Tuning Up: Pair of #SCartists recognized with awards
Good morning!
“Tuning Up” is a morning post series where The Hub delivers curated, quick-hit arts stories of interest to readers. Sometimes there will be one story, sometimes there will be several. Get in tune now, and have a masterpiece of a day. And now, in no particular order…
We’ll save the medals for Tokyo, but…
Two #SCartists were recently named winners of competitions or calls for art. Press play and read on.
Traci Neal wins York (Pennsylvania) Story Slam
Poet Traci Neal of Columbia competed virtually in the York Story Slam and came out of the experience victorious (Columbia Star). Neal told The Hub that despite being the only South Carolinian and only African American, “What gave me the courage to share my story were the students I had been reading my children’s book series to.” She is two books in to the “Lynn Learns Lessons” series she is writing. “My nervousness and fear of failure did not matter to me as much as being an example to the children I had read to. I taught those children about believing in their dreams. I let them know they are the only ones who can stop their dreams from becoming a reality. That is what gave me the strength to share my story … We only need to believe in it with all our hearts and take action to make it a reality.” Neal previously placed second in a virtual poetry slam based in Toronto, Canada.
Mary Robinson wins Koger Center competition
Also in Columbia, visual artist Mary Robinson was selected winner of “The Project: A 2021 Call for Art” from the Koger Center for the Arts. Robinson is a professor of art and head of printmaking at the University of South Carolina School of Visual Art and Design. As the winner, an exhibition focusing on Robinson’s work, with some of the submissions from other artists, will be held in the Upstairs Gallery at the Koger Center for the Arts beginning May 9, 2022.
Says Robinson:
The driving question in my artmaking is: how can I visually present both the euphoria and horror I experience in the 21st Century as we humans savor, destroy, and attempt to mend life on Earth?
Through printmaking I draw, carve, etch, print and layer marks to present my experience of being part of a larger life aggregate. I often cut, tear, smother, tangle, weave, glue and stitch the paper and fabric to reflect the ruptures that occur in that aggregate. My concurrent practices of weaving and dyeing fabric with patterns influence (and are influenced by) my printmaking.
“The Project: A 2021 Call for Art” is the Koger Center’s annual artistic competition that supports the work of visual #SCartists. Each year, one chosen artist will receive a $500 stipend, gallery space, and staff support resulting in a free public display in the Upstairs Gallery of the Koger Center.
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