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FY2024 Annual Report (July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024)

Advancing Southern vitality through the arts.

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Larry & Joe performing at Levitt AMP Berea Music Series in Berea, Kentucky during a two-day residency.

Welcome to 2024

In 2024, South Arts deepened our relationships with constituents across the region as we worked toward our mission: advancing Southern vitality through the arts. Reflect with us on 2024 and the artists, organizations, and communities from the South Arts family that made this year spectacular.

Nico Piedrahita demonstrating his spoon carving skills at this year's Emerging Traditional Artists Program Cohort gathering.

A Letter from Susie Surkamer

Dear Friends,

For the past 13 years, I've had the extraordinary privilege of being part of the South Arts family as its CEO, though my love of the arts started long before. I've spent most of my working life supporting artists and communities across the Southeast, and every day has reinforced what I've always known – that art has the power to transform lives and communities.

As I prepare to retire in June, I'm filled with gratitude when I reflect on what South Arts has accomplished and excitement about the future of art in our region. Every day, I see Southern artists inspiring conversations, bringing communities together, and pushing the boundaries of creativity.

When you think about places that have had an outsized impact on the shape of the world, the South rises to the top of the list. Our art scene, our contributions to a common culture, and the creative inspiration it has sparked have shaped not just our region, but the world. Look at music alone – what would global music be without the blues or jazz? From literature that has defined the American narrative to visual arts that capture our unique perspective, Southern creativity continues to resonate worldwide.

Southern artists deserve not just recognition, but the resources they need to keep creating and sharing their work with broader audiences. That's been my focus at South Arts, and I'm proud of what we've accomplished together:

  • Growing our budget by 500% – transforming how many artists and communities we can serve across the South
  • Launching, and later doubling the size the Southern Prize & State Fellowship program to support and honor exceptional Southern writers and visual artists
  • Creating new funding streams to elevate additional art forms and provide more funding for diverse voices with programs like Southern Cultural Treasures and ArtsHERE.
  • Building national platforms that showcase the incredible breadth and depth of Southern creativity

As South Arts prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary, I know the organization is poised for even greater impact. Thank you for allowing me to work alongside you in supporting the vital role of arts in our region. The creativity, passion, and dedication I've witnessed have been inspiring, and I can't wait to see what the next chapter brings for South Arts and the incredible artists who call the South home.


Susie Surkamer  
President and CEO of South Arts 

Susie Surkamer

Our Impact, by the Numbers

The word for our fiscal year 2024 is connection. South Arts created significant new funding streams to help artists connect with new audiences and share their work in meaningful ways. From hosting professional development webinars for artists, to taking the Southern Prize State Fellowship for Visual Arts on tour, to providing grants to frequently overlooked artists, we’ve been amplifying the arts by connecting artists and art organizations with the communities throughout the South.

We also proudly launched artsHERE and the Southern Prize & State Fellowship for Literary Arts, creating even more connections for Southern artists. And we awarded Infrastructure Grants to ARC communities in North Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee, helping to support the vital growth of local arts ecosystems.

The Mali Majesty performance by Delou Africa, Inc., awarded the Presentation Grant.

In 2024 we granted $1761526
to artists and organizations.

340
TOTAL GRANTS
ACROSS
16
PROGRAMS
173
GRANTS TO INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS
WHO RECEIVED
$920766
167
GRANTS TO ORGANIZATIONS
THAT RECEIVED
$840760

The 2024 Southern Prize and State Fellowships for Visual Arts

At the 2024 Southern Prize and State Fellowships for Visual Arts exhibition opening at the Art and Culture Center in Hollywood, Florida, the South Arts team sat down with the nine recipients across our region to discuss their work, what it means to be named a State Fellow, and how they might use their awards.

Zipporah Camille Thompson | Multidisciplinary | Atlanta, GA | 2024 Georgia Fellow for Visual Arts and Southern Prize Winner
Charles Clary | Sculpture | Conway, SC | 2024 South Carolina Fellow for Visual Arts and Southern Prize Finalist
Nelson Gutierrez | Multidisciplinary | Memphis, TN | 2024 Tennessee Fellow for Visual Arts
Tony Bingham | Multidisciplinary | Birmingham, AL | 2024 Alabama Fellow for Visual Arts
Elliott and Erick Jimenez | Photography | Pinecrest, FL | 2024 Florida Fellow for Visual Arts
Brooke Alexander | Painting | Oxford, MS | 2024 Mississippi Fellow for Visual Arts
Isys Hennigar | Sculpture | Columbus, NC | 2024 North Carolina Fellow for Visual Arts
Robyn Moore | Photography| Wellington, KY | 2024 Kentucky Fellow for Visual Arts
Macon Reed | Sculpture | New Orleans, LA | 2024 Louisiana Fellow for Visual Arts

