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TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR DR. LEO TWIGGS, PROFESSOR EMERITUS AT SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY AND DISTINGUISHED ARTIST IN RESIDENCE AT CLAFLIN UNIVERSITY, FOR A LIFETIME OF CELEBRATED ART AND NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ARTS IN THE PALMETTO STATE AND ABROAD.
Whereas, the members of the South Carolina General Assembly are pleased to acknowledge native son Dr. Leo Twiggs for his significant contributions to the visual arts across the nation and around the world; and
Whereas, born in St. Stephen, he attended Berkeley County public schools and earned a bachelor's degree summa cum laude from Claflin University; and
Whereas, later Dr. Twiggs studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and earned a master's degree from New York University where he studied with Hale Woodruff, the acclaimed African-American painter and muralist; and
Whereas, he earned a doctorate in Art Education from the University of Georgia and became a professor of art at South Carolina State University, where he developed the Art Department and the I. P. Stanback Museum. In 2000, Dr. Twiggs was named Professor Emeritus at South Carolina State University, and he is also a distinguished artist in residence at Claflin University; and
Whereas, his paintings showcase a unique, innovative batik technique that he developed after several years of experimenting with the traditional medium, producing art work that has received international recognition; and
Whereas, Dr. Twiggs has given more than seventy-five one-man shows, including exhibits at the Studio Museum and the American Crafts Museum in New York and in United States embassies in Rome, Dakar, and Togoland, among others; and
Whereas, his work has been widely published in art textbooks and featured in several television documentaries. In 2002 and 2008, he was selected to design ornaments for the White House Christmas tree, and the Georgia Museum of Art organized a retrospective of his work that toured the Southeast from 2004 to 2006. His work is also featured in the National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington, D. C.; and
Whereas, among the numerous honors for his artistic endeavors, Dr. Twiggs was the first visual artist to receive the prestigious Verner Award, known as the Governor's Trophy, for his outstanding contributions to the arts in South Carolina, and in 2018, he was presented the 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art; and
Whereas, the South Carolina General Assembly is grateful for the lifetime of contribution to and impact on the visual arts that Leo Twiggs has made and for the years of dedicated teaching and mentoring he has invested in future artists in South Carolina. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:
That the members of the General Assembly, by this resolution, recognize and honor, Dr. Leo Twiggs, Professor Emeritus at South Carolina State University and Distinguished Artist in Residence at Claflin University, for a lifetime of celebrated art and notable contributions to the arts in the Palmetto State and abroad.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Dr. Leo Twiggs.
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