by Ben Tarcson | Mar 20, 2024 | What Will You Create Today?
In an illuminating conversation with GCCA’s Gallery Director, 2024 Brandon Fellow Kephira Davis provides insight into the Brandon Fellowship at GCCA, the evolution of her art practice, and the profound influence of family on her artwork. As she continues to navigate her Fellowship experience until August, her dedication to authenticity and meaningful storytelling shines through, promising a future in the world of contemporary art.
Kephira in studio. Photo credit: Gwinn Davis.
Ben Tarcson, Gallery Director: Kephira, could you provide a snapshot of where you are in regards to your journey within the Brandon Fellowship?
Kephira Davis: Throughout all the experiences I have been exposed to, between jumping into teaching for the first time, creating designs for murals, or getting into my first solo exhibition, I have found that my main interest lies in the dynamic between being a full-time artist and gallery work. Half way through my Fellowship, I have my first solo exhibition at the Warehouse Theatre opening on April 4th, which I am very excited for! I also had the opportunity to join this year’s community gallery review committee at GCCA where I served as a panelist choosing the upcoming exhibition schedule through August 2025. Another new opportunity arose where the other Fellows and I have been given the opportunity to curate an online exhibition through GCCA that will open in July.
Ben Tarcson, Gallery Director: Have there been any moments or experiences during your Fellowship that may have opened new doorways for you career-wise?
Kephira Davis: I did not expect to like teaching children. The Brandon Fellowship has given me the opportunity to teach after-school workshops through GCCA’s Aspiring Artist program at two of our local community centers. Initially, the idea of teaching was daunting and scary. I didn’t want to mess up but I quickly learned how impactful my artistic knowledge was on shifting the children’s perspective on how they can creatively problem solve and make art. From these workshops, I have actually started teaching workshops at Wine and Paint establishments now too. On a separate note, it has been very odd that I am getting recognized as both a Brandon Fellow and visual artist around Greenville. Not that getting recognized is a bad thing but it was shocking at first. I have better adjusted to that now and I am excited for all the new opportunities for collaborations, commissions, and future exhibitions that are ahead of me.
Ben Tarcson, Gallery Director: Your artwork often explores themes of family and the Black female experience. What inspires these themes, and how do they manifest in your work?
Kephira Davis: I have many inspirations that inform my work but to give you one, I pull a lot of inspiration from photographer, Rashad Taylor. He documents his son with his camera and he examines themes of race, culture, family, and legacy and his images are a kind of family album. His images tell more than a family story; they’re a window into the Black American experience. These are themes that I talk about in my work, but with more emphasis on the experience of Black women in America and even more specifically Black female gaze. In my case, I explore the dynamics of familial experiences and the idea of growing up, maturing, and feeling the slow, bittersweet “slipping away” from family as we get older. As I have gotten older I feel it is easier and quicker to get frustrated with family than it is to be real, open and truthful with them. In my newer works, I paint my family members pulling on references from family albums photographs. The way the female figures gaze into the camera is critical for me. I find moments of complexity in their emotions and their expression often can be very relatable or taken vastly out of context. It is important that feelings of joy, anger, or frustration are blurred just as memories of the stories told about these moments may be obscured. It is not my intention to make political statements with these works but I recognize that those politics exist and can be drawn upon.
Ben Tarcson, Gallery Director: Have you noticed any shifts in your approach to art since joining the Fellowship program?
Kephira Davis: When I first came into the Fellowship, I felt like I was making safe artwork. Meaning that the artwork looked technically sound and pleasing to the eye but the concepts were vague enough that I could get away with avoiding true criticism. In my research about my family since getting my studio, I came to the realization that I have a responsibility to represent my community and uplift future generations. I don’t want to hold back now with regards to how the work is received, rather I want to make art that thoughtfully and directly represents my family and community with purpose.
Ben Tarcson, Gallery Director: Each year, the Brandon Fellows participate in a Main Gallery exhibition in August & September. Notably, each Fellow has worked tirelessly to prepare for what they will have on display. Looking ahead to your Brandon Fellowship exhibition at GCCA in August, what can visitors anticipate?
