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A Trip Through Kentucky Adds Another Item to the List that SC has Never Done

Monday, August 9th, 2010

In July, Linda and I made a mad dash to Michigan to spend some time with a few of my high school friends, some being cousins of mine and others – just good old friends from the class of ’69 at Buena Vista High School in Michigan. And, I mean old in the literal since – as Linda often reminds me that as of this May I have entered my last days as a 50 year old. It’s back to the 60′s or bring on the 60′s – I’m not sure which.

I also wanted to visit a state that was worse off than South Carolina and California was too far.

Thanks to the generosity of our friends we were put up in some of the best (unadvertised) bed, breakfast, lunch and dinner establishments in Michigan. Without their kindness we couldn’t have made the trip. So one evening we packed up the car and made the 19 hour trip – except for one unscheduled stop. Remember, I’m in my late – very late 50′s, so we made many scheduled stops along the way. After a while it seemed like we were stopping at every other rest stop.

My friends thought it was crazy for us to drive straight through, but I explained that I do a lot of driving. In fact, I noticed that when delivering our August issue of Carolina Arts on what I call the Up the Mountain trip to Hendersonville, NC, and many stops in-between to Columbia, SC, Tryon, NC, Spartanburg, SC, Greenville, SC, Seneca, SC, Clemson, SC, Laurens, SC, back to Columbia, SC, and back home – it took 19 hours. I did three more trips that week. So, yes I could be considered a travelin’ man, but most of the time I end up back here at home base.

Traveling at night is the norm for me and since Linda has problems with thinking I’ll drive our car over the edge off the mountains – night was good for that too.

So what was that one unscheduled stop?

Since 1974, when I traveled down I-75 to South Carolina from Michigan there were signs in Kentucky that pointed out that Berea, KY, was a stop offering folk arts. Throughout the years of going back and forth to make visits, I always wondered about those signs and what may be there to see. On this recent trip up to Michigan I noticed that a new sign was also directing people to stop in Berea – it was asking people to stop at the Kentucky Artisan Center. Now that caught my attention right away. If this was a state artisan center I wondered how it would compare to the SC Artisan Center in Walterboro, SC, the Folk Art Center in Asheville, NC, or the NC Pottery Center, in Seagrove, NC.

Making comparisons is what we do. We’re always referencing things by how they compare to other things like it or other experiences. Over the years this has been a source of frustration since my early years in observing the art community in SC. Asking some people why things were done the way they are I often heard the phrase – “We do it this way because this is the way our neighboring states do things – it makes what we do relevant and consistent.” So, when I started coverage of the visual arts in NC in 1997, I started to notice that SC wasn’t doing things exactly the way our neighbors were doing things. Over the years I’ve learned more and more about those differences.

So I was curious about this Artisan Center, but when the signs also said it was a travel information center and the fact that it was about the time they may be open, I headed there. Travel centers have to open early for travelers who get early starts or for folks like me who like to travel overnight.

As I turned off the interstate at the designated exit, the first thing I saw was a large complex of buildings that looked pretty interesting and there was a sign in the sky – like the golden arches which said – Kentucky Artisan Center. Interesting! Could this be the place? Driving into the complex I could tell this was going to be an experience. And, from the moment of driving up to the complex’s parking area, which was expansive – I was not disappointed that we pulled off the highway and in fact, was impressed at every step.

This was the ultimate travel rest stop. Information, rest rooms, a restaurant, and wall to wall visual stimulation in the form of some of the best art I’ve seen collected in one place, in one of the best facilities to show off art I’ve seen in a long time. My overall impression was that someone of vision in Kentucky was able to sell that state on building an art facility that would be so impressive that anyone who stopped there would walk away with the impression that artists in Kentucky are creating excellent art and that they are supported to the max by their state. And, I got it. The center offers works by over 700 artists from throughout the state. Artists have the opportunity to jury in three times a year, and everything is for sale. And, everything is everything, including fine arts, crafts, music, literature, clothing, and specialty foods.


Stone buildings with slate roofs and fully landscaped.

It was agonizingly torturous – what a time not to be rich. And since I wasn’t, it was just a window shopping event. Plus, we had decided some time ago that any new art we buy will come from North and South Carolina, so it made the experience of not being able to buy anything a little better, but not much. And, we didn’t have one extra dime for anything but our trip. All I can hope is that some of these artists may some day move to North or South Carolina, but with support like this from the State of Kentucky – why would they?


The welcome center part – we were the first or second visitors of this day.


The exhibit area presents rotating shows.

I hope the photos I took and offer here can just begin to show how wonderful this facility was, but it can’t. You’d have to walk through this massive complex to get that feeling. And, I walked away with the feeling that once again the art community, in at least South Carolina, has been shortchanged – by the SC Arts Commission? SC Legislature? Governor? All three? But, then I’ve known that for some time now.


This is the cafe area.

Here’s what I later learned on the Center’s website: The Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea, KY, is a state authority, administratively attached to the Tourism, Arts & Heritage Cabinet of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. (Another state like NC that has it’s arts agency tied to tourism – what a novel idea.) Established to celebrate Kentucky’s artisan heritage and to encourage Kentuckians and those traveling in Kentucky to enjoy artisan products and activities.

The funds for construction of the site were appropriated by the Kentucky legislature in 1998 and 2000. The development of the Center and oversight of its activity is provided by a 13-member board, the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea Authority Board, and assisted by numerous partnerships among cabinets of state government, with city and county government, with colleges, with other organizations and agencies, and with individuals interested in the Center’s mission and goals.

The Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea is conveniently located at 975 Walnut Meadow Road, Berea, KY. They are situated alongside Interstate 75 at exit 77, just 40 miles south of Lexington, KY, and only 2.5 miles from downtown Berea, the “Folk Arts and Craft Capital of Kentucky.”

In this 25,000 sq. foot facility (no, that’s not a typo – it’s 25,000 sq. ft.) you can shop for Kentucky products; experience Kentucky hospitality; explore Kentucky crafts & history; enjoy Kentucky cuisine; learn about other must-see places; and enjoy full rest stop services, and an ATM. There is plenty of on-site parking, including pull through spaces for buses and RVs. WIFI service is also now available throughout the Center, and the first 15 minutes are free!

The Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea is open to the public seven days a week, from 8am-8pm, with its cafe serving from 8:30am-5:00pm. Please note that during hours the Center is closed, the public restrooms are also closed.

The Center is closed all day to observe these holidays: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. The Center also closes early on Christmas Eve.

Hours are subject to change; be sure to call or check this site (http://www.kentuckyartisancenter.ky.gov/) before finalizing your plans!

There is no admission charge for visiting this Center featuring all Kentucky-made products!

OK – back to me.

So, if the state of Kentucky can have such a center – why not in SC or NC?

It is really hard to make any comparison to the centers I mentioned earlier.

The SC Artisan Center in Walterboro, SC, is a retail outlet featuring works by some of SC’s artists, but that’s where any comparison ends. The SC Artisan Center could fit into the Kentucky Artisan’s front welcome center. Although it is located off I-95 in Walterboro, it is far from the highway and it’s my bet many people turn around before finding the Center.

The Folk Art Center in Asheville, NC, is part of the National Parks Service and the home of the Southern Highland Craft Guild, featuring works by artists from many southern states. It has an excellent retail shop, but tiny compared to the Kentucky facility.

The NC Pottery Center, in Seagrove, NC, is a first class showplace for pottery made by NC’s potters, but it is not a retail center. And although it is located not too far off what will someday be I-74, I-73 – it’s not just off I-75.

The Kentucky Artisan Center has it all and the art community of Berea, KY, too. Throw in Berea College and you have quite an artist colony.

Look, I’m not going to rub this in any longer, but officials from both NC and SC should make a trip to see what’s there. I don’t mean folks from the SC Arts Commission or the NC Arts Council  – I’m sure they already know what’s there and have sleepless nights about it. I’m talking about the movers and shakers in the Carolinas. Sure they can’t do anything now with the economy the way it is, but this is a look at what could be in the Carolinas.

I’ve always felt the perfect place for SC’s center would be the intersection of I-95 and I-26. There is nothing there now and it would be a great place for travelers to stop.

If you find yourself traveling on I-75 – north or south – stop in Berea, KY. You’ll be glad you did.

There will be more about our adventures in Michigan as time goes by.

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SC Arts Commission May have Dodged a Bullet – But More Cuts Are Coming for SC’s Non-Profit Arts Groups

Monday, June 28th, 2010

Yes, the SC State Legislature may have stopped Governor Mark Sanford’s veto of the SC Arts Commission’s budget cut, but more cuts will come to the SC Arts Commission’s budget as our state adjust to shortfalls in revenue that legislators just ignored (after Tue. June 29,2010, that is). It’s easy to override a veto, it makes you look like you’re a friend of the arts to some folks back home, but those legislators know the State will be doing their dirty work for them when adjustments have to be made throughout next year’s budget cycle as projected revenues fall short. It’s SC’s official dance – pass the buck and pass the responsibility.

So, what will we see from our saved Arts Commission under the leadership of Ken May – its newly named director?

Our old friend Jeffrey Day continues in his position as the unofficial press agent for the SC Arts Commission by offering heaps of praise on Ken May in an issue of Columbia, SC’s Freetimes.

According to Day, one of May’s positive attributes is that he can be seen at art events all around Columbia. I bet he can also be seen at Columbia grocery stores, movie theatres, and book stores, but what good does that do the rest of SC’s art community? Yes, the Charleston, SC, community might see him there during the Spoleto Festival, but that’s one of the things wrong with the Arts Commission – it is the poorest form of centralized government. The entire staff sits in Columbia most of the time. And, with more budget cuts – they won’t be going anywhere too soon.

As far as I know – until proven differently – May represents the same old, same old, from the Arts Commission – which is great for the sector of SC’s art community that has been living off the Arts Commission’s funding for decades. Not so good for those who have gotten nothing and not so good for new groups pulling up to the Arts Commission’s trough – only to find no room.

So what’s the future look like? Well with the prospects of a new governor on the way – one who looks like they could prove to be a Sanford style governor on steroids – not too secure.

Non-profit arts groups are going to have to deal with less public funding, the SC Arts Commission will have to deal with less funding and the list of groups who get it will get smaller and smaller. It actually could get very ugly – during the fight over who is more deserving or more connected to get that funding. In fact, I’d be concerned if I was an arts group outside of Columbia. It’s easier to cut funding of groups you don’t attend on a regular basis. Of course May doesn’t determine who gets funding and how much – the Arts Commission Board does that – at least they would if they were really leading the Arts Commission. But, we all know the staff really does.

Again, I haven’t noticed that this current crop of Board Members are less rubbery than former Board groups. It’s so easy to just go along with the staff recommendations – they know what’s best. They know the right people, the deserving – those who will praise them – they’re buddies.

The Who said we won’t get fooled again, but I think we just did.

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Hey, Ken May and the SC Arts Commission – Welcome to Our World

Saturday, June 12th, 2010

I’ve been receiving the following letter by e-mail at Carolina Arts – from some who think I’m going to contact my representatives to ask them to override these vetoes and by some who want to make sure I see this for comment.

Here’s the letter from Ken May, Executive Director of the SC Arts Commission, one person who won’t be losing his job and won’t see a pay cut according to his statement. He may live and operate in a shell and serve no one, but it sounds like he’ll go on.

June 10, 2010

The governor has vetoed the bulk of the Arts Commission’s budget, effectively crippling the agency if the legislature does not override the veto. This cut eliminates all state funds for grants, programs and services, and more than 70 percent of our personnel. The cut also eliminates federal stimulus funds earmarked for grants to local arts organizations. The vetoed funds support arts curriculum and artist residencies in our schools; plays, concerts, dance performances and exhibitions in our communities; and thousands of jobs statewide. These targeted cuts (veto #32 Statewide Arts Services, $1,212,733 and veto #105, ARRA funds, $250,000) will destroy the agency’s ability to fulfill its mission, leaving it with little more than an administrative shell lacking the resources to support the arts industry that benefits all the people of our state. If this concerns you, there are a variety of ways to reach your state legislators this week before the legislature reconvenes on Tuesday, June 15, 2010.

