A Guide to Greenville’s Monthly Art Gallery Crawl
First Fridays have become a staple of the arts scene here in Greenville, South Carolina. Many recent implants may have never heard of it, or you may have lived here for years and not known what it is. With Greenville’s population growing at a decent rate in recent years, the city of Greenville has many attractive qualities, and our arts scene is one of them. Whether you are new to Greenville or just new to the artistic side of it, First Fridays are a fun, family-friendly way to get introduced to all the amazing art and artists in our city.
The monthly art crawl is presented by the Metropolitan Arts Council, an invaluable organization that has been supporting the arts here for over 50 years. It is always on the first Friday of every month from 6pm-9pm. Currently, there are 21 participating art galleries, with the majority located in Downtown Greenville and West Greenville. We (Orfami Visual Art) are located at the Greenville Center for Creative Arts (in Studio 6), which houses both gallery spaces and artist studios. You can find the full list of galleries and their locations here: https://www.greenvillearts.com/first-fridays/
Their Mission Statement, taken from the MAC website, states the following:
“To promote visual art awareness and provide a venue for showcasing emerging and established artists who add greatly to Greenville’s cultural community.”
And that it does! Each gallery and artist brings their unique artistry and flavor to the table, keeping each stop on your evening exciting and fresh. Some galleries use First Fridays as an opening night for new exhibitions or have special events. Orlando himself started participating in First Fridays at GVL Art Gallery (then known as Open Art Studios) as a teenager. It’s a great opportunity whether you are looking to buy art or have something fun to do, or if you want to connect with other artists or are looking for art opportunities. We have met so many amazing people at these events and love connecting with people, and in my opinion it is one of the best community events for anyone to try.
So the next first Friday of the month, plan your gallery crawl around Greenville, grab a free drink and snack and enjoy a fantastic evening experiencing one of the best parts of Greenville!
We would like to once again thank the Metropolitan Arts Council for their part in funding the new Orfami Visual Art website through their generous grants program. Thank you!
