Jan 25, 2022 | Staying on Top, UpstateVibe365
Spartanburg’s Home for Arts, Culture, and SO much more!
Chapman Cultural Center is Spartanburg’s one-stop shop for arts and cultural events, performances, exhibits, and educational programming in Spartanburg County. If you’re unfamiliar with the center, it features a variety of independent museums, galleries, and other cultural organizations located inside the three-building campus. From live reptiles at Spartanburg Science Center and the Center for Dance Education at Ballet Spartanburg to performances and thought-provoking exhibits of Spartanburg Little Theatre, Spartanburg Philharmonic, and Spartanburg Art Museum, you can experience it all at Chapman Cultural Center!
This year, we are excited to say that many of the arts and cultural experiences are safely returning for the public to enjoy once again. Below are just a few of the arts and cultural experiences that will be taking place.
Artists’ Guild of Spartanburg will feature another year of monthly local artist exhibitions!
This year the Artists’ Guild of Spartanburg is also proud to offer The Judy and Brant Bynum Art Award for 2022. Thanks to the generosity of Judy and Brant Bynum, the amount of the award has increased from $500 to $1,000! This award is offered annually to rising college juniors majoring in Fine Art (2D or 3D) at a college or university in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Accepting applications beginning February 1, 2022. The deadline to apply is April 29, 2022, at 5 PM. For details, please visit: www.artistsguildspartanburg.org/awards
Ballet Spartanburg will present An Evening with Carlos Agudelo on March 24th and 25th.
Join Ballet Spartanburg for a beautiful evening highlighting ballets from their 2020 collaboration with the Hub City Writers Project. The evening will include champagne, chocolate, and toasts to the visionary excellence that Artistic Director, Carlos Agudelo, has shared through dance with our community and beyond for over 30 years.
Chapman Cultural Center is ecstatic to announce the 8th annual Spartanburg Soaring! International Kite Festival will be on October 8th, 2022! Stay tuned for more details and updates of the festival coming in the Fall!
Spartanburg Art Museum will present their upcoming exhibition, Black Anatomy from February 17th through June 30th. This dynamic exhibition features artists who bring intimate and charged bodies of work that represent their present-day voices while simultaneously keeping a toe dipped in the waters of their collective past experiences. Sculptures, installations, paintings, and drawings illustrate their shared understanding of the Black experience in contemporary culture and reveal work that unfolds in tones of universal truths.
Spartanburg Little Theatre will present The Great Gatsby on March 4 through 13!
Jay Gatsby, a self-made millionaire, passionately pursues the elusive Daisy Buchanan. Nick Carraway, a young newcomer to Long Island, is drawn into their world of obsession, greed, and danger. The breathtaking glamour and decadent excess of the Jazz Age come to the stage in Simon Levy’s adaptation of the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, approved by the Fitzgerald Estate.
Spartanburg Philharmonic will present Awakened: Classical Music’s Original Influencers on Friday, February 18 at 6:30pm (Happy Hour starts at 5:30pm).
Influencers aren’t just on social media telling people what to buy. In classical music, the original influencers were named Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven and their mastery continues to inspire composers even today. Join us for a musical exploration of new and familiar composers, and the spark that ignited their creativity. Who knows, maybe one piece will inspire your own muse.
Spartanburg Youth Theatre will present Disney’s Freaky Friday the Musical on February 11th through 13th.
Based on the novel Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers and the Disney films, when a super-organized mother and her spontaneous teenage daughter magically swap bodies, they have just one day to figure out how to break the spell and switch back. By spending a day in each other’s shoes, Katherine and Ellie come to appreciate one another in a way they never could have imagined. Based on the beloved 1972 novel by Mary Rodgers and the hit Disney Channel Original movie, this heartfelt and hilarious new musical explores the true power of love and the strength of the bond between a mother and daughter.
