Area: Arts Education

  • Carol Baker

    Carol Baker

    “I gotta do the right fit for me, because ultimately I’m the one who’s got to show up and do it every day.”

    Carol Baker is the Director of Outreach and Community Engagement at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. 

    Interview

    Transcript

    Lexi Raines  00:02 

    Okay, so first, I’m just going to ask you to introduce yourself. What do you do for what do you do for work? And where are you currently working from? 

    Carol Baker  00:10 

    So I- My name is Carol Baker. I am the Director of Outreach and Community Engagement at the South Carolina Governor School for the Arts and Humanities. 

    Lexi Raines  00:20 

    That’s awesome. So how long have you been working there?  

    Carol Baker  00:23 

    Yeah, so I’ve been there since 2012 so my first school year, we think in school years a lot, was the 12-13 academic year. 

    Lexi Raines  00:31 

    Awesome. So what’s one thing that you love about working there, working as like a creative in South Carolina? 

    Carol Baker  00:41 

    So I- our school has a statewide mission, which is great, because that means I get to be in all kinds of different communities and all kinds of different places. What I love about South Carolina is I think there’s a really strong identity. So there’s a there’s there feels like there’s a strong statewide identity, for sure. And people who are from South Carolina are really proud of that, like, we’ve got some really amazing things here. But if you have a chance to go into all of these smaller towns, or medium sized towns, or, you know, urban, rural, we have such a wide range. And what you see in the upstate might look totally different from what you see in the low country, and it’s such a, I don’t know when you get to do community engagement work like that. It’s such a joy to get to see all of that and see the different creatives and creative people and the ways that different people approach their their sort of communication, and how they show up for themselves. 

    Lexi Raines  01:31 

    I completely agree. I feel like South Carolina is a very dynamic state, and yeah, that’s part of what we’re trying to showcase. So what do you think South Carolina brings to, like, your work? Like, does it have like, unique influences on you compared to being anywhere else? 

    Carol Baker  01:49 

    It does. You know, my job is kind of like a mix of things. So I do, I do community engagement, right? There’s building and working in communities. There’s arts education specialty, like I’m an arts education specialist, so that’s my field, that’s my area. And then there’s also just arts management, right? There’s leadership and understanding how to work in a budget and how to write a grant, and all of those things too. It’s kind of a nice mix of things. And one of the things I think South Carolina is really special in and really what it offers is unique- Is a very, very vibrant arts education community. So we have got strong arts education leadership. We’ve got bipartisan support. We have opportunities to advocate. We have opportunities to learn how to be better at our jobs. There’s an arts education community here that’s very It’s tight knit, it’s strong and it’s supportive. It’s, it’s, you know, not as competitive as you might see in other areas. So, and having sort of seen it from the outside, you know, especially when you travel, you go to other states, and they’re like, you have what? I’m like, yeah. So this whole ecosystem here that is really unique to South Carolina? 

    Lexi Raines  03:01 

    Yeah I feel like that is very important. Because I feel like the support that young creatives have, like, oftentimes rely on, like, their teachers and just their direct community around them. So yeah, I think that’s really awesome. Yeah, so how would you describe that local professional community? 

    Carol Baker  03:24 

    Yeah so for me, local is interesting work, because I have a state mission, and in many ways, my my professional community is actually a statewide community, and not just a local, you know, down the street or in my neighborhood, kind of professional community. What I see is support, which is amazing, people who are willing to cultivate leadership, which I think is important, but also a willingness to kind of allow people to do what they do best. So we have different people who do different things, and as a result, I don’t have to feel like I have to do everything, which is a great feeling. I know I can pick up the phone and call somebody in my professional community and ask for help, or ask for support, or say, hey, students were really kind of outside my my lane. Can I call on you to help? And the answer will be yes, because we have such a supportive community. So the other thing is, I think we’re a little bit of a bunch of misfits, which I think artists kind of are in a lot of ways. You know, there’s only one me. I’m the only one who does what I do. There’s only one person who does XYZ job over here and XYZ over job over there. And in order to, like, build community and have community like, you need to be able to have those individual kind of personalities and roles come together, because otherwise, I think you could feel pretty isolated. So it’s a very deliberate and purposeful community. 

    Lexi Raines  04:49 

    Yes, I feel like in like bigger cities such as like New York or Los Angeles, I feel like there is some type of community unity, but it’s, I feel like it’s definitely not as involved as the one that we have here. Because I feel like, at the end of the day, everyone there is trying to get ahead of each other, where here, I’ve heard this a lot through all my interviews, that everyone’s just wants to support each other and help each other out. So I think that’s absolutely awesome. Yeah. So how would you define professional or personal success in your creative endeavors or at your work? 

    Carol Baker  05:30 

    Yeah, so 97% of what I do is collaborative. I do very, very few things in a bubble, by myself in a vacuum. So for me, and this is going to sound maybe a little bit heady, but it actually, it actually is, the most crucial piece of it is trust. I have to know that people trust me, and I have to be able to trust other people. So for me, success is when that trust is cultivated and we have a relationship that is built around that. Because community, any kind of community work, whether it’s in the arts or any, you know, in, you know, hospital outreach, whatever community work you’re doing, you have to work with people. It. That’s the whole function of community, right? So when I when I have somebody pick up the phone and call me and say, Hey, I don’t know the answer to this, but I figured you either would know or could help me find the right person that shows that I have developed a trust relationship with that person or that community, and they know that they can call me and we’ll stand with them and figure it out. So that, to me, actually is probably the biggest sign of success. 

    Lexi Raines  06:37 

    Yeah, I completely agree. Trust is just so so so important. So you said you’re an arts education like, that’s like your main field. So what was your biggest fear when you decided to, like that you wanted to pursue the arts or being a arts education teacher? I feel like it can be, like, very scary. 

    Carol Baker  07:01 

    Yeah I think for me, and I probably still deal with this to a certain degree, is a little bit of imposter syndrome, and also some definite sense of there’s a very specific path you’re supposed to take with this certification and this type of degree and this type of educational outcome, right? Like and if you don’t have those boxes checked, then you’re not really a part of that field, right? And that’s actually not necessarily the case. I’m not a certified teacher, which is interesting. I have a teaching artist background and a management of education background. So when you look at these traditional paths and you kind of think, Oh, well, those people, they must know something I don’t know, or there’s they probably are better at something than I am. I think there, I think if there was a lot of reminding myself that there are other ways to go about doing things and still be a part of a community. So yeah, you know those traditional paths, they are critical. And I don’t, I do not say don’t do that. They’re fantastic. And also there are other ways as well. So it kind of takes, I think, a lot of different ways to approach a problem. 

    Lexi Raines  08:08 

    I completely agree that’s one of the main things that we want to do, is to show that there’s not just one set way to get somewhere as a creative there’s so many different paths. There’s people who went to school for something in STEM and then later decided to pursue the arts, right? It’s just such a dynamic range, and it changes all the time. So I definitely understand how it can be scary, but I feel like there is so much of that support here and people to lean on, yeah, so please, can you, like, describe a defining moment that you’ve had in your career? 

