South Carolina Businesses Eligible for Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Awards for the Arts

CHARLESTON, SC – October 12, 2011 –  The SouthCarolina Arts Commission is currently accepting nominations for the 2012Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Governor’s Awards for the Arts. Guidelines andnomination forms are available at www.SouthCarolinaArts.com/verner. Nominations are due by Dec. 15.

South Carolina companies that support, participatein and/or contribute to the arts are eligible for the award in theBusiness/Foundation category. The awards, the state’s highest honor inthe arts, are presented for achievement or contributions to theadvancement of the arts in South Carolina. Nominations can be made inthe following categories:

• Arts in Education: open to S.C. individuals and/or institutions whose primary function is arts education.

• Organization: open to S.C. organizations whocontribute to the advancement and/or support of the arts. Mayinclude: arts discipline organizations, arts councils, artsadvocacy groups, guilds, arts departments of organizations,educational institutions, etc.

• Government: open to S.C. individuals and/orinstitutions generally described as a unit of state, local, countor municipal government, or elected/appointed officials.

• Business/Foundation: open to S.C. individualsor companies/foundations whose participation, support, and/orcontributions have benefited the maintenance and growth of thearts.

• Individual: open to S.C. individuals who havedemonstrated exceptional achievement and statewide impact throughtheir leadership, support, and advancement of the arts. Mayinclude: arts professionals such as managers, administrators; artssupporters such as patrons, promoters, donors, etc.

• Individual Artist: open to S.C. artists ofexceptional talent and creativity, in any discipline, whosecontribution to the arts has helped guide and influence directions,trends and aesthetic practices across the state or to national orinternational levels.

The S.C. Arts Commission Board appoints a panel toreview all nominations and present recommendations. Awards will bepresented during a special ceremony in Columbia this spring. For moreinformation about the Elizabeth O’Neil Verner Governor’s Awards for theArts, visit www.SouthCarolinaArts.com/verner or call (803) 734-8696.

About the S.C. Arts Commission

The South Carolina Arts Commission is the stateagency charged with creating a thriving arts environment that benefitsall South Carolinians, regardless of their location or circumstances.Created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967, the ArtsCommission works to increase public participation in the arts byproviding services, grants and leadership initiatives in three areas:arts education, community arts development and artist development.Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., the Arts Commission is funded by thestate of South Carolina, by the federal government through the NationalEndowment for the Arts and other sources. For more information, visit www.SouthCarolinaArts.com or call (803) 734-8696.