neighborhood. From June 2015 to May 2016, design and siting of four artlets will be directed by artist Tom Shields and Art-Force, a nonprofit organization that will manage the project. Northside residents designated as “Voyagers” will help refine artlet locations identified in the Northside Master Plan, contribute to their design aesthetic, learn woodworking skills through artist apprenticeships, and participate in community evaluation for permanent sites and design refinements. Public spaces will be revitalized through these design activities for site-specific installations, or art created only to exist in one specific space. New partnerships will be facilitated and supported by TAP, including art students at Wofford College, The Cleveland Academy of Leadership, and Spartanburg Community College. The project will transform the landscape of Northside by emphasizing community values and traditions in innovative three-dimensional forms. “As an artist who finds social responsibility and connectivity with a broad audience as important as historic and intellectual artistic dialog, I am incredibly excited to be part of the Northside Artlets project,” said artist Tom Shields. “Art is something that should extend beyond the gallery, museum, and classroom and engage every member of our society through personal daily interactions. Working with community members on the design, prototyping, construction, and installation of these artlets will allow us to create public arts spaces, which are exactly what I feel art is intended to be -- by the people for the people. “The carpenter in me is also enormously excited to share my knowledge of tools, materials, and building techniques through the establishment of a woodworking studio in the Northside community,” Shields said. “Twenty years of woodworking experience has shown me how empowering the skills of a builder/maker can be. Whether you are crafting a gift for a friend, repairing an old chair, or building a house, all of these things remind us of the power of our own hands, and skilled hands working together can accomplish anything.” Through its grant-making to thousands of nonprofits each year, the NEA promotes opportunities for people in communities across the United States to experience the arts and exercise their creativity. This grant to TAP is in the second major grant announcement of fiscal year 2015. The NEA will make 1,023 awards totaling $74.3 million nationwide in this funding round. “The NEA is committed to advancing learning, fueling creativity, and celebrating the arts in cities and towns across the United States,” NEA Chairman Jane Chu said. “Funding these new projects like the one from The Arts Partnership represents an investment in both local communities and our nation’s creative vitality.” To join the Twitter conversation about this announcement, please use #NEASpring2015. For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, go to arts.gov.

Spartanburg named finalist for public art grant

From the Spartanburg Herald-Journal Story by Daniel J. Gross
spartanburgnight300Spartanburg has been named one of 12 finalists for a $1 million grant for public art.
Los Angeles, Atlanta and Albuquerque, N.M. also made the list, whittled down from more than 260 initial submissions. For Hub City, that funding would be used for five to seven temporary “light art” installations throughout the city. The initiative is to promote safety and vibrancy, coinciding with the annual National Night Out, which draws communities together to take a stand against crime. Jennifer Evins, president of The Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg, spearheaded the application to Bloomberg Philanthropies, a charitable giving organization founded by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The $1 million grant is for public art projects that address civic topics. “At a time when imaginative ideas are redefining every industry, cities increasingly realize how important it is to embrace and encourage creativity,” Bloomberg said in a statement released Thursday. “There was a great response to the challenge we issued, and we hope these projects spur new excitement about the ways public art can strengthen neighborhoods, inspire residents and fuel local economies.” Evins said with Spartanburg as a finalist, she and others in the city will work closely to formulate a more in-depth grant application that focuses on how the project will be implemented and the benefits gleamed from it. “To be in the national forefront with arts and public safety, it shows you how relevant the arts community is that it's open to arts being a solution to things like crime prevention,” Evins said. Evins selected Australia native and artist Erwin Redl to create the light installations for local public spaces. He is currently based out of Ohio, and his work can be seen in cities such as Charlotte, N.C., Toronto, New York, Pittsburgh and Istanbul. The grant would bring the artist to Spartanburg to work with selected neighborhoods within the city on how each art installation would be presented. She said the residents would make the artist aware of specifics that make their neighborhood unique so that themes would be incorporated into the work. Evins said adding light in public spaces reduces crime in dark areas and promotes safety. “It's projects like this that bring people out of their homes, and they meet each other,” Evins said. “It's about citizens being actively involved in a project. It's so much about community policing and part of public safety and crime prevention.” She said the installations would be created beginning in July and unveiled during the National Night Out event in April 2016. National Night Out historically has been a call to residents in cities and towns across the country to turn on their porch lights and take a stand against criminal activity. Evins partnered with the Spartanburg Police Department and other city departments while crafting the grant application. Deputy Chief Jennifer Kindall said she is thrilled that Spartanburg is a finalist. “It's just another opportunity to engage, and it's a wonderful thing with the idea of having it tie in with National Night Out,” Kindall said. “Of course, you know, one of the main emphasis on National Night Out is encouraging residents to turn on porch lights as a symbol that they're making a statement to take a stand against crime.” The Bloomberg Philanthropies grant winner will be named in June. If Spartanburg is selected, the light art would remain on display for six to nine months, Evins said. Will Rothschild, a spokesman for the city of Spartanburg, said the distinction as a finalist among other major cities has brought excitement. “Bloomberg Philanthropies is a very big deal,” Rothschild said. “To be one of 12 finalists in a challenge that included a couple hundred applicants is impressive. We're excited about it, and I hope that we can pull this thing off.”