Kephira Davis: I plan to paint 5 or more portraits of varying scale that show the relationship between two or more family figures. These paintings specifically will reference family photos where the figures are neither smiling or frowning. Their gaze has an expressed ambiguity to suggest emotions and memories of these moments are more complex than what they appear. I will be pulling from family photo albums on both my mom and dad’s side of the family.
Be sure to visit Kephira in her studio at GCCA and follow her on social media to tag along in her journey through the Brandon Fellowship this year:
Website: CLICK HERE
Instagram: CLICK HERE
Facebook: CLICK HERE
Anyone interested in applying for the Brandon Fellowship, please make sure to subscribe to GCCA’s emails to be notified when the call for application opens in June! Any questions can be directed to Gallery Director, Ben Tarcson at ben@artcentergreenville.org.
by Ben Tarcson | Nov 28, 2023 | News
Greenville, SC – Greenville Center for Creative Arts (GCCA) is excited to announce the opening of their Main Gallery exhibition, Pent Up Pink by Fleming Markel. GCCA will hold the opening reception on Friday, December 1st from 6-9 PM and continues on display until Wednesday, January 24th, 2024. During the opening reception CEO, Jess Burgess, will give opening remarks for the exhibition. GCCA’s Main Gallery exhibition Pent Up Pink is generously supported by media sponsor TOWN.
“Pent Up Pink” features a solo exhibition showcasing the artwork of local Greenville artist, Fleming Markel. Markel’s sculptures question and defy consumerism, along with the methods and myths it perpetuates about womanhood and femininity. The exhibition consists of 12 life-sized, freestanding sculptures made from everyday feminine materials arranged in a maze-like exhibition space. This layout creates alcoves, enabling individual observation and interaction with each sculpture.
In American culture, beliefs and behaviors are influenced by institutional traditions, including governance, religion, society, and family. Many of these traditional beliefs are, indeed, myths. Fueled by consumerism, these myths wield substantial influence over our daily lives, particularly shaping the self-perception and worldview of and about women. Markel challenges these prescriptive myths by composing her sculptures with everyday consumer products marketed toward women. The approach is lighthearted, embracing the absurd, and paying homage to the Feminist Art movement of the 1970s. Markel’s sculptures are personal and autobiographical, symbolizing an ongoing effort to debunk these controlling myths one step at a time as part of a feminist life journey.
Fleming Markel
Fleming Markel currently lives and works in Greenville, SC. She is the Director of Greenville Technical College’s Benson Campus Galleries. She holds a BA from Winthrop University, a MEd from the University of South Carolina, and an MFA from Clemson University.
About GCCA
Greenville Center for Creative Arts is a non-profit organization that aims to enrich the cultural fabric of the community through visual arts promotion, education, and inspiration. GCCA’s galleries are open Tuesdays-Fridays from 9am – 5pm & Saturdays from 11am-3pm. For more information, visit www.artcentergreenville.org, call 864-735-3948, or check out GCCA on Facebook (Greenville Center for Creative Arts) & Instagram (@artcentergvl).
by Ben Tarcson | Oct 26, 2023 | News
Greenville, SC – GCCA will open a new Community Gallery exhibition, “Mono No Aware”, on First Friday, November 3rd from 6-9pm. ‘Mono No Aware,’ is a Japanese term meaning “beauty tinged with sadness.” More specifically, the term alludes to the bittersweet awareness that all things inevitably change form or come to an end. Both a deep ache and a deep appreciation accompany this awareness.
In “Mono No Aware,” exhibiting artist Leigh Mitchell presents over 30 black & white photographs inspired by the ephemeral nature of things and relating to ideas of impermanence, reverence, beauty, and loss. Included in the exhibition are images that allude to feelings of vulnerability and loneliness as well as to the feelings of awe one can experience while marveling at nature’s various manifestations. Underneath Mitchell’s personal associations and experiences is a deep concern for the damaging impact we are having on our environment. Mitchell’s work speaks to the tangled mess humanity and the earth are in and conveys an eerie sense of foreboding for what may lie ahead.