However, Chapman Cultural Center is more than a destination, the organization serves as Spartanburg County’s leading Local Arts Agency, as we advocate for the arts to ensure they are relevant and supported in the public and private sector. We provide support for both organizations and artists so Spartanburg County can continue to enjoy high-quality cultural experiences.
As a grantor, we typically provide more than $500,000 in annual General Operating Support grants to arts, science, and humanities-based non-profit organizations. In addition, we provide quarterly grants up to $5,000 to Spartanburg County creatives and non-profits to expand arts and cultural experiences to broader audiences.
Chapman Cultural Center also facilitates community vibrancy by encouraging diverse offerings, growing audience engagement, and measuring support for the arts. Our cultural leadership extends to the oversight of the Spartanburg Downtown Cultural District, by providing street music and public art programming that enhances the vibrant downtown experience. It also fosters and celebrates the arts in the unique neighborhoods and towns in Spartanburg County.
One of our most recent initiatives includes the Southern Studies Fellowship in Arts and Letters in conjunction with the Hub City Writers Project and the Watson Brown Foundation. The Southern Studies Fellowship is a first-of-its-kind program that brings one early-career artist and one early-career writer to Spartanburg, South Carolina, for a nine-month fellowship of research, creativity, teaching, and travel, culminating in a collaborative project informed by the South. Fellows Ben Winans and Morgan Thomas’ final presentation on May 12th, from 6 to 9pm, will consist of a multimedia presentation of their research. Using the ritual of baptism as a device to explore Southern evangelical Christianity, ecological toxicity, and gender fluidity.
Finally, we are excited to continue our work and especially look forward to welcoming our new President and CEO, Dan Mayer. Mayer brings over 20 years of leadership experience in various roles in the arts and cultural sector including his work as an attorney through the country’s largest pro bono art and entertainment law organization in New York City. Additionally, he has served in numerous executive and advisory roles across the nation including the Spectrum Dance Theater, Photographic Center Northwest, and Seattle Jewish Film Festival. We look forward to his leadership as he progresses the future of arts and cultural experiences in Spartanburg County.
We hope you will take a trip to Spartanburg soon and experience all that the Chapman Cultural Center has to offer. See what other experiences you can enjoy at chapmanculturalcenter.org.
Jan 21, 2022 | Staying on Top, Uncategorized, UpstateVibe365
The Spartanburg Art Museum is a regional institution focused on inspiring and engaging people of all ages through contemporary art exhibitions, affordable education, and more! From free admission and affordable art classes to professional development programs and public art projects, SAM is committed to making art accessible for every member of our community. SAM is also the only art museum in the Upstate that exclusively shows contemporary art. We change out our exhibits four to five times a year so there will always be something fresh on view when you visit the museum!
Our current exhibit, Tina Freeman: Lamentations (on loan from the New Orleans Museum of Art), contains a powerful series of photographs taken over a period of 7 years. The photographer, Tina Freeman, traveled between the wetlands of Louisiana and the glacial landscapes of the Arctic and Antarctica to capture these breathtaking images. Paired together as diptychs, Freeman’s photographs reveal a haunting connectedness between spaces that are 5,000 miles apart. This exhibit will only be on view until Saturday, February 5, 2022 so be sure to come visit us before then!
Just looking at a work of art has been proven to increase blood flow to the brain by as much as 10% – the equivalent of seeing someone you love. And even if you don’t like or understand the piece you’re looking at, your critical thinking skills are subconsciously at work, searching for a common thread; searching for meaning. In fact, it’s been rumored that looking at works of art can help cure writer’s block. So if you ever find yourself in a creative rut or simply need to boost your mood, swing by SAM and find inspiration in our gallery. We’re open to the public 5 days a week and admission is always free!
Similarly, creative expression also has a positive effect on the mind. Making art has been shown to enhance brain function, raise serotonin levels, and reduce stress. It has also been found to promote self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment in both children and adults. At our museum, we believe all humans need an outlet for their creativity, which is why the Art School at SAM offers a range of classes from ceramics, painting, and drawing to lectures, self-care programs, and more.
