2024

Business with less than 50 employees

Winners: Foster Victor Wealth Advisors & Think Up Consulting, P.C.

Nominees: Bradshaw Gordon & Clinkscales, LLC nominated by Centre Stage; Design Strategies, LLC nominated by Greenville Symphony Orchestra; Foster Victor Wealth Advisors nominated by Greenville Chorale; Goldfish Swim School nominated by South Carolina Children’s Theatre; Kentwool Company nominated by Artisphere; Mansure & Company nominated by The Warehouse Theatre; Tacozzini nominated by Greenville Theatre; Think Up Consulting, P.C. nominated by Peace Center

2024

Business with more than 50 employees

Winner: The Woodlands at Furman

Nominees: Canal Insurance Company nominated by Greenville Symphony Orchestra and Greenville Theatre; Hughes Investments, Inc. nominated by Centre Stage; Southern First Bank nominated by South Carolina Children’s Theatre; The Woodlands at Furman nominated by Greenville Chorale and The Warehouse Theatre

2024

Put Your Heart in the Arts Volunteer of the Year

Winner: Annette Garver

Nominees: Sissy & Louis Beck nominated by South Carolina Children’s Theatre; Merry Cox nominated by Greenville Chorale; Annette Garver nominated by The Warehouse Theatre; Jessica Haggerty nominated by Greenville Theatre; Cathy Jones nominated by Greenville Symphony Orchestra; Joann Miller nominated by Peace Center;Ed Stein nominated by Artisphere; Juan Vasquez nominated by Centre Stage

2024

MAC Board of Directors Awards

Edith Hardaway and Chris Kavolus and Carter Lowrance

MAC is very grateful for the generous financial support provided by board members Edith Hardaway, Chris Kavolus and Carter Lowrance. 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.

2024

Carrie and Skip Gordon Teaching Artist Award

Winner: Jimmie Lynn Dykes

This annual award recognizes the outstanding artistry and educational practice of one exceptional Greenville artist who impacts and inspires the lives of students through his/her work in local schools through SmartARTS. This award includes a scholarship to attend a national professional conference with a focus on both the arts and education. The 2024 recipient is Jimmie Lynn Dykes.

Jimmie Lynn, a registered landscape Architect based in Taylors, SC, holds a Masters Degree in landscape architecture from the University of Georgia. With over 20 years of professional experience, she has mastered the art of blending architecture, design, and craftsmanship in her work. Since 2015, Jimmie Lynn has shared her expertise and creativity with students as a dedicated teaching artist on the SmartARTS roster, inspiring the next generation through the integration of art and design.

2024

Carrie and Skip Gordon Emerging Teaching Artist Award

Winner: Sarah Murdaugh

This award recognizes a Greenville artist who shows great promise in their artistic and educational practice to impact and inspire the lives of students through SmartARTS. This award includes a scholarship to attend a national professional conference with a focus on both the arts and education. The 2024 recipient is Sarah Murdaugh.

Sarah, a visual storyteller with a Bachelor’s in Studio Art from Furman University, joined the SmartARTS teaching artist roster in 2024, sharing her passion for comic books with students across the county. She authored Monster Trail, an all-ages graphic novel celebrating folklore and the Blue Ridge mountains.

2024

The SEW-Eurodrive Teaching Artist Fellow

Winner: Aldo Mussarelli

This annual fellowship recognizes the outstanding artistry and educational practice of one exceptional Greenville teaching artist who impacts and inspires the lives of students through their work in the SmartARTS program. The selected artist will have shown exemplary commitment to best practices in arts integration in local schools and garnered respect from both teachers and students in the classroom. This fellowship includes an honorarium for professional development. The 2024 recipient is Aldo Muzzarelli.

A Venezuelan-born artist with a degree in Arts from the Central University of Venezuela, Aldo has earned international recognition for his work. Since arriving in the United States in 2013, he has received 52 art prizes and numerous accolades. His artistry has been showcasedm in solo and group exhibitions across Venezuela, the United States, Spain and Italy. Aldo’s work is permanently featured in public spaces in Mauldin, Anderson, and Spartanburg, SC; Roanoke, VA; and DeLand, FL. Currently, he shares his passion and expertise as a teaching artist on the SmartARTS roster.

2024

Carl R. Blair Educator Award

Winner: Scott Gould

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 2024 recipient is Scott Gould.

When Scott Gould applied for a full-time teaching position at the SC Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities in 2004, his cover letter stood out – outstanding qualifications as well as his years of outstanding teaching, his publications, his Wofford degree and ties to literary agents and other writers. Gould's work is startling in its honesty and originality. He left a successful career in marketing to return to writing full time. He began teaching creative writing in the Governor’s School summer programs since their inception in the mid-1980s.