Ken May

Executive Director

How do I feel about this plea to the art community to ask the SC Legislators to override the Governor’s veto? First, I was never sent this letter directly so I can only figure that the Arts Commission doesn’t see me as a friend they can call on, which I guess matches my feelings about them. I know any request for a helping hand by me to them would fall flat. Second, since I can receive no funding from the Arts Commission or any of the people they distribute money to – I don’t see this as a problem which effects me. Yes, some non-profits who receive funding from the Arts Commission have taken out ads in our paper, but we give them a 25% discount on our prices and they get an ad in our paper. We earn every penny of that advertising money. And, just because they receive some funding from the Arts Commission doesn’t mean the money they put towards advertising came from the Arts Commission. I know of no arts organization or artist who solely exist off of the funding they receive from the SC Arts Commission. So, the loss of their funding is just a part of any individual’s or groups’ funding picture. Third, although I still support public tax dollars going towards funding the arts I have learned from watching the SC Arts Commission that the money doesn’t always go to the most deserving, most qualified or groups that represent the overall art community in SC. Fourth, Ken May is wrong when he says, “…lacking the resources to support the arts industry that benefits all the people of our state.” The Arts Commission doesn’t support all the arts industry and not all the people of this state benefit from the arts – many are not even interested in them.

In this case I feel the plea is a little suspect. Is it a plea to save the funding of the Arts Commission staff or money which would go to the artists and art groups of this State? If this cut goes through and the agency is so handicapped as Ken May states – how will they go on? What purpose will they serve other than one for themselves? If there is no money left for funding grants, programs and the staff is reduced by 70% – why doesn’t May state that without this funding he and the rest of the staff will just resign and leave the budget they use up – for the art community?

The art community I know has been suffering for years without help from the Arts Commission – long before the economy went sour. And, not all help requires funding – so that is why I titled this entry – welcome to our world. We’ve been doing without, cutting back – watching a shrinking future, just like many others in the art community, but we’ve been doing it without benefits – like retirement, health insurance, dental plans, paid vacation days, etc. And, we’ve been doing it without taxpayer dollars.

Artists and art groups should operate like regular businesses – within their budgets – budgets that reflect earned revenues. And, all who are involved in producing art which the public can benefit from, should be eligible to apply for public funding. Operating on the hopes that there will always be more funding is like living a dream. It’s time for some to wake up and face the world the rest of us live in. This just might be that day, but I’m not holding my breath.

Yes, a lot of good artists and good arts groups will lose some funding if this cut goes through, but a lot of good artists and good art groups have been going without a lot longer – and, will still go without whatever happens with the budget. Plus, it’s hard to defend restoring funding to the Arts Commission in light of what other cuts are being made in this State. It may seem like a drop in the bucket to some but to some individuals who may lose health services, food allotments, housing, etc. – it’s very important. What’s more important?

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News From the South Carolina Arts Commission

Monday, May 24th, 2010

Today we received two items of news at Carolina Arts from the SC Arts Commission – one right after the other.

First, we learned that the SC Arts Commission Board meeting previously planned for May 26, 2010, has been canceled. The next regularly scheduled meeting is June 22 at the Arts Commission’s office in Columbia, SC.

Usually, this time of year the Arts Commission Board meeting was held in Charleston, SC – days before the opening of the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, but not last year and not this year. Actually, I don’t know why they were going to Charleston when they didn’t have meetings in any other cities around SC – except Columbia. Well, I know why, but it’s not fair to the rest of the art community in SC.

Next, we received a press release that Ken May, acting director of the Arts Commission, was named Executive Director of the SC Arts Commission. This was a little confusing to me in that if the Commission Board had not met recently – how they came to today’s announcement. An announcement which took a year to name the number 2 guy – number 1 – after conducting a three-month national search and reviewing 230 applications. I will have more on this subject after some deliberation.

Here’s the press release we got today:

Columbia, SC – The South Carolina Arts Commission Board of Commissioners today announced that Ken May has been named executive director effective immediately.


Ken May

May joined the Arts Commission in 1985 as a regional arts coordinator and served as director of planning, research and grants and assistant deputy director before being named deputy director in 1995. May has served as acting director of the agency since former Executive Director Susie Surkamer retired in May 2009.

“We look forward to working with Ken in his new role as executive director,” said Board Chairman Bud Ferillo. “Ken has proven his ability to lead the Arts Commission through the difficulties of the current budget cutbacks while positioning the agency for the future. His leadership in the agency’s core work — arts education, community development through the arts and artist development — will be crucial as we develop a new long-range plan for the state’s wide-ranging and diverse arts community.”

The executive director serves as the agency’s chief executive officer and is responsible for organization and administration, program development, fiscal accountability and staff supervision. The agency’s nine-member board is appointed by the governor and works with the executive director to make policy, advocate for the arts and ensure public accountability.

The board’s executive search committee, led by Commission Vice Chairman Dr. Sarah Lynn Hayes, conducted a three-month national search and reviewed 230 applications.

The South Carolina Arts Commission is the state agency charged with creating a thriving arts environment that benefits all South Carolinians, regardless of their location or circumstances. Created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967, the Arts Commission is celebrating 40 years of increasing public participation in the arts by providing services, grants and leadership initiatives in three areas: arts education, community arts development and artist development. Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., the Arts Commission is funded by the state of South Carolina, by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts and other sources.

For more information, visit (www.SouthCarolinaArts.com) or call (803) 734-8696.

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SC Arts Commission’s Canvas of the People Grand Tour is Over – Now What?

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

OK, the seven public gatherings of the Canvas of the People 2010 have taken place – plus one special, unannounced, gathering at the recent Arts Alliance Board meeting, and the private gatherings held with community and business leaders in several, if not all the original seven locations – before the general public gathered. Why some folks couldn’t participate like the rest of us in a public forum – I don’t know, but it fits the pattern of secrecy conducted by the Arts Commission. It’s always about not telling the whole story – holding back information.

