Explore family friendly events, theatres, galleries, concerts, nightlife, things to do, and more in the Greenville, SC and Upstate areas.

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Saturday, November 18, 2023
Red Kettle Impact Campaign
Nov 18 @ 8:00 am
Online + various locations

When you donate to The Salvation Army Red Kettle Impact Campaign, you help provide:

  • A warm, safe bed for men, women and children to sleep
  • Food boxes for families and individuals experiencing food insecurity
  • Rent assistance so people can stay in their homes
  • Disaster relief for those who have lost everything
  • Utilities assistance so seniors on a fixed income can have heat this winter

Thank you for supporting The Salvation Army of Greenville.

Biltmore Estate: Ciao! From Italy Sculptural Postcard Display
Nov 18 @ 8:30 am
Biltmore Estate

Included with admission

Embark on a scenic journey across George Vanderbilt’s Italy with a large-scale outdoor display that combines brilliant botanical designs with authentic messages written by Vanderbilt himself.

Beautifully handcrafted of natural elements, each sculptural postcard depicts a location or landmark Vanderbilt visited more than a century ago. This captivating complement to Biltmore’s Italian Renaissance Alive exhibition reveals Vanderbilt’s passions for travel, culture, architecture, and art as well as his personal experience of such renowned Italian cities as Milan, Florence, Venice, Pisa, and Vatican City.

Adding to the charm and visual appeal of Ciao! From Italy—sure to be a hit among kids of all ages—is the G-scale model train that travels in and out of each postcard in this enlightening display!

Art Exhibit: Mono No Aware
Nov 18 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Greenville Center for Creative Arts

GCCA invites you to the opening night of our newest Community Gallery exhibition, “Mono No Aware”, on First Friday, November 3rd from 6-9pm. “Mono No Aware” will be on display from November 3rd – December 20th, 2023 and admission is free during open business hours.

In “Mono No Aware,” exhibiting artist Leigh Mitchell presents over 30 black & white photographs inspired by the ephemeral nature of things. Included in the exhibition are images that metaphorically allude to all the trees humans have cut down and all the pollution humans are adding to the land and atmosphere. Mitchell’s work speaks to the precarious situation and tangled mess humanity and the earth are in and to the eerie sense of foreboding for what may lie ahead. ‘Mono No Aware,’ is a Japanese term meaning “beauty tinged with sadness.” More specifically, the term alludes to the bittersweet awareness that all things inevitably change form or come to an end. Both a deep ache and a deep appreciation accompany the awareness that we don’t know how long human life and the earth as we know it will last. Mitchell’s work in “Mono No Aware” was funded in part from an artist grant from Metropolitan Arts Council.

Monarchs and Milkweed: A Story of Survival
Nov 18 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
NC Arboretum

Join us on a journey into the world of butterflies and plants, and see the complex relationship between monarchs and milkweed. “Monarchs and Milkweed” explores how very survival of these majestic creatures has been shaped over time by one another, traveling through the seasons of a calendar year and revealing how both insect and plant grow and interact, culminating in a massive migration that crosses a continent.

Anderson County Museum Gallery Open
Nov 18 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Anderson County Museum

Holidays The Museum is closed.

Artists’ Market
Nov 18 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Pharmacy Coffee

Shop local art and gifts while you sip your morning latte, at Pharmacy Coffee’s monthly Artists’ Pop-Up Market in the Montgomery Building, (187 North Church St,) held each second Saturday of the month from 10am-2pm. Vendors include textile artists, sweets and baked goods, candles and soap, jewelry, crochet, plants, seasonal home decor, paintings and prints, clothing, and more.

Exhibition: Wildfire ’23 by Dave Sawyer
Nov 18 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Artists Collective | Spartanburg
Wildfire ’23

Dave Sawyer

Upstate pottery and ceramics artist Dave Sawyer will present new additions to his body of work in an exhibition titled “Wildfire ’23” Nov. 7 through Dec. 2 in Gallery II of the Artists Collective | Spartanburg.

 

An artist’s talk will be held Thursday, Nov. 16, as part of Spartanburg Artwalk.

 

“My work includes art pottery and decorative ceramic wall art,” says Sawyer. “My inspiration comes from the world around us and reflects God’s great gift of nature.”