Become one with nature this Spring during our Sketching in the Garden class or discover strange new facts when you attend our lecture The Weird History of Soap Carving. You can also mold your sculpting skills with our Ceramics and Wheel Throwing classes or spend Saturday getting creative at SAM during our monthly Family Fundays. If you’d rather make art from the comfort of your own home, our to-go kits have got you covered! The Art School at SAM is proud to provide local learners of all ages and skill levels with a space to express their creativity.
SAM’s recently-announced Professional Development program is just another way our museum enriches the local community. This program helps regional educators stay up-to-date on trends in the ever-evolving world of art education, equipping them with the tools to keep their students creative and engaged. From exploring new technologies and research to discussing recent methodologies and materials, SAM’s Professional Development program instills confidence in its participants, empowering them to educate a generation.
In 2020, we as a culture were radically altered. Our narrative of who we are as a community continues to change, strengthened by our individual and collective experiences. SAM’s latest public art project, Go Figure, is inspired by current events and the desire to connect safely with each other again – without COVID-19, without racial injustices, and without exclusion. Our goal for Go Figure is to create a project that expresses how we want to re-emerge together as a community: united.
The Spartanburg Art Museum’s public art projects foster local pride, boost tourism, and connect members of the local community. In fact, studies have found that the health and well-being of a community is deeply connected to the ability of its individuals to come together to work towards a common goal. Public art projects like Go Figure can act as this common goal, promoting cooperation, collaboration, and communication as well as demonstrating a town’s commitment to growth, development, and unity.
SAM is also excited to be offering memberships that come with some truly incredible perks! Every new member receives a t-shirt designed by local artist and SAM board member Adrian Meadows, exclusive access to four members-only events throughout the year, 10% off our online gift shop, and reciprocal membership access to 150+ museums across the Southeast through SEMC’s Southeastern Reciprocal Membership program.
This means that when you become a member at SAM, you also get free access to amazing institutions such as Cheekwood Estate & Gardens in Nashville, TN, the Columbia Museum of Art, the Miami Institute of Contemporary Art, and more. Plus, a membership to SAM is 100% tax-deductible (as applicable by law)! Want to learn more about the Spartanburg Art Museum? Visit our website at spartanburgartmuseum.org, reach out to us on social media @spartanburgartmuseum, or email museum@spartanarts.org!
Jan 7, 2022 | Staying on Top, UpstateVibe365
Phillis Wheatley Community Center (PWCC) founder, Hattie Logan Duckett’s mission in life was to help uplift those who were less fortunate, and the fruits of her labor are seen today in the activities and impact of the PWCC. This center has played a vital role in developing the social, economic, and artistic skills of the people of Greenville, South Carolina, for more than 100 years. It is seen also in the PWCC Community Senior Wellness and Development Program.
The Community Senior Wellness and Development Program
The Community Senior Wellness and Development Program is designed to meet the six dimensions of wellness – Physical, Social, Mental, Emotional, Spiritual and Vocational to promote and improve the health and quality of life of the senior citizens (aged 55+) within Nicholtown and other Upstate communities.
The program is voluntary and aims to serve as a baseline measurement to determine physical progress, evaluate residential needs, and serve as a reference point to participate in wellness and educational classes to assist in improving the overall training, flexibility, and independent lifestyle.
Program Support
There are several resource avenues and partnerships established through this program to aid in accomplishing the mission, vision and goals of the Senior Wellness and Development Program. Various businesses, corporations, foundations, and organizations are given the opportunity to assist with the success of the program and its participants. The business community is presented with the opportunity to support the Senior Wellness and Development program on several levels including general contributions, donations of time and materials, and opportunities to sponsor other PWCC programs and services.
