8/15/22

Re: McCormick Arts Council – Public Funding for the Arts

Dear Members of the SC General Assembly:

The McCormick Arts Council at the Keturah (MACK) has served our deserving community from our historic facility for nearly 40 years! The purpose of the MACK is to stimulate and promote the arts, increase access to the arts and produce arts programming for the benefit of the citizens of McCormick, South Carolina, and the surrounding region. Our key objectives are to advance cultural activities, including art exhibitions, provide art education and actively participate in economic and tourism development initiatives including stewardship of the historic Keturah Hotel.

We believe that access to quality art experiences changes lives and enhances the quality of life for all. We have served our community for nearly 40 years and strive to advance the arts through exhibition, education, and quality cultural experiences. We have added value to the local economy, improved quality of life, and helped to advance local educational, tourism, and community development efforts. Developing quality art programming, advancing art in education, and stimulating our local tourism and economy are primary investments in our community.

Thank you for providing essential funding for our organization through the South Carolina Arts Commission. We are grateful to receive the support of our state and national agencies. We were able to benefit from various grants awarded to help ensure our community benefits achieve our immediate goals and objectives for advancing the arts in our rural community.

We respect and appreciate that these public funds are to be used to enhance the arts in our community. We wish to express our sincere appreciation of the South Carolina Arts Commission and the various elements of available resources made available through public support. We emphasize and celebrate that in South Carolina the arts are a bipartisan effort to ensure the creative industry continues to add value to our community. The importance of ensuring that critical operating support and additional investment of public funding to support our various arts in education initiatives and projects cannot be overstated.

Our organization is proud to highlight regional efforts and the importance of continued investment and expansion of the arts in our community and region. Our Board is also responsible for advocating the arts throughout our state and helping to advance arts initiatives in their interactions with fellow citizens and visitors. These additional areas of service are essential to our organization as we serve our local community.

Please see the attached organization and program summary which includes an introduction to our organization and the impact we provide to our unique and often underserved community.

Our organization survived the negative impact of the pandemic – but not without difficulty. Thank you for your efforts to expand access to the arts, history, culture, and education in our rural community. We look forward to serving from a safe, accessible, and historically appreciated facility – for another 40 years!

~The MACK