Chapman Cultural Center Awards ’22-’23 Third Quarter Community Grants
Chapman Cultural Center is committed to expanding 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 a Community Grant for our Q3 2022-2023 grants cycle!
In addition to our Community Grants, we're thrilled to announce the first round of awards for Chapman Cultural Center's newest grant opportunity, the Materials and Equipment Grant! The Materials and Equipment Grant was created in 2022 to evolve how we serve Spartanburg's creative community by providing artists with a new avenue for funding their artistic projects and initiatives.
Learn more about our awardees and their projects below.
Vivianne Carey was awarded a community grant in order to aid in the purchase of a kiln and kiln furniture to create a new body of figurative work with ceramics. For her new work, a large kiln is necessary to fulfill her creative goals. The newly created sculptures will be shown first during the Open Studios in April, then later at the faculty show at Converse next fall, as well as additional upcoming showcases.
A sculptor born in Millville, NJ who forms metal & glass by fire, Vivianne Lee Carey sees these poetic lines as an affirmation of the materials she utilizes in her work. Carey describes her work as “sculptures and installations that explore the darker archetypal aspects of life but with a regenerative perspective. Filthy pearls, oil-stained rags, sharpened nails and glass shards are juxtaposed against a white background to reflect the contrast between innocence, and experience, evil and divinity, grace and disgrace. Like a beautiful nightmare, these objects, made from primarily glass and steel, are reminiscent of treasures found in a reliquary and seem to be on the verge of whispering a tainted fairy tale.
Jeff Edwards was awarded a Community Grant to aid in his latest project of producing a vinyl of his latest album, The Elephant Ascendant. His goal is to create a tangible, physical piece of artwork and memorabilia for the band's original music.
Formed in 2016, the Jeff Edwards Band eventually grew into a hard-hitting 3 piece band playing local and regional musical festivals. Performing dozens of shows at coffee shops, breweries, and other small venues the band blossomed, becoming one of the most prolific alternative acts in the Upstate SC region. Fusing acoustic and alternative influences, the band's signature sound combines the best elements of classic and alternative rock: driving rhythms, soaring vocals, catchy hooks, and absolutely incendiary guitar.
Materials and Equipment Grant Awardees
The purpose of the Equipment and Materials Grant is to assist local creatives with the tools they need to create their art. Creatives may request up to $750 per year to help them purchase raw materials and basic items they need in order to make and/or properly display/present their art.
Christina Ramsey was awarded a grant to aid in the purchasing of canvases for her art practice.
Judy Martin was awarded a grant to aid in the purchasing of fusing glass to be used for a project utilizing a new technique.
Kyra Douglas was awarded a grant to aid in the purchase of various art supplies for her creative business including paints, canvases, apparel, and an electronic cutting machine.
Manuel Schmettau was awarded a grant to aid in the purchase of a digital camera to pursue his passion for photography and expand his creative practice. He plans to use the new camera to produce a new series of photographic work exploring the streets of Spartanburg, in particular the curbside oddities of leaf piles, cut grass clippings, and various small household curiosities placed upon the curb for city pick-up. This series of photographic work is, in essence, about the understated humor and curbside whimsy of this intersection of public and private, finding beauty in the banal and often overlooked.
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 our 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.