Programming reboot: North Charleston relaunches a revamped Artist-In-Residence program
Everyone knows that public art adds social, cultural and economic value to a community. That is why the city of North Charleston, S.C., has rebooted and reimagined its Artist-in-Residence (AIR) program with a quarterly residency that will offer the public a diverse roster of art ambassadors, unique showcases and an all-new opportunity for public outreach.
“Our previous iteration looked a lot different,” said Ann Simmons, deputy director for the city’s cultural arts department. “Our teaching residency was a yearlong art outreach program in our schools, which we were able to run until the COVID pandemic shut everything down.”
A new perspective
In November 2023, the cultural arts department moved from city hall to the Park Circle Community Building — home to the world’s largest inclusive playground. This state-of-the-art facility offers rehearsal spaces, flexible event space, a history/archives repository as well as an inclusive baseball field, farmer’s market pavilion, walking trails and a 270- square-foot AIR studio.
Simmons said North Charleston doesn’t have a traditional downtown area, so the Park Circle Community Building and its grounds serve as the closet thing. After taking the time to settle into the new digs, the arts and culture department decided to relaunch its AIR program with a three-month pilot residency that would showcase a local artist and offer citizens the opportunity for artistic engagement. The city put out a call for artists who might be interested in the new position — and the $2,000 stipend that went along with it — and received 22 applications. On Aug. 15, the city announced that Shayn Green would be the first AIR for the new program and would serve as a visual art ambassador for the community.
“Being the first AIR for the North Charleston Arts Department has meant so much to me because I have always had a love for art and I am able to share my work with those in my community,” she said.
Green is a graduate of the Charleston County School for the Arts in North Charleston and went on to earn her undergraduate degree in media arts from the University of South Carolina in 2019. She specializes in portraiture, literary illustrations and graphic design and uses color to further enhance the tone of her work. During her residency, she was required to spend at least 10 hours per month in the studio where the public could watch her work and complete at least two community programs or classes.
Green said when she heard about the posting, she was excited to start working on her application. She’d always wanted to do an artist residency, but never thought she would find one in her area. Still, the idea of having a personal studio space and having a place to display her work was particularly appealing, not to mention the educational outreach opportunity.
“Last month, I hosted a custom wall hanging class where people in the community could come and learn how to make one from me, and on Oct. 12, I hosted a class on zine making that was free to the public. I also attended the Harvest Festival on Oct. 19,” Green said. “My final show titled ‘Big Nosed Baddies’ was held on Oct. 25 at the Park Circle Community Building, which consisted of about 15 mixed media and acrylic paintings surrounding themes of family, black culture and embracing the features that make us unique.”
A learning curve
Simmons said Green is an emerging artist who represented the arts community beautifully during her residency, and the pilot period gave the department a chance to evaluate the new format and make necessary adjustments as it moves into a more permanent program. When a storm shut the city down for a week and a half, it impacted the time it had to promote Green’s first program. Although it still filled up, Simmons said she would have liked more time to launch the program properly.
“We got off to a rough start, but Shayn has been wonderful to work with and flexible in terms of scheduling,” Simmons said.
The department will put out a second call for artists to serve as AIRs for the city throughout 2025. Simmons said the city will continue to give preference to those artists living in the tri-county — Charleston, Berkley and Dorchester — area. By making the program a quarterly residency, it will offer residents a wide range of artists who work in a variety of mediums while giving them time to create at least a couple of pieces in view of the public.
“My advice for future AIRs would be to use this time to share everything about who you are as an artist,” Green said. “Tell your story and experiment with ideas or materials you may have been afraid to try before. The community is here and (they) want to get to know you.”
Pictured is a piece created by North Charleston’s Artist-in-Residence (AIR) Shayn Green, a native of the community who was thrilled to serve as the first AIR in the relaunched program. (Photo provided by North Charleston, S.C.) 
Another piece created by North Charleston, S.C.’s, Artist-in-Residence Shayn Green. (Photo provided by North Charleston, S.C.) 
Shayn Green held classes with community members and created some original works that were highlighted in a final show as her term as Artist-in-Residence ended. (Photo provided by North Charleston, S.C.) 
Shayn Green shows off some of her artwork as North Charleston’s Artist-in-Residence. Although the city had a yearlong project in the past, it has revamped the program so it will be a quarterly tenure and showcase a variety of artists, like Green, who can engage with the community while creating their own original works in the city’s studio space. (Photo provided by North Charleston, S.C.) 
The Artist-in-Residence studio space at the Park Circle Community Building, a state-of-the-art building that offers rehearsal space, flexible event space, as well as a history/archives repository. (Photo provided by North Charleston, S.C.)
