Q&A Spotlight With Senior Neal Rice
Neal Rice is what you’d call an overachiever. At the age of 22, he’s already opened his own art gallery, Beresford Studios, in the heart of downtown Charleston, all while taking a 17 credit hour course load at the College. Like many students in the Arts Management program, Neal grew up with a passion for the visual arts. But opening your own gallery in a vibrant art scene like Charleston’s is no small feat. What helped fuel his drive to embark on such an ambitious endeavor before he’d even graduated college? The Arts Management program had plenty to do with it.
“I was in the Gallery Fundamentals class,” Rice says. “We were learning about fundraising proposals, and it just kind of hit me. Rather than just stowing that information away for future use, I went home that night and began to write out a proposal for the gallery.”
The gallery he envisioned came to fruition in February with a successful opening which featured an exhibition from local artist Chambers Austelle. Rice plans to utilize the gallery as a singular showcase for artists, granting them full, month-long exhibitions.