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PSAE is busy working for you and your students! Be sure to mark these dates!
Eve Walling Wohlford
Executive Director
Palmetto State Arts Education
2017 Briarwood Road
Greenwood, SC 29646
864.993.8396
Join the Celebration!
Rising Stars Piccolo Spoleto: May 31-June 3
On Monday, May 31, PSAE will host the opening performance of the 2021 Rising Stars Piccolo Spoleto Series.
Due to effects of COVID, this year’s series will be a little different.  

The schedule has been adjusted. 
There will be 8 performances:
  • 2 on Memorial Day,
  • 2 on both June 5th and 12th, and
  • 1 on June 6 and 13th. 

No tickets will be sold, but the performances will be streamed. Look for details in the coming weeks.

Once again, we have a wonderful line up of very gifted young performers! Be sure to look for further details on when and where to view the live stream.
Joint Arts Administrators Institute
Mark Your Calendar - The Final Session of the Joint Arts Administrators Institute is Coming! Wednesday, June 9, 2021

On Wednesday, June 9th, district arts coordinators and principals of arts-focused schools will meet for the final session of the 2020-2021Joint Arts Administrators Institute. 

It’s been an exciting year for the JAAI. Despite the restrictions imposed by COVID, JAAI has hosted monthly meetings for district arts coordinators and bimonthly meetings for principals of arts-focused schools virtually! Born from necessity, it’s proven to be a time-saving advantage for these busy administrators. And we have been able to post the recordings of each session on the PSAE website. This allows participants to refresh their memories and/or catch up if they were unable to make the session.

On June 9th, we will host the final meeting for the year. It will be both a celebration and an opportunity to plan for next year!
Advocate for your school, administrators, and supporters with PSAE Awards
  • Ray Doughty Arts Integration Award
  • SC Arts Administrator of the Year Award
  • SC School of Excellence in Arts Integration Award
  • SC STEAM School of Excellence Award

Nominations are due August 13, 2021
PSAE's 2nd Virtual Arts Education Conference
Resilience!
October 10-12, 2021

What does it mean to have resilience? According to the dictionary, resilience means the ability to cope and rise above life’s inevitable challenges and setbacks and to come back stronger. 

In the shifting landscape of education, teachers’ and administrators’ resilience has been severely tested over the past year and a half! But educators have summoned their energy, creativity, and flexibility to conquer the obstacles that they face as they continue work to educate and nurture their students.

We hope you will join us for the 2021 Palmetto State Arts Education Conference – “Resilience” where we will focus on how schools and arts programs have overcome the difficulties faced over the past year. 

Interested in Presenting?

Share your insights, successes, and challenges with your peers by being a presenter at PSAE’s 2nd Virtual Arts Education Conference!
Bringing together the innovative, the informative, and the inquisitive.
South Carolina Arts Commission
Arts Teacher Support Grant
Greenville High School 9th grade student Emily Allison is the 2021 South Carolina Poetry Out Loud champion after winning the annual recitation contest’s first fully virtual competition. Allison’s body of work earned her first prize over seven other finalists in her first experience with the competition, with Caleb Xiao, a sophomore at Spartanburg Day School, and Teagan Domm, a junior at Academy Magnet High School in Charleston, as first and second runner-up, respectively.
Congratulations!
As state winner, Allison will receive a $200 prize and get to represent South Carolina in the national finals competition for the chance to win the $20,000 first prize. The 2021 national finals will also be held virtually. A semi-final round is scheduled for Sunday, May 2 and the national finals will take place Thursday, May 27. Both will stream on arts.gov, website of the National Endowment for the Arts.
The South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC) coordinates Poetry Out Loud in South Carolina, partnering with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation to bring the competition to the state’s high schools. Bonita Peebles is the Poetry Out Loud Coordinator for South Carolina. Al Black, poet and arts advocate; Ray McManus, English professor at UofSC Sumter; Michele Reese, English professor at UofSC Sumter; and Kimberly J. Simms, author and educator, served as judges. Each is an accomplished poet residing in South Carolina dedicated to training the next generation of poets.
Bonita Peeples
Poetry Out Loud Coordinator
South Carolina Arts Commission
1026 Sumter St, Suite 201
Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 734-8692
South Carolina Arts Alliance
Arts Funding Increase Adopted by Senate!
The SC Senate voted in late April to adopt their version of the state budget. In the budget, they included an increase of $3.5 million for the arts. $2 million of the increase consists of one-time funding for COVID Relief grants at the SC Arts Commission, and $1.5 million is recurring dollars for grant-making. This brings the total per capita grant funding for the arts in South Carolina to $0.97, up from $0.69 in one year. 
The budget now heads back to the House, who had adopted a $1.5 million one-time increase for COVID Relief grants, to work out the differences between the two versions. The budget will likely be finalized mid-May through mid-June. 


Save the Date!