    Carol Baker  08:47 

    Sure. You know, I saw that question last night, and I was like, gosh, I feel like there’s a million, and I don’t even know how I would pick one, but I think, I think I would pick something that’s actually happening now that we started in 2016 but it’s important, because actually everything in my career path sort of led up to it, so I’m currently- so as the Outreach Director, we run a lot of different types of programs, right? We have, you know, just a wide range of things that you can kind of choose from, if you’re a teacher or an after school provider. One of the programs is called Spark, and it is a program that uses drama strategies to support literacy. So reading, writing, oral communication, all of that, primarily reading is what we’re mostly interested in, but getting kids up on their feet and using playful strategies and using creative strategies instead of that. Hey, not everybody wants to sit and read a book. I personally love to sit in read a book, but that’s me. I understand that that’s when you’re eight years old. You need to move your body and you get it, you need to physically embody and understand what’s happening. I could not have known that that was going to be an opportunity for me when I started this a million years ago. But what’s interesting is that if I look at my path, where. I started was and when folks asked me my art form, I started in story. I started in the development of story, of why and how people tell stories. You know, I started leaning into the management of these kinds of programs. How do you build them? How do you structure them? How do you find funding for them? What do people need? Data do people need in order to believe you and trust you, right? How do you work with teachers to, you know, provide professional development services and all of that, I didn’t, I didn’t and couldn’t, have known that this would be an opportunity for me. And yet, everything that I was doing was pointing me in that path. And so when I look at it, I’m like, “Oh my gosh”. Like, that’s exactly what I was supposed to be doing all along. I just didn’t know, and yet, now I’m in it. I’m like, Well, this is exactly what I’m supposed to be doing. This is where my choices led me. So I feel like as a defining moment, that’s an important piece to say, “Hey, I didn’t know I was going somewhere, but the things that I cared about and trusted enough to learn about led me to the right place”. That’s awesome. I feel like that is such a comforting feeling at the end of the day to look back and be like I was supposed to be here. My path led me to this. And I feel like that also goes back to what you’re saying about imposter syndrome, because, like, you got yourself here at the end of the day, like you- Right, exactly, right. 

    Lexi Raines  11:30 

    So also, can I ask you, what is the best and worst advice you’ve ever received? 

    Carol Baker  11:36 

    Yeah, so probably the best advice actually got two pieces of really good advice, but that would say the best advice for a community person and it was actually said, go to the kids. Always go to the kids. The idea was so I was, at that point, I was debating between working in more of an education setting or more of like an arts setting in education, like a performing arts center that has education programs, slightly different, dynamics, very similar, and either one would is they’re both great. But regardless of that, at that time, the advice was, don’t ever assume a child or a community member or a person that you’re working with is going to come to you. Your job is to go to them. It is to be in their community. It is to trust their decision making. It is to recognize what they need. It is not that they come into your space. And that advice was given to me specific about school kids. You know, we’re talking about school kids. Well, where do they go every day? They go to school every day. So like, how do we work with schools? Right? But it actually is true for any community, right? No matter what you’re doing, community driven work is about the other person. It’s not about you, it’s about what they need, what they’re asking for, what they’re assessing within their own situation, right? So I think that was the best advice I’ve never I can’t actually call up the worst advice, but I do have a thing that I think is probably falls in that category. I was very lucky. I grew up in a family of musicians and community service people, people who worked in nonprofits and arts and all this stuff. So in some ways, what I do makes complete sense, right product of my environment. Not everybody has that, you know, experience. But what was interesting to me was the expectation so they were musicians. The the expectation was that I would go into music. That was just it. There was no question about it. It was never said. It was never even a thing. It was just kind of, well, that’s what’s going to happen. It was almost like a the world around me had just decided this for me, right? Yeah, I spent a lot of time in my early adult years really trying to figure out the difference between what other people expected from me and what I needed for myself creatively. That was never going to be my gig. It doesn’t mean I don’t love it, because I do. I’m actually interested in all the arts, but especially interested in all the performing arts. Very interested in stories. I’m very interested in how we embody stories, right? So if I had sort of allowed that sort of wave to direct where I was going, I wouldn’t be as happy as I am. And so I think there is a necessity to evaluate yourself and your own needs as well as what’s actually available to you, right? Like, because I was, again, I was looking at parents who were like, That’s cool. Go a different direction. That’s fine. The community at large, that was actually also kind of interesting, because people knew who we were, and there was an expectation that, oh, she said, I probably do that. That was not the right thing for me. And so I say that, to say that there are social expectations and social dynamics that we all face, regardless of what they are, whether you want to be a musician or chiropractor or whatever it’s still, there’s a certain. Level of I got to do the right fit for me, because this is, ultimately, I’m the one every who’s got to show up and do it every day at the end of the day. So I think that was, I wouldn’t say it’s bad advice, but it was almost like a very quiet assumption that had to be pushed against. 

    Lexi Raines  15:16 

    Yeah, and I feel like there’s a lot of things that are true for like, a lot of students like that, like, I know, for me personally, I came into school with a computer science degree because kind of growing up, my whole family was like, you can do anything, but don’t do anything in the arts because you’ll never make money. So and I feel like that’s how it is for, like, so many students everywhere. And then I was miserable in that, like, so miserable because, like, that’s just not what I wanted to do. That’s what other people wanted me to do. Wasn’t what I wanted to do. And so I ended up switching to English, and I’m, like, significantly, significantly happier. Like, I’ve never missed computer science a day in my life, right, right? So I when I ended up telling my mom she was okay with it, because she was like, at the end of the day, it’s, it’s your life. But I feel like just having any ounce of support is from your family, from a community, is so, so important. 

    Carol Baker  16:20 

    Yeah, yeah, yeah. One of the things when I was trying to decide my degree, I’m also an English I had an English major and did some arts management as well. Never heard of arts management. I just fell into it as an elective at school, because I was interested in writing and publishing and, you know, the arts and all this kind of stuff. But I remember my dad was told me one time. He was like, you know, what do you not want to do? Let’s focus on that first. Get that out of the way so that we don’t end up accidentally doing something that sounds horrible, right? Like, sometimes you don’t know what you do want to do, but you definitely know what you don’t want to do. Yes, which I thought was another, another good piece of advice. 

    Lexi Raines  16:57 

    So I completely agree that’s, that’s something really good to go off of, yeah. Okay, so can you walk me through a typical work day? 

    Carol Baker  17:08 

    Yeah, I can do my best. So a typical work day for me? Actually, one of the joys of this job is that I don’t have a super typical work day, which I love. Like each day could look different than it did the day before, but the kind of broad strokes things that are generally expected of me during a day, we have a lot of public facing documents. There’s a good bit of reading, writing and editing that has to happen, making sure that you know, you don’t accidentally say 2004 instead of 2024 which may or may not have happened to me just last week and a document, there’s also a lot of advocacy work that gets done, so whether that’s internally within my own leadership team, and I have amazing support here, so that’s not a huge thing, but there’s just a reminder of what does it mean to be a community person, like an explanation of, sort of the back end, that these things don’t magically happen Every day. There’s budgets that have to go behind them. There’s, you know, procurement and purchasing that has to happen. There are rules about what you can and cannot do in a public school that I’m responsible for making sure that my team follows. You know, do we have media releases on this kit these kids before we take photos of them? So a lot of the stuff that I do is actually an ef- in and done in an effort to make sure that my teaching artists, who work for me can actually teach so they focus on the teaching. My job is to say, Do you have the right lesson plan in place? Do you understand what you know? Have we aligned this appropriately with the standard so that the teacher that you’re visiting will have a quality lesson and a quality experience. Do we need to go explore a grant option and make sure that we have written that correctly so that a donor and we’re gathering the right data for that donor? So there’s a lot of back end work that happens. There’s also a good bit of travel that happens as well. That’s a part of the job. And I remember during COVID, I was like, a community director is meant to be in their community. So there’s just being out with people and in their, you know, local restaurants or their schools or their after school clubs is a big part of it as well. Yeah, that 

    Lexi Raines  19:17 

    sounds very busy, but it sounds like very, very engaging. That is what we do, community engagement. But I feel like it sounds just so interesting to always be out there in the community see what’s going on. So that’s awesome. Yeah. What are some habits that you have that you think would be beneficial for others wanting to join your field? 

