Healing from trauma and inspiring the Upstate: the beautiful impact of Premier Arts Collective.
“There’s not a day in our lives where we are not touched by the arts,” insists Gene Krcelic, president of Greenville-based nonprofit Premier Arts Collective (PAC). “You look at a home, and there is an artistic element in the design of that house and everything in it. You go into an elevator, and you hear a great song from high school. One that transports you back in time, gives you relaxation or enjoyment. Using these things to help people heal from what life has cast upon us is really an honor and a joy to be able to do.”
If you’ve spent any time in Greenville’s arts scene, you might already be familiar with this impactful group’s work—even if the name is new. Originally founded in 1998 as Premier Foundation, the organization spent decades doing life-changing mission work around the world: rebuilding churches after Hurricane Katrina, providing disaster relief in the Caribbean, working with victims of sex trafficking in Cambodia. There was always a common thread to their act of healing: art.
“We officially rebranded as Premier Arts Collective in 2021 to focus on our greatest strength,” adds Krcelic, who left a high-profile career managing performers and record labels across the globe to grow the collective with passion and purpose. “PAC is an experiential nonprofit organization that uses the arts as a vehicle of healing and hope. And not just painting—we use the fine arts, music, and dance to help people overcome challenges and past trauma.”
There is a beautiful duality to how PAC fulfills its mission. Their famously showstopping live painting events and thrilling auctions might draw crowds, but the end goal is much more personal and powerful: funding and supporting art and music therapy programs and workshops for at-risk individuals. They work closely with creatives like Jared Emerson, a world-renowned painter and performance artist, and skilled therapists like Courtney Chandler of HeARTS for Hope Therapy.
“For some of the [victims and children] we work with, being able to speak or write about what they went through is virtually impossible,” reflects Krcelic. “But there is something about art and music, the freedom that you have in expressing yourself, that is transformational. What we do is not just for people who have gone through extraordinary circumstances, however, but for everyone—because, let’s face it, we’ve all experienced some form of trauma in our lives or things that we’re dealing with. And the use of art and music can get people to a place of healing and hope a lot quicker. It’s a beautiful thing.”
You don’t need to look far to see PAC’s work in action. They represent Nick Burns, AKA Ninja Picasso, whose inspired story and striking murals bring color to Greenville. They host events all year at Jared Emerson’s River Street studio and fun hands-on classes like the Paint Like Pollock series. Headed to the Camperdown area? Don’t miss the Premier Arts Collective Art Walk outside featuring eight metal pieces of art, or the Premier Arts Collective’s gallery inside the lobby of the Falls Tower building.
Premier Arts Collective Changes Lives Locally
While PAC operates globally, they partner with organizations right down the street to impact countless lives through art and music therapy programs and workshops:
