Arts Educator

Orangeburg native Mac Arthur Goodwin devoted his life to helping others express themselves through the visual and performing arts. He taught at every level from kindergarten through higher education, spent nearly two decades promoting arts education for the South Carolina Department of Education, and served in key leadership positions for numerous state and national arts organizations. 

In South Carolina, Goodwin helped establish the Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities and the Arts in the Basic Curriculum (ABC) Project. He played a pivotal role in securing categorical funding for arts education and chaired the South Carolina Alliance for Arts Education. 

Beyond the Palmetto State, Goodwin served as president of the National Arts Educators Association, and chaired the Consortium of National Professional Arts Associations. He collaborated with numerous groups, including the Educational Testing Service, to enhance arts education assessments and professional teaching standards.  

Goodwin considered chairing the South Carolina African American History Monument Citizens Advisory Committee as his most challenging yet rewarding endeavor. He aimed to create a meaningful representation of African Americans’ history in South Carolina on the Capitol grounds.

In recognition of his commitment to arts education, the Columbia Museum of Art established the Mac Arthur Goodwin Award in 2002, presented annually to an individual demonstrating a significant commitment to this field. Goodwin himself received numerous accolades, including the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest honor and the Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Award, the Governor’s Award in the Arts.

An accomplished painter and printmaker, Goodwin frequently included images of the marabou stork in his works. He enjoyed the challenge of transforming a traditionally unattractive subject into aesthetically pleasing art, believing in the deeper, spiritual truths revealed through such artistic endeavors. 

A student leader in the civil rights movement during the turbulent 1960s, Goodwin obtained his academic degrees from Claflin University and the University of South Carolina.