Mono No Aware will be on display from November 3rd – December 20th, 2023 and admission is free during open business hours.
Leigh Mitchell
Leigh Mitchell is a photographic artist and educator. She obtained a master’s degree in Studio Art from Western Carolina University, and she was a college instructor for twelve years, teaching Film Photography I and II, Digital Photography I and II, and Photography Appreciation. Her work has been exhibited in a variety of locations, including The Center for Fine Art Photography (Fort Collins, CO), The Asheville Area Arts Council (Asheville, NC), The SE Center for Photography (Greenville, SC), Rochester Contemporary Art Center (Rochester, NY), and The Asheville Art Museum. She was the juror for Knoxville Photo at the Emporium Center in 2018 in Knoxville, TN, was a Regional Scholastic Art Judge through the Asheville Art Museum in 2011, 2013, and 2018, and juried the Diverse Works exhibit at the YMI Cultural Center in Asheville, NC in 2015. Her sensibility is toward images that have a lyrical quality while, at the same time, are able to capture the tension and reality of life.
About GCCA
Greenville Center for Creative Arts is a non-profit organization that aims to enrich the cultural fabric of the community through visual arts promotion, education, and inspiration. For more information, visit www.artcentergreenville.org, call 864-735-3948, or check out GCCA on Facebook (Greenville Center for Creative Arts) & Instagram (@artcentergvl).
by Ben Tarcson | Sep 1, 2023 | News
Greenville, SC – Greenville Center for Creative Arts (GCCA) is excited to announce the opening of their Main Gallery exhibition, Parting Lines. The exhibition features the artwork of acclaimed artists TeaYoun Kim-Kassor, Mayuko Ono Gray, and Sabre Esler. GCCA will hold the opening reception on Friday, October 6th from 6-9 PM and continues on display until Wednesday, November 22nd, 2023. During the opening reception CEO, Jess Burgess, will give opening remarks for the exhibition. GCCA’s Main Gallery exhibition Parting Lines is generously supported by media sponsor Vive.
In Parting Lines, artists TeaYoun Kim-Kassor, Mayuko Ono Gray, and Sabre Esler explore common threads of human existence, memory, and identity through varying representations of lines, whether explicit or implied. Featuring over 30 intricate drawings, paintings, and silk works, Parting Lines invites us to consider the power of diverse perspectives converging on a shared exploration of what it means to be human.
TeaYoun Kim-Kassor’s installation series, “Modulation,” delves into the concept of identity and questions the interplay between personal history and migration. Her work speaks to the universal human experience of grappling with questions like “Who am I?” and “Where am I?” as we navigate life’s complexities. Sabre Esler’s art takes a markedly scientific approach, probing the invisible constructs of thoughts. Esler uses color theory to represent abstract ideas. Her “what if” hypotheses serve as a bridge between art and science, resonating with the exhibition’s theme of exploring uncharted territories of the human condition. Mayuko Ono Gray’s graphite drawings offer a unique blend of cultural influences, seamlessly merging traditional Japanese calligraphy with Western drawing practices. Ono Gray’s works capture everyday life experiences and incorporate matching Japanese proverbs, intricately woven into a single, continuous line of hiragana and kanji characters. The calligraphic line symbolizes the journey of life, from birth to death, echoing the overarching theme of the exhibition.
Mayuko Ono Gray
Mayuko Ono Gray is an artist based in Houston, TX whose primary medium is graphite drawing. Born in Gifu, Japan, she was trained in traditional Japanese calligraphy in her youth and later studied classical Western drawing. Ono Gray moved to the United States following high school and went on to receive an MFA in painting from the University of Houston in 2007. Her work has been exhibited extensively in the United States and abroad, including exhibitions in Japan, Mexico, Germany, Italy, UK, and Greece. Ono Gray is the former Gallery Director and adjunct faculty at College of the Mainland, Texas City, TX. Gray served as an Instructor at the Glassell School of Art in Houston, TX in 2022. Her works are represented by Hooks-Epstein galleries in Houston, TX and Galeria 910 in Oaxaca, Mexico.
