The Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Awards

Located approximately 20 miles south of Charlotte, the city of Rock Hill is a growing community of 64,000 residents that boasts arts centers, galleries, studios, museums and performance venues. Actions taken by city leaders throughout the past 20 years have contributed to Rock Hill’s vibrant arts community, which annually attracts more than 150,000 arts event attendees from 103 cities, 22 states and six countries.

The city’s visionary efforts to revitalize its downtown, also known as Old Town, using arts as its chief economic driver, has made the city a superior partner for arts organizations, corporations, schools and residents. One major effort made by the city in partnership with the Arts Council of York County and Comporium, a local business that donated a facility rent-free, was the new Community Performance Center, which includes a new stage, a 155-seat auditorium and two dance studios.

In 2009, the city’s investment in the arts exceeded $975,000 and more than $50,000 in-kind donations. The Arts Council of York County acknowledged Rock Hill’s dedication to the arts in 2008 by presenting the city the Business & the Arts Award.