Blue Magic by Zipporah Camille Thompson

Southern Cultural Treasures Cohort - Otis Redding Foundation

This fiscal year, the Otis Redding Foundation in Macon, GA continued to empower, enrich and motivate young people through their music, writing and instrumentation programs with the funding they received through South Arts' Southern Cultural Treasures program.

"The South Arts Funding was really beneficial to us along with the recognition of being a Southern Cultural Treasure. The increased exposure and significant investment bolstered our standing amongst other public and private donors and helped us to leverage additional larger requests from both new and old funders. Being able to say that South Arts saw us a worthy candidate for such a noteworthy accolade and investment really did open doors for us that may have otherwise remained inaccessible." 
- Karla Redding-Andrews, Vice President & Executive Director

 

Students perform during an Otis Music Camp finale performance.

Emerging Traditional Artists Program Cohort

This year's cohort of the Emerging Traditional Artists Program, a program of In These Mountains, was held in Gatlinburg, Tennessee at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts.

“It was a wonderful experience. I've never been in a group that I felt so connected to and I've never felt like I was part of something this special before. Everyone was amazing; I made so many connections this weekend and what I know will be lasting friendships. Being a part South Arts through this cohort has been one of the best things that has ever happened to me and so was this weekend!” 
– Charlotte Underwood 

Read more about Charlotte Underwood...

The cohort gathered and attentively listened and learned from each other during the gathering in Gatlinburg, TN.

Around the Region

South Arts' primary region includes the nine states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Our programs support the creative communities, artists, and organizations with grants, connections, and leadership. Explore the map below to learn about a few highlights of 2024.

An Indian dance workshop on "Techniques of BharathaNatyam for students of BharathaNatyam" by Guru Tara Priyadarshini, artistic director of Rudram Dance Company.
  • Montana Hobbs

    Montana Hobbs, a young banjo player from Eastern Kentucky, was awarded with a grant from the Emerging Traditional Artists Program this year.

    Read the story
  • Chamber Music Raleigh, Inc.

    Chamber Music Raleigh received a Presentation Grant in which The Reverón Piano Trio conducted a three-day residency at the North Carolina Museum of Art.

    Read the story
  • Emerging Traditional Artists Gathering

    South Arts convened the participants in the Emerging Traditional Artists Programs at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts School in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

    Read the story
  • Orlando Corona

    Orlando is a painter from Greenville, South Carolina and one of this year's grant recipients of the Emerging Traditional Artists Program.

    Read the story
  • Georgia Mountain Storytelling Festival, Inc.

    The Georgia Mountain Storytelling Festival presented acclaimed Appalachian storyteller, musician, and balladeer Michael Reno Harrell in Blairsville, Georgia.

    Read the story
  • Troy Pike Cultural Arts Center

    The Johnson Center for the Arts conducted a two-day residency with Caesar Garcia at the Troy Regional Medical Center.

    Read the story
  • Yurina Yoshikawa

    Yoshikawa was named the inaugural Southern Prize for Literary Arts winner, receiving a $25,000 award during a ceremony at the Mississippi Book Festival.

    Read the story
  • Amina Scott Quintet

    This New Orleans based quintet has been making waves in the local music scene, bringing performances to the west coast. 

    Read the story
  • Bits N Pieces Puppet Theatre

    Bits N Pieces Puppet Theatre was awarded an Express Grant and used it to educate and enrich young people from rural South Florida counties with a free puppet creating and performing workshop experience.

    Read the story

Looking forward

South Arts approaches our 50th anniversary building on decades of championing Southern creativity – inspiring meaningful change through the arts by supporting and connecting artists and the arts community with the people and places we love. Our next chapter begins with renewed energy and excitement about the future of the arts in our region. 

Southern artists and art forms are more vibrant and diverse than ever. Emerging voices are joining established artists to tell stories in powerful new ways. We envision a future where art breaks down barriers, creating deep connections with local communities, while also building bridges with broader audiences nationwide. We made significant progress in 2024 fostering meaningful connections, supporting creative excellence, and ensuring that the arts continue to flourish throughout the South.

