First Friday at GCCA // Latvian Mittens

This Friday head for the Village of West Greenville for First Friday, the monthly event at the Greenville Center of Creative Arts!

GCCA has found its home at Brandon Mill, built in 1900 and home to the baseball field that produced baseball hero "Shoeless Joe" Jackson. The beautifully restored mill houses an apartment loft community, as well as the visual arts center that boasts a variety of art classes and workshops, exhibitions of local and regional artwork, summer art camps, artist studios, and multiple special events.

First Fridays are the monthly open house event that allows the public to visit the studio artists on the 2nd floor, view the newest exhibition, create a work of art with your children, and be part of the Greenville arts community. October’s exhibition is "Textiles: A History of Expression and Last Words by Susan Lenz," and the opening reception will be Friday, October 5 from 6 - 9 pm.

Facebook event page here

“Textiles: A History of Expression illuminates textiles through contemporary concepts while reflecting traditional approaches to the medium. The exhibition highlights central themes of memory, fluidity of emotion, multi-sensory experience and reverence. Using natural dyeing, meticulous handwork, embroidery, and quilting techniques, the artists invite viewers into thoughtful engagement with their experience. The artists, Alice Schlein (Greenville, SC), Sasha de Koninck (Santa Monica, CA), Beth Andrews (Greer, SC), Kristy Bishop (Charleston, SC), and Meredith Piper (Greenville, SC) re-energize the rich history of textile by continually informing their contemporary practices.”

In addition to the main exhibit, First Friday will also showcase the traveling exhibit “Latvian Mittens,” a collection of hand-knit mittens from the Latvian folk art collection in New Jersey, which is traveling the U.S. as part of the celebration of the Republic of Latvia’s 100^th anniversary.

The exhibit will be available for viewing Friday at the GCCA event, and Saturday at the Spartanburg International Festival at the Latvia tent. This is a wonderful opportunity to discover the culturally resplendent tradition of Latvian knitting! Featuring the mittens as well as other authentic textiles, information on the Latvian designs and symbolism contained within, and traditional techniques, the exhibit is a celebration of the rich legacy of Latvian folk knitters.

Worldwide, Latvian mittens have become a symbol of the apex of the knitting world. Unique in their folk symbolism and technique, books about Latvian mittens have been published in many languages, and many knitters’ organizations and websites have featured original patterns, contributing to the recent Latvian mitten craze.

GCCA is open to the public and admission is free; come by and see the exhibition!