TeaYoun Kim-Kassor
TeaYoun Kim-Kassor is originally from South Korea, where she received her B.F.A. in Fine Arts at Sungshin Women’s University in Seoul. She continued her research in Art Education as the Japanese equivalent of a Fulbright Scholar at Saitama University in Japan, where she earned a Master of Art Education (MAAE). In America, Kim-Kassor continued her exploration of arts in the Terminal Degree in visual arts, M.F.A. program at the University of Tennessee, focusing on Spatial Practice. Currently, she is a Professor and Department Chair of the Foundation Program at Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.
TeaYoun has been a very active artist having numerous exhibitions, including at the Korean Cultural Center – Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Washington DC, University of South Carolina Beaufort, SC, Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (MoCA), GA, The Alabama Contemporary Art Center, Mobile, AL, Venice Printmaking Studio in Murano Italy, La Macina di San Cresci in Florence, Italy, Textile Arts Center in Brooklyn, NY, Montana State University Gallery in Bozeman, MT, Maryville College Gallery in Maryville, TN, Black-box Theatre in Milledgeville, GA, Folklore Museum in Sendai, Japan and many more. Her artwork has been supported by the Folklore Museum in Sendai, Japan, the National Performance Network (supported by the Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts, the Joan Mitchell Foundation, and the Nathan Cummings Foundation), CESTA in Tabor, Czech Republic, and Can Serrat in Barcelona, Spain.
Sabre Esler
Sabre Esler (b. Cleveland, OH) lives and works in Atlanta Georgia. She received her MFA from SCAD, Atlanta and she received her BFA from Miami University, Oxford OH where she studied graphic design, illustration and biology. Esler has exhibited in New York, Charleston, Knoxville, Boston, Connecticut, Atlanta, Nashville and Miami, and museums such as Miami University, SCAD Museum of Art, Alexandria Museum, Valdosta State Museum, Oglethorpe University, Agnes Scott College, and Georgia State University as well as Chastain Art Center, and Glynn Visual Arts Center and SCOPE and Aqua during Art Miami. She is currently a studio artist at Atlanta Contemporary. Esler has taught at Georgia State University, Perimeter College and SCAD. She is represented by Jennifer Balcos Gallery, Atlanta GA. Her work can be found in the permanent collections of Tufts University, Miami University, Georgia State University Perimeter College, The Federal Reserve Bank, Fulton County Arts Council, City of Atlanta, and corporate collections of Acoustic, AdvantEdge Executive Offices, Atlantic Capital Bank, Boston Consulting Group, Boardwalk Inn at Wild Dunes, Cognia, Crowell & Moring, Fieldpoint Private Bank & Trust, Georgian Bank, Hilton Hotels, Hyatt Hotels, Oglethorpe Bank, Preferred Office, Reaction 35, Ritz Carlton, SunTrust Bank, The Lofts at Capitol Quarters, Trammel Crow to name a few. Collectors throughout the United States and internationally have been collecting her work since 1995.
About GCCA
Greenville Center for Creative Arts is a non-profit organization that aims to enrich the cultural fabric of the community through visual arts promotion, education, and inspiration. GCCA’s galleries are open Tuesdays-Fridays from 9am – 5pm & Saturdays from 11am-3pm. For more information, visit www.artcentergreenville.org, call 864-735-3948, or check out GCCA on Facebook (Greenville Center for Creative Arts) & Instagram (@artcentergvl).
by Ben Tarcson | Aug 1, 2023 | News
Join us at GCCA on First Friday, September 1st from 6-9pm for the opening of our newest Community Gallery exhibition, Rural Carolina Revisited. This exhibition showcases over 30 watercolor paintings of Pat Konicki and looks at conjunctions of beauty and antiquity of rural life in the Carolinas. Changing the perceptions of overlooked subjects is at the core of Konicki’s work. Subjects such as dilapidated barns or broken down cars hold intrinsic beauty and Konicki explores that idea by enhancing color and light. Konicki’s work provokes an emotional response to a place or thing, thus highlighting the value in protecting or restoring the environment around us in the Carolinas. The challenge is to see beyond the surface of the decay and capture its splendor and history.
