Governor’s Awards

The South Carolina Governor’s Awards for the Arts

To recognize outstanding achievement and contributions to the arts in South Carolina, the Arts Commission annually presents the Governor’s Awards for the Arts, the highest honor the state gives in the arts.

These awards honor South Carolina arts organizations, patrons, artists, members of the business community, and government entities who maximize their roles as innovators, supporters and advocates of the arts. In 1980, the awards took on a special significance with their designation as the official “Governor’s Awards for the Arts.”

A diverse committee, appointed by the S.C. Arts Commission Board and made up of members of the South Carolina community at large, reviews all nominations and makes recommendations to the Board for final approval.

An iconic statue

The symbol of the awards is a hand-crafted bronze statue (above) designed by Columbia-based artist Jean McWhorter and presented to each recipient. The South Carolina Arts Foundation supports the awards program by sponsoring the annual creation and procurement of these iconic statues.

50 years

To mark 50 years of the Governor’s Awards for the Arts in 2022, the SCAC initiated a video documentation project with Renderhouse Films telling the story of award recipients. The result was nine vignettes that look at South Carolina arts, culture, and history through the eyes of living, high-profile South Carolina artists who have received the award through the past 50 years:

• John Acorn
• Wilfred Delphin
• Mary Jackson
• Glenis Redmond
• Tom Stanley
• William Starrett
• Leo Twiggs
• Sam Wang
• Cecil Williams

Their stories cross diverse lines—racial, ethnic, gender, and artistic disciplines—and are individual works of art themselves, notable for their high production quality.

South Carolina ETV wove them together and premiered the feature with host Jackie Adams on Jan. 5, 2023. You can watch it here on SCETV.org.

Governor's Award Recipients

• Current Recipients (2023)

  RAY MCMANUS
  Artist | Lexington

  CARLOS AGUDELO
  Individual | Spartanburg

  AMERICAN COLLEGE OF THE BUILDING ARTS
  Arts in Education | Charleston

  AIKEN CENTER FOR THE ARTS
  Organization | Aiken

  • Read about the current recipients here

  Watch them be honored during the South Carolina Arts Awards: Sunday, May 4, 2023 at 8 p.m. on SCETV and streaming online!

• Recent Recipients

  View additional past recipients here.

  2022

  • Darion McCloud – Artist
  • Ed Madden – Individual
  • Carrie Ann Power – Arts in Education
  • One Columbia for Arts and Culture – Organization

  2021

  • Tom Flowers – Lifetime Achievement
  • Marjory Wentworth – Special Award
  • Charlton Singleton – Artist
  • Jennifer Clark Evins – Individual
  • Dr. Tayloe Harding – Arts in Education
  • Colonial Life – Business/Foundation
  • ColaJazz Foundation – Organization

  2020

  • Dr. Philip Mullen – Lifetime Achievement
  • Glenis Redmond – Artist
  • Mary Inabinett Mack – Individual
  • Cindy Riddle – Arts in Education
  • United Community Bank – Business/Foundation
  • Charleston Gaillard Center – Organization

About the Governor's Awards

• Nomination Deadline

  The 2024 nomination cycle is expected to open Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023.

• Category Descriptions

  The nine appointed commissioners of the South Carolina Arts Commission may choose not to present an award in a particular category in a given year. In addition to the categories below, the S.C. Arts Commission may choose to give Special Awards for achievements falling outside the defined categories.

  Restrictions

  • Commissioners and staff of the S.C. Arts Commission and members of their immediate families are not eligible for nomination;
  • Nominees must be living at the time of their nomination;
  • Past recipients of the Governor’s Awards are not eligible for nomination for 10 years following their award. Recipients who received a Governor’s Award prior to 2013 are eligible to be nominated for the 2023 awards.

   

  ARTS IN EDUCATION

  Open to S.C. individuals and institutions whose primary function is arts education. May include: arts educators (teachers, consultants, principals, administrators), schools, school districts, college/university arts departments, etc.

  ORGANIZATION

  Open to S.C. organizations who contribute to the advancement and/or support of the arts. May include: arts discipline organizations, arts councils, arts advocacy groups, guilds, arts departments of organizations, educational institutions, etc.

  GOVERNMENT

  Open to agencies and institutions generally described as units of state, county or municipal governments that have served their communities in outstanding ways through the arts, OR elected or appointed officials who, in their official capacities, have demonstrated notable support for the arts through leadership and public policy.

  BUSINESS/FOUNDATION

  Open to S.C. individuals, or companies and foundations whose participation, support, and/or contributions have benefited the maintenance and growth of the arts.

  INDIVIDUAL

  Open to S.C. individuals who have demonstrated exceptional achievement and statewide impact through their leadership, support, and advancement of the arts. May include: arts professionals such as managers, administrators; arts supporters such as patrons, promoters, donors, etc.

  INDIVIDUAL ARTIST

  Open to S.C. artists of exceptional talent and creativity, in any discipline, whose contribution to the arts has helped guide and influence directions, trends and aesthetic practices across the state or to national or international levels.

• How the Selection Process Works

  The S.C. Arts Commission annually releases a call for the South Carolina Governor’s Awards for the Arts nominations. The nomination guidelines are posted on the agency’s website and are also available in print upon request. The Board of Commissioners of the S.C. Arts Commission appoints a diverse selection committee to review the nominations and make recommendations to the board for final approval. Members of the selection committee may include artists, arts professionals, educators, members of the business community, state or local government, citizens at large and others. The composition of the selection committee changes each year.

  Round One

  Copies of the nomination letters are sent to each member of the selection committee for their review in advance of the committee’s meeting. After initial review of all the nominations received, the selection committee will narrow the selections in each category.

  Round Two

  The committee will request additional information and/or materials in support of the nominations in each category advanced to round two. Types of additional materials may include resumes, letters of support, work samples, media materials, publications or images. These materials should only be submitted if requested by the committee. The committee will meet again to review support materials and make final selections to recommend to the Board of the Commissioners of the S.C. Arts Commission, which has final approval. Notification of award recipients and those not selected should take place by March.

• How to Submit a Nomination

  The online nomination is an easy process through the Submittable platform, where you will begin.

  Nomination Steps

  1. Click the callout link button below (“Begin a nomination today!” active only during the nomination window)
  2. Create your account
  3. Check the nomination category
  4. Provide information about the nominee and the nominator
  5. Upload a letter of nomination
  6. Submit

  You may begin an online nomination and save it for later by logging in with your user name and password.

  Letter of Nomination

  The nomination letter should describe the nominee’s exemplary contributions to the arts in South Carolina. It should be no more than three typed pages, using 12-point type, and should address any characteristics included in the category descriptions. It should include specific examples and relevant data wherever possible. The letter should be structured to answer the following questions:

  • What makes the nominee superior or extraordinary?
  • How has the nominee demonstrated leadership in the arts?
  • What exceptional achievements or contributions has the nominee made, and what has been their impact on the community, state or beyond?
  • What other information about the nominee is important to know as they are considered for the state’s highest award in the arts?

  When crafting your letter, you may address it to:

  S.C. Governor’s Awards for the Arts Review Panel
  South Carolina Arts Commission
  1026 Sumter St., Ste. 200
  Columbia, SC 29201

  DO NOT MAIL OR EMAIL YOUR LETTER. You must submit through the Submittable platform through the link below (which appears when the nomination window is open).

I’m here to help!

For additional information and advisement, please contact Communications Director Jason Rapp (803.734.8899 | jrapp@arts.sc.gov).