Art in real life

Many high schools across the United States, including ones in Beaufort, make internships in the business and medical fields readily available to their students, but what are teenagers to do if they are trying to prepare for a career in the arts?

Thanks to a one-year Beaufort County School District grant totaling around $14,000 from the South Carolina Arts Commission, five Beaufort High School students will be exposed to a variety of arts in different capacities as part of BHS' Arts Apprenticeship program.

As the Arts Council of Beaufort County undergoes a transformation of its own by moving into its new and larger office space, the council is working to ensure area students are exposed to the arts as a career option by helping to run the project.

"For our students in other academic areas, it is easy for us to create partnerships with (Technical College of the Lowcountry) or with employers, but it's never been an option for the arts," said Shelly Summers, head of BHS' arts communication and technology school. "So through the Arts Council, we decided that it would behoove us and our students to set up internships throughout the community to give them a variety of experiences to see their craft in actual practice."

The students participating are Jessica Lopez, who will be mentored in drama by ACBC executive director JW Rone; Morgan Perkins, who will study photography with local photographer Eric Horan; Becca Steadman, who will study musical voice at Bay Street Music; Otis Howze, who will be mentored in drawing under multimedia artist Hank Herring; and Charlotte Berkeley, who will study visual arts/painting and interior design under Deanna Bowdish at The Gallery.

"They're so excited," Summers said of the students. "It's really hard sometimes for students to see beyond what they're doing, because they're teenagers, so they're excited to be able to have some hands-on experience and to work directly with mentors who can show them different paths."

Summers said she wanted to start small because it's a pilot program, but she hopes to expand after this school year. The five students participating are enrolled in BHS' school of arts communication and technology.

"There are a lot of talented people out there, but the art of business and actually conducting yourself as a business is sometimes very difficult for artists," said Jenny Rone, development director for the Arts Council of Beaufort County.

"Things like marketing and accounting and how you deal with customers, understanding things like business licenses and working relationships. These kids are going to get the business of the arts early in their career as they're thinking about becoming professional artists in various artforms."

Jan Spencer is the arts education/apprenticeship coordinator for the Arts Council of Beaufort County. A native of Detroit who moved to Beaufort 13 years ago, Spencer is also a classical pianist and jazz singer who grew up during the Motown era.

She has performed at the Montreaux Detroit Jazz Festival and has shared the stage with such greats as Aretha Franklin, Tony Bennett, Kris Kristofferson, Bonnie Raitt and Stevie Wonder.

"There's just so much to being an artist that you don't learn until you're out there trying to do it, unless somebody takes you as an apprentice," said Spencer. "Hank (Herring) and I were talking about this. I said, 'If I had known the different ways I could use my talent coming out of high school and college, it would have just been so helpful,' and these kids are getting this early. They're also going to be making connections. I just think it's priceless."

Since ACBC offers training in grant writing, Spencer said students also will learn that skill. They will receive grades based on the work they do for their employer, and they are required to keep a journal as well as write a summary paper at the conclusion of the internship.

The Arts Council is a nonprofit organization, and Rone added that students will be exposed to what it means to be a nonprofit arts administrator.

"We will also hold seminars once a month for them to report and to have group interaction and instruction about their experiences," said Summers. "There's lots of monitoring that goes on. We just don't throw them out there."

The students participating in the program will also benefit from ACBC's new office space in Beaufort Town Center. According to Rone, the new space is between 10,000-12,000 square feet, a big upgrade from the old office, which was 2,500 square feet.

In addition to more studio and gallery space, including space for six working artists, the new office will feature a stained glass art class, an expanded pottery class, an afterschool program for children and expanded community performance space.

Rone said the fact that USCB recently asked the Arts Council if it could use some of their space to house a visiting artist's work proves there is a definite need for more affordable gallery space in Beaufort County. The new office also will include an arts supply store, which Rone believes is needed in the community.

"Most people go online or drive to Bluffton to go to Michaels," said Rone, "but we'll have an independently owned arts supply store right here run by the head of the TCL arts department."

For Rone, one of the most important aspects of the apprenticeship program is making sure students realize the various career paths one can take in the arts.

"Our overriding goal, and we use this line a lot, is weaving the arts into everyday life in Beaufort County," said Rone. "There are multiple ways that you can be involved in the arts. This is going to really get those kids understanding how it surrounds you, and there are many avenues to use their artforms and to participate in the community."