    Carol Baker  19:42 

    I think one of the things that’s super important is a very clear awareness of yourself and how you function, because the this type of job can wear you out really fast. You spend a lot of time in the car, you spend a lot of time in hotels, you spend a lot of time in other people’s environments and that also is- Goes to your creativity practice as well, right? Like, if you’re going to maintain boundaries and all of those things, you need to know yourself well enough to know I probably can’t actually drive that far and what, even though I could five years ago, maybe I can’t do that now. Or I need to make sure I stay in a hotel that has this kind of situation, right? Like those personal boundaries have to actually really be strong and in place if you’re going to be in a position where you’re constantly giving and putting out. Because if you don’t do that, you’re just going to run yourself run yourself ragged. And I think the other piece is really knowing what you can and cannot provide. You know, we have folks, and be clear about that. You know, we have folks who will call. We don’t have this as much now, but when we were first kind of trying to decide on some things, outreach can look and community engagement can look like. So many things, there’s a million ways to do it, and they’re all great like that doesn’t mean one is better than the other, but you have within your capacity, whether it’s budget wise, staffing wise, just human capacity right to show up for you have what you have. So if you if somebody calls and asks for one thing and you can’t meet that need, it’s actually okay to say, I love that you have that need I can’t meet it, but let me help you find someone who can, because you’ll just end up being like, Oh no, this person needs something, and this person needs something, and you have to have pretty clear professional and personal boundaries. I would say boundaries, I think is the biggest, the biggest answer to that probably. 

    Lexi Raines  21:36 

    Yeah, I I completely, complete. I feel like that’s an amazing piece of advice, because I feel like so many people do struggle with setting those boundaries. So is that like, how you would say you created your like, work life balance? 

    Carol Baker  21:52 

    Yeah, in a lot of ways, and I think also, you know, for me and this, this might look different depending on the kind of artists or creative that you are. I consider myself more of a creative than an artist, but artist, but I’m more interested in the process than I am in the product. So I’m not the type of person who’s that worried about getting my thing that I’ve done, my piece that I’ve written, or whatever, exactly right? Because I’m not that interested in putting it out so that 20,000 people listen to it. I do it more for myself and my own sort of creative expression and my own mental health and well being and personal curiosity, right? That means that I’m more flexible. I can do it more places. I don’t have to. I’m not tied to a rehearsal that’s happening at the theater down the street or whatever, right? So that’s that’s unique to me. And some people are like that. Some people are in the other direction. That’s totally cool. One of the things I think that’s fun about this job, though, is that you get to go into all these communities, and you get to participate in their cultural stuff, which is fantastic. So you get your needs met in a lot of ways, because you’re exploring the culture. You can go to the local museum while you’re in Barnwell. You can go to the local art festival while you’re in Georgetown, right? You can do those things because you’re there, and that’s actually part of your job, which is fabulous, right? So I would say that a lot of it is taking advantage of what’s immediately in front of you, in terms of your creative outlets, practices, things that you want to explore. You know, there is nothing wrong with a great night in a hotel room working on crafting a piece of something that you might not even do at home. Because when you’re at home, you’re like, how do the dishes, right? Like, it’s kind of, I don’t know, it’s kind of nice to kind of have an escape to a certain degree. 

    Lexi Raines  23:34 

    Yeah, that’s a really, yes. That’s a really, like, fun and interesting mindset that like, I haven’t really heard heard of a lot, but I feel like that’s definitely a good thing to keep in mind when you are traveling so much and it’s for work. Why when you work creatively, why not find stuff to do within what you’re already doing? So Right? I feel like that is an amazing mindset to have so almost my last question, so, do you have, like, any questions that you wish you were asked? 

    Carol Baker  24:12 

    I think the one thing I would say, I don’t know if it’s a question, but I think the one thing that would say is that it’s okay if you are not a specific artist within a specific area. So, like, if you’re not an assistant block yet, I’m trying to think of an example. But if you’re not an oboe player, right? Like, and you have this very clear defined thing, I’m an oboe player. This is what I am. It’s okay if you’re not that, it’s okay to say, I love all of the arts. I love all of maybe I don’t love all of the arts. Maybe I love everything that has to do the writing. Or maybe I love everything that has to do with the performing arts. Or, oh my gosh, I I just love three different things, right? Like, I think this idea that an artist and a creative has to be. Assigned to a specific thing is, is good. There’s nothing wrong with it. There’s plenty of people who do that. I work in a school that supports that, so I want to be really clear, like, even my school here, that’s what we do for kids, is we’re like, that’s your passion. Let me help you go deep with that. Not everybody’s going to do that. Some people will also be in the broader sort of multi art kind of domain, or the hyphenate artist, or whatever it is that you’re considering. That’s also great too. There are plenty of roles for that. I think I may have mentioned this earlier, but when I first started working, I people would ask me my art form, and I’d say, “Well, you know, primarily drama, but really it’s story”. And that was, that was, that was a thing people be like, when you type what? That doesn’t fall in the box, right? But it actually is the connecting piece between all the art forms that I’m interested in. I’m interested in how artists and creatives tell stories. So it’s, I think it’s one of those things to remember that all of those things are important, right? It’s a pie. It’s a puzzle. We need those deep dive people in order to be in the symphony, and we need those deep dive people to make beautiful pieces of photography or whatever. And also we need other people who can help pull it all together from sort of a different perspective. So we just toss that out there. 

    Lexi Raines  26:22 

    No, I can- I completely agree with that. I feel like also, when you are just you’re only limiting yourself to one thing, I feel like you can, kind of like hinder yourself from other opportunities or other things you might end up loving even more than you love one thing so and I feel like I feel like interdisciplinary artists are definitely growing in popularity, because people are finally realizing, “oh, I can do everything I want to everything that I love. I don’t just have to market myself towards one thing” which is absolutely awesome. 

    Carol Baker  26:59 

    You know, I’ve actually most of the folks, when I was kind of coming along, were exceptionally skilled in multiple art forms. I mean, it was mind boggling to me, and I was like, Oh, you’re actually an artist. Like, that’s here. Let’s zoom up and talk about it as, like an artist versus this or that and I don’t- and again, I those that does not mean that those other things aren’t valuable. It means that we need all of them, and if we just focus on one or we just focus on the other, then we’re missing the point, right? But I love the term creative. I love the idea of the creative as a type of individual, right? Like it just kind of kind of shakes it out a little bit and gives you some room to breathe. If that is the right place for you to be. 

    Lexi Raines  27:44 

    I completely, I completely agree with that. So my last question for you is, do you have a creative or an artist that you would like to nominate to be interviewed? 

