Greenville, SC – On First Friday, May 7, the Greenville Center for Creative Arts (GCCA) at 101 Abney St. will celebrate its sixth year of serving its community with quality art classes, exhibitions, and opportunities to promote the visual arts and artists in the Upstate. The day will also mark the organization’s plan to expand into 7,000 square feet of vacant space in its Linda Quinn Furman Building.

“We are beyond grateful for the outstanding support this community has shown to our mission, which provided us the resources to weather the pandemic and strengthen our ability to be an enduring organization,” says Kim Fabian, GCCA’s Executive Director. “This exciting expansion will add 10 artist studios, a jewelry-making classroom, printmaking classroom, multi-use conference and education space, as well as relocate our main entrance for easier access and greater visibility. It is our hope that these enhancements will help even more community members explore their creativity at GCCA.”

The community is invited to come out and celebrate at this free First Friday event, open to the public from 1-9 p.m. Guests will enjoy:

• The opening of a Community Gallery exhibition featuring artwork from high school students at the Fine Arts Center
• The debut of a new “Instagram-able” mural in GCCA’s Gray Loft
• Live art demos in conjunction with the launch of GCCA’s summer art class schedule
• The Uncanny Terrain exhibition in our Main Gallery, featuring Bryce Speed and Maja Godlewska
• Visits with our 12 studio artists and three Brandon Fellows
• Mental health resources from Walt’s Waltz 
• Light refreshments and giveaways

Walk-ins are welcome from 1-5 p.m. From 5-9 p.m. reservations are recommended to ensure your spot by visiting www.artcentergreenville.org/firstfridaysatgcca. Limited walk-ins are available within capacity limits for social distancing. All visitors should kindly wear a mask.

A highlight of the evening’s festivities is the opening of Seven Places, a new Community Gallery exhibition that showcases the work of seven students from Greenville’s Fine Arts Center as they explore the definition of place. From things like place in society to place in evolution, these advanced young artists have banded together to provide a perspective on how high school students view not only themselves, but the world around them. Sam Barnhart, Grae Beckham, Brianna Bruce, Alex Coffey, Thomas Hicks, Dylan Swain and Katherine Wiedemann are the young artists who will be displaying their individuality through their places in life. After First Friday, the exhibition will be open to visitors Wednesday to Fridays from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. through June 23. 

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).