It’s Kid Friendly! Greenville’s Center for Creative Arts First Friday

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Wondering about First Friday events in Greenville? The Metropolitan Art’s Council in Greenville presents First Fridays, the first Friday of every month. The event features open art studios with different artists featured each month. The Greenville Center for Creative Arts almost always participates in First Friday events with artist exhibitions, food trucks and kid-friendly activities. We sent KAG Contributor, Kristina Hernandez, and her family to visit the Greenville Center for Creative Arts for a First Friday event. She’s sharing her family’s experience with us today.

What Kristina and her kids thought about First Friday

I admit, I was a little nervous going to an art exhibit with my two little kids. What if they found a crayon in their pockets and attempted to add their own touch to the paintings? Or would people look at me like I was crazy bringing kids to an art show? Would they break something? Turns out that all my worries were completely unfounded at the Greenville Center for Creative Arts First Friday event in the Village of West Village.

Having moved to Greenville from Washington, DC and attended many art shows there, this was far and away an excellent event (and may I say, with a lot friendlier people). There were lots of smiles and opportunities to keep the little ones busy.

First Friday Greenville Center for Creative Arts

Kid-Friendly? Yup.

The people there were so kind and helpful from the moment we arrived. The receptionist pointed me to the kids section – yup, a kids area – and I was directed to be sure to visit the artists upstairs because they love talking with little ones. Sure enough, one of the artists had little cookies he was giving away to visitors.

The first floor is where the majority of the exhibit takes place. This one was a Carnivale-themed exhibit, which featured all kinds of beautiful paintings. The kids area is in the back and consisted of three huge tables with staff helping to get the kids going for their craft.  This particular arts and crafts was teaching kids how to use a needle and thread to kind of connect the dots, which was a little over her my five-year-olds ability level but nonetheless, she was entertained with the miniature scissors she used to cut out a bunny in a constellation that was drawn on paper.

I was assured by organizers that usually they have something a little more friendly to smaller hands. But it actually worked out really well and there were lots of other families there enjoying the show and craft area. They had Mardi Gras bead necklaces that they gave to my girls, which have since become their favorite toy. Go figure.

Checking out the Artists

Upstairs from the main floor was the working areas of the artists in residence. It was really neat to talk to each artist and see his or her specialty. There were painters and sketchers and knitters and jewelry makers. One artist had a lot of paintings of Greenville landmarks which were just beautiful.

All the artists were so friendly and kind and I loved the guy that gave my kids a cookie, which kept my littlest one occupied pretty much the whole night.

First Friday events Greenville Center for Creative Arts

Food and Beverage

While the art center doesn’t have food on site there was a food truck parked outside for the event, Wholy Smoke, which looked divine. Inside the art show, there were adult beverages available, which was a nice touch to a great event.

We got there right when it started, at 6 pm, and there was already a decent crowd. By the time we left about an hour later, the place was hopping. Apparently this is a really popular event!

Classes and More About GCCA’s Galleries

So obviously this particular event only happens on the first Friday of every month. The event runs from 6-9 pm. However, you can also check out the galleries throughout the week. The galleries are open Tuesday – Friday from 9 am – 5 pm, and Saturday from 11 am – 3 pm. GCCA’s galleries are completely free to the public! Check out Greenville Center for Creative Arts for a list of upcoming exhibits.

The center also has classes for both kids and adults. You can learn everything from sculptural papermaking to solar screen printing, and so much more! They also offer summer camps for kids ages 5 – 12.

Greenville Center for Creative Arts
101 Abney Street
Greenville, SC 29611
864.696.2661
http://www.artcentergreenville.org/

Have you visited the Greenville Center for Creative Arts yet?

About the Author
Kristina Hernandez is a mom of two girls, freelance writer and photographer. Originally from New Jersey, she is in love with the Upstate and could not imagine raising her kids anywhere else. She enjoys hiking to waterfalls, kayaking, camping, cooking, and exploring all that Greenville has to offer. And she really loves baby goats. Follow her on Instagram at @scadventurer.

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Ruth
6 years ago

is there an admission for First Friday?