Student Artwork Showcased at TD Convention Center

GREENVILLE, SC – The TD Convention Center recently debuted a unique art installation sponsored by the Greenville Youth Commission. The paintings depict Greenville landmarks, and were created by art students from Greenville High Academy, Christ Church Episcopal Upper School, Legacy Charter School, Wade Hampton High School and JL Mann Academy.

The Youth Commission first discussed the idea for the artwork with the City’s Arts in Public Places Commission as a way to involve schools and local artists in a project to bring public art downtown. The paintings were originally slated to be displayed on each floor of the Poinsett Garage to help visitors remember where they parked.

The Arts in Public Places Commission provided the funding for the project, and the Youth Commission developed the “Greenville Landmarks” theme and assigned each participating school a subject for its painting. Greenville High’s was the Peace Center, Christ Church’s was the Liberty Bridge, Legacy’s was Fluor Field, Wade Hampton’s was the Greenville Zoo and JL Mann’s was the downtown skyline. Each school submitted a sketch of its design to the Youth Commission, and once the sketches were approved, the schools had a little less than six months to complete their paintings.

The Youth Commission provided each school with materials for the project, including an 8-foot by 8-foot piece of treated plywood (cut into four sections), brushes, primer, paint and sealer. Additionally, each school was given the option to collaborate with a local artist, and for those schools that chose to do so, the Youth Commission provided a stipend of $150 for the artist.

Once the paintings were complete, the Youth Commission hosted an event at the Sears Recreation Center to showcase the artwork and recognize the students, art teachers and local artists who had participated in the project. Around that time, Adam Schrimmer, an artist who had been advising the Youth Commission throughout the course of the project, recommended finding an indoor space to display the paintings, rather than hanging them in the parking garage, to protect them from the elements. After learning that the TD Convention Center was in the market for large-scale artwork, the Youth Commission approached the staff, and they agreed to hang the paintings in the convention center for the public to enjoy.

Now that the paintings have been hung, rather than abandon the original idea of having the artwork downtown, the Youth Commission will have professional prints of the paintings made, which will then be hung in the Poinsett Garage.

About the Greenville Youth Commission:

The Greenville Youth Commission is an official commission of the City of Greenville and is comprised of high school and college students (up to age 21). The purpose of the commission is to advise City Council, the City Manager and other City staff to ensure that Greenville youth are involved in the City’s comprehensive planning, to increase communication between the city’s adults and youth and to ensure that the youth in the community are an integral part of government decision making.