SC Arts Commission announces 2025 recipients of state’s two arts awards

The South Carolina Arts Commission is happily announcing six unique and deserving 2025 recipients of the state’s highest recognitions for exceptional practice or support of contemporary and traditional art forms.

Two different awards are presented each spring. In 2025 there are five recipients of the South Carolina Governor’s Awards for the Arts and one posthumous recipient of the Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Award.

South Carolina Governor’s Awards for the Arts

Nominations are solicited every year for people or organizations deserving recognition for outstanding achievement and contributions to the arts in South Carolina. The appointed members of the South Carolina Arts Commission Board of Directors vote on nominees recommended by a panel for the Governor’s Awards for the Arts.

In 2025, the SCAC board approved the recommendations of the following 2025 honorees from their respective categories:

• ARTIST: Wade Sellers, Columbia
• INDIVIDUAL: Dr. Gail V. Barnes, Columbia
• ARTS IN EDUCATION: Engaging Creative Minds, Charleston
• GOVERNMENT: Koger Center for the Arts, Columbia
• ORGANIZATION: Sumter County Gallery of Art, Sumter

A panel appointed by the SCAC Board of Directors reviews all nominations, received during a two-month window every fall. After a rigorous process and multiple meetings, the panel sends the board a recommendation from each category with a nomination for its approval. Serving on the panel in 2025 were Jason Crowley (Charleston), Dr. Minuette Floyd (Columbia), Robin Hallyburton (Irmo), Dr. Sarah Lynn Hayes (Rock Hill), and Meg Reid (Spartanburg).

Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Award

Named for the late State Rep. Jean Laney Harris of Cheraw, respected as an outspoken advocate and ardent supporter of the arts and cultural resources of the state, the Folk Heritage Awards recognize ambassadors of traditions significant to communities throughout the state. These traditions embody folklife’s dynamic, multigenerational nature and the way it fuses artistic and utilitarian ideals.
The 2025 recipient is Caroleen Sanders (posthumous) in the artist category for Catawba pottery. Sanders was a member of the Catawba Nation and lived on the Catawba Indian Reservation in Rock Hill.

Nominations for the Folk Heritage Awards are sought from citizens across the state to recognize exemplary artistic achievement/advocacy. An independent advisory panel appointed by the lieutenant governor and president of the South Carolina Senate selects the recipients, who must be living at the time of nomination and practicing in the state. Sanders passed away Feb. 9 after an illness.

“Through their unwavering dedication, talent, and commitment, this year’s recipients exemplify the very essence of South Carolina’s artistic spirit. Their contributions not only enrich our cultural landscape but also ensure that the arts are accessible to all. The awards are a sincere appreciation for their invaluable role in shaping and enhancing life and culture across our state, and stand as a testament to their exceptional achievements,” SCAC Executive Director David Platts said.

Recipients of the South Carolina Governor’s Awards for the Arts and Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Awards are honored during a broadcast presentation of the South Carolina Arts Awards, which is expected to stream on the SCAC YouTube Channel this May at a date and time to be announced later.

About the 2025 Governor’s Award for the Arts recipients

Wade Sellers (Artist Category) is an independent filmmaker in Columbia who produced his first film within months after graduating from USC in media arts. As the South Carolina Arts Commission’s first media intern, Sellers assisted with the Southeastern Media Institute where he later became an instructor. He became an in-demand lighting director and gaffer on commercials and corporate projects. His short film Gordon’s Ride was featured at the Independent Feature Film Festival. Sellers co-founded the non-profit Hybrid Films in 2002 to function as fiscal agent for underserved filmmakers in the region. Hybrid Films’ largest accomplishment was the Beg and Grovel Film Festival, the first true independent film festival in Columbia. His first Southeastern Emmy Award nomination came with South Carolinians in World War 2, a project he was commissioned to direct for South Carolina ETV. Sellers formed his production company, Coal Powered Filmworks, collaborating with local filmmakers and promoting independent filmmaking in South Carolina. In 2013 he founded the 2nd Act Film Project, helping 84 films be created by S.C. filmmakers solely for screening at 2nd Act. He has supervised more than 25 interns from USC and Benedict College since 2008, lectured and taught in the USC media arts department and was named a distinguished alumnus from the USC School of Visual Arts and Design in 2020. He has served as the board president for The Jasper Project since 2019.

Dr. Gail V. Barnes (Individual Category) is professor of music education and director of the USC String Project. She teaches courses in stringed instrument methods and orchestra literature and believes her greatest contribution to the state of South Carolina are the 150 teachers who have graduated from the program during her tenure. Barnes’s research interests revolve around community and school orchestra programs, with a particular focus on ensuring equitable access to music education for underserved youth. Her research has shed light on the positive impact of parental involvement and a supportive home environment on students’ musical development. Conferences across the United States and abroad benefit from her expertise and research findings, with insightful presentations in countries such as Australia, Italy, China, Greece, Scotland and Brazil. Barnes is a co-author of Measures of Success for String Orchestra (published by The FJH Music Company), a method book for young string players. In her role as director of the USC String Project, Barnes continues to work with student-aged musicians. She has conducted all-state orchestras in South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Michigan. Barnes earned her bachelor’s and master’s of music from the University of Michigan and her doctorate from The Ohio State University.

