Greenville Center for the Creative Arts celebrates 10 years with a new brand and new plans
Greenville native RaAmen Stallings didn’t think he could turn his creative passions into a career.
Instead, he painted as a hobby, studied engineering at Greenville Tech, and ran a photography business. Everything changed when the self-taught artist became one of the 2022–23 Brandon Fellows at the Greenville Center for Creative Arts (GCCA).
“It opened my eyes to the capacity of the arts scene in Greenville and the world,” Stallings says of the year-long program where three selected emerging artists receive studios, unlimited art classes, a stipend for supplies, and teaching and networking opportunities.
“With this organization, I’ve grown greater than I thought was possible,” he adds, noting his personal art education, creative projects, and his role as the Premier Arts Collective-sponsored Brandon Fellowship Alumnus and Mentor.
Arts accessibility has been GCCA’s aim for 10 years. At its lively location in Brandon Mill’s former cotton building, students participate in summer camps, amateur artists take classes in various mediums, and professionals and Brandon Fellows work in 26 studios. Three galleries feature pieces by local, regional, and national artists, while a gift shop sells original art. Outside its doors, GCCA conducts outreach programs and works on public engagement with various community and arts partners.
The nonprofit has become more than what founders and artists Randy Armstrong and the late Carrie Burns Brown “ever envisioned or hoped for,” Armstrong says.
Art Classes to Arts Hub
When the Greenville County Museum of Art stopped offering art classes, the two friends discovered the need for a comprehensive arts hub. “We were going all over Greenville to find a place to work. Towns all around us had wonderful art centers, and we were orphans,” Armstrong says. They enlisted the help of ten artists and community leaders and opened GCCA on May 1, 2015.
The nonprofit will mark its milestone 10th anniversary with meaningful changes, while honoring “the founders and where we came from,” says Jess Abbott, CEO for three years before stepping down in April. That includes unveiling a new brand, logo, and website developed by FUEL, a marketing and branding agency.
“We dug in deep in talking to our artists, Brandon Fellows, and its alumni about what is GCCA’s identity,” Abbott says, adding that a new five-year strategic plan will align with its identity and focus “on the idea that at GCCA, you access art from all angles. And we truly are a creative ally to ensure all of Greenville can be involved.”
Two soon-to-launch programs match that goal. The Master Class Series will feature classes taught by top-of-their-field instructors. An outreach program in collaboration with the nonprofit Premier Arts Collective will bring art classes to Perry Correctional Institution.
Creative Collective, a newly announced monthly giving program, will help GCCA grow its efforts through automatic contributions of $5 to $100 (each level has different benefits). In addition, a planned endowment campaign will honor Carrie Burns Brown—the art school also bears her name—and sets up sustainability and success.
Birthday Bash
GCCA will celebrate its 10th anniversary with Art Bash on August 2 from noon–6p.m. This free, open-to-the-public event will include artist vendors, live music, performances, food and drinks, kids’ activities, a silent auction to benefit GCCA, and its rebranding reveal. For more information or tickets allowing auction entry, visit secure.qgiv.com/event/artbash.
Greenville Center for Creative Arts Impact by the Numbers
Seven full-time and four part-time employees, a 12-member board of directors and 10-member Founder’s Circle, dozens of volunteers, and hundreds of member artists help ensure GCCA is impacting Greenville’s arts community.
There’s proof of their efforts in 2024’s engagement numbers:
- 32,000 visitors saw original art from 293 exhibiting artists.
- 675 students took 145 artist-led classes and workshops.
- 175 children, 70 of whom received scholarships, enrolled in summer camps.
- 180 young artists, in kindergarten to 7th grade, participated in outreach programs at neighboring community centers.
To learn more about the Greenville Center for the Creative Arts at 101 Abney St., visit greenvilleartcenter.org or follow @artcentergvl on Instagram.
10 Years of Accessing Art
Since 2015, GCCA has been a comprehensive arts hub. Here’s a look back at its history.
2015 – Founding members Allen and Randy Armstrong, Bryant Brown, Carrie Burns Brown, Linda and Earle Furman, Tracy T. Hardaway, Rebecca R. Johnson, and Patricia and Don Kilburg conclude nearly two years of efforts when GCCA’s opens on May 1 in Brandon Mill’s former cloth building.
2015 – The Brandon Fellowship, named after the former textile mill, is launched in September.
2019 – The cloth building is purchased and renovated to create more artist studios and classrooms for print- and jewelry-making.
2020 – GCCA completes a $1 million fundraising campaign to sustain operations and expand its impact. The organization names its building the Linda Quinn Furman Building in honor of this founding member’s passing.
2022 – Jess Abbott is named GCCA’s chief executive officer.
2023 – The Gift Shop at GCCA opens, making member artists’ original artwork available for purchase.
2024 – The Art School becomes The Carrie Burns Brown Art School at GCCA in honor of its late founder. Later that year, it is named a Best of South Carolina® Regional winner in Guide to South Carolina’s annual readers’ poll.
2025 – GCCA receives first-time funding from the National Endowment for the Arts in January. That $25,000 grant supports the Brandon Fellowship program; Jess Abbott steps down and Sara Grambach, formerly development director, is named interim CEO.
