Chapman Cultural Center Awards ’22-’23 Second Quarter Community Grants
Chapman Cultural Center is committed to broadening and strengthening Spartanburg’s creative community. Because of this commitment, a major part of the work we do is centered around funding Spartanburg’s arts and cultural community.
One of Chapman Cultural Center's major funding opportunities comes in the form of our quarterly Community Grants Program. Our Community Grants award up to $5,000 per application and is open to both individual artists and non-profits/government agencies. Learn more about the grant application process here.
We’re proud to announce we’ve awarded the following individuals and organizations a Community Grant for our Q2 2022-2023 grants cycle! Learn more about their project below.
Local musician Mary Emma Norris (Slow Funeral) was awarded a Community Gant to aid in the creation of a full-length album and to expand their fanbase outside of South Carolina. It will be a 12-track record themed after the number 4 as it reappears melodically and harmonically throughout the songs.
The Town of Pacolet was awarded a Community Grant to fund live music and entertainment for the annual Pacolet River Fest. The mission for the Pacolet River Fest is to provide live music, hyper-local food, and beverages as well as activities for the families to enjoy. Located on in a breathtaking outdoor setting by the Pacolet River, this year's festival will take place on October 15, 2022.
Last year's inaugural Pacolet River Fest was a huge success with record-breaking crowds and rave reviews. With over 3,000 attendees, the goal of the festival is to showcase the area's rich history and culture. This year will continue the precedent of amazing live music, stellar food and drinks, and local crafts to shop.
Spartanburg Terrace Tenants Association was awarded a Community Grant to support their event, An Evening of Talent Expressions. An Evening of Talent Expeatures participants in the areas of comedy, dance, drama, vocal, and music expressions. They will provide experiences in the performing arts by providing workshops to the participants facilitated by professional experienced consultants. In addition, they plan to sponsor students in summer camps such as the Peace Center Broadway Musical Theatre for two weeks. The sponsored students will be trained and perform a special presentation at the November Talent Expressions.
Prizes are awarded to category winners such as 1st place in comedy, dance, drama, vocal, and music. Talent Expressions is open to all ages; however there is a children's division. The children's division winners also qualify to compete for the overall cash prizes based on their scores. Talent Expressions is a competition where acts are evaluated by a panel of qualified judges to select the winners. The majority of the participants are residents of Spartanburg County and serves as a true showcase of the Upstate local talent.
Urban League of the Upstate was awarded a Community Grant for a collaborative project that seeks to eliminate the obstacles that black talent faces in the entertainment industry and help local film companies advance their efforts for equity and inclusion. Together with No Restrictions Entertainment and the Minority Business & Talent Outreach Initiative, Urban League of the Upstate plans to collaborate with USC Upstate, OneSpartanburg, and others to ensure that No Restrictions Entertainment will have a strong presence in Spartanburg.
The goal of this project will be to serve as a workforce development partner for No Restrictions Entertainment by helping them identify and develop talent in various areas of the filmmaking industry.
To continue to fund projects that support the Spartanburg arts community, we ask that you consider supporting local artists and organizations by donating to the Chapman Cultural Center.
If you would like more information or have questions about community grants, the application process, or other grant opportunities, please contact Outreach Coordinator Lucy Southwell at lSouthwell@chapmanculturalcenter.org.
Chapman Cultural Center receives general financial support for cultural projects impacting Spartanburg County, funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of the Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina.