Nominees: AFL, nominated by Centre Stage; Crawford, nominated by the Peace Center; Davis Audiology, nominated by Greenville Theatre; Family Legacy, Inc., nominated by The Warehouse Theatre; Foster Victor Wealth Advisors, nominated by Greenville Chorale; FUEL, nominated by South Carolina Children’s Theatre; Ridge Media, nominated by Artisphere.

Nominees: BMW Manufacturing Company, LLC, nominated by The Warehouse Theatre; Canal Insurance Company, nominated by Greenville Symphony Orchestra; Community Journals, nominated by Greenville Theatre; DMX Transportation, Inc., nominated by Centre Stage; Total Wine & More, nominated by Greenville Chorale; United Community Bank, nominated by Artisphere and the Peace Center.

Nominees: Rebecca Bowne, nominated by Greenville Symphony Orchestra; Gayle Brown, nominated by The Warehouse Theatre; Merry Cox, nominated by Greenville Chorale; Jennifer & Kevin Dombrowski, nominated by Peace Center; Jennifer McClure, nominated by Artisphere; Barbara Rupp, nominated by Greenville Theatre; Alison Stefanov, nominated by Centre Stage.

MAC is very grateful for the generous financial support provided by board members Edith Hardaway, Chris Kavolus and Kelly Odom. These three individuals have been outstanding assets to the organization and have served as strong advocates of MAC’s programs and services throughout the Greenville community.

This annual award recognizes the outstanding artistry and educational practice of one exceptional Greenville artist who impacts and inspires the lives of students through their work in local schools. This award includes a scholarship to attend a national professional conference with a focus on both the arts and education. The 2023 recipient is Shane Bryant. 

Shane Bryant has been a potter since 1993. He founded the William Felton School of Crafts in 2004 where he offers community pottery classes. He has taught classes through Furman University’s continuing education department, as well as at the Spartanburg Museum of Art, where he was the pottery studio manager. Shane has served as board member for Upstate Visual Arts and Greenville’s First Fridays. Shane has been listed with the SC Arts Commission’s Artist Roster since 2000, and he has been an artist-in-residence for many schools over the years. He has been a teaching artist for MAC’s Smart Arts program since 2004.

This award recognizes a Greenville artist who is new to the SmartARTS program but shows great promise in their artistic and educational practice to impact and inspire the lives of students. This award includes a scholarship to attend a national professional conference with a focus on both the arts and education. The 2023 recipient is Mike Mopps.

Mike Mopps has been a potter since he opened his first studio on Paris Mountain in the 1990’s, although he just became a SmartARTS teaching artist in 2022. Mopps holds a degree in art from Lander University, as well as a M.Ed. from Penn State. He is a former Greenville County Schools district art teacher of over twenty years and has led professional development and community workshops at venues across the state. You can learn more about him, his art studio, and his upcoming shows and classes at: www.moppsart.art.

This award recognizes the outstanding artistry and educational practice of one exceptional Greenville artist who impacts and inspires the lives of students through their work in local schools. This artist will lead professional development at the 2024 SmartARTS Education Institute as part of SmartARTS commitment to developing leaders in the local arts community. The 2023 recipient is Lynne Markovic.

A SmartARTS Teaching Artist, Lynne is a performing, creating and teaching musician. She has over 20 years experience working with children through music in group and private settings. Her B.A. in music therapy from Loyola University New Orleans provides a background in working with students with a wide range of abilities. Some of the many instruments she uses in her teaching and performances are banjo, guitar, piano, ukulele, voice and washboard.

The Carl R. Blair Educator Award is given annually to an arts educator in honor of the life of professor, arts advocate and remarkable visual artist Carl R. Blair. Carl served as mentor and inspiration to many visual artists and arts educators throughout his career in Greenville. The 2023 recipient is Steve Watson.