New Wofford College class connects students to community arts organizations

From Wofford College's The Old Gold and Black (student-run newspaper) Story by Sarah Madden

What do six seniors, a junior, six freshmen and community arts professionals have in common? The newest art history course, Community Engagement in the Arts seminar class, draws these people together to provide students with hands-on experience and changed perspectives on the arts community and its organizations. The class meets once a week for discussions with guest speakers from Spartanburg arts organizations, but the core of the course is centered around 40-50 hour practicums, which are similar to internships. In a practicum, students are “working on an individual mission related to the organization’s mission,” says Dr. Karen Goodchild, associate professor of art history. According to Goodchild, the class focuses on exploring how and why arts organizations are founded, funded, programmed and maintained. First-year student Michal Busbee says that this course has encouraged her dream of becoming a museum curator. “The course, while enabling me to see the practical side of art and get hands-on experience in my dream career, is also pushing me to go outside my comfort zone and get involved with the community outside of Wofford,” she says. Senior Sarah Baldwin finds this class, with its mixture of discussion, guest speakers and hands-on experience, to be her most applicable course taken at Wofford. “It bridges my educational experience and future career plans,” she says. “I have not just learned the material, I have also acquired experience working independently with an organization on a project that allows me to practice and apply what I have learned in class in a ‘real-world’ setting.” These individualized practicums range from working with Wofford’s archivist cataloging art pieces to helping Hub City Writer’s Project interview artists for a soon-to-be-published book on regional public art to collecting and transcribing oral histories of Northside residents for the Northside Initiative’s “Porch Stories” project. Senior art history major Sari Imber has been working with Hub City Press in downtown Spartanburg. “The experience has been incredibly eye-opening in terms of my career search this year, and I have learned a lot about the many aspects of the art industry…that I otherwise would have never been exposed to in a traditional lecture-based setting.” While the seniors tend to point to the applicability of the class to the real world, the younger students attest to a new perspective on Sparkle City. First-year student Julie Woodson, for example, says that before taking this class she had no idea how much there was to do in Spartanburg. “[The city] really has a lot to offer. There are so many arts organizations in Spartanburg, and they are always hosting gallery openings, art shows or other events (which usually offer free food).” The long-term benefit is clear to Woodson. “We have all gained a ton of experience, contacts and skills that will most definitely be beneficial when we graduate. I would love to see more classes and areas of study that encourage students to get involved in Spartanburg,” she says. This class also has been well received in the community, says Jennifer Evins, CEO and president of The Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg. “One of the greatest benefits came from dialogue with students about how the local arts community could engage college students more. Some very good ideas resulted, and we hope to implement them with their assistance,” she says. “I believe that this new engagement seminar will continue to help develop a closer relationship with the Wofford College community, and it will give students practical experience in arts administration and arts program development.” “Community Engagement in the Arts has undoubtedly been the most useful, meaningful and challenging class I have had the opportunity to take at Wofford,” says Imber. Baldwin agrees. “Not only that, but it has allowed me to network and establish myself in a work environment, an experience I would have lacked if I had not been given the opportunity to leave the classroom." Image: "The value of the arts on communities is immense,” says former Spartanburg mayor Bill Barnett, one of the many guest speakers.
 

Arts Partnership of Spartanburg announces grant awards

The Arts Partnership at Chapman Cultural Center has awarded five grants as a part of the South Carolina Arts Commission’s Community Grants (Subgranting) program. These grants are awarded to charitable organizations or units of government from Spartanburg County with a primary mission focused on the arts. The grants awarded for the first quarter of 2014-15 ranged from $500 to $1,000, all benefiting the arts in Spartanburg County. Daniel Zongrone, an Upstate percussionist, was awarded a grant to fund an Artist in Residence in Berlin, Germany. His time in one of the largest cities in the world featuring experimental and electronic music will be spent learning about changes in music technology, collaborating with international music partners, and meeting with producers. He plans to bring all this information back to Spartanburg where he will then encourage others to become involved with new sounds. Crystal Irby, a workshop instructor and organizer, will receive funds to attend a play-writing workshop, “From the Idea to the Stage: Playwriting and Directing Workshop with Steven Kent and Linda Parris Bailey.” This will assist her in developing her play, “I Am Zenga Cole-Henderson.” Irby has been working on this script for several years, along with being an active poet and actor. Her production will tell the story of African-American politics and power in the South, examining race, gender, and politics, in today’s media-driven era. Sister Cities of Greater Spartanburg has received a grant for the start-up of an international partnership with Landshut, Germany. The goal of this organization is to link Spartanburg and Landshut through long-term, artistic and cultural connections. This will include encouraging cultural, educational, artistic, institutional and commercial exchanges. Hampton Heights Neighborhood Association received a grant for the Christmas Past Historic Home Tour, a holiday-themed house tour along with horse drawn carriages, Victorian carolers and music from St. John’s Brass and Jhon Akers. The grant money will help pay for the musical entertainment. St. Nicolas Greek Orthodox Church was awarded a grant that will allow the Greek Orchestra to play for the Spartanburg Greek Festival. The purpose of the festival is to introduce the Greek culture to citizens of Spartanburg, with the proceeds benefiting their Family Life Center, a new state-of-the-art event venue. The event also strengthens the local economy through the money the church spends locally for the festival materials. All applicants were reviewed by a committee of individuals throughout the Spartanburg County community. For information about future grant opportunities, please email: Grants@SpartanArts.org
Via: Arts Partnership of Spartanburg Note: The South Carolina Arts Commission's subgranting program provides funds to local arts councils for subgranting quarterly grants to organizations and artists in their region. A subgranting applicant must be a South Carolina organization with a primary mission focused on the arts (or an organization that serves as the primary arts provider in its community). The subgranting program is funded in part by a generous award from the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of The Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina.

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