Now Showing in the Rice Museum’s Prevost Gallery:

Artists of the South Carolina Cotton Trail

on view until May 10, 2019

PURPOSE:   The purpose of the Artists of the South Carolina Cotton Trail (ASCCT) is to support fellow artists in a six-county area along the South Carolina cotton trail.  The organization promotes the tradition of fine visual arts.

MISSION:  the ASCCT organization promotes the career development of its members with marketing and exhibitions informing the public of the group’s high artistic quality of work.  Also, it provides members continuing education offerings and workshops in order to advance their ability in their selected medium.

MEMBERSHIP:  Membership is open to all persons age 18 and older who reside in the cotton trail region of South Carolina.  The counties included in this region are Darlington, Florence, Kershaw, Chesterfield, Marlboro and Lee.  The ASCCT provides three types of membership:  exhibiting artists, emerging artists and general membership.

HISTORY:  In 2006, the USDA awarded Black Creek Arts Council a grant to form the South Carolina Cotton Trail.  The grant, a Rural Business Enterprise Grant, was for technical assistance in identifying and reporting rural development to rural development groups.  The SC Cotton Trail supported and oversaw the tracking of rural business development in the region.

     The Artisans of the South Carolina Cotton Trail (ASCCT) was formed as a subgroup of the SC Cotton Trail organization.  Its original mission was to primarily support the marketing of the arts and crafts of its members.

     The South Carolina Cotton Trail eventually dissolved, but the artisan’s group continued as a separate entity.  As the ASCCT evolved and its membership changed, it transitioned into an artist guild supporting artist development and promoting their work.  Thus, in 2017, the name was changed to Artists of the South Carolina Cotton Trail to reflect its changing mission.