We’ve welcomed four distinguished new board members whose unique insights and expertise will be invaluable to help guide our next phase of growth. They join us at a pivotal moment as we start the process to select our next CEO. When Susie Surkamer retires later this year and moves on to her life's next adventure she will be deeply missed. Her leadership over the last decade has been nothing short of incredible. We can't thank her enough for her 13 years of service to South Arts. 

We also thank you. Your support has made this milestone moment possible. As we implement our new strategic vision and celebrate fifty years of advancing Southern creativity, we invite you to join us in building an even more vibrant artistic future for our region.

With gratitude and anticipation for what lies ahead, 

Neil Barclay 
Board Chair  
South Arts

Neil Barclay

Board and Staff

Thank you to the South Arts Board of Directors for their generous service! Comprised of creatives, artists, entrepreneurs, and other leaders, their guidance and dedication are a vital role in our service to the region.

Larry & Joe performance in Berea, Kentucky.

South Arts was founded nearly 50 years ago to support the arts and culture of our region. As a Regional Arts Organization, we partner with the National Endowment for the Arts, the State Arts Agencies of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, as well as individuals and other public and private funders to fulfill our mission: advancing Southern vitality through the arts.

Board Leadership

Neil Barclay, Chair
Detroit, MI

Gretchen McLennon, Vice Chair
Memphis, TN

William McKinney, Secretary
Raleigh, NC & Greenville, SC

Elliot Knight, Treasurer   
Montgomery, AL

Board Membership

Cathy Adams | Fernandina Beach, FL

Moni Basu | Atlanta, GA

Jeff Bell | Raleigh, NC

Christopher Cathers | Frankfort, KY

Natalie Chanin | Florence, AL

Gina Charbonnet | New Orleans, LA

Elmore Demott | Montgomery, AL

John T. Edge | Oxford, MS

Olga Garay-English | Los Angeles, CA

Glenda E. Hood | Orlando, FL

Phillip March Jones | New York City, NY

David Lewis | Jackson, MS

Tina Lilly | Atlanta, GA

Yvahn Martin | Oakland, CA

Sejal Mehta | Raleigh, NC

Kara Olidge | Los Angeles, CA

Nina Parikh | Jackson, MS

David Platts | Columbia, SC

Anne B. Pope | Nashville, TN

Alice Randall | Nashville, TN

Meg Reid | Spartanburg, SC

Leea Russell | Baton Rouge, LA

Sandy Shaughnessy | Tallahassee, FL

Keith Summerour | Atlanta, GA

Mike Woodard | Durham, NC

Staff

Michael Bosarge, Vice President of Finance & Operations

Taylor Dooley Burden, Interim Director, Traditional Arts

Hillary Crawford, Assistant Vice President, Programs

Joseph Crawford, Assistant Director, Programs

Nikki Estes, Director, Presenting & Touring

Damien Harrison, Accounting & Human Resources Manager and Accessibility Coordinator

Cathy Lee, Director, Database & Technology

Charles Phaneuf, Vice President of Strategy

Dimitry Ponomarenko, Accounting & Operations Manager

Kara Queen, Office and Administrative Services Manager

Eric Rucker, Assistant Director, Jazz

Lisa E. Smalls, Interim Director, Organization & Community Initiatives

Emmitt Stevenson, Director, Arts Engagement

Aiyana Straughn, Director, Arts Partnerships

Suzette M. Surkamer, President & CEO

Drew Tucker, Director, Jazz

Sabrina Wilder, Executive Team Adminstrative Manager

Joy Young, Vice President of Programs

Attendees at the Georgia Mountain Storytelling Festival.

Financials

NC Brazilian Arts Project

Income

Private Contributions & Other Income

$4,524,443

Federal Grants

$3,732,569

State Grants & Contributions

$203,000

Revenue

$8,460,012

Expenses

$10,383,597

Change in Net Assets

$1,923,585*

*Negative change in Net Assets is due to a large gift in a previous fiscal year that is being spent down

During FY 2024, private donor funding accounted for 53% of South Arts' revenues.

The numbers presented in this report are unaudited at this time. For a complete audit, when available, or any other questions, please contact Charles Phaneuf at cphaneuf@southarts.org or (404) 201-7923.

 

Thank You

To those who make our work possible.

The sponsors and donors listed below reflect those who gave between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024.

The 2024 Emerging Traditional Artists Program Cohort.

Help us continue making an impact in 2025.

We'll keep you posted.

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