With the help of grants from Timken Foundation, City of Union, Union County, individual donations and a $37,500 grant from the South Carolina Arts Commission, the McAlpine Building at 116 E. Main St., (formerly People's Drug Store) is being renovated.
The facility will provide much-needed office and gallery space as well as a meeting room with a small kitchenette. An area for sales by local artists will be incorporated into the gallery area. The meeting room/kitchenette area will also provide a small workshop area for classes relating to arts. Other organizations needing a place to meet will be welcome to use the facility.
"In the not-too-distant future we hope to renovate the second floor and increase office space,” Fran Love, UCAC director, said. “For now we will concentrate on expanding our programming and strengthening the partnerships we have developed.
“Others have been extremely generous in allowing us to use their facilities,” she said. “USC-Union provided their auditorium and made it possible for us to present Ryan Smith and Emile Pandolfi concerts. The university has also been home to our annual Invitational Juried Art Show and Reception. The university and county courthouse have exhibited the Youth Art Show. The Union County Museum has allowed us to host our annual membership meetings and provided a meeting place for us on several occasions. We had a candle-making class and a four-day workshop led by Mary Todd Beam, our juror for the 2006 art show, at Clemson Extension. Thanks to the Union County School District for letting us have our board meetings there. We had 'outgrown' the meeting room at our present location. And we can't thank Harriett Bruce enough for providing our office at 112 E. Main St. Prior to that I believe it was located in the trunk of someone's car, depending on who was president of the Arts Council.”
A grand opening will be held after the new offices are open, Mrs. Love said.
“We want members to see what has been accomplished,” she said. “I hope that people who did not help financially with this renovation will be inspired to participate by donating when we begin renovating the upstairs, and those who did participate will give again."
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The South Carolina Arts Commission provides grants, services and leadership to arts organization, schools and individual artists to preserve and promote the arts across the spectrum of South Carolina cultures and forms of expression. The agency strives to make the arts accessible to all South Carolinians, enhancing the quality of life and contributing significantly to the state's economic well-being. Headquartered in Columbia, the Arts Commission draws the resources of state tax dollars appropriated by the S.C. General Assembly and the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, visit www.SouthCaro-linaArts.com or call (803) 734-8696.
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