The Community Need and Opportunity This Program Will Address
The Senior Wellness and Development Program is designed to collaborate with other programs and municipal and social service agencies to provide invaluable, structured learning opportunities for the rapidly growing senior population in the Upstate. The Phillis Wheatley Community Senior Wellness and Development Program is unique by offering:
- Increased physical activity through utilization of our upcoming senior fitness playground
- On-site in the PWCC kitchen healthy cooking and meal preparation courses and services
- Instructor led chair exercises
- Cognitive Exercises (memory, hand and eye coordination, meditation, etc.)
- Bingo with Prizes
Current Happenings with the Senior Wellness and Development
Program Weekly Senior Program
The core programming consists of weekly meetings with the seniors which involve various activities and events. Meetings occur each Friday from 10:00am to Noon.
Senior Fall Harvest Festival
A recent event for the seniors was the Senior Fall Harvest held on October 29, 2021. The seniors were transported to the office of a corporate, collaborative partner where they had the pleasure of playing games such as Bingo and Trivia and had the chance to win amazing prizes. They enjoyed a delicious lunch, took pictures, and overall had a momentous day being celebrated. Each senior also received a gift bag for their participation.
Senior Appreciation Holiday Luncheon
Another recent celebration was the Senior Appreciation Holiday Luncheon. During this luncheon we watched holiday movies, enjoyed a delicious lunch, sang Christmas carols, danced, played bingo, and won amazing prizes. Overall, each of the seniors had an amazing time and fellowship with one another.
Upcoming Workshops
Upcoming events in the Community Senior Wellness and Development Program consist of Medicare workshops, Social Media Awareness, Safety Awareness Classes, Financial Literacy, Conflict Resolution, and Effective Communication classes.
If you want to learn more about how you can become involved, volunteer, or a corporate sponsor of the PWCC Community Senior Wellness and Development Program, reach out to Tiffany Boyd, Program Manager at tjboyd@philliswheatleysc@org or 864-240-4242 x203.
Jan 7, 2022 | Staying on Top, UpstateVibe365
Written by: Jerry Smith, SCORE Mentor
Who doesn’t remember the person who was a major influence on their career – a teacher, a first boss, a wise colleague? They are never forgotten, and that person also gets to feel the gratification that comes with knowing they had a meaningful, long-term impact on another human being.
What if you could be the one who has the opportunity to have a significant impact on a person who is starting out in a new business career? You can, by becoming a part-time volunteer in Piedmont SCORE!
What is SCORE? It was founded almost 60 years ago by the US Small Business Administration (SBA), with the goal of providing free mentoring support to small business startups and existing small businesses via a highly experienced volunteer organization.
There are SBA supported SCORE chapters all over the United States, with more than 10,000 volunteers. In 2020 alone, SCORE mentors helped start 45,027 new businesses and create 119,562 new jobs. In the same year, 60% of SCORE’s clients were women, 46% were minorities, and 9% were veterans.
SCORE contains a wide variety of volunteers, from their 20s to 80s, including retired corporate executives, and small business owners, as well as volunteers who are actively working regular jobs in large and small businesses.
There are four ways you can volunteer. The majority of volunteers are Mentors, who help small business startups and existing small businesses with every aspect of starting and running a small business. Additionally, there are Subject Matter Experts in a wide variety of subject areas including critical specialties like information technology, finance, sales and marketing, and manufacturing, just to mention a few.
Mentors bring expertise in many specific business areas like office management, banking, healthcare, transportation, restaurant management, and numerous others. In addition, there are volunteer Presenters who provide a myriad of educational programs, as well as Administrators for every aspect of each chapter’s program.
The Piedmont SCORE chapter, located in Greenville, started 50 years ago, includes 11 upstate counties from Union in the east, to Oconee in the West, Greenville and Spartanburg counties in the north, to McCormick in the South. With close to 50 members, ranging in age from 23 to 82, most of them mentors, literally hundreds of small business clients are served each year. New clients arrive almost every day, and the chapter is always seeking qualified mentor and other volunteer candidates.
