October Issue 2006
Commentary
by Tom Starland
Fellowships Finally Named
The South Carolina Arts Commission Board of Commissioners has
finally approved the selections for the 2006-2007 Individual Artist
Fellowship Awards - for Crafts and Visual Arts. Each Fellow will
receive $2,500 in recognition of their superior artistic merit.
Alternates have also been named in each category. This year's
Fellows are:
Crafts - Peter Lenzo of Columbia, SC
Alternate - James D. Connell of Rock Hill, SC
Visual Arts - Patricia Lee Brady of Greenville, SC
Alternate - Janet Orselli or Columbia, SC
The Fellowship selection panel for Crafts and Visual Arts included:
Larry Allen, crafts artist, from Leeds, AL; Georgine Clarke, Visual
Arts Program Manager, from Montgomery, AL; and Rachel Wright,
visual artist, from Mobile, AL.
Is "Alternate" really a better name for coming in second
place? Don't worry, it's not that bad. Many times the folks who
came in second one year get the top slot the next year.
Of course these are the results of the second round of Fellowship
selections - so even the people who got the Fellowship - came
in second.
If you remember the first call from Fellowship applications didn't
attract enough artists to make a selection. Only four applications
were received by deadline for the Crafts category and nine for
the Visual Arts slot. The Arts Commission says they need five
to make a selection. If that's the case I don't know why they
didn't make a selection in the Visual Arts category. Maybe they
didn't like the applications? But then again, they get to make
the rules. And, the second call for applications wasn't much better
- 18 for Crafts and 41 for Visual Arts.
Due to the lack of interest on the artists' parts or the lack
of communication on the Arts Commission's part - changes have
been made. A survey was conducted - online, and I add, by very
few participants respective to the overall visual art community
and decisions were made subject to the remarks of those few people.
Only artists were allowed to respond.
Here's a brief rundown of the changes. Fellowship awards FY 2008
will increase to $5,000 each (at one time they were $7,500), two
selections will be made in each category (every other year), and
now artists can win a total of (3) Fellowships. So expect those
artists who have already received two at the $7,500 level to be
in the winner's circle again really soon. I suspect those people
played a big part in the artists' survey.
So it all comes down to a doubling of the money - no net gain
in Fellowship awards as they will now be selected every other
year, but the big change is the opening of the vault to the repeat
crowd -- those who can't ever seem to get enough of our taxpayers'
money. And surprise!! - the deadline for FY 2008 is Oct. 1, 2006.
Did you get a notice?
The Arts Commission is hoping with the selection of four artists
in one year that they will also be able to organize - perhaps
exhibit opportunities - but nothing is in stone.
Is this an improvement? Will these changes attract more artists
to apply? Will the Arts Commission's communication skills improve?
Will we see the printed results of the survey?
I guess that's up to the Arts Commission and the visual artists
of SC.
It's hard for me to understand why after a massive recall for
applications only 41 visual artists and 18 craft artists were
interested in making an effort to receive a Fellowship award.
The real problem - in my opinion - is that the rank and file visual
artists of South Carolina still feel that the Arts Commission
is biased in their selection process - even though it is done
by outside panels. The Arts Commission says they don't make the
selections of the Fellowships, but they do select the people who
do. And, we know little if nothing about these people. It is also
my opinion that anyone can successfully predict the results of
a selection by being very careful when selecting the people who
make the selections.
It's like the Supreme Court making a decision on who wins an election.
You don't select people who won't agree with you - not these days.
Artists have to believe that they really have a shot at being
selected. With the current changes, I feel the only ones who will
be once again attracted to the Fellowship awards will be those
two-timers and the others who feel that $5,000 is now worthy of
their attention, since if you win a Fellowship you can't apply
or win any other grant from the Arts Commission in that same year
period.
For most of the visual art community in SC, I don't think we have
an improved Fellowship program and I don't think the changes were
made with the entire community in mind. But, then again, I've
learned not to expect much from the Arts Commission. I keep hoping,
but find myself disappointed most of the time.
Who are these people?
Most of the time when I'm talking about the SC Arts Commission
I'm talking about the state employees who run the agency. These
are the folks who make the real decisions and then present them
as the only alternatives to the Commission Board. I think it's
time you should know who they are. They include: Linda C. Stern
- Columbia, SC; Noble P. Cooper, Jr. - Columbia, SC; Carolyn McCoy
Govan - Hartsville, SC; Virginia P. Self - Greenwood, SC; Charles
T. "Bud" Ferillo, Jr., Columbia, SC; West Fraser - Charleston,
SC; and Harry J. Love - Myrtle Beach, SC.
Do you know any of these folks?
State law says there are supposed to be nine commissioners on
the board, but there have only been seven for some time now -
leaving some areas of the state under-represented. Why has there
not been a full commission?
And, since they make the final decisions on all matters - shouldn't
these people be the ones catching the blame - when there is blame
to go around? What do you think?
Carolina Arts
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Copyright© 2006 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston
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