Greenville Technical College’s 36th Annual Upstate High School Art Exhibition
The Department of Visual Arts at Greenville Technical College is thrilled to announce the 36th Annual Upstate High School Art Exhibition (AUHSAE). 49 teachers from 25 Upstate high schools across 7 counties submitted 195 works from182 students. The exhibition consists of 13 categories including traditional medias such as drawing, painting, and ceramics, but also specialized medias such as fiber, metals, and animation. AUHSAE is a true survey of the quality and variety of visual arts in Upstate South Carolina high school programs.
AUHSAE is a juried exhibition with the initial jurying process completed by the participating high school art educators. Each one chose student works to represent the quality and diversity of their individual programs. All their selections are on view. A professional artist, without access to student, teacher, or school identities, chooses awards within each category. Each AUHSAE cash award is divided between the winning student and that student’s art program.
The 2026 AUHSAE Awards Juror is Elizabeth Snipes, professor in the Art + Design Department at Lander University. Elizabeth teaches painting, drawing, and leads summer travel courses. She received her BA degree in studio art from Furman University, followed by a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Painting from Studio Art Centers International in Florence, Italy, and lastly her MFA from Clemson University. Elizabeth was awarded the Lander Distinguished Professor Award in 2021. In her Juror’s Statement, Elizabeth commented, “In viewing the exhibition, I was immediately struck by the sheer amount of quality artworks in such a wide range of media. As an uUstate SC native who grew up in a small town with only a few art classes at the time, I marvel at the array of creative experiences our students now are exposed to! It is certainly an exciting time to be a young maker. A whopping 13 categories of creative expression are included in this show, each iterating a common core of the visual elements in a myriad of combinations uniquely suited to each set of media and techniques.”
On Wednesday, April 15, beginning at 6:30pm, the 36th Annual Upstate High School Art Exhibition award winners and their schools will be recognized at the AUHSAE Awards Presentation in GTC’s Benson Campus amphitheater. If need be, the presentation will move indoors to the commons area of Building 301. GTC’s Department of Visual Arts also produces an exhibition catalog picturing each award-winning work and listing all AUHSAE participants. The 36thAUHSAE catalog will be available for students and their teachers at the Awards Presentation.
The AUHSAE’s cash awards and the exhibition catalog are made possible through grants from the Jean T. and Heyward G. Pelham Foundation, Elbert W Rogers Foundation, and the Metropolitan Arts Council. APCO Plastics and the GTC Foundation provide additional funding. Thank you all for your generous support of these young artists and Upstate visual arts education.
