Art

S.C. Arts Commission Recognizes Four with $10,000 Fellowships

Published

1 year ago

July 5, 2023

Press Release

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina Arts Commission is announcing four South Carolina artists from different artistic disciplines as the recipients of its $10,000 individual artist fellowships for FY24.

The SCAC awards four fellowships per year to artists working in rotating disciplines. This month, the SCAC Board of Directors approved panel recommendations of artists who exhibit hard work, exceptional ability, and dedication to their discipline for the agency’s fellowships. Those receiving awards in FY24 are:

Anna G. Dean (above) of York County for visual art
Jeremy Brooks (right) of Horry County for craft
Brittany M. Watkins of Richland County for time-based art
Matthew White of Richland County for music composition.

“These artists demonstrate a high level of artistic excellence, and the South Carolina Arts Commission Fellowships program allows us to recognize them for it. Each of these four is deserving of the prestige and financial benefit that a fellowship brings. We are excited to support their creative pursuits, and we look forward to what this support helps them do next,” SCAC Executive Director David Platts said.

“The fellowship program, as one of the arts commission’s signature programs, directly impacts artist development,” SCAC Deputy Director Ce Scott-Fitts said. “In addition to recognizing their dedication and achievement, the financial resources provided by a fellowship allow an artist to focus on creating art.”

Out-of-state panelists who work in each year’s disciplines are recruited to review applications and make recommendations to the SCAC board of directors. Applicants are not anonymous, and panelists consider work samples, artistic merit, achievements, and commitment to the discipline in which artists apply. Artists may apply in multiple categories with separate applications.

Watkins

The panelists serving for the FY24 cycle were Jacklyn Brickman; John W. Love, Jr.; and Brad Thomas for visual art, craft, and time-based art applicants and Dr. Joanna Kim, Amie Cota, and Adrian “A.J.” Sealy for music composition applicants.

This fall, the SCAC will open applications for FY25 Individual Artist Fellowships to artists working in: Poetry; Spoken word/Slam poetry; Choreography and Directing (film, theatre, and/or opera); and Performance: Dance, Music, or Acting (film or theatre). To be eligible, artists must be at least 18 years old and a legal U.S. resident with permanent residence in South Carolina for two years prior to the application date and throughout the one-year fellowship period. For more on discipline rotation, eligibility requirements, and the application process, please visit https://www.southcarolinaarts.com/grant/fel/.

About the FY24 Individual Artist Fellowship Recipients

Anna G. Dean | Visual Art | York County

Anna G. Dean is an interdisciplinary artist, working in sculpture, installation, video, and mixed media. She began her career in art education with a focus on contemporary art and arts integration. She was selected for the Art21 Educators program in New York City and helped create the SmartArts program in Greenville. She recently completed her Master of Fine Arts at Winthrop University, where she currently teaches and coordinates the CreatorSpace technology lab. Dean also works as a production designer with ACSM, a design/build firm in Charlotte. Dean’s work has been exhibited at the Mint Museum, the McColl Center, the Brooklyn Collective, Redux Gallery, and Miami Art Week. She has public art installations at Atrium Health in Charlotte and Miracle Park in Rock Hill. She has been an artist-in-residence at the McColl Center and has been awarded a project space at Goodyear Arts. Dean currently lives in Fort Mill with her husband and son.

Jeremy Brooks | Craft | Horry County

Jeremy R. Brooks received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Grand Valley State University & Master of Fine Arts from Alfred University. He has balanced his career between working as an artist and teaching. Some of his honors include receiving the emerging artist award from the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA), being selected as a guest of honor at the XXIst International Biennial of Vallauris, France and being selected as a finalist for the 2017 Elizabeth R. Raphael Founder’s Prize. Brooks is currently an assistant professor of ceramics at Coastal Carolina University and resides in Conway.

Brittany M. Watkins | Time-Based Art | Richland County

Brittany M. Watkins lives and works in Columbia. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of West Georgia and a 2016 Master of Fine Arts from Florida State University. Her work has been exhibited in international art fairs, museums, non-profit organizations, and experimental spaces in North America, Iceland, Germany, Estonia, and the Philippines. Her site-specific installation “<Accept [(Self) + Elsewhere]” was awarded the Juried Panel Prize in ArtFields 2017 ($25,000), where she later erected a public art installation at TRAX Visual Art Center. Watkins has participated in residencies at The Vermont Studio Center, Hambidge Center for Creative Arts & Sciences, and 701 Center for Contemporary Art (as winner of the 2022 701 CCA Prize). She was the South Carolina fellow for the 2022 South Arts Southern Prize and State Fellowships program.

White

Matthew White | Music: Composition | Richland County

Trumpeter, composer, and educator Dr. Matthew White is currently an associate professor of jazz studies at the University of South Carolina, with previous experience teaching at Coastal Carolina University. He was previously a first-call freelance and session musician in Nashville and Miami. He holds degrees from the universities of North Florida and Miami and has appeared on numerous albums, radio broadcasts, and television shows, performing with a host of artists, ensembles, symphonies, and big bands. In 2019, he was named a Guggenheim Fellow in Music Composition. He was a keynote speaker at the 2017 National Association of Leadership Educators Conference. He is a member of the Charleston Jazz Orchestra and manages the Wheelwright Recording Studio at CCU. White has released three albums as a leader with two receiving four-star reviews in Downbeat magazine and making “best of” yearly lists. He wrote, tracked, engineered, and produced his latest album, The Trumpet.

About the South Carolina Arts Commission

The mission of the South Carolina Arts Commission is to promote equitable access to the arts and support the cultivation of creativity in South Carolina. We envision a South Carolina where the arts are valued and all people benefit from a variety of creative experiences.

A state agency created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967, the SCAC works to increase public participation in the arts by providing grants, direct programs, staff assistance and partnerships in artist development, arts industry, arts learning, creative placemaking, and folklife and traditional arts. Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., the SCAC is funded by the state of South Carolina, by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts, and other sources. Visit SouthCarolinaArts.com or call 803.734.8696, and follow @scartscomm on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for #Arts4SC and #SCartists content.