Brandon Fellowship Alumni Show, In collaboration with the Greenville Center for the Arts: Nick Burns and Faith Hudgens
A Celebratory Exhibition Supporting the Neighborhood Cancer Connection
Exhibition Dates: June – Aug. 31, 2026
In its latest showcase of the healing power of art, The Neighborhood Cancer Connection is honored to present the “Brandon Fellowship Alumni Show, in collaboration with the Greenville Center for the Arts” in its Gallery II. This vibrant yet deeply meaningful exhibition features paintings by Greenville natives Nick Burns and Faith Hudgens that explore hope, resilience, and the human experience.
Both Burns’ and Hudgens’ artistic successes are rooted the Brandon Fellowship, a 12-month program launched in 2015 during the opening of the Greenville Center for Creative Arts (GCCA). Named in honor of the historic Brandon Mill, this highly selective fellowship— it accepts only three artists a year—embodies GCCA’s core mission to foster artistic talent and professional success.
Their exhibition continues the Neighborhood Cancer Connection’s mission of exhibiting uplifting original artwork meant to create a comforting environment for patients and their families. Each piece is intended to provide a moment of reflection and encouragement to face the challenges that come with a cancer diagnosis.
Created with a combination of spray paint, mixed media, and contemporary techniques, the three displayed pieces from Burns’ Avian Series explore hope through the symbolism of birds. These historically powerful symbols of freedom, resilience, wisdom, renewal, and the ability to rise above adversity reflect the cancer patients and caregivers NCC supports. Measuring 81-inches long, Hudgens’ painting, entitled “Peace of Mind,” was created during what she described as “one of the most transformative and emotional seasons of my life: while my grandmother was transitioning during her battle with leukemia.” The piece not only is a tribute to her grandmother but also is a message of comfort to those facing cancer, those who are caregivers, and those facing grief, recovery, or any season of uncertainty.
About the Artists
Nick Burns, who creates under the alias Ninja Picasso, is known for his murals around Greenville, including one titled “Seen | Heard | Valued” at the Triune Mercy Center. Spanning 47 feet, it depicts eight stories of hope from individuals who have experienced homelessness. Both his large-scale and live paintings bridge the gap between sophisticated street art and community storytelling. Each is created with Burns’ unique creative philosophy of focusing on the art rather than the artist, while seeking to highlight the unnoticed narratives of the people around him.
Faith Hudgens is a self-taught artist, award-winning tattoo artist, creative entrepreneur, and muralist. In 2024, she collaborated with Brandon Fellowship alumni RaAmen Stallings and Orlando Corona to create a mural at The Commons, Unity Park’s food hall, celebrating Greenville-native and Grammy- and Academy-Award-winning singer Peabo Bryson. Through color, texture, and symbolism, her bold artwork – often rendered in oil and acrylic paint on large-scale canvases – tells stories that reflect the complexity of the human experience, especially the moments of strength found in vulnerability.
The Brandon Fellowship exhibition builds on The Color of Hope: Where Nature Dances, featuring colorful nature-inspired paintings by award-winning artists Allison Ford and Caroline Calder, on display in “the art gallery at NCC” through Sept. 4.
A portion of all proceeds from both exhibitions will benefit The Neighborhood Cancer Connection, a nonprofit organization based in Greenville, S.C. Founded in 1965, it is dedicated to supporting individuals and families navigating cancer. Through direct financial assistance, emotional support, and community-centered initiatives, NCC addresses both the practical and human dimensions of care.
The galleries are open to the public during NCC’s business hours: Mondays to Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (the office is closed daily for lunch from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.) and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