    Carol Baker  27:57 

    I do actually have two. Can I nominate 2? Am I allowed to do that?  

    Lexi Raines  27:59 

    Yeah, let me get a pen and paper.  

    Carol Baker  28:02 

    They’re both affiliated with the Governor’s School, so I don’t know if that is I don’t know how you make your decisions about who you choose, but-  

    Lexi Raines  28:08 

    Okay, I’m ready.  

    Carol Baker  28:10 

    So the first one is Dr Cedric Adderly, C, E, D, R, I, C, A, D, E, R, L, E, Y. He’s the Governor School’s president, and he is also a so he’s an educator, but also a composer. And, you know, just has a really cool, interesting story and dynamic to tell the others. Anne Tretromsness: TR and with an E, and then T, R, O, M, S, N, E, S, S, to look up at the sky, to follow the letters. How do I spell that? 

    Lexi Raines  28:45 

    Okay, so wait, S N, what is that? 

    Carol Baker  28:50 

    Yeah, so it’s, let’s start the beginning, T, R, O,M, S N, as in no, E, S, S, Tromsness.  

    Lexi Raines  29:01 

    Okay awesome.  

    Carol Baker  29:02 

    Yeah, she is on our faculty here, but she’s been an educator in lots of different settings, but she’s also an active director and active performer, very much into social justice type movements. Just a really all around interesting. She was Teacher of the Year for Greenville County. I think they both have just really nice, interesting stories. I think, yeah, what you’re looking for, I don’t know what you’re looking for, but I don’t even know how I ended up here. So there you go. How does this happen? So, yeah 

    Lexi Raines  29:33 

    Yeah so you were nominated. I could, could probably pull up who you were nominated by, actually, because we can tell you. You were nominated by Thurraya.  

    Carol Baker  29:45 

    Oh, okay, great, yes.  

    Lexi Raines  29:46 

    And then we also actually do have Dr Cedric on or Dr Adderley on our nominations list. 

    Carol Baker  29:54 

    So I figured he probably, I think I have actually nominated him before in some other capacity, so that’s good. Yes. So they’re very different individuals from each other, but, you know, they’ve got really great stories. Yeah, 

    Lexi Raines  30:05 

    That’s awesome. So I’m going to be sending you a follow up email eventually, if, in that email, I’ll also ask in there you could connect like Ann’s email, because we already have Dr Adderley’s email, okay, just so that we can look into her a little bit more and put her on our list to reach out to.  

    Carol Baker  30:31 

    Yeah, absolutely.  

    Lexi Raines  30:32 

    Thank you so much for your time.  

    Carol Baker  30:34 

    Yes!  

    Lexi Raines  30:34 

    I loved interviewing you, its really awesome, and- 

    Carol Baker  30:37 

    I’m glad good time too. So thank you. 

    Lexi Raines  30:39 

    Thank you. Have a good day.  

    Carol Baker  30:41 

    You too. Bye.

  • Carol Baker

    Carol Baker

    “I gotta do the right fit for me, because ultimately I’m the one who’s got to show up and do it every day.” 

    Carol Baker is the Director of Outreach and Community Engagement at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. 

  • Desiree Williams

    Desiree Williams

    “Don’t try to do what other people are doing. Do what works for you and your business will flourish.”

    Desiree Williams is a licensed esthetician and licensed aesthetics instructor based in Columbia SC. 

    Media

    Desiree Williams Interview

  • Philip Mullen

    Philip Mullen

    “Being an artist was actually the thing that people peak latest in life. It’s sort of something that you can do for a long time”

    Philip Mullen, a painter and previous art professor at University of South Carolina, focuses on large acrylic paintings and is based in Columbia, SC. 

    Media

    Philip Mullen Interview

  • Jamison Mady Kerr

    Jamison Mady Kerr

    “The decisions you make should be about broadening what you can do.” 

    Jamison Mady Kerr is the Director of Art Town Development for Art Fields in Lake City, SC. She is originally from Florence, SC where she grew up studying ballet, but eventually found her true passion in the arts.

    Interview

    Transcript

    Sara Sobota 

    Can you please introduce yourself, spell out your name and tell us where you’re from.  

    Jamison Mady 

    Yeah, my name is JamesonMady, Kerr, j, A, M, i, s o, n, m, A, D, y, k, E, R, R, and I am originally from Florence, South Carolina, but now I am a proud Lake City, South Carolina. 

    Sara Sobota 

    Great, great. What do you do for work, and where are you currently working from?  

    Jamison Mady 

    So I am the director of art town development for art fields in Lake City, South Carolina, and we operate out of a couple of different buildings in downtown Lake City 

    Sara Sobota 

    how did you end up in that field and how did you hear about it? This one’s always a really long answer. 

    Jamison Mady 

    So I actually grew up a dancer. I studied ballet, and the physicality of being a dancer was not something that I felt like I could maintain. And so whenever I was going into college, had this like crisis of like, what am I? Who am I? What will I be without this thing that I put all of my time into? And so I always knew that I was creative, and I liked design and so, but really, I mean, I was so untethered by the loss of like, where I had put all of my energy. And so I tried a couple of different classes and different things. I started an education program, and I just realized that there, I needed an outlet for creativity, and so I started my visual art kind of career, I guess not career, but, you know, I started that path because of visual communications, because I thought that as someone who really loved design, that that was a pretty straightforward and maybe not so lofty, because that’s a job, right, right, in a more classic sense than some of these other so I started Taking classes. Loved being around the art department so much. I loved a lot of it, but then I took my first art history class, and I was never the same. From then on, I figured out that through art, I could care about everything else. So where I didn’t ever care about history, I suddenly was I had a path in because I found a way to care about what was going on in the world, because I was seeing it from the artist perspective, and not from, you know, data points that describe a battle that I could really not. I mean, I just don’t care, and I can’t connect to it. And because I was able to connect to people, I was able to connect to events through history, and that, like, really woke me up, because I realized that there was just so much I didn’t know. And so I ended up with a history degree because I thought I was going to go to graduate school for art history and eventually be a professor. And you know, that was the track that I had laid out for myself. And then in my final semester at Francis Marion, which is where I graduated from, my art history, Professor sent me an email about an internship opportunity in Lake City, and so I kind of laughed and rolled my eyes because I had not heard of anything positive coming out of Lake City in all of my years living in Florence and but I also thought, you know, I could use some experience that could Go on my resume and I’ll give it a shot. And so I drove to Lake City, and I can still, like, see it so vividly. I walked into this building, there’s this group of women that were kind of standing around a table and making these incredible things happen that I couldn’t have even dreamed and so lucky for me, they let me come and be an intern. And so I got to work on a project with Kirkland Smith during the festival that year. She was the previous year’s winner, and I’ve got to kind of help facilitate a project with her. I got to do some graphic design. I just, I completely fell in love with the idea of art fields and the people of Lake City, and so I just kept showing up and didn’t get paid. I was not, it was not a paid internship. I was losing money because I was driving 30. Minutes away every day to, like, sweep the floors and like, beg to do whatever they would let me do, yeah, and, I mean, I filled in for a week at a law office in town, just because, like, I was gonna be in Lake City, like I was determined. And so art Fields was over. You know, early May, by July 15 is when I started my first paid job here. And I Yeah, and I started off working splitting my time between art fields with graphic design, because I knew that that was a job. And then I also was really lucky to be at Jones Carter gallery as the gallery assistant, and the first exhibition that I got to work on from start to finish was goy as Liz Caprice. And so I can you imagine? No, wow, I was just like, What? What is this like? What? What on earth have I landed in? Like this dream? Yeah, so at that point, I just promised myself that as long as I was still learning and growing and had opportunities to challenge myself, but this was as good a classroom as any I could find anywhere, yeah, and so I said, as long as I was growing, I would stay. And it has my my 10 year anniversary passed in February, and so I have been able to not only be challenged and have been able to be a part of new things, but I’ve gotten to be in a place where I could be a part of the growth, and I could see the impact that the work that I do has, which has been incredibly rewarding and really special and and now, 10 years later, my husband has a business in like downtown Lake City. I have a little three year old girl who is, you know, we’re raising her here, and we are, we’re in, you know, we’re part, we’re we’re here for what this is, and we believe in it. And yes, you were right. This one is a longone.You aren’t growing it, and his reputation just continues to expand. I mean, yeah, I found out about it when Jim aren’t won the first competition. I was writing for a magazine, and I wasn’t at Coastal, and I got to go talk to Jim, and I was like, what? Same thing. I couldn’t believe it. And then I went out years later, yeah, that’s amazing.  

