NEWS & VIEWS
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10.13.2023
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10.23.2024
The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette
By Ryan Copeland
FEBRUARY 13, 2019 01:06 PM
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Bluffton Trumpeter Finds Music, Friends and His Fate Playing the Big Band Sound
It’s a good thing for Lowcountry listeners that trumpeter Jeff Shawd’s doctor was wrong.
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As an asthmatic child, Shawd was told by his physician to learn to swim or to play a wind instrument, “but you’ll never be good at either.” Now, decades later, Shawd finds himself squarely in the middle of a post-retirement career as a bandleader for the Evolution Big Band, a local jazz band that almost exclusively performs — without pay — on behalf of charities.
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“I had no clue I’d be this busy,” said Shawd. “None of this was ever planned.”
What is planned, however, is a concert by Evolution next week that features contemporary spins on jazz classics benefiting the Beaufort Arts Council, of which Shawd is also the current chair. It’s part of Shawd’s mission to help expand awareness of the BAC beyond just an advocacy group for the visual arts.
Not bad for guy from small-town Iowa who’s been playing the trumpet since that fateful, early childhood visit to the doctor’s office. Back then, he learned to play his instrument as part of a school band that played jazz out of necessity since they didn’t have enough members for a full showcase band.
Shawd — his lungs fully expanded — played his way into the high school band by the time he was in the seventh grade. He was also quarterback of the football team, watching his teammates enter the locker room at halftime while he grabbed his instrument to play in the band performance midfield.
“I just tend to jump into those lead roles when I get the opportunity,” he said.
By his senior year, his band had won a state competition and he had earned a scholarship to Drake University. While there, however, he discovered a predilection for business, and after graduation, spent years in the corporate world working for monoliths like Wells Fargo, DuPont and General Electric.
He never lost his lip, however, and put it to use again when he and his family made the move here several years ago.
After sitting in with a small group, he started getting calls asking him to join the larger ensemble. Since then, it’s been a whirlwind of calendar dates in his role as co-director and lead trumpeter of Evolution.
“I live in a golf community and never even have time to golf,” said Shawd.
He does, however, get to spend his time around what he calls the “passionate, talented people” who make up the rest of the Evolution Big Band. Like him, most are retirees who get together once a week for full rehearsals, a time Shawd finds both “challenging and gratifying.”
The band not only helps local charities with fundraising events, but the brass and strings and keys and percussion join forces in a swinging, harmonious blend to help spread the love of Big Band music. You know — the kind played by Glenn Miller and Jimmy Dorsey and other bands you hear only on scattered public radio stations at odd hours.
You’ll have your chance to pick out the standard melodies — some in newer arrangements— for $25 a ticket at the Technical College of the Lowcountry at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21.
After all, it’s those audience reactions — when someone claps or dances along to a recognizable tune within a contemporary format — that Shawd seeks. It’s the kind he probably never thought he’d still be able to get when he was wearing a suit and tie every day in corporate America.
At the very least, he’s probably breathing easier these days.
“Fate has a way of connecting you to your purpose.” said Shawd. “I don’t know that it gets much better.”
Editorial
10.27.2018
Beaufort County Arts Council Rises and Reenergizes a Vibrant Arts Community
By Jeff Shawd
Chairman of the Board
Beaufort County Arts Council
Stories about turnarounds are more common in business than in the arts community. We are fortunate the arts have played a vibrant role in Beaufort County as the area has grown. But it hasn’t always been easy.
Since its founding in 1991, the Arts Council of Beaufort County, commonly known as the Beaufort Arts Council, has served the artistic communities in the region. In 2016, the organization moved out of its offices in downtown Beaufort and changed its mission to focus on artist and community outreach efforts.
The following year, the Arts Council moved into new office space on the campus of the Technical College of the Lowcountry and embarked on what has become a valuable partnership. It provided room for an art gallery and numerous classes and workshops. The new space also became the home of the Mather Interpretive Center in honor of Rachel Crane Mather, who in 1867, created a school to educate the daughters of liberated slaves. Alumni from the Mather School and volunteers operate the museum and give tours.
In 2018, a new board of directors was recruited to lead the Beaufort Arts Council. This board reflects a diversity of experiences in business, marketing, fundraising, education and history, along with a common passion for the arts in the community.
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The board recently completed an assessment of its brand and how the organization could operate to provide an important and unique role in the arts community. Arts encompass multiple disciplines — visual arts, music, dance, theater, literary and culinary artists, and more. They reflect the creative spirit of our community and how people express themselves.
