Greenville Technical College’s RIVERWORKS Gallery will present Women Under Pressure: Converse Alumnae Printmakers June 15 through July 10.
Exhibition hours are from 1-5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday with an Artist’s Reception to be held July 1, from 6-9 p.m., during downtown Greenville’s First Friday celebration.
The gallery, operated by and for the faculty and students of GTC’s Department of Visual Arts, is located at 300 River Street, Suite 202, along the scenic Reedy River in downtown Greenville, SC. The public is invited to attend and there is no charge for admission.
About the Exhibition
Women Under Pressure: Converse Alumnae Printmakers is a union of individual life experiences expressed through the unique processes of printmaking. Conceived and curated by Caren Stansell, a recent Converse College graduate and printmaker, this project is the culmination of her internship at Upstairs Art Space in Tyron.
Stansell, who also holds an associate degree in visual arts from Greenville Technical College, chose to feature fellow female students who all studied under Converse College professor, Andrew Blanchard, an award-winning printmaker and an enthusiastic advocate of the medium and mentor for his students.
Speaking of Stansell and this exhibition, Blanchard states, “With the interest in contemporary printmaking in the Upstate/Foothills region, as well as a large contingency of highly successful, recent peers, Caren fused together her love of promoting women artists along with the inky medium of her preference.”
Women Under Pressure features Converse College alumnae Jamie Bunney, Katy Butler, Carly Drew, Mandy Ferguson, Elena Hernandez-Rubio, sisters Hailey Hodge and Victoria Hodge, Rozetta Nesbitt, and Jasmine Sanders as well as a single work by Professor Blanchard.
Greenville Technical College and Converse College ties
The link between Converse College and Greenville Technical College is a strong one through the Visual Arts Department, explains department head Shane Howell.
“We are particularly pleased to host Women Under Pressure because three of the featured artists, Carly, Jamie and Mandy, plus the curator, Caren, are also Greenville Technical College graduates. Each traveled the well-worn path from Greenville Tech with a solid arts foundation to Converse College to complete a BFA (bachelors of fine arts),” said Howell.
According to Converse College, about 10 percent of its total transfer population over the last two years are Greenville Technical College graduates, and nearly half of those intend to major in the arts.
For more information about the exhibition, RIVERWORKS Gallery and the Visual Arts Department, please visit www.gvltec.edu/dva/ or email fleming.markel@gvltec.edu.
Visit www.gvltec.edu/gainful-employment/ for important information about the educational debt, earnings and graduation rates of students who attended programs.
Image: "Contested Grounds Series: Lake City" by Carly Drew