The College of Charleston School of the Arts has earned South Carolina’s highest honor in the arts. The 
School is the recipient of the 2015 Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Governor’s Awards for the Arts. A formal presentation will be made at a State House ceremony on Wednesday, May 13.
School of the Arts Dean Valerie Morris, expresses, “It is an honor that our school has been recognized for its dedicated artist-scholars, tremendous academic programming, and extensive community outreach – through its bustling schedule of cultural events and its community partnerships. As we celebrate the School’s 25th anniversary, this award is a testament to the positive growth and direction that we’ve strived to achieve.”
The School of the Arts includes the Departments of Art History, Arts Management, Historic Preservation and Community Planning, Music, Studio Art, and Theatre and Dance.
4 things that make School of the Arts stand out:
- The School offers more than 200 events a year, many of which are free to the public.
GO: View a calendar of School of the Arts events.
- The School is closely involved with Spoleto Festival USA, the City of North Charleston’s Cultural Arts Department, the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs.
WATCH: Experience Spoleto Festival USA during Maymester.
- The Arts Management Program is one of only a few such undergraduate programs in the nation.
WATCH: See what an arts management class is like.
- The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art draws it programmatic focus from the national and international art scene, and its exhibitions are world-renowned. The Halsey Institute won the Verner Award in 2012.
GO: See upcoming Halsey Institute exhibitions.
The recipient of the Individual Artist Verner Award is Aldwyth, who exhibited at the Halsey Institute in 2009.
The Lifetime Achievement Verner Award goes to Terry Peterson, a senior fellow in the College of Charleston School of Education, Health, and Human Performance.
The Arts in Education category of this year’s Verner Awards was won by Howe Hall Arts Infused Magnet School in Goose Creek, S.C. The school’s principal is College alumnus Chris Swetckie ’98, who also serves as an adjunct professor in the School of Education, Health and Human Performance.
The Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Governor’s Awards for the Arts were established in 1972 to recognize outstanding achievement and contributions to the arts in South Carolina. The awards are announced by the S.C. Arts Commission.