We’ve had our say on what’s working in the arts, what our challenges are, and what opportunities lie ahead, but what now?

Of course if you didn’t show up, you can probably still participate by doing the online Canvas survey. Here’s the link (http://www.southcarolinaarts.com/canvas2010/index.shtml). You can also see what others said throughout SC at this link as well – see listings on the left of the page. Of course you won’t see any comments from the private gathering.

We’re not told much about what happens now, but my guess is someone will sort through all the comments in the three categories and pull them together in some kind of report and then distribute that report or at least make it available as a download on the Arts Commission’s website. There you go – problems solved.

Of course we were told at each of the gatherings that this plan for the next ten years was a plan for us – not the Arts Commission – they’ll be doing that later, on their own – behind closed doors.

My guess is that this plan will look a lot like the previous plans – except for the pleas for more funding from somewhere – which doesn’t exist.

So all the calls for working together will fade and the dog eat dog scramble for a bigger slice of the funding pie will resume amongst the non-profits and not much will change.

We’re already seeing the “too big to fail” factor being floated by the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and its supporters (a shrinking number), which has been in financial trouble for ten years, and continues to rob funding from the greater Charleston art community. Giving money to the Orchestra is like stealing funding from the fiscally responsible to give it to the fiscally irresponsible. But the cry to save the “artistic soul of Charleston” drones on at the expense of the other worthy art groups.

From all my years of experience and attending the Canvas of the People process – my advice to the people who attended these meetings is to forget about having the Arts Commission lead you around by the nose and schedule more gatherings of the art community in your area, on a regular basis, for a longer period of time, and work on your own challenges and opportunities. Follow through on what you come up with and you’ll get a lot further along than worrying about the size of the pie you’ll get from the Arts Commission. Who knows your community and its resources better than you?

In my opinion, more would be accomplished if members of the art community gathered at a local watering hole on a regular basis and discussed issues over a few drinks than attending these Canvas gatherings – there will be more pressure to monitor the follow-through on ideas and plans – more accountability. Our art communities don’t need more art walks – they need art talks once a month.

I went to a few of the Canvas gatherings to observe and make a plea for the non-profits to work with the commercial side of the art community – not just look at us as a source for funding and handouts. I also asked why commercial businesses in the arts, who support individual artists, help build audiences, promote the arts, and support the community with taxes – can’t share in applying for funding from the Arts Commission. Some of our ideas might be better that those proposed by some non-profits and might pay off better for the overall art community and community in general. Most of us live in a world where if you can’t pay your bills, you’re out of business – not begging the community for another chance to get your act together. Reality for us is the bottom line and we don’t enter into risky ventures, knowing there is always another funding cycle around the corner. Yet, in our case, when Carolina Arts got into financial troubles when the economy collapsed, we made cuts to the bone, took on personal debt, and we reached out to followers and people responded and helped us survive, but there was no chance for public support – none at all.

So, I hope there are not a lot of folks out there waiting for this final report from the Canvas of the People 2010 to solve their problems. There will be a few who do that, but they are going to be disappointed. Waiting for funding, much less more funding from the SC Arts Commission is futile as long as the State of South Carolina continues to have budget shortfalls. At some point, someone in the SC Legislature is going to be asking – do we need to pay for this big fat bureaucracy of a state agency – why don’t we give our money directly to the counties to decide where it should go in their art communities? At that point, non-profits will discover a pie that is not already half eaten by the time they get to it.

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Another Canvas of the People Event – This Time in North Charleston, SC – March 29, 2010

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

I was extremely disappointed that less than 30 people showed up for this Canvas process in the greater Charleston area. Most of the crowd was from the North Charleston area and north of there – including some folks from Dorchester and Berkeley Counties, but very few from Charleston – the great arts city of South Carolina. Such are the politics of the area. If art doesn’t happen in downtown Charleston – it’s not art – in some people’s minds.

But those who didn’t come missed a great opportunity to see the new North Charleston City Hall and I got a fast tour of the new offices of the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department – which were first class. I know some folks in Charleston can only dream of ever having facilities like this, but that’s another story.

And again, the folks who did show up to this Canvas of the People had a nice discussion of what’s good, what’s a challenge and what opportunities might be out there, but again I saw no plan for future solutions – as if talking about these things once is all people need to get them energized or inspired. Of course all that happens after the final report is made by the SC Arts Commission. Right!

It’s too bad someone from the Palmetto Project wasn’t there to give us all stickers to wear to show we participated – like when we vote in SC.

Of course, perhaps most people are participating by doing the online Canvas survey. Here’s the link.

I don’t think I have anything relevant to say about the meeting – most of it is a blur now anyway, but I did want to say something about the first 15 minutes of every one of the Canvas gatherings where Ken May, acting director of the SC Arts Commission talks about some questions the Arts Commission paid to be included in the South Carolina State Survey taken in 2009.

If anyone cares, you can download the final survey report at this link. I found it highly amusing, sad, contradictive, and detached from reality – at least the reality that we at Carolina Arts have been going through – and I think most artists, art businesses and arts organizations.

May starts off his speech about the survey with this good news: “Almost 67% of adult South Carolinians participated in the arts at least once during the last year.” That’s slightly down from 2007, but we all can understand that considering…

This is what participation in the arts was defined as in the survey. This statement was read to give people an idea of what participation could mean before they gave their answer:

“Participation in the arts may include a wide variety of activities including attending music concerts and live performances of dance or theatre; attending a performance or play at a child’s school; visiting museums and galleries; reading literature or attending a book club; singing in church choir or acting in community theatre; creating art yourself, such as painting, writing poetry, or playing a musical instrument; or serving as a volunteer or board member for an arts organization or arts events. During the last twelve months, approximately how many times have you participated in the arts in any way?”

