Liam Giblin was awarded The Society of Bluffton Artists (SOBA) Naomi McCracken Scholarship during a special reception June 17 at the SOBA gallery in Old Town Bluffton.

The scholarship is presented every year to a deserving local high school graduate who is pursuing a major in the art field at the college level. Giblin was an AP student who graduated from Bluffton High School in the top 10% of his class. In addition to art, Giblin participated in marching band and orchestra. He also volunteered at Heroes on Horseback.

Giblin plans to attend Winthrop University in Rock Hill with a major in illustration. Giblin enjoys working in black and white with ink washes, as well as charcoal. 

Emmett McCracken, whose mother was a founding member of SOBA, and Mary Ann Burgeson, president of SOBA, presented Giblin with the scholarship award. He plans to pursue a career in newspapers and magazines.

Naomi McCracken was one of the founding members of SOBA. When Naomi passed away in 2006 her family requested that in lieu of flowers donations should be made to SoBA. In the spring of 2007, her son, Emmitt McCracken, and Dave Dickson, then president of SoBA, established the scholarship program for a graduating senior who planned to further their studies in the field of art. 

For so many years that we have lost count, The Society of Bluffton Artists Gallery was voted “Best Gallery” Bluffton by the readers of Hilton Head Monthly and Bluffton Monthly Magazines again in 2021. SOBA Gallery enjoys a prime position at the corner of Calhoun and Church Streets in Old Town Bluffton and is the anchor of the rapidly growing Arts District located there. With its wide front porches and brightly colored murals, SOBA Gallery attracts visitors and locals alike who come to browse hundreds of works by local Lowcountry artists. Part of the reason SOBA Gallery is so popular is because they change their exhibit completely each and every month, ensuring that you will find something new and exciting when ever you visit. Original oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel and many other medium paintings that depict a wide variety of styles and genres are on display and open to the public 7 days a week. As well as handmade jewelry, pottery, wood carvings, stained glass, and ceramics.

The Society of Bluffton Artists also runs an art school located directly next door to the gallery. The one room, charming, Lowcountry schoolhouse building is the site of adult classes and workshops as well as children’s classes and birthday parties.

Be sure to stop by the gallery each time you are in Bluffton. There is always something new!

SEE THE 2021 READERS CHOICE AWARD WINNERS HERE