CALL for ARTISTS! IN THE MAKING: CONTEMPORARY CRAFT FROM SC a component of HANDWORK 2026: CELEBRATING AMERICAN CRAFT!

From our friends at SC State Museum —

CALL FOR ARTISTS! 

In the Making: Contemporary Craft from South Carolina is a juried exhibition organized by the South Carolina State Museum as part of Handwork 2026: Celebrating American Craft, a nationwide initiative led by Craft in America.  

This exhibition will highlight up to 12 South Carolina-based artists working in fiber, ceramics, wood, metal, glass, mixed media, and other fine craft media. Selected through a statewide open call, participating artists will present newly made works alongside recent creations, offering a look at the breadth and vitality of craft practices in the state today.

Artists for this exhibition will be selected based on the strengths of their submitted portfolios by a panel of jurors. Final works will be chosen during studio visits, with the possibility for the artist to create new pieces specifically for the exhibition. Final selections for the exhibition will be the decision of the curatorial staff of the museum. 

Since opening in 1988, the South Carolina State Museum has celebrated the creativity and craftsmanship of artists working across the state. In the Making: Contemporary Craft from South Carolina continues this legacy as part of Craft in America’s Handwork 2026 national initiative. Artists selected through this open call will represent the depth and diversity of South Carolina’s contemporary craft community.

All submission materials are due on or before Sunday Feb.1, 2026, at 5 p.m. 

Exhibition dates:  Friday October 16, 2026 – April 24, 2027

Opening reception: Thursday October 15, 2026

Interested in applying?
Artist Application(opens in a new tab)

 

Congrats to the Winners of Jasper's Frightmare Pumpkin Carving Contest!

Last night at Curiosity Coffee, the Jasper Project and Black Nerd Mafia teamed up with our hosts at Curiosity Coffee for our traditional pumpkin carving contest among local artists. Participants included Gina Langston, Roxanne Mockabee, Sean Krumbolz, Keith Tolen, Ija Charles, Billy Guess, and Cynthia Bowie. We’re excited to announce the winners:

PEOPLE’S CHOICE - CYNTHIA BOWIE

FIRST VIEW, BUT LOOK A LITTLE CLOSER …

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FUNNIEST - ROXANNE MOCKABEE

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MOST INNOVATIVE - REGINA LANGSTON

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SCARIEST - SEAN KRUMBOLZ

Congrats to all our pumpkin carvers and thanks to our partners in mayhem, Black Nerd Mafia and the always cozy Curiosity Coffee!

And BIG Thanks to the Businesses & Organizations that donated this year’s awesome prizes!

Black Nerd Mafia

Hoot Columbia

The War Mouth

City Art

Koger Center for the Arts

South Carolina State Museum

Happy Halloween from All of us!

South Carolina State Museum Presents SC Artist Homecoming June 22, 2024

SAVE THE DATE!

JUNE 22, 2024

The South Carolina State Museum invites you to an Artist Homecoming for SC visual artists and arts supporters, honoring iconic living artists and fostering new connections in the arts community. This day-long program will include panel discussions, behind-the-scenes tours and time to explore the museum, followed by a reception.

Registration is free and will open on April 22nd.

The SC State Museum is Showing the Arts Some LOVE -- Art Day at the SC State Museum!

The South Carolina State Museum will be celebrating South Carolina visual art and artists by presenting a day of hands-on activities, artist demonstrations, behind-the-scenes tours of the art collection and much more at Art Day on Saturday, March 1 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

According to Anna Kate Twitty, PR manager at the museum, "Art Day offers a unique look into South Carolina [visual] art and artists with activities for all ages.  The event will feature hands-on 'creation stations' from University of South Carolina’s Art Education Department, which will focus on South Carolina art from the State Museum’s collection. Guests will have the opportunity to interact with and see demonstrations by South Carolina artists, Paul Moore (pottery), Gene Speer (printmaking), Brian Rego (painting), Alicia Leeke (painting), Herman Thompson (sculpture) and Rick Wells (painting)." 

South Carolina art and artists, like Paul Moore (pictured), will be featured.  Photo courtesy of the S.C. State Museum

We also hear that there will be live music along with special guided "behind-the-scenes" tours of the museum’s art storage areas, (which, by the way, contain over 4,000 works of art!)

“South Carolina has an incredible representation of visual culture across the state, spanning over 300 years,” says Paul Matheny, chief art curator, S.C. State Museum. “This rich cultural diversity is easily overlooked.  Art Day at the State Museum brings our visual culture to life for our statewide community and beyond.”

For the aspiring or emerging artists, the museum is also sponsoring their inaugural College Art Day on Friday, Feb. 28 from 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. According to Twitty, student artists are invited to explore South Carolina colleges and university art departments, meet current students and faculty from colleges from across the state, including Coker, Lander, Winthrop, Furman,  and Francis Marion universities as well as Columbia College, Spartanburg Methodist, and USC - Beaufort, and hear from alumni applying their art degrees in their professions.

“We’re looking forward to hosting College Art Day, which will offer a forum for middle and high school students to discover the vast educational and professional art opportunities that are available in our state,” says Matheny.

(Event guests at Art Day and College Art Day will have the opportunity to explore the museum’s permanent galleries and the temporary exhibition, This Just In, which features highlights of recently acquired artifacts representing art, history, natural history and science/technology.  Both events are included with museum general admission or membership. Visit scmuseum.org to learn more.)