A house RESOLUTION

 

TO HONOR AND CONGRATULATE DR. LEO TWIGGS FOR BEING CELEBRATED AT THE MEN'S MINISTRY OF NEW MOUNT ZION BAPTIST CHURCH "MEN OF EXCELLENCE" AWARDS GALA.

 

Whereas, the Men's Ministry of New Mount Zion Baptist Church honored Dr. Leo Twiggs at their "Men of Excellence" Awards Gala for his many years of influential work in the arts; and

 

Whereas, Leo Franklin Twiggs was born on February 13, 1934, in St. Stephen, as eldest of seven children. In tenth grade he assumed the role of head of the family after his father's passing, working six days a week at the local movie theater to help with the family finances; and

 

Whereas, he attended Claflin University in Orangeburg, where he majored in art, history, and English. He graduated summa cum laude in 1956 with a bachelor's degree. After serving in the Army Signal Corps and a brief time teaching at the high school level, he sought to further his education. With no state-sponsored graduate programs available to Black South Carolinians, he enrolled at New York University, where he studied under acclaimed artist Hale Woodruff, and in 1964 he graduated with a master of arts degree; and

 

Whereas, Dr. Twiggs developed the Art Department at South Carolina State University, where he taught from 1964 until 1998. He also played a key role in establishing and directing the I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium on campus. Dr. Twiggs was named professor emeritus in 2000; and

 

Whereas, three years into his time at South Carolina State University, the University of Georgia invited him to enter their art education graduate program. For the following three years, Twiggs traveled between Athens and Orangeburg, and in 1970 became the first African American to earn a doctorate in art education from the institution; and

 

Whereas, in 1964 Dr. Twiggs began to experiment with the ancient process of batik, a traditional African method for decorating fabric using dye and wax. This process of painting allowed him to create the illusion of subtle textures. His chosen subject matter has included the iconography of the American Civil War, the Confederate flag, blues music, and rivers; and

 

Whereas, an acclaimed artist, Dr. Twiggs has been honored many times throughout his career. In 1981 he was the first visual artist to receive the Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Award for outstanding contributions to the arts in South Carolina. In 2016 he was awarded the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina's highest civilian honor. In 2017 he received the Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Award for the second time for lifetime achievement. In 2018 he was awarded the Society 1858 Prize, and in 2019 he was presented with the Georgia Museum of Art's prestigious Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Award; and

 

Whereas, as an artist, he is fueled by his encounters with the world through memory and imagination, and believes that to create lasting value, art must transcend and interpret the resilience of the human spirit. Dr. Twiggs' work has been the subject of over seventy one-man shows and has received international recognition, with exhibitions held at the Studio Museum in Harlem, the American Crafts Museum, and in United States Embassies all over the world. His images have been widely published in art textbooks and featured in several television documentaries; and

 

Whereas, recently, at the Gibbes Museum of Art, Dr. Twiggs' debuted an expansive new exhibit titled "Revelations: The Art of Leo Twiggs," which featured more than forty works that he created between 1961 and 2020. This exhibit showcased tender recollections, painful reminders, and future thoughts. The pieces chosen spanned many mediums, including batik on cotton, oil on canvas, mixed-media assemblage, and large photo reproductions of stained glass windows he designed for a chapel at Claflin University. "Revelations: The Art of Leo Twiggs" is the first major retrospective of Twiggs' work to be held in South Carolina; and

 

Whereas, the Men's Ministry of New Mount Zion Baptist Church "Men of Excellence" Awards Gala, held on June 20, 2026, honored Dr. Leo Twiggs and his inspiring living legacy. Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

 

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, honor and congratulate Dr. Leo Twiggs for being celebrated at The Men's Ministry of New Mount Zion Baptist Church "Men of Excellence" Awards Gala.

 

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Dr. Leo Franklin Twiggs.

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