The Driven by the Arts plate is the only South Carolina design whose proceeds are dedicated to arts education, and it is also one of the few with a split order route. Numbers below two hundred come from the South Carolina Arts Commission; the rest come from the Department of Motor Vehicles. That arrangement makes the plate a small piece of arts policy as well as a registration tag, and it describes why two buyers with the same car can pay different totals for the same design.
The face itself has a documented history. A Manning artist won a statewide design competition, two residents supplied the slogan, and the plate was unveiled at the Columbia Museum of Art in 2007. The sections below cover that design story, the sixty-dollar share that funds school programs, the two numbering routes and the production wait that follows an order.
The Design and Its History
The plate began as an Arts Awareness design authorized by the General Assembly in 2005. The Arts Commission opened the design to a public competition. It invited artists, graphic designers and students across the state to submit proposals, then had a committee of arts organizations and state agencies pick the winner.
The Palmetto and Crescent
The winning artwork uses the state’s familiar palmetto and crescent, outlined in shades of blue rather than filled in as solid shapes. Newspaper coverage at the unveiling described that treatment directly, which makes the design one of the few specialty plates with a documented visual description. The symbols are state emblems, not a sponsor logo. Because the outline leaves the background visible, the plate reads differently in bright light than a solid-color design would.
The Artist Behind the Design
Ned Chilton, an artist from Manning, submitted the design that the committee selected from nearly forty entries. The commission recognized him at the unveiling, along with the two residents who wrote the winning slogan. His name is part of the plate’s public record, which is unusual for a state license plate. The selection gave the design a named author at a time when most specialty plates were credited only to an organization.
Why the State Chose a Contest
A competition was a way to make the plate belong to the arts community rather than to a single agency. The commission invited artists, graphic designers and students to submit proposals, which widened the field beyond professional illustrators. The South Carolina license plate home page covers the wider picture. A committee representing arts organizations and state agencies judged the entries, so the choice carried outside endorsement. The process also produced a public story that the commission could use when promoting sales.
The Slogan Contest
The words Driven by the Arts came from a separate competition that drew more than two hundred entries. Eric Holowacz, then residing in New Zealand, and Columbia resident Leigh Newman submitted the winning line, and both were recognized at the unveiling. The slogan sits on the plate as a phrase rather than as a program name.
The 2007 Unveiling
The plate was revealed on February 6, 2007, at the Columbia Museum of Art during a ceremony and sale presented by the South Carolina Arts Foundation. Orders opened through the Arts Commission before the design reached DMV stock in the months that followed. That event is the point where the contest entries became an issued plate. It combined a ceremony with a sale, and the commission took orders for the new design from that point.
What the Plate Pays For
The design exists to move money into arts learning, and the statute and the department describe that purpose in similar terms. Sixty dollars of the seventy-dollar special fee is directed to schools and communities for K-12 arts education. The remaining portion covers the state’s cost of producing and administering the plate.
In-School Artist Residencies
The Arts Commission lists in-school artist residencies among the programs supported by plate sales. A residency places a working artist in a school for a period of instruction rather than a single assembly. The money helps pay for that programming, which is why the commission markets the design to educators and parents as well as to drivers.
The Arts in Basic Curriculum
Sales also support the Arts in Basic Curriculum Institute, which provides leadership for comprehensive arts education in dance, music, theatre, visual arts and creative writing. The institute works with schools and districts rather than with individual drivers. Its name appears in the commission’s own description of the plate, not in the statute. The institute is named alongside the residency programs, so the plate supports both direct classroom work and curriculum leadership.
The Sixty Dollar Share
The department states that sixty dollars of the seventy-dollar fee goes to schools and communities for K-12 arts education. That leaves ten dollars for production and administration, a split a buyer can compare against other designs. The share is part of the plate’s published description, so it does not depend on a separate appropriation.
The Ten Dollars That Stay
The department identifies sixty dollars of the seventy-dollar fee as the schools share, which leaves ten dollars on the state side. The specialty license plate is described on its own page. The gallery does not break that remainder down line by line, and it should not be read as a second donation to arts programming. A buyer comparing the plate with a direct gift can treat the remainder as the cost of issuing and maintaining the plate.
What the Agency Reports
A 2021 legislative oversight response put the commission’s annual plate income at roughly ten thousand dollars, with about eighty-seven hundred dollars recorded for 2020 and ten thousand three hundred for 2019. Those figures show the scale: the plate is a steady supplement rather than a major funding stream. The agency reports the income within its other funds. The response was prepared for a legislative oversight committee reviewing agency revenue, which is why the figures sit outside the commission’s ordinary budget summary.
