GCCA Celebrates Ten Years of Art and Community
How It Began
Imagine a beautiful, bustling place where artists create, aspiring artists learn, and visitors can experience beautiful art for free. That’s exactly what the Greenville Center for Creative Arts (GCCA) founders pictured when they established a nonprofit in the Village of West Greenville.
GCCA emerged when the Greenville Museum of Art ended art instruction; some of GCCA’s founders were instructors there and artists themselves. “That was our stake in the ground, and it led to a mission of art education—all mediums for all ages—across the community,” says CEO Sara Grambach.
Ten Years Later
Celebrating its tenth anniversary, GCCA will host ArtBash on Saturday, August 2. The event includes a Members’ Show, the Brandon Fellowship Exhibition, and the Summer Camp Showcase at the historic Brandon Mill’s “Cloth Building” where GCCA houses 23 visual artist’s studios, instruction space, a studio dedicated to creating jewelry, and a print studio.
With free admission year-round, GCCA has three galleries where visitors can enjoy local art, captivating work from outside the Upstate, and a rotating display from GCCA studio artists. There’s also special event rental space, Art by Appointment, for guests to make art, and a kids’ summer camp. “The camp is not just for future artists,” Sara says. “The weekly theme—dinosaurs, Legos—engages them and lets them be creative.”
This year, the National Endowment for the Arts awarded $25,000 to GCCA’s flagship program, the Brandon Fellowship, which provides studio space, a materials stipend, and mentorship to three artists from historically underrepresented backgrounds for one year. “Additional support comes from individual contributions, state organizations like the South Carolina Arts Commission, and family foundations that generously give unrestricted funds,” Sara says.
Inside & Outside Its Four Walls
GCCA participates in First Fridays, Greenville’s monthly gallery crawl, and on August 1, they’ll spotlight current Brandon Fellows and alumni at a reception and exhibition hosted by Fellowship founder and artist Danielle Fontaine at the neighboring Abney House.
Working with the Greenville County Recreation Department and the Greenville County School District, GCCA has offered after-school programs at Sterling and Freetown community centers. This fall, the Aspiring Artists program will be at four Title 1 schools, and GCCA, partnering with Premier Arts Collective, will provide instruction and art therapy at the Perry Correctional Facility.
GCCA will continue expanding its performing arts programming, inviting dancers, poets, and musicians, among others, to share their talents. “A family could come here and listen to a few songs from a local performance even if they can’t buy tickets for everyone,” Sara says. “We ensure access from all angles because we truly believe art can change lives.”
