by: Jamison Mady, ArtFields Graphic Design & Creative Project Manager

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Lake City, South Carolina, is a place I never thought I would one day call home. I grew up in nearby Florence and dreamt of leaving the South for New York City or California. As much as I yearned to escape the Pee Dee, I ended up attending Francis Marion University, where I fell in love with art history.

There is a funny perception that art is only for certain people, and I have felt like an imposter in many situations, even today. At the same time, for me, art became an equalizer. I’ve learned that art will bridge groups of people with very different backgrounds.

As graduation approached, I researched masters programs all over the country. The farther they would carry me from South Carolina, the better. It was during my final semester that my art history professor told me about an internship with an art event in Lake City that was in its second year. I have to admit, my expectations were very low, but I thought it would be nice to add to my resume, so I drove to the ArtFields office for an interview in January 2014. I have never been proven wrong so quickly and so completely.

I got the internship, and through it, I witnessed the strength of the team of women, the community of Lake City, and art in a way that I never thought was possible in South Carolina. I am not exaggerating even a little bit to say that it changed my life. I graduated, completed the requirements for my internship, but never left ArtFields. I literally would not go away. I showed up in Lake City well into the summer, offering to help with absolutely anything that needed to be done. I stopped looking for ways out of South Carolina and for the first time, tried to find a way to stay. Finally, I was hired mid-summer to work with ArtFields and the Jones-Carter Gallery. My very first exhibition that I worked on from start to finish was Francisco de Goya’s Los Caprichos. It was a dream come true. And it was here.

It has been over four years since my Lake City adventure started. Since then, I have worked on many more exhibitions at the Jones-Carter Gallery, witnessed the construction and opening of new downtown businesses, parks, and TRAX Visual Art Center, moved into an apartment on Main Street, and met hundreds of people whose lives were made better by what we are doing in Lake City.

Most recently, we opened three exhibitions in Jones-Carter and TRAX, featuring Greenville’s Patti Brady, Paul Cristina of Charleston, and Mills Brown, a Florence native who now lives and works in Washington, D.C. Things are moving fast around here, but one thing that will never change is our goal to create a platform for artists, including those in the Southeast; provide the people in our community with experiences they may never receive otherwise; and share what Lake City has to offer with as many visitors from as far away as possible.

Like anywhere else, South Carolina has had its share of dreamers, creators, and innovators. Many left. We hope to provide reasons for more of them to stay by creating a place that celebrates and nurtures them. In return, they will help to build a thriving community out here in the middle of everywhere.