After 33 years serving as a teacher, school administrator and arts administrator, South Carolina Arts Commission Executive Director David Platts (pictured) will retire from public service effective August 2026.
“Serving this agency and working alongside such a dedicated, talented group of people has been one of the great privileges of my career. Together, we have strengthened support for artists, arts organizations and arts learning across the state and reaffirmed the essential role the arts play in the lives of South Carolinians. I’m deeply proud of what we’ve accomplished and am confident in the agency’s future,” Platts said.
At the regularly scheduled Thursday, Feb. 5 board meeting, the Arts Commission’s board discussed Platts’ retirement intentions in executive session. Upon emerging, a vote was taken publicly to affirm the appointment of Senior Deputy Director Ashley Brown as interim director into 2027.
“Approving a plan to appoint a well-known and highly regarded member of the Arts Commission’s executive team as interim director gives the Arts Commission stability as we undertake a search for the next executive director of the organization,” SCAC Board Chair Flavia Harton of Greenville said.
During Platts’ tenure, the Arts Commission expanded its annual budget from $7 million to $17 million, significantly increasing its capacity to serve the state’s creative sector. During this period, the agency successfully launched new initiatives including Creative Careers Studio, Creative Conversations, and South Carolina Arts Hubs. In addition, several new grant programs were established, including Emerging Artists, School Arts Support, Summer Arts Education Projects, Art of Community: Rural SC, and Barrier-Free Arts SC.
Eight months after Platts assumed leadership of the Arts Commission, the COVID-19 pandemic struck the nation. Under his leadership, the agency swiftly established emergency grant programs to support artists and arts organizations and served as a critical conduit connecting the arts community to additional emergency relief resources.
“The Arts Commission is grateful for David’s leadership. In six and a half years, he provided a steady hand through a pandemic, then led the agency through a groundbreaking, $20 million partnership with the South Carolina Department of Education that helped our teachers and students use the arts to address learning loss associated with COVID-19. We are obviously sad to lose him but given his accomplished resume and the distinct challenges of his tenure, he deserves the slower pace of retirement,” Harton said.
Brown will assume leadership of the agency on July 1 and will work in close partnership with the board of commissioners and Arts Commission staff to ensure a smooth and seamless transition.
“I am so appreciative of David and all he has done to ensure the arts remain an essential part of life in our state,” Brown said. “I am honored to build upon the strong foundation he has established and to work alongside our exceptional team to advance our strategic plan. Together, we will continue our mission to expand access to the arts and foster creativity for all South Carolinians.”