Pearson earned an emerging artist grant from the S.C. Arts Commission.
Photos| Cheris Hodges
BENNETTSVILLE—You don’t have to starve to be an artist in 2024. The South Carolina Arts Commission has an artist development program to help artists build their careers and support the roles of artists in their communities.
For Daishanna Pearson earning the SCAC Emerging Artist grant is another way for her to give back to Marlboro County through her love of art.
“It’s going to increase and push my art career and get me out into the community so people can see and learn from my art and it will also push me as an individual to do more,” she said.
Pearson said she got fully into art during the pandemic. “COVID hit and I got on an online platform with other artists and they just inspired me. This is my passion and this is what I want to do for the rest of my life,” she said.
Pearson earned a public health degree from the University of South Carolina but even working in that field, she was still using art to tell a story to the communities she served.
“I was able to be more community-focused and more community-centered,” she said about working in public health. “Now I can sit back and create art that guides them. I’ve been working closely with the museum, I’ve done things with the art walk and with the Marlboro County Artist Guild.”
Pearson has even worked to teach kids about art and hosted sip-and-paint events for a more mature audience.
With the grant, Pearson said she will be able to host a solo art show and present her collection of art to the community. As an emerging artist, she will be connected with other artists who can help guide her career. She will have an artist mentor, who will be able to offer professional support during the grant period.
Pearson said art allows people to explore without boundaries.
“Once we put ourselves in a box, then we become drained and we’re not living a purposeful life. But when we explore our creative passions, we’re able to step into a world and a space where we can freely and openly explore ourselves,” she said.
Pearson said she plans to hold her art show in Bennettsville this November.