Two Ways to Get a Number
The numbering split is the part of this plate that surprises buyers. Low numbers are held by the Arts Commission and released for a donation, while the rest of the sequence belongs to the department. The table below shows the two routes and what each one adds to the standard plate fee.
| Route | Where the order goes | What it adds | What the buyer gets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number below 200 | SC Arts Commission form | $100 one-time donation plus the plate fee | A low number assigned in order received |
| Number 200 and up | SCDMV, online or Form MV-95 | The plate fee only | The next number in the state sequence |
| Registration | SCDMV | $40 for a passenger car | Two years of registration |
Numbers Below 200
The Arts Commission holds the low end of the sequence and offers those numbers for a one-time donation of one hundred dollars, plus the seventy-dollar specialty fee that renews every two years. Numbers are assigned in the order the forms arrive, so the number is not guaranteed. The order form comes from the commission rather than from a branch.
Numbers From 200 Up
A driver who does not want a low number can order through the department like any other specialty design. A separate page describes the personalized license plate. The seventy-dollar fee applies, the number comes from the state sequence, and no donation is involved. The gallery entry for the plate links to the online store as well as to the paper application.
A Number Is Not a Registration
A low number is a plate number, not a separate registration class. The vehicle still needs a valid title and registration, and the plate still expires at the end of the registration month. Buying a low number does not extend the cycle or exempt the car from property tax. The commission’s form covers the number and the plate fee, while the registration work stays with the department.
The One-Time Donation
The hundred-dollar donation is separate from the plate fee and is paid once, while the plate fee returns at each two-year renewal. The commission connects the low-number sales to the South Carolina Arts Foundation, which supports the agency’s work. A buyer should keep the two amounts distinct when comparing this route with a standard order.
Which Route to Choose
A driver who wants the design and nothing more should use the department, because it is simpler and cheaper. A driver who wants a low number, or who wants the extra hundred dollars to reach the foundation, should use the commission’s form. Neither route changes the design on the plate or the registration period. A buyer can switch routes later only by giving up the low number, so the choice is worth making before the first order.
Ordering and Production Timing
Both routes end with a plate produced to order, so neither one puts metal on the car the same day. Separate guidance covers license plate fees. The difference is where the application is reviewed and how the number is assigned. Planning the order around the registration cycle avoids a gap between paying and displaying.
The Special Plate Application
The paper route uses Form MV-95, the same specialty application used for other designs. The driver writes Driven by the Arts in the plate request field, adds the vehicle and insurance details, and mails the form with payment to the specialty unit. A branch can also accept the form for this design.
Online or at a Branch
The department’s gallery entry offers an online purchase link for the plate, and a branch visit works as well. Online ordering is fastest when the registration record is clean and the address is current. A branch is better when the vehicle record needs a correction before the order can proceed.
What the Branch Can Check
A branch can confirm that the design is in production, that the vehicle class fits the specialty rules and that the registration record is current. It cannot reserve a number below two hundred or review the commission’s donation. A driver who has already ordered a low number should bring the commission paperwork so the clerk can match the two records.
How Long Production Takes
Specialty plates are manufactured after the order is accepted, and the wait is usually measured in weeks rather than days. The commission route adds a stage, because the low-number request is reviewed before it reaches the department. A buyer should ask for the current estimate rather than rely on a figure from an older post. The branch can also say whether the order has been accepted and whether the blank has been stamped.
What to Drive in the Meantime
The vehicle stays registered while the specialty plate is produced, and the existing plate remains valid until the new one is issued. A driver who has already surrendered a plate should ask the branch about a temporary tag. Driving without a valid plate because an order is pending is not an option.
Cost, Renewal and Personalization
The plate carries a seventy-dollar special fee on top of the registration, and the fee returns with each renewal rather than being charged once. The low-number donation is the only part that does not repeat. Knowledge which line renews prevents a surprise at the next cycle.
The Seventy Dollar Line
Seventy dollars is the specialty amount for this design, and the department’s gallery states it as a two-year charge. It is not the total on the receipt, because the registration is added. A truck pays a different registration amount, but the arts line stays at seventy dollars. The gallery lists the same amount for every county, so the buyer’s location does not change it.
