One Columbia for Arts and Culture

One Columbia for Arts & Culture is a non-profit organization that serves as the local arts agency for Columbia, South Carolina. Our mission is to advise, amplify and advocate for the arts and historic preservation community. We work to promote collaboration through shared celebrations of Columbia's cultural treasures with the goal of raising the quality of life for our citizens, attracting tourist dollars to our city, and further enhancing our vibrant city.

One Columbia serves the City of Columbia by making the arts visible and accessible to residents and visitors. Over the ten years that the organization has existed, it has created programs and projects that have brought more attention to the wealth of talent and breadth of organizations that operate in Columbia. A primary focus of the organization continues to focus on sharing the vast number of cultural activities through a unified cultural calendar on the One Columbia website, social media, and other targeted campaigns. The organization facilitates the installation of permanent public art and identifies new ways to integrate cultural experiences into the daily lives of Columbians and tourists to the city. We maintain an artist roster, provide professional development activities to artists and promote the work of local visual and performing artists.

Testimonials

The organization has facilitated over 60 permanent public art pieces, showcasing local talent and sharing Columbia's cultural stories with tourists. Iconic works include a Five Points mural, Lady Street sculptures, and interactive Main Street artworks.

It established the City Poet Laureate position, first held by Dr. Ed Madden. It recently managed the selection of Jennifer Bartell Boykin, who will focus on neighborhood-based activities.

One Columbia also oversaw the selection of an artist for three sculptures at Boyd Island, enhancing the riverfront landscape.