Cellist, visual artist join SC Arts Commission board
April 3, 2025
The South Carolina Arts Commission is welcoming an artistic pair of new members to its nine-person board of commissioners for three-year terms after their gubernatorial appointments and state senate confirmations.
- Heidi B. Carey of Columbia.
- Russell P. “Rip” Parks of Easley.
A University of South Carolina educated cellist and attorney, Heidi B. Carey has practiced residential foreclosure and bankruptcy law since 2001. She joined her current firm Riley Pope and Laney, LLC in 2008 and became a member of the firm in 2010. She is a member of the South Carolina and Richland County bar associations and admitted to practice before all South Carolina state courts and the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. Her artistic pursuits include playing cello in the rock band Treadmill Trackstar and as a tenured cello section member of the South Carolina Philharmonic, and she also serves at Eastminster Presbyterian Church. Carey, her husband Ken, and their two children reside in Columbia.
Russell P. “Rip” Parks, AIA, ACHA, EDAC, is a native of Greenville who practiced healthcare architecture for 35 years across the U.S. and internationally. He is a graduate of Clemson University and holds separate master’s degrees in business, architecture and urban design. He served five years on the board of visitors of Clemson University and currently serves on the board of the Wilbur O. & Ann Powers College of Business. He is also active at North Greenville University. A visual artist, Parks currently leads the visual arts ministry at First Presbyterian Church, Greenville. He and his wife, Edith, reside in Easley.
About the South Carolina Arts Commission
The mission of the South Carolina Arts Commission is to promote access to the arts and support the cultivation of creativity in South Carolina. We envision a South Carolina where the arts are valued and all people benefit from a variety of creative experiences.
A state agency created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967, the SCAC works to increase public participation in the arts through grants, direct programs, staff assistance and partnerships in artist development, arts industry, arts learning, creative placemaking, and folklife and traditional arts. Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., the SCAC is funded by the state of South Carolina, by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts, and other sources. Visit SouthCarolinaArts.com or call 803.734.8696, and follow @SCArtsComm on Facebook, Instagram, and X for #Arts4SC and #SCArtists content.
View this and other SCAC news on The Hub: https://www.scartshub.com/