Dec 15, 2021 | Staying on Top, UpstateVibe365
Does Mentoring Entrepreneurs Make a Difference? If you ask any of the non-profit program leaders at SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives), Start:ME, Village Launch, or NEXT, they will respond with a resounding, “YES.” Mentors often make the difference between launch, success, and failure. Village Launch and Start:ME provide individual mentoring for founders enrolled in their programs; NEXT and SCORE provide mentoring without a formal training program.
Start:ME and Village Launch offer 14 and 10-week long classes, respectively, pairing entrepreneurs with 1-2 mentors for the duration. According to Jeanette Brewster, Village Launch Program Director, mentors assist entrepreneurs with applying the lessons each week to their own individual business. They are the sounding board as the entrepreneur processes ideas and concepts. Mentors are also a great resource as they listen to business pitches and provide constructive feedback.
At Start:ME, Elise Harvey, Ph.D., Program Co-Director and Assistant Professor of Marketing at USC Upstate, notes that mentors play so many roles: cheerleaders, sounding boards, links to resources, devil’s advocate, and listeners. Generally, 2-3 mentors are paired with 2 entrepreneurs for 14 weeks. The entrepreneur-mentor teams work together throughout the program, learning from each other and developing strong relationships and networks of support.
SCORE and the NEXT Venture Mentoring Service (VMS) offer direct support for founders. According to Jerry Smith, Piedmont SCORE mentor, their volunteer mentors support entrepreneurs in two primary ways. The first is via one-on-one coaching provided by experienced executives and small businesses owners. SCORE also has subject-matter experts to assist the mentors and teach various workshops that enhance the mentoring experience.
Tim Reed, the volunteer leader of the NEXT VMS program, notes that their volunteer mentors have varied backgrounds which allows for cross-discipline teams of two to four mentors. They focus on the individual rather than the business to give unbiased assistance to further develop the skills of the founder. The goal of the monthly meetings between mentor and mentee is to build a better leader.
According to each program leader, the entrepreneurs receive substantial benefits from mentoring. The most common benefit is the mentor’s real-world experience from having “been there”. Jeanette from Village Launch says they have seen increased confidence in the entrepreneurs and more consistent pursuit of their goals after the program ends. Elise notes that Start:ME mentors challenge entrepreneurs to take things to the next level.
According to Tim with NEXT, the founders build skills to handle whatever issue they are facing and tackle new ones as they arise. Since entrepreneur needs vary, they benefit from the ability of mentors to meet them with the right support at the time. Sometimes this requires “tough love”, sometimes narrow focus on the problem at hand, and it is always different from founder to founder.
If the founders receive so much benefit, what about the mentors? Why would someone volunteer for the responsibility of helping an entrepreneur realize their dreams? According to Elise with Start:ME, mentors often comment that they feel as if they are learning just as much as the entrepreneurs. The primary benefit for mentors is building relationships with entrepreneurs who, very often, come from entirely different backgrounds.
For the NEXT VMS mentors, not only are the mentoring sessions very rewarding, but the mentors meet on a regular basis to discuss best practices within the process. They follow strict guidelines provided by MIT on how to conduct and structure the meetings. The structure creates stability, and the diverse backgrounds and experiences of the other mentors are an incredible asset to the mentors.
At SCORE, mentors enjoy the opportunity to give back to the community in a unique way. Mentors say it is very rewarding to watch a founder traverse the challenges of starting a new business and, over time, achieve their dream of becoming a profitable business owner.
The deep desire to give back and lift up fellow entrepreneurs motivates many of the mentors at Village Launch. For some, it inspires them to be around the level of energy and passion brought on by others. When you sit in a room among other creatives and innovators it sparks something in you to explore and create more in your own life.
All the organizations are recruiting new mentors. For more information, please contact them directly.
