Greenville’s arts scene is alive and well – even thriving! We can all thank the Metropolitan Arts Council (aka MAC).
Since 1973, MAC has promoted and supported individual artists and organizations in the Upstate. Just down the street from the Greenville Visitors Center is the historic West End. Here, thanks to the tremendous support of TD Bank, MAC serves as a visitors center for the arts at 16 Augusta Street. Working through the South Carolina Arts Alliance and other government agencies, MAC relies heavily on private donations. The South Carolina Arts Commission, National Endowment for the Arts, City of Greenville and Greenville County also provide funding for the Council.
MAC awards quarterly grants, none as vital as those benefiting area schools. TD Bank Center for Arts Integration sponsors the wildly popular SmartARTS program in Greenville County Schools. Teachers, students and artists come together to integrate arts into all areas of education. SmartARTS collaborates with area organizations that offer learning opportunities outside the classroom. Teachers at all grade levels use standards-based methods to integrate arts into the learning process. Funds are used to train/mentor teachers, purchase supplies and compensate teaching artists, to name just a few.
SmartARTS provides support and much needed resources to educators of Greenville County students. In-school and after-school activities and classes, performances and Artist-in-Residence programs are all a part of SmartARTS. Teachers who participate in SmartARTS attend training sessions during the summer at the Fine Arts Center. SmartARTS Arts Integration Training Institute offers three training tracks. First year teachers attend a four day session. Teachers entering their second year in the program attend three days of training and teachers who have been in the program from three to five years come for a one day in depth training. Teachers meet with their teaching artists to make plans for the upcoming school year. Participants take classes in each of the five art forms – dance, theater, visual art, creative writing and music. Over thirty-five schools, plus Greenville County School District Virtual Elementary, Middle and High School programs are benefiting from SmartARTS.
SmartARTS is only one of the Metropolitan Arts Council’s ways of increasing interest in the arts. Take time to explore local artists’ works at the Dolly F. Pardi Gallery at 16 Augusta Street, sponsored by TD Bank, Monday – Friday, 9am-5pm. Check out their website here for upcoming special events.
