MAC Happenings January-March 2024
Kick-off 2024 with the local visual arts of the Upstate with Metropolitan Arts Council (also know as MAC), a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation provides support to area arts organizations, individual artists and arts education programs through its grants program, cultural planning process, by advocating on behalf of all artists and arts groups, and by providing cooperative marketing opportunities promoting arts groups that might not have resources available to them. Now let’s get ready for the happenings with MAC in January-March 2024.
JANUARY
Friday, January 19th:
Opening Reception for local artist Mel Middleton’s new exhibit “Sense of Home” at Centre Stage from 6-8pm. All are welcome to join. You can also view the exhibit each week Tuesday-Friday from 2-5pm through March 1st, 2024.
More about the artist:
Mel Middleton, a local Greenville, SC artist has been painting quietly since 1996. Originally a licensed architect, she brought her painting practice to the public in 2021 and has not looked back. Mel blends her twenty something years as an architect with her quiet painting practice, bridging two passions into a fulfilled creative career. Her paintings include architectural and landscape subjects, as well as floral still life’s. Her style is slightly impressionistic with a touch of abstraction. Inspired by a memory of a person, a place or a specific time in her life, she works to bring those memories to life by capturing the moment on the canvas.
Thursday, January 25th:
Opening Reception of a new exhibit by local artists Joseph Smolin & Griffin Cordell “No Sleep Theme Park” at Metropolitan Arts Council from 6-8pm
About the exhibit: NO SLEEP THEME PARK is a new immersive installation and gallery show from emerging artists Joseph Smolin and Griffin Cordell. The show is a hyper-saturated exploration of insomnia, family instability, and dreamscapes. Sculptures, paintings, and works on paper coalesce into a child’s-eye-view adventure that centers on how and why we dream. You can view it yourself Monday-Friday at MAC at 16 Augusta Street in Downtown Greenville from 9am-5pm through February 23rd, 2024.
FEBRUARY
Friday, February 2nd:
First Friday Gallery Crawl with MAC around Greenville 6-9pm
Navigate your way through the visual arts scene of Greenville! Participating local artists will have their studios open for you to experience exclusive behind-the-scenes as they work. For more details and participating artists click here.
Thursday, February 15th:
Project Grant Applications are due! You can find out more details and apply here.
MARCH
Friday, March 1st:
First Friday Gallery Crawl with MAC around Greenville 6-9pm
Navigate your way through the visual arts scene of Greenville! Participating local artists will have their studios open for you to experience exclusive behind-the-scenes as they work. For more details and participating artists click here.
Friday, March 8th:
Opening Reception of Steve Courchaine’s new exhibit (more info on exhibit to come) at Centre Stage through April 26th, 2024 (end date may change)
About the artist:
Steve paints a wide variety of subjects, including landscapes, wildlife, and the figurative form. His goal is to capture the subtle light effects found in nature, and to selectively alter and enhance reality while remaining true to his subjects.
Monday, March 11th:
Metropolitan Arts Council’s 2023 Annual Meeting at Gunther Theatre at the Peace Center starting at 5:30pm. You check out 2022’s TD Bank Business & the Arts Partnership Awards and the MAC annual report here.
Thursday, March 21st:
“Visual & Verse,” a group exhibit featuring MAC artists and local poets’ interpretation of their works (more info to come). The exhibit will run through April 26th, 2024 (end date may change).
For more information and details about MAC, you can check out their website here or follow them on Facebook, Instagram and X for more updates.