    Sara Sobota 

    Yeah 

    Jamison Mady 

    it is very much like you have to see it to believe it, kind of thing. And it’s just been one of the greatest honors in my life to be able to share it with people. So  

    Sara Sobota 

    that’s amazing, that’s amazing. That’s so great. You kind of covered this, but what background did you have that helped you land that role? I think you very clearly and eloquently described the interest in art, the finding of art history, anything else though, that, any background, else that you didn’t talk about? 

    Jamison Mady 

    Well, I think, you know, we are in South Carolina, and so much of I think the creatives and the people who want to strive to do something different feel like they have to leave the state to be able to find that. And I always kind of felt like it was a disadvantaged for me, but I think that it has helped me so much to know what we have, what how much room we have for all of this, you know, and that it’s made it being me, despite how many other people have may have wanted to be over my life, you know, but being me has made me ready and able to connect with other people. And so the experiences that I’ve had have helped me, and none of them have been wasted here. You know, like, I think that being able to understand why farming is important to people in this community, because if I can get on their level about farming, then maybe that’s a better way to get them on my level about art. So being able to just really, I feel like I’ve been able to be more myself over the time I’ve been here, because the authenticity is what has made me good at what I do. 

    Sara Sobota 

    That’s That’s amazing. That’s great. The next question is, can you please walk us through a typical work day? Okay, what does your work look like and what is expected of you on a daily basis?  

    Jamison Mady 

    Yeah, yeah,let’s see. So I would just say that to begin to answer this question, that there is no such thing as a typical day in a young arts organization like art fields, and particularly within my department of art fields, which is all new initiatives. I mean, everything that we’re doing is new, is new things we haven’t done before. So we just opened act on studios, and that’s a big piece of what takes up my time, but I can try to answer your question a little bit more. So I come to my office. I work right on Main Street in downtown Lake City. My office is in a building with our visitor center and our tourism kind of department and our chamber of commerce. So there’s an another art fields office, but I’m here because my job is to create a year round arts destination. And so tourism and thinking about the bigger picture of the town’s development helps me understand art town development, and so we spend a lot of time in meetings and talking about ideas. There’s a lot of conversation and development of ideas. Talking with artists. For many months, I spent a lot of time meeting with artists, taking them through the studio space, figuring out what their needs were, and trying to make sure that we could meet those needs with the new initiatives and programs that we’re developing. So I have a lot of people that I work with from day to day. Some days I come in my office and I sit down at my desk and I do paperwork and budget stuff and grant stuff and answer emails, and then some days I go straight into meetings, and I’m in meetings all day, but they’re not meetings like a lecture. They’re meetings like we’re sitting here and talking about, what could we do and how would we do that? How do we take all of the skills that we have together and make something new happen? And so it’s hard to describe a typical day, but we are always planning, always looking to the next part and always trying to think about how art can fit into the big picture and how the big picture can be more artistic in the future.  

    Sara Sobota 

    Yeah, that makes sense. Okay. 

    Jamison Mady 

    I’m sorry. I know that that one’s probably hard for people to answer.  

    Sara Sobota 

    They’re all over the place. But, you know, regardless of how people answer it, they always come around to saying something really poignant, the sort of the mission of their work, or why it really appeals to them. So yeah, don’t yeah, there’s no right, wrong or off tracking. Can you describe it as defining moment in your creative journey? Maybe a particular project or something you produced that showcased your creativity. Oh, 

    Jamison Mady 

    so I had a really almost said dumb, because it wasn’t dumb. It was a great idea, but I felt so silly for ever saying it out loud because of what I had to do to get it accomplished. I don’t know if that brings totally works, 

    Sara Sobota 

    right? I mean, that totally works, yeah, 

    Jamison Mady 

    yeah. So whenever I was kind of doing, like, mostly project management for public art and exhibition work, this was maybe 2017 or so, we were trying to figure out how we could get people to some of the outlying venues, because it’s a competition. We need people to get around town, but there are some where there’s gaps between a bunch of activity and the venue. And so I was kind of trying to think about, how could we fill in some of those gaps and get people to walk all the way around and Lake City, and Darla is known for her relationship to the masters and Augusta National Golf Course. And so I thought, you know golf, I just, for some reason, said out loud, what if we had a mini golf course and every hole was designed by a different school? And my boss at the time, I think, was like, surely, this is going to be it. This is going to be the thing that she gets, that she writes her way out of here on this one, because there’s no way. And I just was so determined. So I found these, like boards with astroturf that have little holes in them. I drove. Them all over the state. I drove to Clemson, and I had no budget because I bought I put all the budget towards being able to pay the schools for materials and the boards themselves. So I was driving a minivan of my friend’s minivan, with all the seats down and like the boards were literally like resting on my shoulder. I was just so determined that it was going to get done, and it happened. And I think what it showed me was a like, maybe think a little bit about what you would have to do if someone says yes 

    Sara Sobota 

     yeah, careful what you ask for.  

    Jamison Mady 

    But also, you know, whenever you really think about the way that we create networks of engagement and people being excited and feeling ownership over what we’re doing here in Lake City, that expanded the way that people saw themselves as a part of it, in a way that I kind of had underestimated, because there were students from Clemson, there were students from Claflin, there were students from Francis Marion, and there, you know, there were high school students who were in shop class, and they made these great like Keith Haring Inspired, cut out to people as their obstacles and wow, we used like it just the way that it opened up art for people, because they were able to have a prompt that was a fun prompt, yeah, and they just kind of were able to fly from there. Yeah. It was a really rewarding experience, and one that made me really grateful, and, like, sure about the way that I wanted to move forward in, in being able to pull people together in that name of art, yeah, 

    Sara Sobota 

    yeah, yeah. Okay, awesome.  

    Jamison Mady 

    then you would see like families out there playing golf, mini golf, and whether it was intentional or not, like they were viewing artwork, yes, 

    Sara Sobota 

    yes, yeah.  

