The Elizabeth Behind Elizabeth: ArtSpace

My Elizabeth (we all have one right?!), is spirited and forthright. She is funny and intelligent. She is the person that so many want to have as a friend, because she is honest and true. She won’t put up with shenanigans but will love you through any storm. This Elizabeth, my Elizabeth, can cook, create, balance your books, and inspire your dreams. 

From the beginning, she did things her own way, never taking the easy path. She stood out when it was easier to blend in. As a student, she excelled, and by her senior year of high school, she was breaking barriers—literally. She helped integrate one of her small town’s downtown shops, standing her ground as people stopped to stare through the windows at her. She was ballsy then, and she’s ballsy now.

After graduating, she set her sights on one of the epicenters of the civil rights movement—South Carolina State College. She enrolled in the fall of 1968, just months after the Orangeburg Massacre, where three students were killed, and twenty-eight others were injured for protesting segregation. When asked why she chose to attend, her response was simple: “I wanted to go where things were happening.”

Years later, as a single mother, she didn’t just make ends meet—she built a life and encouraged her quirky kid (me) to chase happiness, even when the path was unconventional. Her ability to turn necessity into innovation shaped not only my life but also the lives of so many others. She saw people not just for who they were but for who they could be. And that unwavering belief became their salvation.

I grew up in a generation that was told “to stay in a child’s place” and that your parents were not any of “your little friends’. I am so grateful that my mother did not allow me to be her friend in my childhood, because it has made becoming her friend now, as an adult, so much sweeter. We can share experiences of heartbreak and healing with much more grace, goodwill, and understanding. 

Now, as a grandmother, Elizabeth has stepped into a new role—one of wisdom, warmth, and unconditional joy. In her world, “spoiling” is a myth, and laughter is the norm. She is softer but still no one to play with.

The other day, my youngest child pondered something: “Most people aren’t famous. Most people won’t be known.” I agreed—most people won’t have their names in lights or history books. But I told her this: their impact will be felt. Their love, their influence, their presence will shape lives in ways that are more meaningful than fame ever could.

So how does my Elizabeth translate into an art space? It wasn’t easy to distill her essence into a mission statement or executive summary. But when I stripped everything down to its core, I was left with two unwavering truths:

• What Elizabeth: ArtSpace would be.
• What it would never be.

Elizabeth: ArtSpace – More Than a Gallery

Elizabeth: ArtSpace (EAS) is becoming a living, breathing embodiment of that same spirit—bold, welcoming, and unapologetically true to itself. It exists at the intersection of fine art, storytelling, and immersive experiences, offering space that is both sophisticated and accessible.

Inspired by the energy of Spoleto Festival USA, ArtFields, and South Arts, EAS is dedicated to bringing fine art into communities across the Southeast, with a focus on uplifting rural artists and underrepresented voices. But its mission goes beyond exhibitions. EAS is an advocate, a connector, and a facilitator of meaningful artistic engagement.

Art is more than something to be looked at—it’s something to be felt, experienced, and lived. That’s why EAS is committed to expanding access to art, ensuring it reaches people who might otherwise never have the opportunity to engage with it.

A Celebration of a My Muse

So today, I invite you to celebrate with me—not just an art space in the making, but the woman who inspires it all.

She is a regular woman.

And yet, she is anything but average.

Elizabeth.