Heart Forward: The Resurrection of Love
Nov 18 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Artists Collective | Spartanburg
Heart Forward:
The Resurrection of Love

Lady Pluuto
with guest artist Sonya Mauldin

Upstate artist Lady Pluuto believes in the strength of people’s hearts, and she is showing her belief in a new exhibition of digital paintings, “Heart Forward: The Resurrection of Love,” Nov. 7 through Dec. 2 in Gallery III of the Artists Collective | Spartanburg.

 

She will present an artist’s talk on Thursday, Nov. 16, as part of Spartanburg ArtWalk.

 

“These digital paintings portray a pivotal moment where the heart reawakens after healing from suffering and heartbreak,” Lady Pluuto says.

Holiday Artisan Market
Nov 18 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Artists Collective | Spartanburg

Looking ahead at the holidays, do you often think you’d like to give unique gifts – one-of-a-kind pieces that the recipient will really cherish? Sure, there are websites offering such items, but why not “shop local” at the Artists Collective | Spartanburg’s 2023 Holiday Artisan Market Nov. 8 through Dec. 23?

Holly Jolly Holiday Fair
Nov 18 @ 10:00 am – 10:00 pm
Anderson Civic Center

HJHF is a sweeping celebration of all things holiday, hand-crafted and vintage. Wander around our 200 booths while enjoying savory treats from local food & drink trucks.

Grab a ticket to Kick off your holiday season with LIVE ENTERTAINMENT by acapella groups,  duets, soloists, DJ’s, speakers, dancers, DIY classes with the artists, kids entertainers, and the big red guy himself.

Make Holly Jolly a tradition 🎅

Now Open – The Underground Gallery
Nov 18 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Artists Collective | Spartanburg

We are thrilled to unveil an exciting addition to the Artists Collective | Spartanburg that is set to redefine the way you experience art – the all-new Underground Gallery! This unique space is more than just a gallery; it’s a cozy, intimate haven where art lovers can immerse themselves in creativity, and engage in meaningful conversations about the art that surrounds them.

PAW Patrol Live! “The Great Pirate Adventure”
Nov 18 @ 10:00 am
Harrah's Cherokee Center- Asheville

PAW Patrol Live! “The Great Pirate Adventure”

PAW Patrol Live! sets sail with a pirate adventure!

It’s Pirate Day in Adventure Bay and Ryder will need all paws on deck as he and the PAW Patrol discover a secret treasure map while on a mission to rescue Cap’n Turbot from a mysterious cavern. It’s up to Chase, Marshall, Skye and all their heroic pirate pup friends to save the day and find the pirate treasure before Mayor Humdinger finds it first!

Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred
Nov 18 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sigal Music Museum
Sigal Music Museum’s current special exhibition, Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred, highlights items from the JoAnn and Frank Edwinn Collection, which hails from all over the world. Showing November 2023 – May 2024, Worlds Apart uses a diverse range of historical instruments, objects, and visuals to bring together musical narratives from seemingly disparate parts of the globe.

 

Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred aims to increase public access to historical instruments from around the world and improve visitors’ understanding of musical traditions at the global level. Expanding beyond the typical parameters of the Western musical canon, Worlds Apart seeks to expose audiences to musical instruments and customs that are often overlooked or exotified. The instruments and other exhibit materials will offer visitors new perspectives on global music and a chance to consider how music is used for prayer and leisure in cultures around the world. By celebrating these stories, the museum intends to further its mission to collect and preserve historical musical instruments, objects, and information, which engage and enrich people of all ages through exhibits, performances, and experiential programs.

 

Displaying various objects from the JoAnn and Frank Edwinn Collection, Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred focuses on international musical instruments and cultures, celebrating rites and traditions with ancient histories and contemporary legacies. Frank Edwinn, a successful basso in the mid-20th century, studied and toured internationally, eventually settling in North Carolina, where he taught music at the University of North Carolina Asheville. Throughout his life, he purchased various objects from around the world, aiming to expose students, and himself, to the wide and wonderful world of musical instruments. This impressive collection occupies a unique position for educating audiences unfamiliar with the vast scope of global music.

And, UNCA’s Ramsey Library Special Collections is now processing the Edwinn’s papers and a few recordings that will be accessible next semester!

Art Exhibition: Parting Lines
Nov 18 @ 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Greenville Center for Creative Arts

 

In Parting Lines, artists TeaYoun Kim-Kassor, Mayuko Ono Gray, and Sabre Esler explore common threads of human existence, memory, and identity through varying representations of lines, whether explicit or implied. Featuring over 30 intricate drawings, paintings, and silk works, Parting Lines invites us to consider the power of diverse perspectives converging on a shared exploration of what it means to be human.