    Jamison Mady 

    And so I always think about like those formative, like, those core memories that every kid has, like, every person has them of like this thing they saw that they’ll never be able to get the image of it out of their heads. Yeah, and to know that that is that a lot of people walk away with that when they’ve come to art fields, that some of the most spectacular things they’ll ever see were in Lake City, South Carolina. If that’s possible, and that’s true, we can all be anything, because Lake City was completely dead, you know, it was totally counted out. And if, if people can come here and see something magical and special, what can happen in a place like the beach, you know what I mean, like? Because, yeah, so, yeah, yeah. Just the way it, like, gives people hope is so important, and it’s what has been, like, the most remarkable shift here in the 10 years I’ve been here. 

    Sara Sobota 

    Wow, yeah, that’s amazing. Oh yeah, I was waiting for that. That’s amazing. Yeah, so I’m going to ask the last two are there any local organizations, programs or events that you recommend for aspiring creatives in South Carolina, other than come to art fields? 

    Jamison Mady 

    Yeah, well, of course, art group, duh. I don’t know. I mean, I think that South Carolina is increasing opportunity all the time for artists and for creatives. I don’t know that’s a hard one, like right off the top of my head, because I think I really admire the work that the Public Works center in Somerville is doing. I think that they’ve done a really great job of blending programming and community. They’ve been so scrappy to like put it together. And I really admire them as an organization, and I think that there something to watch, in my opinion, maybe not necessarily as a resource for young people, but as just a place that good creative acts happen. And I think that that’s really important, that we remember that those things exist. Yeah, yes, and I’m sorry I don’t have more than that, but I just want to talk about art fields Junior and art fields and all of that stuff. 

    Sara Sobota 

    Well, I mean, that’s perfect for a middle school, high school audience, yeah.  

    Jamison Mady 

    I think that, you know, making sure, so I’ll say this. This is what I always say about youth and art when you. Are really good at football. Everybody knows you’re really good at all. If you’re really, really smart, they’ll put your name in the newspaper because you are in the on the Dean’s list. There’s all kinds of like measures of success and of just like people being really talented, and I think that for parents and family members, just as much as the students themselves. What we can do through art fields, Junior and providing a little bit of a measure, I think, is really, really important, because we don’t want, when I say that, I want to dispel the starving artist narrative. It’s not because I want for their for everybody to be unrealistic about how what they can be and what they can do, because, like, what are we going to do? Like, eat each other’s art? No, we have to make money, and we have we have responsibilities, and I understand all of that, but I think that some of the ways that art fields Junior has encouraged young people who maybe don’t know, like, is this something that I could explore, or am I good at this? Because art funding and things in schools is not, I mean, it’s one of the first things to go and so if you don’t have anybody to teach you or to recognize your talent, then you might go your whole life and never be able to fulfill that need in you. And and it’s not, it’s real, like people who are creative need to express that. So if we can provide a place where that can be done and celebrated, then that’s so that is such an important piece of what art fields is. And so I think, and I’m so excited for you to talk to Carla, because she’s just gonna, I mean, her perspective on this kind of stuff is insanely inspiring and just wonderful, but genuinely like, what kind of confidence can we instill in people who do need that outlet, and who are sensitive and connected and have an ability to relate to other people like that is a skill that is needed and necessary. And, yeah, I just love that. You know, we were, after we were doing this for a few years, the skiza art show came to Lake City, and for the last couple of years they’ve had it in the Rob and I just think like for people to start to associate Lake City with recognition in the arts is really, really cool, but for skiza to have taken what we’re doing and seen An opportunity to expand on their Art Awards. That is, that’s it like, that’s the goal. Like, it’s great that it ended up here, yeah, but it’s even better that they felt the need to put more emphasis on that. And I would love to take a little bit of credit for like that, that art fields Junior has helped to elevate the importance of that in the state of South Carolina? 

    Sara Sobota 

    Absolutely. Yeah, wow, that’s great. Okay. Last questions, do you have any advice for current college students or pre professional young adults who are pursuing a career in the creative world?  

    Jamison Mady 

    think my best advice for anyone in the arts, or just in general, is that sometimes you can’t reopen a door that you’ve closed. The decisions that you make should be about broadening your opportunities and where you can go, not narrowing, because if I I thought I knew what I was going to be doing so many different times. I thought two years ago I knew what I was going to be doing, and my job is completely different now than it was, you know, two years ago, and remaining open and taking the opportunities that are presented to you and doing your best at the things that you have in front of you are only going to help propel you forward whenever you do, figure out exactly where you fit, no connection that you will ever have. You don’t you don’t know how things come back around. People remember you. Make sure that they remember you the way you want them to be remembered. And just because you’re young now. You won’t be young forever, and people are waiting for you. We’re waiting for you. 

    Sara Sobota 

    Hey, that’s amazing. Okay, great. So many great things. I’m not gonna be able to fit them all in. I don’t think 

    Jamison Mady 

    I will. I can. I mean, I can talk. 

    Sara Sobota 

    This has been great. I think I can give students a snapshot of what our Okay, not only looks like, but feels like and does and yeah, yeah, so, yeah. This has been great. Okay. Thanks very. Awesome. 

    Jamison Mady 

    Well, thank you so much. This was so much fun. It has been 

    Sara Sobota 

     All right, you 

  • Tori Hord

    Tori Hord

    “The more you push yourself out of your comfort zone and out of the box you’re used to, the more confident you get.” 

    Tori Hord is an Associate Professor of Graphic Design at Methodist University in Fayetteville, N.C. She grew up in Loris, S.C., and earned her bachelors in graphic design at Coastal Carolina University. She continued her graphic design with a  Master of Graphic Design M.G.D. at North Carolina State University.  

    Interview

    Transcript

    Tori Hord

    My name is Tori Hord. I am from Loris, South Carolina, so very close to Coastal [Carolina University], like 30-ish minutes. And I currently teach graphic design at Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

    Emma Plutnicki

    So how long have you been working there?

    Tori Hord

    Seven years.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Wow. Amazing. And your official job title, would that just be graphic design teacher?

    Tori Hord

    Associate Professor of Graphic Design.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Amazing. So how did you get into that? How did you find that job? And how did you just end up in that field overall?

    Tori Hord

    That’s an interesting, so I started when I started Coastal. I went to undergrad there, I started as a biology major. About a semester or two semesters in, I decided to switch my major to graphic design without telling any of my family and made them all have a small heart attack when they found out.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Oh my gosh.

    Tori Hord

    But it’s always something that I’ve loved. So it was a really good change for me. And from there, I just, I was just very passionate about it. And when I graduated, I got a job in the field. And I worked there for a couple years and then decided that I wanted to pursue my masters in graphic design. So I went and got a masters in graphic design from NC State. And then when I graduated from NC State, there were, y’know, lots of applying to jobs, and I landed here in Fayetteville at Methodist University.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Amazing. So what made you switch from biology to graphic arts? Was it more hating biology? Or was it more a passion for graphic arts?

    Tori Hord

    It was more passion for sure. Always loved it growing up, but just never considered or thought of it as a turning something I loved into the career. And once I figured out that I could do that, I was like, “Absolutely. Let’s do this.”

    Emma Plutnicki

    Yeah. More fun, probably. So can you walk us through a typical work day? Like, what’s expected of you, what your work process looks like, what kind of things you work on?