Under this broad definition you could assume that going to the movies, listening to public radio, humming in the shower, doodling on a piece of paper while you’re on hold when calling your cable company or watching cheerleaders at a USC football game could be considered participating in the arts. And, with that broad definition – “Almost 67% of adult South Carolinians participated in the arts at least once during the last year.”

Oh happy day! The arts have a bright future in South Carolina.

“The average frequency of participation was 14 times during the year.”

Here’s the reality of being in the arts in South Carolina. The results of this survey show how many people in various category breakdowns had no participation in the arts – even under such a broad definition:

Total (2007) – 38.2%
Total (2009) – 33.2%

Sex
Male – 36.1%
Female – 30.6%

Age
18 – 29 – 35.9%
30 – 44 – 17.9%
45 – 64 – 33.2%
65 and over – 55.6%

Education
Less than High School – 59.7%
High School Diploma – 43.8%
Some College – 31.6%
College Degree – 16.5%

Income
Under $25,000 – 48.6%
$25,000 – $49,999 – 31.5%
$50,000 – $74,999 – 15.9%
$75,000 – and over – 16.9%

Type of Area
Urban – 30%
Suburban – 27.3%
Rural – 39.5%

Region
Upstate – 33.7%
Midlands – 36.2%
Lowcountry – 29%

These numbers are staggering to think that under such a broad definition – these folks had no participation in the arts – none! What sad lives they must live. Under this broad view I can imagine some days when I have 14 different contacts with the arts and surely every week I go way beyond that level. It also shows how ignorant people are as to how much the arts or artistic expression touches their lives – every day.

We in the arts are doing a poor job of pointing that out. Do you think kids would like to go back to the days of Pong or stay with the high level of art presented in today’s video games? I’d give more examples but I’m sure my readers are at my level or higher. I don’t need to preach to the choir.

For those in the visual arts, they might be interested in one part of the survey where respondents were asked if they had purchased original art in the last 12 months. No definition was offered as to what original art was – which was a surprise after the participation definition was offered.

If I had a nickel for everyone who claims to have an original Steve Jordan, Jim Harrison or Bob Timberlake hanging on their wall at home – I’d be a rich man. But, nonetheless we have to take these survey results for what they are worth (not much in my book). For all I know it could include framed images of dogs sitting around a table playing poker.

These are the results for those who responded “Yes” to having purchased original art in the last 12 months:

Totals (2007) – 15.1%
Totals (2009) – 13.3%

Say, all you artists and art gallery owners out there in South Carolina – do you believe that your sales are just down 2% from 2007? Of course this could be the Wal Mart factor – more people might be getting their original art there these days.

Sex
Male – 11.8%
Female – 14.8%

Race
Black – 10.4%
White – 14.3%

Age
18 – 29 – 10.6%
20 – 44 – 15.3%
45 – 64 – 15.6%
65 and over – 9.7%

Education
Less than High School – 3.1%
High School Diploma – 7.9%
Some College – 10.8%
College Degree – 24.2%

Income
Under $25,000 – 6.2%
$25,000 – $49,999 – 13.8%
$50,000 – $74,999 – 18.5%
$75,000 and over – 20.4%

Only 20% of people making over $75,000 are purchasing an original piece of art in a year. Folks, this is the group we have to work on. What are they spending their money on? Oh that’s right – these are the folks who are probably supporting the performing arts in South Carolina.

Type of Area
Urban – 14.1%
Suburban – 14.7%
Rural 12%

I guess this shows that people living in rural areas have figured out that they can drive to an art gallery or flea market in the urban areas to buy art.

Region
Upstate – 8.8%
Midlands – 14.8%
Lowcountry – 17.6%

And are we to believe that folks in the Lowcountry buy twice as much original art as folks in the Upstate? I guess this proves that availability is the answer here. The more art offered in an area – the more chances are that people will buy it.

OK – here’s the real kicker for me – showing how much people in South Carolina are interested in the arts or in taking a survey about the arts:

“The response rate for the landline component (people with a phone connected to a wire in their home) was 40.5% and for the cell phone component it was 27.5%. The overall response rate was 37.2%.”

The survey report does not state how many calls were made, it only states that 828 people completed or partially completed the survey, but the response rate was only 37.2%. I guess if you do the math to come up with a 37.2% rate – 2,200 calls would have to have been made to get that percentage. We don’t know if no one answered the phone during the survey period (one month) or refused to take the survey – making up the other 62.8% who did not participate in this survey. We don’t know if return calls were made. We don’t know a lot about surveys in general.

Some people just won’t take time out of their busy lives to do a survey. And, the cell calls could have been made to those folks who never have their cell phone anywhere but up to their ear. Who they are talking to constantly – I don’t have a clue.

So, 67% of those adults in SC who completed the survey (only 37.2%) participated in the arts – at least on the average of 14 times in a year. That’s a lot less than the first statement implies.

It’s sad – very sad – if true. And the speech about the survey was a wasted 15 minutes of the hour and 15 minutes allotted to each Canvas of the People gathering.

I can’t wait for the final report and to read the goals for the next ten years. Of course I’m being sarcastic. It’s a good thing no one is keeping score on how well we did over the last ten years, but my guess is – not very well. Like they say – those who ignore history are doomed to repeat their mistakes.

We need a better process for dealing with our challenges and opportunities, we need better leadership for this process, and we need to do something for the next year or two – or most of us won’t be here at all – much less the next ten years.

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SC Arts Commission Announces Verner Awards & McNair Award Winner

Sunday, March 28th, 2010

I still have no idea as to how the SC Arts Commission or the SC Arts Foundation has come up with money to put on the Verner Awards and their Gala – when they didn’t have any money to do them last year and there is less money out there this year. I guess it’s magic!

This isn’t exactly the press release they sent us at Carolina Arts. Since we’re located in the Lowcountry they sent us one custom made to just announce winners from the Lowcountry area. I don’t know if it’s their idea to do that or based on experience that the media only is interested in news about their own area, but I think it’s a bad idea.

Here’s the news – all the news and some:

The SC Arts Commission Board has announced the recipients of this year’s Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Governor’s Awards for the Arts.