His 20-year tenure as a full-time faculty member and long-time department chair has truly shaped generations of young writers in our state. Scott is equal parts writer and teacher. “I tell my students that creative writing is the fine art of getting your butt in the chair,” Gould has said. “I don’t know many things I’m good at, but I’m pretty good at getting my butt in that chair.” A celebrated novelist and storyteller, Scott Gould has written novels Whereabouts (Koehler Books) and The Hammerhead Chronicles; a short story collection, Strangers to Temptation (Hub City Press) and Idiot Men (Vine Leaves Press); and a memoir, Things That Crash, Things That Fly. His latest novel, Peace Like a River (Regal House Publishing) debuts the summer of 2025. His work has appeared in Kenyon Review, Black Warrior Review, New Madrid Journal, New Ohio Review, Crazyhorse, BULL, Garden & Gun, Pangyrus, and New Stories from the South, among others.

2024

Truman Henderson Award for Excellence in Grant Writing

Winner: Sherrill Hill (Artist Next Door project)

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 Sherrill Hill as the 2024 recipient of the Truman Henderson Award for Excellence in Grant Writing.

In November, 2024, Sherrill submitted a project support grant to MAC for The Artist Next Door event. This collaborative art show features 25 local artists in Sherrill’s beautiful yard in the North Main area. The show is free and open to the public while promoting emerging artists as well as giving artists with limited resources an opportunity to showcase their talents. The Artist Next Door is a very welcome and unique addition to other events for visual artists such as Artisphere, First Fridays and Greenville Open Studios. Her application was superb, and it was ranked very highly by the November grants panelists. All of us at MAC look forward to working with Sherrill in the future, and we are confident that the 2025 event will be a huge success.

2024

Ann C. Sherard Young Supporter of the Arts Award

Winner: Rebecca Feldman

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 2024 Ann C. Sherard Young Supporter of the Arts Award is Rebecca Feldman.

An alumna of Hollins University with a B.A. in Art History, Rebecca is the Chief Administrative Officer with Gray Fox Strategic. She is also part owner with her husband, Bryan, in several local businesses including Two Men and a Truck and Smash My Trash. Rebecca currently serves on the Board of Directors of Euphoria, The Rose Ball, Charity Ball Board and the Children’s Museum of the Upstate. She is also the past president of Junior League of Greenville and school PTA organizations where her children attended, Augusta Circle Elementary and St. Joseph’s Catholic School.

Through Two Men and a Truck, Rebecca has supported many local organizations that MAC has benefited from or supported. This company has provided many in-kind moving/relocation services to several Greenville-area arts organizations. Rebecca and Bryan have supported MAC, Greenville Center for Creative Arts, Greenville County Museum of Art, International Ballet, Peace Center and South Carolina Children’s Theatre.

From her first job out of college as the Membership Marketing and Special Events Coordinator at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Rebecca has sought out local arts organizations to serve and support. Her leadership skills are a true asset to any organization, and she is very passionate about Greenville’ wonderful arts community. Her home is filled with artwork from local artists as well as furniture that she acquired through artists who use local materials.

2024

MAC Lifelong Support of the Arts Award

Winner: Debbie Bell

A native of Greenville, Debbie Bell has generously supported her community throughout her life. An alumna of Greenville High School and Converse College, Debbie is the retired Executive Director of the South Carolina Children’s Theatre (SCCT). She began her career there as a volunteer and was subsequently hired as the theatre’s Business Manager, overseeing the financial and accounting operations. Her adeptness and efficiency in financial management paved the way for her to become Executive Director. She oversaw three facility transitions and successfully spearheaded the $14 million campaign for the new facility on Augusta Street prior to retiring in 2022.

Under Debbie’s leadership, SCCT blossomed into one of the most important arts organizations in the area. She and her staff were totally committed to cultivating the next generations of actors, theatre professionals and arts patrons. Her passion for SCCT has instilled a love of the arts in thousands of children for over 34 years.

During Debbie’s tenure, SCCT served more than 45,000 children and their families through its Main Stage, Second Stage, school performances, Theatre Arts conservatory programs and community outreach partnerships. SCCT was awarded the 2003 South Carolina Secretary of State Angel Award, the 2010 South Carolina Theatre Association’s Founder's Award, the 2018 South Carolina Theatre Association’s Theatre of Distinction Award, and 2020 Community Foundation of Greenville's Leadership in Arts Award. In 2013, Debbie received the MAC Visionary Award, and she was inducted into Greenville Business Magazine’s Business Hall of Fame in 2020.

Debbie serves on the MAC Board of Directors, and she has also been involved in Greenville Women Giving. She is the cofounder of the Caine Halter Lungs for Life 5K Race since 2007, and she has served on the YMCA Metro Board, on the Caine Halter YMCA Board and as treasurer of the West End Association Board. For her service to South Carolina, Debbie received the Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian honor in the state in 2022.

2024