The Pickens County Museum of Art & History’s 44^th Annual Juried Art Competition opened on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, and the opening reception will be held on Saturday, October 10 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The reception is free to attend and will include free refreshments. The 6:30 p.m. awards ceremony will include a People’s Choice Award (with voting from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.) with a prize of $250, Third Place Award with a prize of $500, Second Place Award with a prize of $750, and First Place Award with a prize of $1,000.

The original artwork, which will be on display through November 14, was chosen from hundreds of entries from across the state. Jurors for the competition are Erin Spainhour, Executive Director of the Anderson Arts Center, and Tracey Weiss, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at the Anderson Arts Center.

Nick McKinney, Director of The Pickens County Museum of Art & History, spoke with The Pickens County Chronicle on October 7 about this year’s show. “We’re excited to continue to celebrate the arts across South Carolina and to be able to expose different mediums and different artists to the residents of Pickens County and the Upstate of South Carolina, and we’re very grateful to Erin and Tracey from the Anderson Arts Center for jurying this year’s show. We’re very excited to continue the tradition of the Juried Art Competition.”

The Pickens County Museum of Art & History is located at 307 Johnson Street, at the corner of Johnson Street and Pendleton Street (Highway 178), across from Pickens City Hall. The museum’s regular hours are Wednesdays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.