This year’s recipients are:
Lifetime Achievement – Pat Conroy, Fripp Island
Lifetime Achievement – Jonathan Green, Daniel Island
Individual Artist – Julian Wiles, Charleston
Arts in Education – Larry Barnfield, Summerville
Government – City of Rock Hill, with special recognition for its public/private partnership with Comporium, Rock Hill
Individual – Robert (Bob) E. Howard, Greenville
Organization – Newberry Opera House, Newberry
Business – Williams & Fudge, Inc., Rock Hill

They will receive their awards during a Statehouse ceremony on May 6, 2010, and will be honored again that evening during the SC Arts Gala.

You can find out more about the awards and the recipients in a press release found on the Arts Commission’s website at this link.

Extra! Extra! We just received this info from the Arts Commission.Well, it’s a little old now, but new to most of you.

The SC Arts Foundation is recognizing former SC Governor Richard W. Riley’s leadership and dedication to the arts and arts education in SC by presenting him with the McNair Award at the South Carolina Arts Gala May 6 at the Columbia Museum of Art. You can find the complete press release at this link (www.southcarolinaarts.com/press/031810.shtml).

Established in 2007, the McNair Award is named for the late Governor Robert E. McNair, who signed legislation to create the Arts Commission in 1967 to “ensure that the arts continue to grow and play an ever more significant part in the welfare and educational experiences of our citizens.”

Funny thing, I can’t find any reference to this award being established (before this press release made in 2010) on the Arts Commission’s website, in any of their history descriptions, in searches on the Internet and their website using the name of the award – with the Arts Commission or Arts Foundation. You would think that establishing an award in McNair’s honor would have been mentioned sometime, somewhere, in the public, but I can’t find it – not even on Wikipedia. All I could find is that the SC Arts Foundation honored Gov. McNair at the Verner Awards in May 2008, but there is no mention of anyone establishing an award in his name that would later be given to other deserving individuals. Have you ever seen a call for nominations? I haven’t. So I guess this is just another secret of the Arts Foundation, perhaps mentioned only at the 2008 awards party. They seem to have lots of them – like where their money comes from.

I don’t know why public non-profits get to keep so many secrets, but they do. Try telling the IRS that you don’t want to tell them where you got your money.

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Attending the SC Arts Commission’s Canvas of the People in Bluffton, SC

Saturday, March 13th, 2010

Well, on a day the weatherman said would rain all day – especially in the Bluffton, SC, area, I headed out on a three hour drive there – for a meeting which would only last an hour and 15 minutes. Unlike the Arts Commission staff which would be staying in a hotel over night, I had to drive back home – March 12 is deadline day for our April issue of Carolina Arts. But, I’m sure they had other business to do in the area the next day to justify the hotel stay. And, I was lucky the rain had stopped for my return trip home. Finishing that April issue delayed this posting.

OK, to end the suspense – in answer to the question you’re all wondering. There were 6 Arts Commission staff members and about 16-18 other people, but oh, what a group of folks who just happen to show up in Bluffton.

This crowd had less people than showed up in Columbia, SC, but, that’s to be expected. Some seemed to want to blame the turnout on the rain, but there are no rain days in the arts. Events take place all the time when it is raining and people go to them anyway – if they really want to. Some use rain as an excuse, but rain shouldn’t of been an excuse to not attend such an important meeting. But, I don’t want to diminish the rain – at times it was a real downpour.

About a week before this meeting, the Arts Council of Beaufort County held an Emergency Arts Summit in Beaufort, SC, and about 75 people turned out for that. Somehow they were able to get people to turn out for that meeting.

The group that showed up for this Canvas meeting wasn’t what I would call a normal one. Besides an art collector and an individual artist – the rest of the group were administrators or public officials.

In fact, the Director and Development Director of the Arts Council of Beaufort County were there. They said they were also  artists, which made three people who actually create art. You have to wonder why so few artists showed up.

To my surprise, Suzette M. Surkamer, former Executive Director of the SC Arts Commission and Betty Plumb, director of the SC Arts Alliance from Rock Hill, SC, were also there. What were they doing there? But, I soon learned that a meeting of the South Carolina Association of NonProfit Organizations (SCANPO) just happened to be taking place on Hilton Head March 10 & 11. Two folks were there from the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina on Hilton Head Island, someone from the local School District, and someone from the local Chamber of Commerce. There were a few folks from Jasper County and the others – the introductions went so fast I didn’t get them all. And, I’m sure I was a surprise guest to some, but Bluffton and Hilton Head Island are in the area of coverage of Carolina Arts and I’ve spent many a day in those areas delivering papers.

So, it was no surprise that the answers given to the three questions posed for the Canvas were pretty good coming from seasoned veterans. A few times it sounded like a lovefest. But, in the end they were just words on paper.

These folks won’t be getting together to study or suggest solutions to problems pointed out. They won’t even have a hand in how these words will be incorporated into the final report – which is just more words on paper. And, like the five times before this Canvas of the People (which is #6), no group of people will be gathered together to see how well the goals of the previous Canvas were or were not accomplished.

But, the real surprise of the evening came when I heard Jeanette Guinn, Program Director for Long Range Planning and Performing Arts County Coordinator for Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester Counties at the Arts Commission (she was also leading the discussion) say that the Canvas wasn’t to make a plan for them – it was for SC’s art community – shifting the responsibility from them to us.

I copied Guinn’s title description from the Arts Commission’s website – it’s too bad there are no visual or literary arts in the greater Charleston area that need coordinating. Most of the other County Coordinators don’t have such a specific description, but it’s their site – so it must have some meaning.

So aren’t we lucky that the Arts Commission is going to all this time and expense to help us organize ourselves – thinking about what works, what our biggest challenges are and what opportunities are out there – as if… as if we don’t think about those things every day – especially in these times.

