Q&A with Mary Wheeler Davis Scholarship Awardees

We caught up with previous Mary Wheeler Davis scholarship winners, Sarah Hoffman & Mia Easler, to get an update on their artistic careers and how things have been going since receiving the award. Both received the award in 2020 and at the time Sarah was a senior at Dorman High School and Mia was graduating from Spartanburg High School.

Learn more about Sarah & Mia's accomplishments and progress here!

Recently, the cultural community lost one of its greatest champions – J. Michael Kohler. From the time he arrived in Spartanburg in 1974, he became involved in cultural and civic groups working to serve the community. Mike served in many capacities on the boards of directors of The Arts Council of Spartanburg (including Fund Drive Chair in 1983) and The Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg, receiving the David Reid Award for Achievement in the Arts in 2010. And he served many terms on these boards through the years.

Mike shared his expertise through not only serving on boards and committees, but he was also a hands-on volunteer at events - such as working to help renovate the building at 385 South Spring Street prior to The Arts Council’s moving in in 1975. He was instrumental for the Chapman Cultural Center through generous support and in-kind donations of state-of-the-art fixtures at our facility and Mayfair Art Studios.

Many cultural and civic organizations benefited from Mike’s wisdom and service, including Spartanburg Art Museum, Music Foundation of Spartanburg, Palmetto Council of Boy Scouts of America, the United Way of the Upstate, Rotary Club of Spartanburg, Spartanburg Chamber of Commerce, Salvation Army, Appalachian Health Council, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare Systems Foundation, Glendale Fire Commission, and many others I’m sure. Mike was honored with the Neville Holcombe Distinguished Citizenship Award from the Chamber of Commerce.

We are all better for having known J. Michael Kohler. And we will miss him.

"Spartanburg Open Doors - Studio Tour" will be a long-awaited "open studio" weekend event that will showcase the local artists of Spartanburg County in their working studio spaces. This plans to be an exciting opportunity for artists to open their doors to the public and invite visitors and collectors to come view their artwork, learn about the creative process, and purchase work for sale.

Learn more about Spartanburg Open Doors here!

Sign up as a volunteer usher for We Will Rock You!

Volunteers at Chapman Cultural Center assist in the smooth and safe operation of our facilities operations. Our goal is for the center to be a place where everyone is welcome to discover, experience, and celebrate the performing and visual arts, science, and history.

We want YOU to help make the experience for our visitors and patrons enjoyable and memorable!

Sign up to Volunteer!

Theater Health & Safety Protocols

Chapman Cultural Center has recently updated its Health & Safety Protocols. Prior to visiting our campus, please review our latest policies.

View our updated protocols here.