November 4th, 2019

Canvas of the People 2020

The South Carolina Arts Commission is fanning out across the state this fall and winter, gathering public input to help it form the next long-range plan for arts and culture in South Carolina.

Every 10 years, dating back to 1980, the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC) conducts the Canvass of the People in public and private forums and through an anonymous online survey to gather South Carolinians’ impressions of the successes and challenges for the arts and culture scene in the state. They are also asked to look ahead and weigh in on what the next steps should be. Results culled from the Canvass of the People help the SCAC form its Long Range Plan for the Arts in South Carolina.

“Public input is the cornerstone of this process. As we ask, ‘Where do we go from here?’ we need for our reach to be as far and wide as possible. There are several Canvass forums scheduled and more being planned, each chosen strategically for geographic diversity and, we hope, diversity of opinion and experience. The goal is to generate discussion about the arts to understand what South Carolinians envision for their communities,” SCAC Executive Director David Platts said.

At present, seven public forums are on the calendar at locations throughout South Carolina. One occurred in mid-October, but the rest take place from November through February and more are in the planning stages. Two private forums have occurred, and more of those are expected as well, taking place during meetings of affinity groups in the state who work in or support the arts.

The public forums on the calendar at this moment will take place in:

  • Rock Hill (Nov. 13, 2019)
  • Greenwood (Nov. 21, 2019)
  • Myrtle Beach (Dec. 9, 2019)
  • Pickens (Dec. 10, 2019)
  • Orangeburg (Dec. 12, 2019)
  • Sumter (Jan. 9, 2020)
  • Beaufort (Jan. 23, 2020)
  • Columbia (Feb. 12, 2020)

Updated listings and the link to take the anonymous survey can be found at SouthCarolinaArts.com/Canvass/. The SCAC is planning for the Canvass of the People to finish in March so work on the Long Range Plan for the Arts in South Carolina may begin. An estimated release of the plan is fall 2020.

Source: The Hub