Two high school students, both planning to major in art next year when they go to college, have been awarded $1,000 by The Mary Wheeler Davis Memorial Fund for the Promotion of the Arts.
They are Kaleb Michael Dill of Landrum and Thaddeus John Troxell of Boiling Springs. This annual scholarship program is administered by Chapman Cultural Center, and the fund is held by The Spartanburg County Foundation.
Each year, one or more $1,000 scholarships are awarded to students pursuing college degrees in the visual or performing arts. The selection is based on the character, financial need, and artistic potential. Also, the scholarships are awarded based on the recommendations of a panel of community leaders with interest and expertise in the visual and performing arts. This scholarship was established in 1989 to honor the memory of Mary Wheeler Davis, a native of Charleston and the wife of Dr. William McAlhany Davis. She was a local community leader and involved in many Spartanburg arts organizations.
Dill is currently a senior at Landrum High School, and he plans to attend College of Charleston, next year to major in studio art with a concentration in photography. Eventually, he hopes to open his own photography business in Spartanburg. Dill’s accomplishments include a first-place in the Spartanburg Soil and Water Conservation photography competition for the past three years, and participation in various exhibits in the Upstate, Western North Carolina, and statewide South Carolina. In addition, one of his photographs will be published this fall in Photographer’s Forum Magazine, showcasing national high school and college students photography. Other exhibitions he has been a part of include the Wofford College Sandor Teszler Library Glendale Shoals Photography Gallery, the SC Wildlife Harry Hampton Photography Gallery, the Focus on Youth Juried Show at Chapman Cultural Center, Upstate High School Art Exhibit at Greenville Technical College, Evening of Excellence at Tryon Fine Arts Center, Milliken Art Gallery, and the Congressional Art Show. This year Dill received the Spartanburg District One Milliken Art Award.
Troxell is currently a senior at Boiling Spring High School and plans to major in either illustration or graphic design. He will also be attending Winthrop University with hope of transferring to Savannah College of Art and Design his sophomore year. His mediums so far have been pencil, digital, ceramics, and screen-printing. He would like to design movie posters or album covers of his favorite musical artists. His work has been seen in the Boiling Springs High School Literary Magazine and at Gallery East in Spartanburg. This summer he is the Graphics Manager for local Fine Arts Day Camp at Converse College and his work includes managing the camp’s social media sites. His private art teacher is Bailie of Spartanburg. He has also participated in live theatre, marching band, symphonic band, and will join the open mic club and radio station at Winthrop.
“Both of these young men are exceptional in their creativity,” Chapman’s Arts Education Director Ava Hughes said. “In looking at their work, I know they will go far in their careers, and it is my hope that this scholarship will make their educational journeys a little more secure. I believe Mary Wheeler Davis would be very proud to know she is being a part of these young men’s success.”
Applications to this scholarship program come due in April each year. For more information, please contact Hughes at (864) 278-9693.