Press Release
Postponed from their May 6th intended date because of the pandemic, the South Carolina Arts Awards will instead honor exceptional South Carolinians in a professionally produced streaming presentation planned for Monday, July 13th at 5:30 pm.
The South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC) and frequent partner McKissick Museum at the University of South Carolina will honor the six recipients of the Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Awards for the Arts and five recipients of the Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Awards in a special online presentation. The virtual ceremony will be presented live, at no cost to viewers, on the SCAC's Vimeo page and YouTube Channel.
SCAC Executive Director David Platts will be the lead host of the virtual ceremony and will be joined in a special location by a surprise co-host. UofSC McKissick Museum Executive Director Jane Przybysz will announce the Folk Heritage Award recipients, and Platts will announce the Verner Award recipients.
Mini-films by South Carolina filmmakers Drew Baron, Patrick Hayes, Roni Henderson, Lee Ann Kornegay, and Ebony Wilson will be debuted to tell each recipient's story. The filmmakers worked under the direction of producer Betsy Newman. Location shooting for the ceremony and production of the stream are being provided by Midlands-based iSite Multimedia and Fisher Films.
The Verner Award recipients were announced in February. In the following categories, the recipients are:
- LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT: Dr. Philip Mullen, Columbia
- ARTIST: Glenis Redmond, Mauldin
- INDIVIDUAL: Mary Inabinett Mack, St. Helena Island
- ARTS IN EDUCATION: Cindy Riddle, Campobello
- BUSINESS: United Community Bank, Greenville
- ORGANIZATION: Charleston Gaillard Center, Charleston
The Folk Heritage Award recipients were announced in March. They are:
- Kristin Scott Benson (Boiling Springs): Bluegrass Banjo
- David Galloway (Seneca): Spiritual Gospel Singing
- Voices of El Shaddai (Hilton Head Island/Bluffton area): Lowcountry Gospel Music
- Judy Twitty (Gilbert): Quilting
- Vennie Deas Moore (Georgetown): Folklore and Cultural Preservation
The Charleston Gaillard Center is one of the six recipients of the 2020 Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Award for the Arts. The South Carolina Arts Commission recognizes the Gaillard Center in the category of Organization for outstanding achievement and contributions to the Arts in South Carolina.
One of the Holy City's most notable spaces, the Charleston Gaillard Center provides the Lowcountry with a world-class performance hall, elegant venue space, and vibrant educational opportunities. A massive renovation project made possible by a $142 million public/private partnership created an iconic performance and event space appropriate for one of the world's leading cities. In the last five years, the Charleston Gaillard Center's Education and Community Program has provided arts-enhanced education programs to 130+ schools, covered the cost of transportation for 999 buses, and impacted more than 89,000 students in the tri-county region, all while remaining a 68% barrier-free program.