Engaging Creative Minds (ECM, Arts in Education Category) was established in 2012 as a private-public partnership resulting from a community planning process led by Charleston County School District (CCSD); the College of Charleston; the cities of Charleston, Mt. Pleasant and North Charleston; the Charleston Regional Alliance for the Arts; the Youth Endowment for the Arts; and Crystal-Barkley Corporation. This collaboration sought to address educational challenges and equity gaps by integrating the arts into academic learning to better serve area youth and help them achieve the knowledge and skills outlined in the Profile of a South Carolina Graduate. In 2021, ECM merged with YEScarolina to expand its entrepreneurial programming and create a K-12 pipeline. ECM’s mission focuses on three key goals: engage students, build artist capacity and empower educators. Since its inception, ECM has provided transformative arts integration programs during the school day, after school and in summer camps, particularly in high-poverty communities. These efforts have reached thousands of students and educators across South Carolina, fostering creativity, engagement and a sense of belonging. ECM collaborates with local artists, STEM professionals and cultural organizations to ensure programming meets academic standards while inspiring innovation. By blending creativity, academic excellence and workforce readiness, ECM has emerged as a pioneering model in education, equipping students and educators with the tools to succeed in school and life.

The Koger Center for the Arts at the University of South Carolina (Government Category) supports exceptional art by hosting and presenting transformational experiences that enlighten, educate, entertain and inspire. The Koger Center adds value to people’s lives by providing opportunities for creative programming, new experiences and education all while providing the best possible patron experience. From the opening on Jan. 14, 1989, the University of South Carolina made it clear that local community needs would be addressed by establishing a mission of inclusion to support the programming and technical requirements of local arts organizations. Planned as a home to all the arts, the Koger Center houses a large permanent display of visual art as well as a revolving series of art exhibits in several gallery spaces. The 2,256-seat main auditorium is used regularly by local performing arts organizations, but also hosts large touring shows such as Broadway’s Wicked and Hamilton, the Philharmonic Orchestra of London and well-known artists like Alice Cooper and James Taylor. More than just a rental facility, the facility hosts seasons of performances by the USC School of Music, USC Department of Theatre and Dance and Koger Center Presents series and educational performances by local and touring companies. The Koger Center has expanded how the building is used turning the Grand Tier lobby into a 150-seat music venue, incorporating a permanent stage into the plaza in front of the facility and transforming the rehearsal hall into a Black Box Theater.

The Sumter County Gallery of Art (Organization Category) is a non-profit, community-based institution formed in 1969, with a mission to present and promote diverse visual arts and artists, to increase knowledge and to provide art education opportunities to Sumter, Clarendon and Lee counties—an extensively rural region of the state, isolated from the major art centers in the U.S. by geography and economics. During its fourth year in existence, the Sumter Artists Guild decided to establish a local gallery in which they could display their work as well as host exhibits from artists outside the community. After over a year of planning and fundraising, the Sumter Gallery of Art opened its doors on Jan. 5, 1970 in the Old Carnegie Library on Liberty Street. In the mid-1980s, Sumter County renovated a portion of the former Edmunds High School to a center for the performing arts, Patriot Hall, and it was suggested a wing adjacent to Patriot Hall be converted into a new home for SCGA. On Feb. 23, 2003, the Sumter County Gallery of Art opened its doors to the public in the newly renovated, 24,000 square-foot facility at the Sumter County Cultural Center. With three exhibit galleries downstairs and seven classrooms upstairs, the gallery offers Sumter and surrounding communities the finest in art exhibits and educational opportunities. We believe that contemporary and traditional visual art possesses the unique power to inspire, captivate, challenge and engage people of all backgrounds and ZIP codes.

About the 2025 Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Award recipient

Mary “Caroleen” Sanders (2025) made traditional Catawba pottery, the oldest known art form of the Catawba Nation that dates back more than 6,000 years. Sanders leaned on the techniques learned from watching her mother, Verde Harris Sanders, work with clay. Despite only starting pottery in her late adulthood, she quickly mastered the art form to become a master potter and exceptional artist. She was known for her intricate sculpting and fine burnishing techniques that made animals come to life in her pottery. Her pottery is featured in many museums in the state and beyond. Sanders possessed another talent, as several busts of other Catawbas highlighted her unique, high level of artistry—no other Catawba artist created images of people out of Catawba clay. Sanders will long be known as a master Catawba potter. She was highly sought after by the community as a teacher and demonstrator. She was the artist-in-residence at the Native American Studies Center in Lancaster and she frequently taught classes, always full, at the Catawba Cultural Center where other Catawba citizens learned from her wisdom and personal techniques. She worked as a mentor to apprentice potters to pass her knowledge on so that this traditional art form continues through the generations.

 

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/