A native of Greenville, Steve Watson graduated from Newberry College in 1974 and received his Masters of Music from the University of Miami in 1977. Since 1990, Steve has been the Director of Jazz Studies at the Fine Arts Center, Greenville County’s arts magnet high school; he is also an adjunct professor at Furman University. Steve was also an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California from 1981-1990 and lecturer at the University of Miami from 1977-1978. In his 34 years at the Fine Arts Center, Steve has taught and mentored thousands of young musicians. His kind yet demanding demeanor has truly instilled a commitment to excellence in his students, who constantly credit him for giving them the artistic ability and confidence to pursuit their passions in music and in other fields of study. A prolific performer, Steve was a member of the University of Miami Concert Jazz Band that toured Switzerland, Cyprus, Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Tunisia. From 1978-1984, he was a member of the Bruce Hornsby Band. While in Los Angeles, he was a studio guitarist for television, movies and records. His credits include Hill Street Blues, Magnum PI, The A-Team, Hunter, Hardcastle and McCormick, Riptide, Murder She Wrote, LA Law, and Quantum Leap, to name just a few.

Truman Henderson had served on the MAC Board of Directors and was Co-Chair of the grants committee for over 20 years. He left us in 2022, and he will be greatly missed. In his leadership of the grants panel, Truman practiced extreme fairness, inclusion and professionalism. He was absolutely committed to ensuring the quality of grants that MAC funded, and he was a stickler for proper grammar, syntax and creativity. It is our privilege to award $1,000 to Valentine Wolfe as the 2023 recipient of the Truman Henderson Award for Excellence in Grant Writing.

In May 2023, Valentine Wolfe submitted an artistic collaboration grant for Voices of the Vampire. This project included a presentation by Dacre Stoker, great grandnephew of Bram Stoker, author of Dracula with original music composed by Sarah Black and Braxton Ballew. Entitled Stoker on Stoker, the informative presentation consisted of stories of Dracula, Stoker family lore and Bram’s life in Dublin and London. Held at the Hughes Library on Heritage Green on August 24, 2023 this unique event was attended by 210 people and 553 who participated through live streaming.

In 2016, we said goodbye to one of our most dedicated and loyal supporters – Ann C. Sherard. She had been a mainstay of support for MAC and its many programs and services. Ann was always concerned about ensuring that the younger generations were involved and engaged in the arts. Many times she would ask us, “That’s a great idea, but how are you going to involve the young people?” Ann was very excited about our MAConnect program for young professionals that was established in 2014. We are pleased to name our Young Supporter of the Arts in her honor. The recipient of the 2023 Ann C. Sherard Young Supporter of the Arts Award is Virginia Hayes.

A South Carolina native and Clemson University graduate, Virginia Hayes is one of Greenville’s top residential real estate agents. Having lived in Greenville for 27 years and being actively involved in the community, Virginia’s strong market knowledge, combined with an extensive professional background in real estate marketing, public relations, and client service, are essential elements in generating successful relationships and transactions with her buyer and seller clients. Virigina is deeply rooted in the arts community, supporting local artist and art galleries. She loves to share art with her friends and is passionate about gifting art to her clients. You will find her actively involved in and supporting MAConnect, First Fridays, Artisphere and Greenville Open Studios. She also finds time to support other charitables organizations such as the American Heart Association, the Junior League of Greenville, the United Way of Greenville County, Greenville Chamber of Commerce, the Augusta Road Business Association, to name a few. She also completed the Greenville Chamber’s 43rd Leadership Greenville Class in 2017.

A native of Greenville, Lillian Darby has generously supported her community throughout her life. She is a 1958 alumna of Greenville High, and she married her highschool sweetheart, Ellis Darby, who was a builder and the founder of GBS Lumber. Lillian has also been a major donor to the following organizations: the Peace Center, the Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville Center for Creative Arts, Artisphere, the South Carolina Children’s Theatre and the Metropolitan Arts Council. 

She has also generously supported the Nature Conservancy and the Caine Halter YMCA as well as many other arts and environmental organizations. The rock garden at the YMCA is named in her honor and in memory of her husband. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Peace Center, and she is a past member of the Board of Commissioners of the Greenville County Museum of Art. Being the true philanthropist, Lillian often gives anonymously and avoids the limelight and publicity. It is MAC’s great pleasure and privilege to honor her with the 2023 Lifelong Support of the Arts Award. We look forward to working with her for many years to come.