    Tori Hord

    Yes, absolutely. So for me, I think being, teaching design and being a professor, you kind of get the best of both worlds. So my initial attraction to teaching it, you know, other than just loving the subject and wanting to share more was that it has a great schedule. You have time for, you know, it’s a great work life balance for the most part. And that also gives you lots of time to continue to work in the field, which I was adamant about not stopping, I didn’t want to stop my design career to teach, I wanted something that would allow me to do both. And that’s what the shop does, which I love it, you get a great schedule, you get a, you know, it’s a steady, it’s not like you’re freelancing all the time, it’s a steady income. Day to day, it depends on what classes I have offered, but I teach anywhere from two to three, like studio length classes a day. So I’m in the art building, in the studio, working with students. And then when I’m not teaching I’m in my office, you know, doing housekeeping things and preparing and also working on my own work.

    Tori Hord

    Amazing. So the classes that you teach, are those different levels of graphic designer, or do they have specialties within them?

    Tori Hord

    Yes, I teach at all levels. So I teach the freshmen their first semester, on up to the seniors in their last semester. And everything in between. So I see a little bit of all of them all the time.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Yeah, that’s great. So can you describe a defining moment in your, like, creative journey so far? So maybe it’s a specific project that really showcased your creativity or had a significant impact on you?

    Tori Hord

    The one, this is ironic, but the one that really comes to mind as being most memorable for me was actually at Coastal at the Athenaeum Press.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Oh, really?

    Tori Hord

    Yes, we worked on the Gullah Geechee project. And there was, we traveled out to these different places and took photographs and did interviews and then the project itself won an Addy Award at the end. So it was kind of like a, a quintessential moment for me. I was like, “this is actually going to work. This is neat. We’re getting recognition for work that me and my friends have, you know, kind of poured our hearts into.” So that was a big moment for me.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Yeah, I’ve seen that work. It was great. So I’m sure that was a really fun time to work on. So do you think this career path is challenging? What challenges have you faced and how have you been able to kind of overcome those challenges? Because being in a creative career as a whole is pretty challenging, but how have you kind of worked through this?

    Tori Hord

    It is, I would say it was challenging. And it’s um, it’s like with anything you do, the more you do it, the more you push yourself out of your comfort zone and out of the box that you’re used to, the more confident you get in it. I do remember my first year teaching anything, I was terrified, right? I’m standing up in front of this group of people. And you’re suddenly faced with like, “I know nothing,” right? “I am not qualified to do this, I should not be here. Why did these people give me a job.” But the more you do it, you realize, “okay, I’m equipped, I have the knowledge, I’ve done the education, I have a passion for it.” So for me, it really was just making sure I was getting out of my comfort zone, and putting in the effort… and it was fantastic. But the more I was in those classrooms with the students and got to know them, and saw their excitement for it, everything just came together.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Yeah, that’s amazing. So within your specific field, can you think of any skills that you possess that helped you land that role, or any skills that you think an applicant should have to increase their chances of getting that role? I know, like you’re in teaching, so is there any like connection with teaching that you had to help you or was your skill in graphic design, like the driving force to lead you to teaching, or just in general, like any skills that helped you?

    Tori Hord

    Obviously, to be able to teach art or graphic design or anything, you have to have a certain level of knowledge, but especially for art design, you also have to have a certain level of skill, right, you have to be able to get to that point. So a portfolio is still a big part of this job, even though it’s not a, the focus is not necessarily all design, you know, work all the time, you still have to have a great portfolio, you still have to make sure that you’re paying attention to the detail, because it matters when getting these roles. And I think the other part of it is, is communication, being able to talk about what you want from that job, but also be able to talk about your work in ways that ties it in to people that might not necessarily be in your field. Which is a great skill for designers have anyway, because there’s lots of contact with people outside of the art world. So being able to communicate those ideas and your thoughts and passions to those people is really important, too.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Yeah. It’s a very important skill. And so, you studied in South Carolina, and now working in North Carolina. Are there any like organizations or programs or events that you recommend for people who are trying to get into that field? Is there any like conferences you went to that helped you network to figure out, like, gain more connections within the creative world or anything like that in the area?

    Tori Hord

    Yeah, I’m a big supporter of AIGA [the Professional Association for Design] I’ve been a member of AIGA since I was an undergrad, and continued that. But more so than that, I found a lot of helpful was these kind of like open houses for different schools. So when I was pursuing my master’s or thinking about going to get my graduate degree, I looked into these different kind of open houses, kind of meet and greets. And I met a lot of really great people and lots of great networking opportunities just from doing that. And that had no ties to it. You didn’t have to, no commitments, you’re just kind of going and exploring and learning about what your options are.

    Emma Plutnicki

    That makes sense. So AIGA, you said?

    Tori Hord

    Yes.

    Emma Plutnicki

    What does that stand for, do you know?

    Tori Hord

    American Institute of Graphic Arts.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Okay, awesome. I’m sure a lot of people know that. I didn’t know. That’s amazing.

    Tori Hord

    The chapter here is in Raleigh, the closest one. But a lot of universities have like local student chapters. I know Coastal used to have one, whenever I was there. And we have one here. It’s just a great opportunity for professionals and students to kind of connect.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Yeah, that’s amazing. So great. Thanks for saying all this. This is such an interesting field. I’m sure you have fun with it every day. But just as we wrap up, do you have any advice for current college students or just people who are looking to get into these fields in creative professions?

    Tori Hord

    Follow what you’re passionate in. That was a big thing for me. So I went along with, like I said, the biology doing what I thought I was supposed to do, and what, you know, everyone was like, “Oh, you’d be great, at you know, XYZ, you’d be a great doctor, you’d be great at this.” And in the back of my mind, there was always something like, “Maybe but I don’t know that I want it.” And just listening to that little voice, and you know, going after what you do want, regardless of what other people might think which, I mean is, you know, life anyway right?

    Emma Plutnicki

    Yeah. No, that’s great advice. I definitely need to listen to that too.

  • Marius Valdes

    Marius Valdes

    “Everyone’s got their own journey, and you have to find your way. I would never discourage anyone from a journey in the applied arts or the creative arts if they have the drive and the will to do it. Because that’s the biggest part of it: just being disciplined.”

    Marius Valdes is an artist, illustrator, and professor of Studio Art teaching graphic design and illustration at the University of South Carolina. Valdes received his BFA in graphic design from the University of Georgia (UGA) and his MFA in visual communication from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Valdes is originally from Charleston and lives in Columbia.

    About

    “Being a professional creative is not for the weak of heart,” said Valdes. “You need to be patient and persistent.” He recalled the first time, as a college student, that he told his father he wanted to major in art. “I remember driving with my dad and telling him, ‘I think I’m going to be an art major.’ I was waiting for him to say, ‘What are you thinking?!’ but he just said to me, ‘Well, if you do something that you love, you’ll never really work.’ And I feel like that. I do work, but I work on things I care about. And that, to me, is one of the most important things.”  

    Valdes didn’t set out to be a university professor. After graduating from the University of Georgia (UGA), he worked as a graphic designer for several years and allowed his creativity to determine his next step. 

    “I was exploring illustration and enjoying it more than graphic design. I wasn’t very good about talking about my work, and I thought grad school would help with that, as well as allowing me to refocus my work and make myself more marketable,” said Valdes. Valdes earned a scholarship for his MFA at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), and part of that scholarship included teaching a class.  