SC Arts Advocacy Week will be February 7-11, 2022, with the Arts Summit held in Columbia February 8-9.
George Patrick "GP" McLeer
Executive Director
SC Arts Alliance
P.O. Box 865
Fountain Inn, SC 29644
864.314.0712
Arts in Basic Curriculum Project
Certified ABC Schools
ABC Project is thrilled to celebrate the 22 schools who successfully completed the ABC School Certification process. Of special note are two new Certified ABC Schools:

The Fine Arts Center, Greenville
Rosewood Elementary School, Columbia

The transition from a grant application to a certification process has been transformational for some. One previous ABC Grant Manager explained, ”I like taking care of things myself but this process forced me to reach out. Because of it, we are now a team. We all have a responsibility that relies on our individual strengths and it has brought us closer together.”
On Demand Professional Development

As the academic year comes to a close, teachers begin to think about professional development. Insight! A Collaborative Virtual Conference is a one-stop-shop for all arts in education professional development. There is content from PSAE, SCMEA, SCAEA, SCDA members and ABC Project. ABC Project alone has contributed over 44 pieces of content with the help of 62 ABC Schools.While you might not have had the time or energy to attend in person, this is a great resource for summer PD!

If you are a member of any SC arts education association or work at an ABC School, you are registered.
ABC's of Esser III

The phrase, "these are unprecedented times" continues to apply. With the passing of the American Rescue Plan, over $122 billion will be distributed across the nation’s school systems. South Carolina will receive over $2 billion to spend before July 20, 2023. The amount of money and the speed in which it is being delivered is historical. More importantly, the arts are specifically mentioned in the guidelines at each level of spending: whether in-school, after school or summer learning. On May 3, ABC Project hosted a webinar titled, The ABCs of ESSER III, which focused on summer and afterschool learning opportunities. Should you be interested in receiving a link to the recording, you may register at: https://www.abcprojectsc.com/esser3/ until may 31.

All of us at ABC Project want to thank you for your creativity and commitment to providing quality arts learning for our students.
Kim Wilson
ABC Project Director
Arts in Basic Curriculum Project
105 McLaurin Hall, Winthrop University
Rock Hill, SC 29733
803.323.3010
South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities
Arts Teachers Gain Professional Development through Governor's School Virtual Teacher Retreats
The Office of Outreach is excited to offer our 2021 Virtual Teacher Retreats: Making Connections! The following two sessions will be offered free of charge via Zoom on June 17-18, 2021.
Creative Writing Across the Curricula
Join arts integration specialist Heather Marshall for an exploration of how creative nonfiction can be effectively integrated into your teaching practices. Participants will experience a creative nonfiction writing workshop to build their own skills then work together to build practical connections to their own classroom settings. This session is designed for 4th-12th grade teachers. Learn more about this Creative Writing retreat.
 
Design Thinking 101
Join David Gerhard, Visual Arts Department Chair, to explore how the step-by-step design thinking system can effectively engage students and bring curriculum to life. This session is designed for 4th-12th grade Visual Arts and Gifted/Talented teachers. Learn more about this Visual Arts retreat.
Free Arts Teacher Resources for the Classroom

Check out the assortment of free virtual and backpack-style arts resources developed by Governor’s School faculty for South Carolina teachers. Explore these arts teacher resources.

Do you know an artistically talented student who may be interested in the Governor's School?

While our initial admissions application deadline has passed, we will be accepting applications for our residential high school and summer programs until all spots are filled. Any South Carolina student in grades 6-10 can apply. Our high school program is tuition free, and financial assistance is available for all programs. Students can apply online at SCGSAH.org.
Carol Baker
Director of Outreach and Community Engagement
SC Governor's School of the Arts and Humanities
15 University St.
Greenville, SC 29601
864.282.3729
Arts Access South Carolina
New Partners/Sustained Partners

AASC welcomes new partners in 2021 for Hybrid/Virtual Learning: AC Moore Elementary (Richland School District One); Palmetto Center for the Arts [PAC] (Richland School District Two); Midway Elementary (Anderson School District Five); Stall High School (Charleston County School District) Community based organization in SC/GA: I AM Beautiful.
AASC proudly serves as a statewide partner, provides technical support and grants advisory consultation to the SC Arts Commission staff, City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department’s Arts Center and the Arts in Basic Curriculum Project at Winthrop College. 

AASC will once again serve as fiscal agent for (CLIA) Curriculum Leadership Institute in the Arts summer program funded in part by SC Department of Education. Funds are awarded to provide Curriculum Leadership Institute in the Arts (CLIA) as a tuition-free graduate course or professional development that directly support quality arts education programs to significantly improve student achievement in the arts.
35 Years and Counting

ARTS ACCESS South Carolina is 35 years old this year! As we move forward with strategic planning for the next 5 years, we are seeking input from our community leaders. Our first AASC Advisory Panel meeting is currently scheduled for July 20. If you are interested in becoming an Advisory Panel participant, please contact us.
Call for Residency Request

In response to the request for contract proposal for the 2020-2021 VSA Arts Connect All--Workshop/Residency Program, from the Kennedy Center’s Arts Accessibility /VSA Program, ARTS ACCESS South Carolina was offered a contract to deliver services to students who quality for special education in South Carolina on behalf of the Kennedy Center. Classes can be inclusive or self-contained. Interested schools/educators must contact Executive Director, Julia M Brown-DuBose at 803.734.0445 or e-mail [email protected].
Julia Brown-DuBose
Executive Director
Arts Access South Carolina
c/o SC Arts Commission
1026 Sumter St., Suite 200
Columbia, SC 29201
803.734.0445