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The Department of Visual Arts at Greenville Technical College is pleased to announce 22 Awards, on view February 8 – March 3, 2023, at the Abney House, 201 Abney Street, next door to the Greenville Center for Creative Arts in the Village of West Greenville. These award-winning student works were selected from the 2022 Visual Arts Annual Student Exhibit (VAASE). 2022 VAASE was a juried competition among Greenville Tech’s Department of Visual Arts students. The juror, Karen Oremus, Interim Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Winthrop University, chose 71 works from 144 entries, including 19 award winners. Responding to 2022 VAASE, Ms. Oremus said, “It was challenging as juror to eliminate works from the show, as there was an incredible array of work that merited display, and several that deserved awards. In my selection, I attempted to represent a cross-section of works that emphasized strength in a variety of areas such as technique, innovative use of technique, and the expression of compelling content which led to contemplation or an emotional response.”

The 2022 VAASE Halloween Costume Gala and Awards Presentation in October celebrated the success and diligence of all Greenville Tech’s student artists. Shane Howell, Department of Visual Arts Chair, presented a total of 22 cash awards. Ms. Oremus singled out Kayla Richard’s photograph, “Stream,” as Best In Show. “…this work evoked an emotional response in me that surpasses aesthetics more so than any other work in the exhibition. My immediate response was one of great empathy and reflection upon the current world we live in. This work depicts the lost, the left behind, the forgotten, the abandoned, the mistreated. The suggested content addressed in this work is relevant and timely and will hopefully trigger the emotional and compassionate response in others through the search for understanding, sharing, and evolution when exploring mortality, ephemerality, and the fragility of life.”

VAASE awards were made possible by generous contributions from the Metropolitan Arts Council with funds received from the City of Greenville, BMW Manufacturing Company, Michelin North America, Inc., SEW Eurodrive, and the South Carolina Arts Commission. In addition, 2022's corporate sponsors included APCO Plastics, Bennetts’ Frame & Art Gallery, Suburban Paints, and the Greenville Tech Foundation. Three students received Lander Merit Awards made possible by a donation from the Lander University Department of Art + Design.

The DVA at Greenville Tech offers associate degrees and certificates in fine arts, photography, graphic design, and web design. The DVA’s artist/educators ensure Greenville Tech’s DVA graduates are prepared to begin a career or continue their academic studies at a 4-year college or university. Greenville Tech’s DVA graduates are highly sought after by local advertising firms and regional universities. 22 Awards showcases the DVA’s varied courses: ceramics, design & color, drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, typography, and web design. Any high school student interested in continuing studies in visual arts needs to see 22 Awards to discover the quality of Greenville Tech’s locally available art education.

Special thanks goes to Danielle Fontaine at the Abney House for hosting this exhibition.

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