By WMAC Press Release
Co-op Chairperson Beth Regula and Cindy Riddle, the Association’s President-Elect and Assistant Superintendent of Visual & Performing Arts for Spartanburg School District 1.
Co-op Chairperson Beth Regula and Cindy Riddle, the Association’s President-Elect and Assistant Superintendent of Visual & Performing Arts for Spartanburg School District 1.

West Main Artists Co-op in Spartanburg received the 2018 “Business Supporter of the Year” award from the South Carolina Art Education Association. The award was presented to Co-op Chairperson Beth Regula on Dec. 1 in Greenville by Cindy Riddle, the Association’s President-Elect and Assistant Superintendent of Visual & Performing Arts for Spartanburg School District 1.

“On behalf of West Main Artists Co-op, I want to thank everyone who has worked to make this recognition possible,” Regula said. “I want to especially thank Jane Nodine and Susanne Gunter for taking the initiative to write the letters of recommendation. Most importantly, I want to thank the member artists of West Main Artists Co-op because they are the ones who are out in the community and here in our studios and galleries finding creative ways for the Co-op to be involved and relevant. There is indeed a business side to art, and West Main Artists Co-op works very hard to be an active -- and creative -- member of the business community.”

In her letter of support, Distinguished Professor Emerita of the University of South Carolina Upstate Nodine said: “USC Upstate Art has maintained studio space at WMAC and offered that as an annual award to a deserving student. We have sponsored and partnered with WMAC in workshops and group exhibitions, and USC Upstate students have worked at the Co-op in internships that earn them academic credit and give them valuable field experience.”

Dr. Gunter, the chair for Art and Design at Converse College, said in her letter, “WMAC is a true partner to area schools, colleges, and universities. This fall, students in the Converse Arts Management program will be working to help with the first annual multi-state juried exhibition, providing students with a unique opportunity to assist with all levels of administrative tasks to put on a major exhibition. WMAC provides ‘work residencies’ to help struggling artists to provide a studio and membership. This is critical to the success of many young artist, in particular.”

South Carolina Art Education Foundation (Association) is a chapter of the National Art Education Association (NAEA), which advances visual arts education to fulfill human potential and promote global understanding. NAEA is dedicated to providing you with connectivity, resources, and opportunities to enrich your classroom, enhance your career, and inspire your creativity. Connect to a worldwide network of like-minded artists and educators representing K-12 art educators and administrators, college and university professors, preservice students studying art education, researchers and scholars, museum educators, teaching artists, and more.

The mission of West Main Artists Cooperative is to create a community of artists wherein members mentor and support one another; to provide affordable studio, display, and performance space to established and emerging artists living in and around Spartanburg, South Carolina; and to provide the public with opportunities to view original art and to interact with the artists.

To know about WMAC, please visit online: WestMainArtists.org.

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