SCORE is looking for a volunteer with a marketing and social media background to be a mentor or subject matter expert. Contact Jerry at Smith.jerry@scorevolunteer.org
Village Launch is looking for mentors for its 3 classes in 2022. They are open to a wide range of skills and backgrounds. Because social capital is important, having a person who can connect the founder with their network can be just as valuable as other knowledge. Apply through the Village Launch website www.villagelaunch.org/mentor or email Jeanette Brewster at jeanette@millcommunity.org.
Start:ME is also actively recruiting mentors with the following areas of expertise: accounting, finance, sales, logistics, strategy, and marketing. Mentors come from a wide variety of backgrounds including retired executives, entrepreneurs, academia, big corporations, small businesses, and more. Interested mentors can contact Dr. Elise Harvey at eharvey@uscupstate.edu or fill out the mentor interest form at startmespartanburg.com.
The NEXT VMS program is always open to additional mentors. They look for mentors that have seen the ups and the downs of executing an idea from any area of their past to encourage and guide the mentee. Visit the NEXT VMS website.
Erin H. Ouzts
December 14, 2021
Dec 13, 2021 | Staying on Top, UpstateVibe365
A look at Upstate economic development in 2021
Written by: Danielle Besser, Communications & Engagement Manager, Upstate SC Alliance
As the end of each year approaches, people excitedly ask the Upstate SC Alliance team to report on the capital investment and jobs announced within the Upstate.
Although a final tally of the Upstate’s 2021 announcements won’t be available until Local Economic Development Offices close out their reports, there’s a lot we can glean from the headlines.
“We’re having a good year in creating jobs,” Upstate Alliance President & CEO John Lummus shared during a Dec. 2 TATT Chat. Year-to-date announcements through the end of November indicate the region will surpass $1.88 billion in new capital investment and more than 6,500 new jobs. (Note: you can explore Upstate announcements here.)
One big takeaway: existing industries are speaking volumes with their growth in the region – with just over half of the Upstate’s announcements coming from existing employers.
That’s especially important when it comes to continued job creation. For example, Lockheed Martin’s 300 new jobs in Greenville, Arthrex’s 500 new jobs in Anderson, and ZF’s 500 new jobs in Laurens. Yes, workforce is tight, though these companies have global operations – they can choose to grow wherever they want – and they continue to choose our location. That’s a strong endorsement for the Upstate’s workforce.
And nothing sells the region better than a company success story.
So how do we get these stories in front of new businesses?
“What we try to go is get Upstate South Carolina noticed across the country and across the world,” Lummus said. One big measure of the team’s impact: nationwide searches of “Upstate South Carolina” increased 22% and averaged 4,400 searches per month from December 2018-December 2020.
We attribute that increase to a combination of our strategic digital marketing initiatives – both to recruit businesses and through our Move Up talent initiative, intended to connect Upstate employers with talent. And it’s furthered by the work of our global engagement and business recruitment teams, the region’s economic developers, the SC Department of Commerce, and the multiplying effect of our 180+ investors.
“The heart of what we do is building relationships,” Lummus said. “It was true before the pandemic, and it’s become even more important since.”
Those relationships include:
- Site selectors, which are individuals or firms that are hired by companies to find new site locations. Lummus shared that about 50% of current projects are being led by site consultants.
- International trade offices, including the Consular representatives based in Atlanta who connect their home countries with the United States. We maintain strong relationships with Western Europe, where our deepest business connections remain, with companies like Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Ireland. Though in an early 2021 virtual event, representatives from 19 countries Zoomed in to learn about the region.
- Industry leaders and Upstate companies, who can keep us dialed into us with trends, insights, their own business connections, and who share how the Upstate has proven a successful location for them.
“The gains the Upstate region has seen are a result of tremendous vision and leadership,” Lummus added. “And that vision remains important today. Between pandemic uncertainty, supply chain challenges, technology altering how we conduct business, the rise of electric mobility and increased attention to sustainability, we have to keep our eye on innovation to maintain our competitive edge.”
Interested in learning more? Contact Lauren Scoggins, lscoggins@upstatealliance.com, to see how your company can join our efforts.