Just before the end of our time they asked us to suggest what was a plus or a minus – as far as the meeting goes so they can make adjustments for the next meeting. My first suggestion was that the 15 minute talk given by Ken May, the acting Executive Director of the SC Arts Commission, about the results of a survey taken about the arts in SC could have been a handout saving us all that time for further discussion. After all, we only had one hour and 15 minutes and that wasn’t bad for a group this small, but what’s going to happen when it’s a group of 50 or 100 people? That might be wishful thinking, but if it happens, a lot of people are not going to get a chance to talk and there won’t be any time for discussion or follow-ups on comments.

Other comments were about a lack of snacks or coffee and donuts, some thought an hour was just right. I guess it was for busy administrators. Others gave the Arts Commission staff high marks for running the meeting. My list would be too long for this entry and can be found in previous postings about the Canvas of the People process. But I will suggest one thing to all who are planning on attending one of these gatherings. Write your answers to the three questions asked (given here) ahead of time in order to save time and not be distracted by others’ comments. You can always offer reactions on the fly to other comments, but you’ll be glad you wrote yours down ahead of time.

We were reminded that we will probably think of something important on the way home that wasn’t said and that we can always send those comments along to the Arts Commission by taking their survey found on their website.

But why add more words to paper? Where is the plan for action? It’s not like a taskforce is going to be formed to work on the goals which are distilled after combining the words from seven different gatherings. At least it never happened before that I know of and I haven’t gotten the indication that it’s going to happen this time.

The bottom line is – I think you should still go to these gatherings and tell them what you think about what’s going right and what your challenges are. Guinn said she’s not there to control your comments – just to direct them. Hold her to that statement and speak your mind. Don’t expect any administrators who depend on money from the Arts Commission to step outside the box. They’re still hoping it’s all not crashing down around them and the money flow will return.

But I have to wonder – where were all the artists from that area around Bluffton and where were the Board members of the Arts Commission? Where were they and why don’t they want to know what the community has to say, or are they too used to having that information spoon-fed to them by the staff members?

Here’s the remainder of the schedule:
Tuesday, March 16 – Governor’s School for the Arts, Greenville
Monday, March 22 – Black Creek Arts Center, Hartsville
Thursday, March 25 – Aiken Center for the Arts, Aiken
Monday, March 29 – North Charleston City Hall, North Charleston
Thursday, April 8 – Chapman Cultural Center, Spartanburg
For more information about exact locations visit this link (www.SouthCarolinaArts.com/canvas2010).

Here’s a link to my other postings on the Canvas of the People process.

Someone asked how this meeting was promoted and a chorus of voices said – very well, but I don’t agree. This is my fifth posting on these events since the press release first came on Feb. 10, 2010, just 12 days before the first gathering. I doubt any other publication or media outlet has given the Canvas more attention than I have and I doubt the Arts Commission has done any follow-up press release to upcoming areas since the first press release. That’s no way to beat the bushes for people to attend these meetings.

I bet if the SC Legislature was thinking about cutting the SC Arts Commission out of the State’s budget, they would beat all the bushes they could find.

Maybe I’ll see you at one of the next meetings – who knows who is going to show up? I know I was surprised at who was at this meeting. But you won’t know if you don’t show up.

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Questions Asked by SC Arts Commission at Canvas of the People Events

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

The next Canvas of the People events will take place in Bluffton, SC, at the Technical College of the Lowcountry on March 11, 2010 (that’s today) and then at the Governor’s School for the Arts in Greenville, SC, on March 16, 2010. Each runs from 6:45 to 8pm. Registration is not required.

Here’s the schedule:
Thursday, March 11 – Technical College of the Lowcountry, Beaufort area (Bluffton, SC)
Tuesday, March 16 – Governor’s School for the Arts, Greenville
Monday, March 22 – Black Creek Arts Center, Hartsville
Thursday, March 25 – Aiken Center for the Arts, Aiken
Monday, March 29 – North Charleston City Hall, North Charleston
Thursday, April 8 – Chapman Cultural Center, Spartanburg
For more information about exact locations visit this link (www.SouthCarolinaArts.com/canvas2010).

We found the questions you’ll be asked if you attend one of the Canvas of the People events on the Arts Commission’s website. You’ll only have an hour and 15 minutes so it will help if you know the questions ahead of time and have your answers written down. That will leave some time to tell the Arts Commission how stupid this process is. If that’s what you think. You might think you’re lucky that they even want to hear what you have to say.

Here are the questions and a few answers – off the top of my head.

Q1. What is one thing that is working in the arts, either in your community, the state or elsewhere?

A1. In North Carolina the NC Arts Council (equal to the SC Arts Commission) runs their program based on a Grassroots outlook – giving funding to the communities to use the way they feel best fits their needs. Not by everyone trying to fit their square pegs into the Arts Commission’s round holes.

Q2. What is one of the biggest challenges facing the arts where you live?

A2. Well, everyone in the arts is not a non-profit and those who are for-profit are invisible to the Arts Commission. They only want to assist groups that lose money and stay dependent on handouts and the Arts Commission. Let for-profits compete for funding too. Let the best ideas that serve the arts community get the funding – not just non-profits in need.

Q3. What is a great opportunity for the arts in our state?

A3. Since the state of South Carolina is in such a financial hole they could disband the Arts Commission and take all the money that doesn’t go toward the Commission’s overhead (huge staff and facility) and give it directly to each county on a per-capita basis. The overhead money could go toward keeping people on the job in safety, health and education positions.

I’m not saying that these are my answers. They just came off the top of a long list developed over the years. And, that’s one of the problems with this Canvas process – there are only three questions offered and you get only one answer. It’s like they don’t want to admit to any other problems or suggested solutions.

You want to know what was said in Columbia, SC – the first Canvas event where 20 people showed up. Click this link.

You say you can’t attend any of the planned gatherings – take this survey on the Arts Commission’s site. You can leave your written comments to be part of the official record. Of course – unlike a public meeting – if you do the survey, there is no way to guard against lost comments.

Funny, this survey – the ability to leave comments without attending the gathering wasn’t mentioned in the initial press release about the 2010 Canvas of the People process. You can always count on finding something extra on the Arts Commission’s website if you just dig deep enough – something not mentioned at first.

