Upstate, SC [October 23, 2018] – Ten at the Top (TATT), an organization created to foster collaboration, partnerships and strategic planning across the Upstate, has announced the finalists for the 2018 Hughes Investments Elevate Upstate Community Vibrancy Grants.
The five finalists were chosen from a total of 26 applications submitted for the two grants available in 2018. Hughes Investments is contributing at least $10,000 per year to the program with two recipients each year receiving $5,000 to support a new vibrancy initiative in the Upstate. The program began in 2013 in conjunction with a series of Community Vibrancy Workshops hosted by Ten at the Top. Since the inception of the grants program, Hughes Investments has contributed a total of $67,000 to community vibrancy initiatives across the Upstate.
During the Ten at the Top Celebrating Successes Brunch on November 14th the five finalists will each provide a brief overview of their initiative before the 2018 recipients are selected and announced. The cost to attend the brunch is $35, prior registration is required. The event will be held from 11:30 am -1:30 pm at the Greenville Marriott. To register go to www.tenatthetop.org.
Below are the five finalists (project name, applying organization, and brief summary):
1st Annual Charles Townes Arts & Technology
Experiment – Spontaneous Productions
The
1st Annual Charles Townes Art & Technology Experiment intends to generate
awareness and gratitude for Charles Townes, winner of the Nobel Prize in
Physics, who was a Greenville native and graduate of Furman University. The
project also aims to be a catalyst for the acceptance and encouragement of
experimentation and curiosity—in technology as well as the arts—reflecting some
of Townes’ ethics.
Centuries of Gaffney: A Walking Tour – City of Gaffney
The
City of Gaffney, in an effort to create walkability and interaction downtown,
proposes to place Revolutionary War shields along sidewalks that will celebrate
local champions from 1780 and 1781, much like the “Hollywood Stars.” The
unveiling of each shield will be done by descendants of each Revolutionary War
hero.
Environmental Arts
Festival – Piedmont Physic Garden
The
Piedmont Physic Garden (PPG), a botanical garden in the historic center of Union,
South Carolina, seeks funding to start an Environmental Art Festival (EAF)
along with the Union County Arts Council (UCAC), the University of South
Carolina–Union (USC–U), and the Union County Tourism Commission (UCTC). All
four entities are located within three blocks of each other, which will allow
convenient access to various exhibits and vendors. The first EAF will take
place in April of 2020. Over the two-day weekend, people from across the
Piedmont and beyond will be drawn to downtown Union to enjoy the arts as well
as the outdoors. The $5,000 grant will be used for logo/branding design, artist
prospectus development, banners, billboard rentals, and advanced media
promotion.
IDEAS Festival – The
Arts Center of Clemson, City of Clemson Arts & Culture Commission,
Neighborhood Associations
The City of Clemson Arts & Culture Commission, in partnership with the Arts
Center of Clemson and Clemson neighborhood associations, seeks to create and
deliver a high-impact arts and culture festival in spring 2019 that will
increase engagement and participation of Clemson citizenry in city-wide arts
and culture initiatives, while also creating a new social justice opportunity.
The IDEAS Festival will bring residents from the City and Clemson together to
celebrate local artists as well as to gather citizen input for long-term
planning for art in public places.
Movie Night at the
Park – Ninety Six Mill Village Association
The
Ninety Six Mill Village Association (MVNA), in collaboration with the Town of
Ninety Six and local residents, is seeking to build a sense of pride in the
community by offering a series of free outdoor events to showcase the community
park. MVNA is requesting assistance to help fund the purchase of equipment and
supplies to host a regular Movie Night at the Park, which stands on the site of
a former textile mill.
The selection committee for the Elevate Upstate Grants Program includes Phil Hughes (President, Hughes Investments), Ingo Angermeier (SmartPulse), and Terence Roberts (Mayor, City of Anderson).