Grants help York County artists, arts groups promote work

The Arts Council of York County on Thursday announced the recipients of its latest round of small grants, which are given to artists, nonprofit organizations, teachers and schools throughout the county.

Through the grants, the arts council aims to support activities that promote an artist’s professional development or career advancement, or a wide variety of projects and programs that promote an arts discipline and make that art accessible to the public. Allocations for the current three-month period totaled more than $6,700.

Recipients include:

▪ African-American Cultural Resources Committee ($1,000) – The city group is working to build an African-American Business District Monument at the corner of Dave Lyle Boulevard and Black Street to pay tribute to the city’s former black business district.

▪ Catawba River Art Guild ($400) – The grant will allow the guild to buy photographic equipment so members can create digital portfolios and archive their activities and presentations. They also will photograph and archive several other public exhibitions.

▪ City of Rock Hill ($1,000) – Now that the South Carolina Arts Commission has designated downtown Rock Hill as the first state cultural district, the city plans to replace the lightpost banners throughout downtown with new banners that promote the cultural district. The grant will help pay for 50 new banners and the replacement of the existing banners.

▪ Angie Clinton ($200) – The grant will help the local photographer pay to exhibit her work at the Community Art Center in Clover.

▪ Don’t Sweat It FEST ($1,000) – The music festival is scheduled for June 25-27 in and around the Gettys Art Center in downtown Rock Hill. The grant will help pay for the festival’s marketing and production costs.

▪ Edge Theatre ($800) – “Project 2, Find Your Light,” a live entertainment event that will include theatre, music, dance and spoken word, is scheduled for the last week of April at the Gettys Art Center in downtown Rock Hill. The grant will help pay for production costs and marketing for the show.

▪ Friday Arts Project ($252) – The project will debut The Sourwood Writers, a poets’ group it has been hosting since early 2014, with a reading in downtown Rock Hill. The reading will feature four writers – Kirk Irwin, Rebecca Jacobs, Sam Kendall and Amber Shockley – and include open mic readings. The grant will help pay for production costs and marketing for the reading.

▪ Matt Horick ($350) – The Winthrop University graduate is currently an affiliate artist at the McColl Center for Arts + Innovation in Charlotte. The grant will help pay for studio fees and materials.

▪ Marcee Musgrove ($500) – The York County artist, who specializes in paintings, photographs and silk painting, will use her grant to help pay for a one-on-one mentorship workshop with artist and designer Wan Marsh.

▪ Saluda Trail Middle School ($964.90) – The Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math school will host a photography show and reception for digital photography students. The grant will help pay for digital SLR cameras and other photography equipment.

▪ Simply Creative ($250) – “No Fear for Freedom: The Story of the Friendship 9, The Musical” will be performed April 10-11 at the McCelvey Center in York. The grant will help pay for production costs.

The South Carolina Arts Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts and the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of the Coastal Community Foundation help pay for the small grants program.

This story was originally published March 19, 2015 at 10:37 AM with the headline "Grants help York County artists, arts groups promote work."