Rural Carolina revisited will be on display from September 1st – October 25th, 2023 and admission is free during open business hours. Konicki’s work will be for sale throughout the duration of the exhibition. Purchase inquiries can be sent to Gallery Director, Ben Tarcson at ben@artcentergreenville.org.
About the Artist
Pat Konicki graduated from American Academy of Art and began her career as a graphic designer and illustrator in Chicago. After relocating to Miami, Pat opened a graphic design and advertising firm focused on clients in the fashion, retail, healthcare and manufacturing industries.
Pat now resides in the Carolinas, where she derives much of her inspiration of often forgotten treasures. She is an award winning, contributing member of the Southern Watercolor Society, North Carolina Watercolor Society, South Carolina Watermedia Society, Catawba River Visual Artists Guild, Rutherford County’s Visual Arts Center and Tryon Painters and Sculptors. Galleries and studios throughout North and South Carolina have exhibited her work.
About GCCA
Greenville Center for Creative Arts is a non-profit organization that aims to enrich the cultural fabric of the community through visual arts promotion, education, and inspiration. For more information, visit www.artcentergreenville.org, call 864-735-3948, or check out GCCA on Facebook (Greenville Center for Creative Arts) & Instagram (@artcentergvl).
by Ben Tarcson | Jul 1, 2023 | News
July 1, 2023: Greenville, SC – Greenville Center for Creative Arts (GCCA) will hold its eighth Annual Showcase on Friday, August 4th, from 6 – 9 pm at 101 Abney St. in the Village of West Greenville. Presented by First Citizens Bank, the Annual Showcase is GCCA’s premiere event for artists and art lovers of all ages, featuring a new Main Gallery exhibition with works from more than 120 local artists & current Brandon Fellows, a special exhibition of youth artwork created during GCCA’s Summer Art Camps, live artist demos promoting classes for the Fall Art School, visits with 25 in-house studio artists, and much more.
Located in the Main Gallery, the Annual Showcase exhibition highlights over 100 GCCA members each year whose work embodies the talent and diversity of GCCA’s vibrant visual arts community. From contemporary paintings to functional ceramics and everything in between, there is something for everyone at the Annual Showcase exhibition. The 2022-2023 Brandon Fellowship exhibition will also be on display showcasing work by emerging artists Orlando Corona, Faith Hudgens, and RaAmen Stallings. In addition, after a competitive selection process, GCCA will announce three new Brandon Fellows for the upcoming 2023-2024 program year.
This summer GCCA’s art camps introduced a variety of visual art mediums to over 150 campers. To culminate all the hard work completed by instructors and campers, the Summer Art Camp Showcase presents a collection of various artworks from campers ages 5-12 years old.
Visitors can also enjoy a free ReCraft family activity supported by AFL Global, new Loft Gallery exhibition by studio artist Tania Ro, and the Greenville County Schools Winners Show will still be on display in the Community Gallery. During the event you can also meet our newest team member, Program Director, Javy Pagan. After First Friday, the Annual Showcase exhibition in the Main Gallery will be open to visitors through Sept. 28 on Tuesdays through Fridays from 9 am – 5 pm and Saturdays 11 am – 3 pm. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, call GCCA at 864-735-3948 or visit www.artcentergreenville.org.
About GCCA
Greenville Center for Creative Arts is a non-profit organization that aims to enrich the cultural fabric of the community through visual arts promotion, education, and inspiration. For more information, visit www.artcentergreenville.org, call 864-735-3948, or check out GCCA on Facebook (Greenville Center for Creative Arts) & Instagram (@artcentergvl).
by Ben Tarcson | Jun 1, 2023 | News
June 1, 2023: Join Us for the Opening of the GCS Award Winners Show in the Community Gallery. GCCA will host the second annual Greenville County Schools Award Winners Show, opening First Friday, July 7, 2023 from 6 – 9 PM. The award winning artwork from students of GCS elementary, middle, and high schools represents the best of the best from over 90 schools throughout the district. These students worked hard to create the amazing art exhibited in the GCS Winners Show, and the Greenville County School District is pleased to share the artistic accomplishments of the GCS student artists with the community.