Paying at the Counter or by Mail
Counters accept the specialty application with payment in one visit, and the receipt shows the registration and plate lines together. A mailed order separates the two, because the payment covers the total while the plate arrives later. A driver paying by mail should keep a copy of the form and the payment record, since the branch cannot see the postal side of the transaction.
The Registration Underneath
Two years of passenger car registration adds forty dollars, so a first order reaches one hundred ten dollars before any low-number donation. A light truck follows its gross vehicle weight instead. The registration portion goes to the state rather than to arts programming.
Renewal Every Two Years
Renewal tracks the registration calendar, and the seventy-dollar line reappears on the notice. Remitting only the base registration can drop the artwork from the record. The low-number donation is not collected again, because it was a one-time payment at the start. A driver who lets the design drop returns to a standard plate and gives up the number along with the artwork.
Personalized Text on an Arts Plate
The department’s entry for this design does not advertise a personalized version, even though other specialty plates allow text. A driver who wants both the artwork and a chosen combination should ask the branch whether the plate class accepts personalization. The personalization amount, where offered, is charged on top of the design fee.
Mistakes and Loose Ends
The errors that matter with this plate involve the two routes and the renewal line. A driver who assumes one route covers the other, or who lets the design fall off the record, ends up paying more than expected. The fixes are straightforward once the split is clear.
Assuming the Donation Replaces the Fee
The hundred-dollar donation buys a low number; it does not pay the seventy-dollar plate fee or the registration. A buyer who sends only the donation will have an incomplete order. The commission’s form and the department’s receipt both treat the amounts as separate lines.
Asking a Branch for a Low Number
A branch cannot assign a number below two hundred, because that part of the sequence is held by the Arts Commission. A driver who asks at the counter will be offered the next state number instead. The low-number request has to go through the commission’s own form.
The Version You Will Receive
The plate on the road today is not necessarily the one photographed at the 2007 unveiling. The department’s gallery shows the current production version, and that image is the better guide when ordering. A driver who wants a particular look should check the gallery rather than an old news photograph. The design has stayed recognizably the same, but production artwork can be refreshed.
When the Car Changes Hands
The plate belongs to the registration rather than to the vehicle, so the seller keeps it and may carry it to another car of the same class in the same name. The next owner must obtain a plate tied to their own registration. Leaving the arts plate on a sold car creates a mismatch that the next owner has to resolve.
Official SCDMV Sources
The fee, the vehicle class and the order routes come from the department’s plate gallery and specialty application. The design history and the low-number program come from the South Carolina Arts Commission, which administers that part of the sequence. Last verified: October of this year.
- SCDMV Plate Galleryhttps://dmv.sc.gov/vehicle-owners/registration/plate-gallery
- SCDMV Specialty Plate Application (MV-95)https://dmv.sc.gov/sites/scdmv/files/2026-10/MV-95%20Application%20for%20Specialty%20License%20Plates%20%2806_2026%29.pdf
- SCDMV Feeshttps://dmv.sc.gov/fees
Frequently Asked Questions
The questions below cover the fee, the fund, the low-number route and the design history. Those are the four topics readers raise most often.
How much does the Driven by the Arts plate cost?
Seventy dollars is the specialty charge for each two-year term. Two years of passenger car registration adds forty dollars, bringing a first order to about one hundred ten dollars. A number below two hundred adds a one-time hundred-dollar donation to the Arts Foundation.
Where does the sixty dollars go?
The department states that sixty dollars of each seventy-dollar specialty fee supports K-12 arts education in schools and communities. The Arts Commission describes the money as funding in-school artist residencies and the Arts in Basic Curriculum Institute. The remaining ten dollars covers production and administration of the plate.
Can I choose a low plate number?
Numbers below two hundred are assigned by the South Carolina Arts Commission rather than by a DMV branch. The request requires the commission’s order form and a one-time hundred-dollar donation, plus the standard plate fee. Numbers are assigned in the order the forms arrive, so the number is not guaranteed.
Who designed the Driven by the Arts plate?
Ned Chilton, an artist from Manning, created the design selected from nearly forty entries by a committee of arts organizations and state agencies. The slogan came from a separate contest won by Eric Holowacz and Columbia resident Leigh Newman. The plate was unveiled in February 2007.
Does the plate renew every two years?
Yes. The seventy-dollar specialty fee returns with each biennial renewal while the design stays on the registration, and the plate expires at the end of the registration month. The hundred-dollar donation for a low number is paid once and does not appear again on later renewals.