Now an all-volunteer organization, the Beaufort Arts Council is a resource for artists throughout the county. The organization fosters a creative environment, encouraging residents and visitors alike to share their artistic skills and experiences. A robust schedule of classes and workshops has been created, ranging from painting and drawing, to photography and how to build a successful arts business. Throughout the year, we have many events planned which are too numerous to mention here.
The Beaufort Arts Council today has ongoing relationships with members, artists, schools and businesses to reinforce the value of the arts and the communities it serves. Consistent with our mission and brand, we have created a new logo and website to reflect the diverse stakeholders we serve in an open and inclusive manner.
We are focused on providing fresh programming that is relevant to the needs of Beaufort County with engaging classes, workshops and events. In the coming months, we also plan to hold a variety of entertaining and educational fundraising events, including a “Showtime at the Apollo” talent show, a “Harlem Renaissance Afternoon of Jazz,” and a concert featuring the popular Evolution Big Band.
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The building also serves as an arts incubator that provides space for meetings, workshops, artist collaboration, and music rehearsals. Like the communities we serve, the offices at the Beaufort Arts Council are vibrant once again. A new community mural also is in process on the campus of the Technical College of the Lowcountry, creating a lasting honor to the history of Beaufort while showcasing the talents of many local artists and volunteers.
Even with so many options available to experience the arts, sometimes we take for granted the big part they play in our lives. A vibrant arts culture is attractive not only to people in our community, but also when people are deciding where to work and live, the arts are one of the factors they consider.
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As chairman, I have the unique opportunity to blend my Fortune 50 career as a business and marketing executive with my passion as a professional trumpet player. The thriving arts culture is one of the reasons my family chose to live in this region. I play lead trumpet for multiple groups and musical productions, including the Evolution Big Band and at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina. My role with the Beaufort Arts Council requires a mix of business acumen, leadership and creative talent, and I am fortunate to work with an organization where diverse backgrounds and interests can flourish.
Editorial
02.05.2019
Arts Council Mural Vandalism Brings Out
True Meaning of Community
By Jeff Shawd
Chairman of the Board
Beaufort County Arts Council
It’s been said that challenging times don’t create our character; rather, challenging times reveal our character.
When the mural painting in the tunnel connecting the Technical College of the Lowcountry (TCL) under Ribaut Road was recently vandalized, the local community responded swiftly, passionately and in unison about its support for this work-in-process tribute to Beaufort’s history.
Area artists and volunteers have worked for nearly two years to create a visual story about our heritage, beginning with Rachel Crane Mather, a Boston school teacher and missionary who came to Beaufort during the 1860s and founded a school to educate the daughters of enslaved people; to portraying some of the city’s modern day achievers in sports, music, and literary arts. The Beaufort Arts Council, which is creating the mural in partnership with TCL, simply refers to it as “The Community Mural Project.” The first phase of the project was on target to be completed in February.
In the early morning hours, two vandals entered the tunnel and splattered the walls and images with blue and green paint, damaging countless hours of creative work and progress -- and potentially dampening the spirit of its artists and the people it is intended to inspire. In response, the Beaufort community raised its collective voice on social media, generating more than 33,000 views and postings of the security camera images clearly showing the vandals in action. In a matter of hours, they turned themselves in to TCL and Arts Council officials.
Coretta Scott King once said, “The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.”
Bad things do happen to good organizations and people. How we respond to them defines our community character and the quality of life we enjoy. As simple as it may sound, “Community Mural Project,” accurately and proudly describes our work and its supporters. For example, in support of our artists and their safety, TCL plans to install another high-definition surveillance camera inside the tunnel. The local arts community will be painting the east entrance to the tunnel and installing landscaping to protect the mural from water damage. We estimate a need of $20,000 to $30,000 to complete the next phase.
The Beaufort Arts Council provides an important and unique role in the arts community. The Arts encompass multiple disciplines — visual arts, music, dance, theater, literary and culinary artists, and more. They reflect the creative spirit of our community and how people express themselves.
The Beaufort area community has expressed its support of the Arts Council. A fundraising event held last month, “Harlem Renaissance, An Afternoon of Jazz,” highlighted the work of the council, while providing musical entertainment by some of the top musicians in the region. Details about the event can be found on our Facebook page and website (www.beaufortartscouncil.org).
We are fortunate to have so many artists and volunteers showcase their diverse talents. We are also blessed to be part of a local community that is a strong advocate and supporter for the Arts. Thank you for stepping up and revealing your high-quality character. We are proud to serve you.