About GCCA
Greenville Center for Creative Arts is a non-profit organization that aims to enrich the cultural fabric of the community through visual arts promotion, education, and inspiration. For more information, visit www.artcentergreenville.org, call 864-735-3948, or check out GCCA on Facebook (Greenville Center for Creative Arts) & Instagram (@artcentergvl).
by Ben Tarcson | May 1, 2023 | News
Greenville, SC – Greenville Center for Creative Arts (GCCA) announced the opening of their latest Main Gallery exhibition, Invisible Planet. The exhibition features the artwork of local Greenville artists Virginia Russo & Joseph Smolin. This exhibition opens on Friday, June 2nd, 2023 from 6-9pm. Admission is free and open to the public. Invisible Planet will be on display in the Main Gallery until Wednesday, July 26th, 2023.
On Tuesday, July 11th, join Russo and Smolin in GCCA’s Main Gallery at 6 PM for an artist talk event in the Main Gallery.
Invisible Planet is an imaginary world that represents untouched beauty and the raw wonder of creation. Russo created “The Planet” which aims to be a refuge for neuro-divergent people who suffer from sensory issues and overstimulation. This world in her work is a mysterious and ethereal land filled with mountains, cliffs, mushrooms, and an ever-present orange sun. Smolin’s experience growing up half-Jewish in the Deep South—Birmingham, AL—is reflected in his symbology and exploration of identity issues. His flamboyant and androgynous characters, as visitors on “The Planet“, challenge gender norms and societal expectations. Smolin’s work delivers condensed psycho-symbolic imagery that deals with themes of identity, religion, oppression, and conformity.
Virginia Russo
Kara Virginia Russo is a visual, performance, and multimedia artist based in Greenville, SC. Upon her adulthood diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, she embraced her inner imaginative world and the elements and symbolism that compose it. Endlessly combining circles, torn paper, and warm colors to create fantastical planet-scapes, she works similarly to a jazz musician, repeating, deconstructing, rearranging, and piecing back together a theme. She has collaborated on musical projects, contributing visual art as well as live performance art, and her work has been shown in galleries in Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville.
Joseph Smolin
Joseph Smolin, born and raised in Birmingham, AL, is a Jewish painter and multimedia artist. In 2020, he co-founded Rattlesnake Art Magazine, a journal highlighting underground art in the Carolinas. His contributions, both 2-D and 3-D, were an integral part of the immersive group exhibition Candy Machine. He has also shown work at Modal, Inchoate, Eighth State, and Carolina Bauernhaus. Smolin marries playfully grotesque characterization with bright, candy-colored aesthetics and a dry sense of humor. Joseph has lived in Greenville, SC since 2018.
About GCCA
Greenville Center for Creative Arts is a non-profit organization that aims to enrich the cultural fabric of the community through visual arts promotion, education, and inspiration. GCCA’s galleries are open Tuesdays-Fridays from 9am – 5pm & Saturdays from 11am-3pm. For more information, visit www.artcentergreenville.org, call 864-735-3948, or check out GCCA on Facebook (Greenville Center for Creative Arts) & Instagram (@artcentergvl).
by Ben Tarcson | Mar 23, 2023 | News
Greenville Center for Creative Arts (GCCA) is excited to announce the opening of their Main Gallery exhibition, Past/Present. The exhibition features the artwork of acclaimed artists Lee Malerich & Dwain Skinner. This exhibition opens on Friday, April 7th, 2023 from 6-9 PM. There will be opening remarks for the exhibition made by GCCA’s CEO, Jess Burgess at 6:30 PM. Admission is free and open to the public.
On Tuesday, May 9th, join Past/Present exhibiting artist, Lee Malerich, in GCCA’s Main Gallery at 6 PM for our ARTalk event discussing her artwork. Past/Present will be on display in the Main Gallery until Wednesday, May 24th, 2023.