For instance I thought I was receiving all press releases from the Arts Commission – not so. I found notice of another Board meeting scheduled for March 10, 2010, 11am to 2pm, in Columbia, SC, at the Arts Commission’s headquarters dated March 1, 2010. Another ten day notice to such an important event.

They say the public is welcome to come to these board meeting, but the public has to know about them first. They shouldn’t rely on me to spread the word.

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First Event of SC Arts Commission’s 2010 Canvas of the People Draws 20 People in Columbia, SC

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

I couldn’t be in Columbia, SC, for the first event of the SC Art Commission’s 2010 Canvas of the People on Feb. 22, at 6:45-8pm. It seems many others couldn’t either with only 12 days notice – even those living right there in Columbia. In Jeffrey Day’s blog, Carolina Culture, he reports that only 30 people showed up for this important meeting and 10 of those were with the SC Arts Commission.

I posted notice of this call for public input within hours of receiving the e-mail from the Arts Commission. In fact, I did a follow-up blog entry on Feb. 18, 2010, encouraging folks to go to these Canvas of the People events. Day posted info about the event in his blog and The State newspaper serving the greater Columbia area offered an article about the gathering on Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010 – the day before the meeting.

The fact that it took The State newspaper eleven days to offer its readers notice of this event is a whole different issue – assuming they got the same notice the rest of us got. But, then Jeffrey Day could address that issue better, since he was The State’s former arts reporter – let go last year in a staff reduction move by McClatchy Newspapers – owner of The State.

So, 20 people will have made their voices heard in the Columbia area – our state capital – for this ten-year planning process.

What are we to make of this?

Should we think that folks in the Columbia area don’t care what the Arts Commission plans – that it has no effect on them? Should we think that the art community and community in general in Columbia is happy with the way things are going in the arts? Should we think that sending an e-mail out to media outlets 12 days before an event is all you have to do to notify the public – regardless of when they will post that info – if they even do? Should we think that 20 people is enough to represent the Columbia area?

There are 16 days before the next meeting in Bluffton, SC – more days in between the 1st and 2nd meetings than the initial notice to the folks in Columbia. The folks in Spartanburg, SC, the location of the last meeting will get 51 days notice and the benefit of all the hub bub (they’ll like that reference) about the previous meetings.

Was this process fair to the folks in Columbia? I don’t think so.

When you look at the schedule of the meetings you see that most are less than a week apart – except for the first meeting – 16 days apart from the second. Was the Arts Commission in a rush to get the Columbia meeting over for some reason?

Here’s the schedule again:
Monday, Feb. 22 – Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia
Thursday, March 11 – Technical College of the Lowcountry, Beaufort area (Bluffton, SC)
Tuesday, March 16 – Governor’s School for the Arts, Greenville
Monday, March 22 – Black Creek Arts Center, Hartsville
Thursday, March 25 – Aiken Center for the Arts, Aiken
Monday, March 29 – North Charleston City Hall, North Charleston
Thursday, April 8 – Chapman Cultural Center, Spartanburg
For more information about exact locations visit this link (www.SouthCarolinaArts.com/canvas2010).

What’s the hurry? This is a plan for the next ten years. Let’s don’t rush through this process – leaving most of the people behind – only to hear about the process – after the fact.

I don’t know about the folks in Columbia, but I would be asking for a do-over if I was from there. Sure, they can go to any of the other meetings – all are welcome, but that puts the burden back on the public.

OK – let’s look at the darker side of things. Maybe 20 people is all that would show up anyway – even after a do-over. Maybe even less would show up a second time. Maybe less people are going to show up at the other meetings. Perhaps at the end of the process a total of 150 people show up for these meetings. What then?

The reality is, the SC Arts Commission will say that the people have spoken and they will write up their plan – based on what they heard? based on what they thought they heard? based on what they wanted to hear? based on what they wanted to do all along. What’s the difference?

What I hoped and hope people will do is show up to these events and tell them they have the whole process wrong. This is no way to plan for the future – not this fast and not without proper notice to the public.

Think about how much publicity – over a billion dollars worth – is being spent to let people know the US Census is coming. We’ll be so sick of hearing about it before it’s over – but it is so important to each state, yet a lot of people ignore it and many hide from it. In some ways you just can’t win when it comes to the public’s input, but you can make a better effort for people to know about it and see why it counts.

This is what Ken May, the acting executive director of the SC Arts Commission had to say in that article offered in The State the day before the meeting in Columbia. “While the economy has certainly presented challenges, the arts in South Carolina are still strong, and they still have a lot of community support,” May said. “The need for creative expression and aesthetic experience is a basic part of human behavior.”

In the article it also offered, “He pointed to a 2009 poll by the USC Institute for Public Service and Policy Research showing that 67 percent of S.C. adults participated in the arts in some way during the past year. The poll revealed that, on average, South Carolina residents participate in the arts 14 times a year.”

So, if participation is so high in South Carolina – why did only 20 people show up for the Arts Commission’s important planning meeting? Just twice as many people as staff members there.

I don’t believe or put much stock in such polls about the arts, but every time they have to stand next to reality – they look more fantasy and fiction – than research. They always say what the arts groups asking for the poll want. I hope the folks at USC were not counting football games as an art event.

So what percentage do you think 20 people is to the greater Columbia area art community? Not much.

Of course the explanation for such a low turnout might be that this is not the first Canvas of the People the art community in SC has been through and showing up didn’t seem to matter much to those who have participated before. The results of the process just didn’t justify a second or third trip to participate. It could be the old fool me once – fool me twice effect. And, it’s the same people doing the fooling too.

We need better ideas, better leadership, and a different group of folks calling the shots in South Carolina. But there doesn’t seem to be much chance of getting them any time soon.

P.S. – If you want to read what Jeffrey Day had to say about the Canvas event in Columbia, you better do it fast. He has announced his last posting on Carolina Culture as of Feb. 28. His comments about the Canvas process can be found in his Feb. 23 posting. His dealings with Carolina Culture may be finished, but I’m sure it’s not the last we’ve heard from Day.

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