Tuning Up: Arts groups get CCCF grants + Poetry Out Loud finals
Good morning!
“Tuning Up” is a morning post series where The Hub delivers curated, 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…
It’s been a minute since our last tune up.
So let’s do some quick news…
CCCF grants to benefit Midlands arts groups. We’ve had clustering of arts news from Spartanburg and Charleston lately, and today might be Columbia’s—or at least the Midlands’—time to shine. Central Carolina Community Foundation announced “Connected Communities” grants totaling about $315,000 to 11 groups for innovative, community-based projects. Among them were two arts projects:
- ColaJazz Foundation will host enhanced livestream concerts through “ColaJazz Presents Livestream Jazz,” offering musicians a professional virtual venue to connect with diverse communities throughout the Midlands and the state. This project aims to support musicians, provide live jazz safely throughout communities and foster an increasing audience for jazz.
- Sumter County Cultural Center, “Creative Canvas” is an outdoor mural project meant to create vibrant and welcoming spaces, adding vitality to the city while making quality art accessible to all residents. Buildings will become giant canvases illustrating the city’s collective story—encouraging people to explore and experience Sumter’s diverse and historic communities.
Our frequent partner McKissick Museum at the University of South Carolina is also among the grantees, but not for an arts-related project. Because they partner with us for the S.C. Arts Awards and because it is AWARDS SZN, The Hub is contractually obligated to remind you ColaJazz Foundation will receive the Governor’s Award for the Arts at the upcoming S.C. Arts Awards ceremony in just about a month. Keep on making those waves, Mark Rapp and Co. And our best to Melanie Colclough making waves in Sumter. (We see you.)
Poetry Out Loud semifinals begin this weekend. Greenville student Emily Allison, whom you might remember topped the field in South Carolina’s Poetry Out Loud competition this academic year, represents us all Sunday at noon ET as the national semifinals begin virtually. (Children, don’t let teachers tell you you can’t write coherent long sentences.-Ed.) Get more information and watch here, or keep giving us clicks checking The Hub for updates on her progress toward the May 27 finals.