In Past/Present, artists Lee Malerich and Dwain Skinner use patterns and myriads of cultural imagery to explore how personal history’s impact us. Through lived experiences, journeys are chronicled and work confronts the past to reconcile the present. Lee Malerich repurposes old furniture, toys, or tools into large wooden sculptures that suggest ways of having lived. Malerich’s history in textiles provide insight into her use of patterning to unify the complex compositions in each sculpture. Beginning in 2019, after years away from art-making, Dwain Skinner created over 100 pieces in what would be his last year of life. This proliferation of mixed media, collage, and found objects largely embodies a deconstruction of nostalgia surrounding ideals of Americana.
Lee Malerich
Lee Malerich is a sculpture and textile artist from South Carolina. Malerich received her BFA in 1979 & MA in 1981 in Studio Art-Textiles from Northern Illinois University. She is a retired teacher and has taught at Coker College, Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College, & Columbia College. Malerich is the recipient of many major grants and fellowships including the South Carolina Arts Commission Fellowship in Crafts and the National Endowment of the Arts Regional Fellowship. Her work can be found in the South Carolina Arts Commission State Art Collection as well as in the collections of the City of Charleston and the SC State Museum, among many others. Being originally trained in textiles, Malerich has over the past decade transitioned to sculpture and woodworking. “I started patterning using colored pencils on the surfaces of the sculptures and then I began to play with value in the same way I did in my textiles. I construct reclaimed wood in layers, shadowing the actual construction of my [history in] textiles.”
Dwain Skinner
Dwain Skinner was born in Greer, SC in 1969. He attended the Fine Arts Center, as well as the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. He received his B.S. in graphic design from Winthrop University. After completing his degree, Dwain worked as an illustrator and graphic designer until the beginning of 2019, when he and his wife, Meredith, left the corporate world to pursue their mutual dream of opening an art gallery and working as full time artists. As a full-time artist, Dwain constantly explored and refined his personal style. He developed an impassioned interest in mixed media, and would often journey to flea markets and rummage sales to collect small objects for his unique collages. He prepared well over 100 pieces for the opening of Woodbine Studio & Gallery in November 2019. That same year, his illustrations were published in a children’s book, he won the cover of Greenville’s Visitors Guide, and participated in Open Studios for the first time. His experiences provided the impetus for Dwain to continue to move forward as an artist. Tragically, Dwain passed away on November 20, 2019, just ten days after showing his work for the first time.
About GCCA
Greenville Center for Creative Arts is a non-profit organization that aims to enrich the cultural fabric of the community through visual arts promotion, education, and inspiration. GCCA’s galleries are open Tuesdays-Fridays from 9am – 5pm & Saturdays from 11am-3pm. For more information, visit www.artcentergreenville.org, call 864-735-3948, or check out GCCA on Facebook (Greenville Center for Creative Arts) & Instagram (@artcentergvl).
by Ben Tarcson | Feb 1, 2023 | News
February 1, 2023: GCCA announced the opening of the spring Community Gallery exhibition, Works by Elizabeth Kinney, on First Friday, March 3, 2023, from 6 – 9 PM. Join us for the evening with welcoming remarks from our CEO, Jess Burgess, at 6:30 PM and the opportunity to meet Elizabeth and discuss her exhibition.
Elizabeth Kinney’s solo exhibition showcases large-scale paintings and charcoal drawings. Elizabeth, a muralist, captures strange, beautiful, and comforting moments through the use of intense colors and finds inspiration from the community around her. She has been working in mixed media since 1994, with a focus on portraits, murals, and paintings. She currently has work on display at Hotel Domestique, and Restaurant 17. You might see some of her murals around Greenville and Travelers Rest if you ever bike the trail, wander the neighborhoods, or listen to Music in the Park.
About GCCA
Greenville Center for Creative Arts is a non-profit organization that aims to enrich the cultural fabric of the community through visual arts promotion, education, and inspiration. For more information, visit www.artcentergreenville.org, call 864-735-3948, or check out GCCA on Facebook (Greenville Center for Creative Arts) & Instagram (@artcentergvl).
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