    “I just loved it,” said Valdes. “I found that even though some of the students were in some ways more talented than I was, I knew more than them because I’d been doing it as a professional, and I really enjoyed it.”  

    In addition to teaching, Valdes works as an artist creating work for area organizations. “The past couple years I’ve been working with the Medical University of South Carolina children’s hospitals,” said Valdes. “I created some murals for them, created some kids’ activities books for therapists to use, and that’s been the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. One day, a man I work with came up and said, ‘My kid is obsessed with your frog mural. It’s made a real difference.’ So it’s sad because seeing that mural means you have a sick kid, but it’s also rewarding to know it had an impact.”  

    Media

    Marius Valdes Interview

  • Thurayya UmBayemake

    Thurayya UmBayemake

    “Your path in life won’t look like anyone else’s.” 

    Thurayya UmBayemake is the Spark Lead Actor-Teacher in support of the Arts Grow SC program at SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. She delivers literacy-based drama programming to public schools to encourage “creative thinking, divergent thinking, and overall motivation to read.” UmBayemake earned a degree in drama studies at South Carolina State University (SC State). 

    About

    Thurayya UmBayemake was an athlete in high school, doing cross country and track and field, until she hurt her back her junior year. Still injured her senior year, she decided to get involved with a newly opened African community theater in town. “I was involved in a theater that embraced me for who I was and told stories that I could truly relate to,” UmBayemake said. While she couldn’t relate to every single story, she always felt culturally connected to the theater. She became an assistant director, stage manager, and eventually, an actress. UmBayemake moved to South Carolina to study drama education at South Carolina State University, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude.  

    After graduating, she traveled the country and opened her own theater with friends: the Ma’Sue Theater in Akron, Ohio, which focused on African American stories and social justice. UmBayemake then moved to New York City, where she took a break from theater work, saying, “You have to experience life to tell stories. That’s what I was doing in New York.” 

    UmBayemake is the Curriculum Coordinator Actor-Teacher Coach for a program called Spark, which is a literacy-based drama program based in the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. “We go into elementary schools…we show students how to take stories from picture books and add drama and acting in there to show characters, to show settings, to show plot, to reinforce the literacy-based learning, but also creative thinking, divergent thinking, and just overall motivation to read,” she says. UmBayemake also works to show teachers how to take the same artistic approach to teaching, even without an artistic background.   

    UmBayemake credits her current position to her storytelling abilities and her wide variety of previous experiences. “I know some people feel once they get out of college, they should only work in their field,” she says. “But you’re missing out!” She advises those seeking a job in the arts to be patient with the process and not get discouraged if it takes time to land a dream job. She also emphasizes the importance of building a strong community. “Make friends with any and everybody, just to learn about their life experiences and what they went through. It will help you learn that your path won’t look like anyone else’s.” 

    Media

    Thurayya UmBayemake Interview

  • Laura Ybarra-Kane

    Laura Ybarra-Kane

    Laura Ybarra-Kane, a native of Columbia, South Carolina, is the Manager of Education and interpretation planning at the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia. She holds an Anthropology of Education in Museum Studies degree from the University of South Carolina. 

    Laura Ybarra-Kane, a native of Columbia, South Carolina, is the Manager of Education and interpretation planning at the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia. She holds an Anthropology of Education in Museum Studies degree from the University of South Carolina. 

    About

    Laura Ybarra-Kane discovered her passion and career path at a young age. When visiting family in San Antonio at age four, Kane remembered walking into the planetarium and hearing Star Trek’s Captain Picard speak to her. She was in awe, she remembered, “I went into this planetarium and was like this it! This is what I want to do, this is amazing.”  

    From then on, Kane kept her passion throughout her school journey to follow the path that would lead her to a career in museums. When transitioning to college, Kane went with the mindset of wanting to be able to work in museums, but she didn’t have a clear understanding of the field. “I went into college with many different majors, but I ended up landing on the Anthropology of Education in museum studies,” said Kane.  

    After receiving her degree from the University of South Carolina, Kane began volunteering at her current job, the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia. As a volunteer, Kane gave tours and worked with the curating team for six months before being hired part-time. For five years, Kane traveled with a portable planetarium before transitioning to the EdVenture Children’s Museum, also in Columbia. After five years with EdVenture learning and working within schools, Kane returned to the South Carolina State Museum as Manager of Education and Interpretation Planning.  

    As Manager, Kane has many different duties and responsibilities, and so her typical workday includes wearing many different hats. As an interpreter, she observes how individuals interact with each exhibit within the museum and how they interpret the space they are in. As management of education, Kane assists with all things that involve teaching. “We do all things education and inspiring wonder,” said Kane. In addition, Kane is in charge of all the accessibility efforts at the museum and is the liaison for South Carolina for educational resources.  

    Throughout all her work and experiences, one particular project during her time with EdVenture that she is most proud of was opening up a MakerSpace, the first one in South Carolina. “That one stands out with me as the first time I got to do a lot of experience and a lot of mistakes,” said Kane. She offers advice to upcoming creatives interested in a career within the museum field and other up-and-coming creatives. “Just try it, see what you like because you never know what you might find,” said Kane.  

  • Simone Liberty

    Simone Liberty

    “I really love to extend art and creativity for everyone. Art for all. Art for everybody.” 

    Simone Liberty is a full-time Teaching Artist based in Charleston. As a Teaching Artist, or traveling arts educator, Liberty teaches Arts Integration in schools throughout Charleston, Dorchester, and Berkeley counties. Arts Integration uses visual and performing art forms including dance, art, and theatre, connecting them to core curriculum subjects such as math, science, and ELA. 

    About

    Simone Liberty has been in Charleston since 2015, when she left her hometown in Connecticut to attend the College of Charleston to pursue an Arts Management degree. She remained at the College of Charleston to earn a Master of Public Administration with a certificate in Arts and Cultural Management.  

    While in graduate school, Liberty observed a summer theater program for children at the Gailliard Center; she was so inspired to get involved that she wrote a letter to the program director, essentially creating a part-time position for herself in fundraising and education. Her proposal was successful, and over the next year, she worked as a fundraiser to support Gailliard’s educational programs. While she enjoyed that position, she realized she wanted to work more directly with children, and becoming a Teaching Artist has fulfilled that desire.  

    Liberty speaks openly about the difficulties of working as a Teaching Artist, such as the networking required to make it a full-time endeavor and the isolation of being an independent educator. “You have to be intentional with networking and getting yourself out in the community so people know who you are and what you do. It requires lots of self-initiation.”  

    At the same time, Liberty is excited about the increasing demand for Teaching Artists and opportunities for entrepreneurship. Liberty loves tap dancing, for example, but the cost of tap shoes makes teaching the dance form in schools cost-prohibitive. Instead of allowing that challenge to get in her way, she took inspiration from her “Art for all” mantra and created a tap accessory that can be added to the front of a child’s own shoe to give them the tap-dancing experience. 

    Liberty advises aspiring creative students to “Remember your why” in order to “stay connected to what brought you to the arts in the first place.” She notes that many Arts Management professionals are artists and creatives themselves who run the risk of losing touch with their skill and craft if their professional roles require them to drift from their original purpose. She encourages young professionals to “find those opportunities to stick with your craft and make sure that stays in your practice. It helps you to fill in that work-life balance and at the same time might let you draw some connections toward your ‘why,’ why you’re doing this.”