Arts Council of York County Announces New Grant Recipients

The Arts Council of York County is pleased to announce the allocation of Small Grant awards for the fourth quarter of the 2019-2020 fiscal year. Small Grants are available to individual artists, non-profit organizations, teachers and schools throughout York County. These grants are designed to support specific arts activities that promote the individual artist’s professional development or career advancement and/or to support a wide variety of quality arts projects and programs that promote excellence in arts disciplines and make such disciplines accessible for general community-wide audiences.

Organizations and individual artists residing in York County, SC may request up to $1,000 per grant and may receive up to two grants each calendar year. The Arts Council awarded Small Grants to six artists, teachers and organizations for the 4th Quarter of 2019-2020. Recipients include:

The 9th Annual Don’t Sweat It FEST returns in 2020! This music and arts festival is a 3-day celebration of the spirit of summer. The local and regional bands selected to perform at the festival each year are some of the hottest acts around, with many making their return appearances to the Courtroom at the Gettys Art Center. Kayla Frost curates the art sale in the lobby of this year’s event. This Small Grant will help cover the cost of the bands, marketing, and staff. | https://www.facebook.com/dontsweatitfest/

York County artist Patrick Faile is preparing 40 works of watercolor art for two scheduled solo exhibitions with Union County Arts Council and the City of North Charleston. Both exhibitions depict the US and Canadian National Parks. The mission of these exhibits is to garner support for the US National Park Service and to inform the public about the mission of the US Park Service. Faile also hopes to draw attention to the role that art has played in the creation of the National Parks and about watercolor as a major art medium. Patrick will use this Small Grant to frame the artwork intended for exhibition. | https://www.patrickfaile.com

The Coverlet Project is a textile research project inspired by a mid-19th century overshot coverlet in the collection at the Historical Center. It is a volunteer-driven and site-supported project that required a wide range and depth of research skills, bringing together a number of entities including the Culture and Heritage Museums, the fiber arts community, the community-at-large, and Winthrop University. The project resulted in a handwoven coverlet produced on-site and is currently on display on a bed at Historic Brattonsville. The Coverlet Project research will be presented at the National Association for Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums (ALHFAM) Annual Meeting and Conference in Boston and Sturbridge, MA. This conference represents the ideal venue at which to share this research. This Small Grant offsets the cost of attending the conference and travel expenses.

The Women’s Art Initiative enhances the quality of life for the greater Rock Hill area by reflecting its cultural values and artistic vitality through public art. The Women’s Art Initiative is set to stencil 25 new haiku poems on sidewalks in Rock Hill’s Cultural District. The Small Grant will be used to produce the stencils, purchase paint, brushes, rollers, and tape needed to place the poetry on sidewalks.

Drive the Arts is a driving tour of the public artworks on display throughout Rock Hill. Funds from this Small Grant will also be used to produce a printed brochure. | https://womensartinitiative.org

The Ag + Art Tour is a free, self-guided tour of farms and markets featuring local artisans at every stop! During the tour, visitors have the opportunity to see first-hand where their food comes from, watch artists in action, and to purchase their works. Visitors can also enjoy the melodies of local musicians, and learn about rural life. The Tour is the largest free farm and art tour in the nation, with more than 45,000 visitors participating since 2012.

The Ag + Art Tour began in York County in June of 2012 as a single weekend-long event. As the largest tour county in South Carolina with more than 20 farms and more than 60 artists and artisans, in 2019, the York County tour grew to encompass two weekends – with the eastern half of the county participating on the first weekend, and the western half of the county participating on the second. In 2020, the York County Tour is set to welcome visitors to its farms on June 6 and 7, and June 13 and 14. This small grant will be used for marketing expenses related to the Ag + Art Tour of York County.  | https://agandarttour.com/york/

During the fourth quarter, a special round of grants was issued to the following artist:

     Artist Phil Moody is producing a new series of 10 photographic works to be displayed in the newly renovated Lowenstein Building in Rock Hill, SC. This series will commemorate the role of The Bleachery in Rock Hill’s growth and will honor the workforce that ran the plant from 1929 – 1988. This Small Grant will be used to cover artist fees in the production of the eight 120”x120” and two 120”x240” works of art. | https://www.philmoodyphotography.net/

To review guidelines, visit www.yorkcountyarts.org/grants. The next deadline is Monday, June 1, 2020 at 5 PM for programs occurring in July, August, and/or September 2020. Prospective applicants MUST discuss the proposed project with the Executive Director at least 10 days in advance of the application deadline date. Should the deadline fall on a holiday or weekend, grant applications are due the last business day prior to the deadline.

This Small Grants program is funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission (which receives funding from the National Endowment for the Arts), and the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of the Coastal Carolina Community Foundation, and Comporium Communications.