Greenville Tech’s Visual Arts Annual Student Exhibition
The 2026 Visual Arts Annual Student Exhibition (VAASE) is a celebration of the persistence and accomplishments of all Visual Arts students but especially the 53 students who made the time and demonstrated the professionalism to enter over 181 works in this competition. The Visual Arts Halloween Gala on October 29 celebrated the exhibition and all GTC visual arts students. The students, with their family and friends enjoyed a festive feast of pizza, subs, and sweet treats as all anxiously awaited the awards announcements. Once all had explored the exhibition, admired the costumes, and devoured the eats, DVA Head, Shane Howell presented 31 student cash awards. Each award winning student artist had a moment in the spotlight, with much applause and cheers.
Visual Arts (VA) at Greenville Technical College has a curriculum that comprises multiple disciplines in fine art and applied art, as showcased in VAASE. For high school students considering furthering their studies in art, come see this exhibition to discover the many studio possibilities at Greenville Technical College. VAASE speaks to VA’s goals of preparing students for creative careers and four-year transfer through certificate, Associate of Arts, and Associate of Applied Science pathways offering portfolio-focused, industry-relevant education in digital media, fine arts, graphic design, and website design.
Many thanks to the 2026 VAASE juror, Andrew Blanchard. He is currently a Full Professor of Studio Art at Converse University. His work resides in the permanent collections of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans and the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson, and is featured in publications including Printmakers Today, New American Paintings, International Painting Annual (nos. 4 and 7), Oxford American, Southwest Review, and ROOTED. He complimented the GTC DVA, “I have been a longtime fan of the department’s faculty and staff, as well as the student output. In fact, I believe it to be some of the strongest at any of the upper SC arts’ institutions. With nearly two hundred entries, I was not only impressed with the technical aspect of the work, but also the choice in subject matter and conceptual framework.” He continued Best In Show “really attracted my sensibilities of scale, work ethic, and follow-through vis-a-vis the Gestalt principle: Many parts to create a whole. In our current era of friction and robust inequity, this ceramic work reminded me how integral each of us is in the greater scheme of civilization.”
VAASE awards are made possible by generous contributions from the Jean T. and Heyward G. Pelham Foundation, plus the Metropolitan Arts Council (MAC) with funds received from the City of Greenville, BMW Manufacturing Company, SEW Eurodrive and the South Carolina Arts Commission. The MAC grant funds are matched by our 2025 corporate sponsors, APCO Plastics, Bennetts’ Frame & Art Gallery, Suburban Paint, and the Greenville Tech Foundation. Good Art Co. will host an exhibition of the VAASE award winners in early 2027. Thank you all.
2026 Visual Arts Annual Student Exhibition is on view October 29 through December 4 in Greenville Technical College’s Benson Campus Galleries, 2522 Locust Hill Road, Greer, Monday – Thursday, 9am – 5pm and Friday, 9am – 2pm. The public is welcome. Visit www.gvltec.edu/dva for more information or email Fleming Markel, Gallery Director at [email protected] or Patrick Owens, Gallery Assistant at [email protected]. See VAASE and Visual Arts on https://www.facebook.com/GreenvilleTechDVA and https://www.instagram.com/greenvilletech_dva/.
