Community Galleries

28 Awards is on view January 5 through February 21 in the Greenville Center for Creative Arts' (GCCA) Community Gallery. These award-winning student works represent the best of the best from the Department of Visual Arts' (DVA) 2023 Visual Arts Annual Student Exhibition (VAASE). The 2023 VAASE juror, Freda Sue, spent most of a day diligently and thoughtfully studying the entries to choose the exhibition and the award winners. Ms. Sue reported, “As a juror, I was incredibly impressed by the depth of creativity and the artistic skills demonstrated by the GTC students. Selecting the final pieces was challenging yet rewarding. I aimed to showcase works that exhibited technical proficiency and the ability to evoke emotional resonance. This diverse collection will visually captivate audiences and foster a greater appreciation of the arts for the community.” Freda (Gin-Wen) Sue, an accomplished printmaker, has exhibited across the US and in Asia, and she currently teaches drawing and printmaking at USC Upstate.

The Department of Visual Arts at Greenville Tech offers associate degrees and certificates in fine arts, graphic design, photography, and web design. Greenville Tech’s DVA graduates are highly sought after by local advertising firms, professional photographers, and regional universities. 28 Awards showcases DVA’s varied curriculum: ceramics, design & color, digital illustration, drawing, graphic design, painting, photography, printmaking, typography, and web design. All high school students interested in continuing studies in visual arts can discover the quality of Greenville Tech’s locally available art education by visiting 28 Awards.

The GTC visual art students in 28 Awards all received cash awards and recognition at VAASE’s Halloween Gala in October. Thanks to GCCA, these students can now also have a professional exhibition off campus and the additional opportunity to win $200, as the People’s Choice. All visitors are invited to vote for their favorite work in 28 Awards. The People’s Choice winner will be announced on First Friday, February 2. The VAASE and 28 Awards celebrate the success and diligence of all GTC student artists and the excellence of the DVA faculty.

The 2023 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), APCO Plastics, Bennetts’ Frame and Art Gallery, the Greenville Tech Foundation, and Suburban Paints, plus three merit awards provided by the Art Department of Lander University.

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