South Carolina H 5724: Dr. Leo Twiggs

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 5724 Text of Previous Version (Jun. 25, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 5724

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A house RESOLUTION

TO HONOR AND CONGRATULATE DR. LEO TWIGGS FOR BEING 
CELEBRATED AT THE MEN'S MINISTRY OF NEW MOUNT ZION BAPTIST CHURCH "MEN OF 
EXCELLENCE" AWARDS GALA.

Whereas, the Men's 
Ministry of New Mount Zion Baptist Church honored Dr. Leo Twiggs at their "Men 
of Excellence" Awards Gala for his many years of influential work in the arts; and

Whereas, Leo Franklin 
Twiggs was born on February 13, 1934, in St. Stephen, as eldest of seven 
children. In tenth grade he assumed the role of head of the family after his 
father's passing, working six days a week at the local movie theater to help 
with the family finances; and

Whereas, he attended 
Claflin University in Orangeburg, where he majored in art, history, and 
English. He graduated summa cum laude in 1956 with a bachelor's degree. After 
serving in the Army Signal Corps and a brief time teaching at the high school 
level, he sought to further his education. With no state-sponsored graduate 
programs available to Black South Carolinians, he enrolled at New York 
University, where he studied under acclaimed artist Hale Woodruff, and in 1964 
he graduated with a master of arts degree; and

Whereas, Dr. Twiggs 
developed the Art Department at South Carolina State University, where he 
taught from 1964 until 1998. He also played a key role in establishing and 
directing the I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium on campus. Dr. Twiggs was 
named professor emeritus in 2000; and

Whereas, three years 
into his time at South Carolina State University, the University of Georgia 
invited him to enter their art education graduate program. For the following 
three years, Twiggs traveled between Athens and Orangeburg, and in 1970 became 
the first African American to earn a doctorate in art education from the 
institution; and

Whereas, in 1964 Dr. Twiggs 
began to experiment with the ancient process of batik, a traditional African 
method for decorating fabric using dye and wax. This process of painting 
allowed him to create the illusion of subtle textures. His chosen subject 
matter has included the iconography of the American Civil War, the Confederate 
flag, blues music, and rivers; and

Whereas, an acclaimed 
artist, Dr. Twiggs has been honored many times throughout his career. In 1981 
he was the first visual artist to receive the Elizabeth O'Neill Verner 
Governor's Award for outstanding contributions to the arts in South Carolina. 
In 2016 he was awarded the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina's highest 
civilian honor. In 2017 he received the Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's 
Award for the second time for lifetime achievement. In 2018 he was awarded the 
Society 1858 Prize, and in 2019 he was presented with the Georgia Museum of 
Art's prestigious Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Award; and

Whereas, as an artist, 
he is fueled by his encounters with the world through memory and imagination, 
and believes that to create lasting value, art must transcend and interpret the 
resilience of the human spirit. Dr. Twiggs' work has been the subject of over 
seventy one-man shows and has received international recognition, with 
exhibitions held at the Studio Museum in Harlem, the American Crafts Museum, 
and in United States Embassies all over the world. His images have been widely 
published in art textbooks and featured in several television documentaries; 
and

Whereas, recently, at 
the Gibbes Museum of Art, Dr. Twiggs' debuted an expansive new exhibit titled 
"Revelations: The Art of Leo Twiggs," which featured more than forty works that 
he created between 1961 and 2020. This exhibit showcased tender recollections, 
painful reminders, and future thoughts. The pieces chosen spanned many mediums, 
including batik on cotton, oil on canvas, mixed-media assemblage, and large 
photo reproductions of stained glass windows he designed for a chapel at 
Claflin University. "Revelations: The Art of Leo Twiggs" is the first major 
retrospective of Twiggs' work to be held in South Carolina; and

Whereas, the Men's 
Ministry of New Mount Zion Baptist Church "Men of Excellence" Awards Gala, held 
on June 20, 2026, honored Dr. Leo Twiggs and his inspiring living legacy. Now, 
therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the 
South Carolina House of Representatives, 
by this resolution, honor and congratulate Dr. Leo Twiggs for being celebrated 
at The Men's Ministry of New Mount Zion Baptist Church "Men of Excellence" 
Awards Gala.

Be it further resolved 
that a copy of this resolution be presented to Dr. Leo Franklin Twiggs. 

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