Responding to input from artists across the state about their key concerns, the ABI offers:
See how current and recent grantees are using ABI below.
ABI was known as Artists’ Ventures Initiative until FY23.
Ronda Taylor is a poet and storyteller based in Charleston. She performs poetry, leads workshops, and speaks at events in her community. She has performed at several conferences, including the Dream Girls Conference. She is a contributing poet in the anthology Ukweli: Searching for Healing Truth. Ronda is also the founder and visionary of FLYbara, an organization that equips and empowers a diverse community of creatives.
Poetry is where Ronda feels most at home to be her authentic self. Her goal for writing is to create stories that represent and reflect the colorful world we live in. Between the spaces of each word, Ronda wants readers to hear: You are seen, heard, and loved.
I’m honored to receive this grant because it provides me with the unique opportunity to launch Seen Heard Loved Publishing, an independent publishing company designed to support diverse voices and empower future generations. With this grant, I’m able to invest in this vision and better serve my community.
What the Water Holds
by Ronda Taylor
Original poem published in the anthology Ukweli: Searching for Healing Truth, South Carolina Writers and Poets Explore American Racism
“All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was.”
Toni Morrison
water holds the weight
of bodies bridled to chattel
devoured into an ocean tomb
waves rage in anguish
belly burdened
by sunken despair
spewed onto strange shore
where they sift like wheat
beating out our being
propped on auction block
kneed into concrete
the water is wailing
being ripped from our home
reborn out of troubled water
we unearth the mosaic
language of joy
an anchored breath
they cannot grasp
the waves roar
a jubilee of our becoming
resilience rises
as we shake the earth
flooding our way Home
Tiffany Thomas is a ceramic artist who currently lives in South Carolina. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Francis Marion University with concentrations in ceramics and painting. She was raised on a farm with five brothers and sisters. Having siblings shaped her to be imaginative and innovative. She incorporates her childhood into her artwork by using a combination of colors, which are associated with tranquility. Her clay of choice is translucent porcelain, fired with colorful stains and glazes. Her ceramic work focuses on an array of designs, from cups and mugs to light fixtures and table pieces.
This grant will lay the groundwork to expand my business, offer opportunities to advance my career and touch the lives of others.
Click images to enlarge.
If you are seeking more program information, please contact Artist Development Director Tanisha N. Brown (803.734.8043 | tbrown@arts.sc.gov).