TeaYoun Kim-Kassor’s installation series, “Modulation,” delves into the concept of identity and questions the interplay between personal history and migration. Her work speaks to the universal human experience of grappling with questions like “Who am I?” and “Where am I?” as we navigate life’s complexities. Sabre Esler’s art takes a markedly scientific approach, probing the invisible constructs of thoughts. Esler uses color theory to represent abstract ideas. Her “what if” hypotheses serve as a bridge between art and science, resonating with the exhibition’s theme of exploring uncharted territories of the human condition. Mayuko Ono Gray’s graphite drawings offer a unique blend of cultural influences, seamlessly merging traditional Japanese calligraphy with Western drawing practices. Ono Gray’s works capture everyday life experiences and incorporate matching Japanese proverbs, intricately woven into a single, continuous line of hiragana and kanji characters. The calligraphic line symbolizes the journey of life, from birth to death, echoing the overarching theme of the exhibition.

Top Image: Mayuko Ono Gray – 目に入れても痛くない_Apple in my eyes (Mark)
Bottom Images (Left to Right): TeaYoun Kim-Kassor – Modulation /  Sabre Esler – Anomaly
Mayuko Ono Gray
Mayuko Ono Gray is an artist based in Houston, TX whose primary medium is graphite drawing. Born in Gifu, Japan, she was trained in traditional Japanese calligraphy in her youth and later studied classical Western drawing. Ono Gray moved to the United States following high school and went on to receive an MFA in painting from the University of Houston in 2007. Ono Gray is the former Gallery Director and adjunct faculty at College of the Mainland, Texas City, TX. Gray served as an Instructor at the Glassell School of Art in Houston, TX in 2022. Her works are represented by Hooks-Epstein galleries in Houston, TX and Galeria 910 in Oaxaca, Mexico.

TeaYoun Kim-Kassor
TeaYoun Kim-Kassor is originally from South Korea, where she received her B.F.A. in Fine Arts at Sungshin Women’s University in Seoul.  She continued her research in Art Education as the Japanese equivalent of a Fulbright Scholar at Saitama University in Japan, where she earned a Master of Art Education (MAAE).  In America, Kim-Kassor continued her exploration of arts in the Terminal Degree in visual arts, M.F.A. program at the University of Tennessee, focusing on Spatial Practice.  Currently, she is a Professor and Department Chair of the Foundation Program at Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.

Sabre Esler
Sabre Esler (b. Cleveland, OH) lives and works in Atlanta Georgia. She received her MFA from SCAD, Atlanta and she received her BFA from Miami University, Oxford OH where she studied graphic design, illustration and biology. She is currently a studio artist at Atlanta Contemporary. Esler has taught  at Georgia State University, Perimeter College and SCAD. She is represented by Jennifer Balcos Gallery, Atlanta GA.

Free Family Day at the Science Center!
Nov 18 @ 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
The Spartanburg Science Center
Rocky Cove Railroad Exhibit
Nov 18 @ 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
NC Arboretum

On exhibit Saturdays and Sundays from 12 – 4 p.m., Rocky Cove Railroad is a G-Scale (garden scale) model train that demonstrates the coming of trains to western North Carolina at the turn of the 20th century. The exhibit is located below the Grand Promenade. Please note, Rocky Cove Railroad will not operate in rainy or wet conditions.

Greenville Go Club
Nov 18 @ 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Hughes Main Library
The group has been restarted! Saturdays from 2-5pm at the Hughes Main Library in Greenville (Meeting room B).
We are a group of gamers who play the strategy board game known as go (or baduk). We have plenty of equipment and the group is free. We are very happy to teach new players and do teaching games and group game reviews as well.
If you are interested, please join our Facebook group!
Go is an abstract strategy board game for two players, in which the aim is to surround more territory than the opponent. It has very simple rules and is easy to learn, but challenging to master! The game originated in ancient China more than 2,500 years ago, and is one of the oldest board games played today.
PAW Patrol Live! “The Great Pirate Adventure”
Nov 18 @ 2:00 pm
Harrah's Cherokee Center- Asheville

PAW Patrol Live! “The Great Pirate Adventure”

PAW Patrol Live! sets sail with a pirate adventure!

It’s Pirate Day in Adventure Bay and Ryder will need all paws on deck as he and the PAW Patrol discover a secret treasure map while on a mission to rescue Cap’n Turbot from a mysterious cavern. It’s up to Chase, Marshall, Skye and all their heroic pirate pup friends to save the day and find the pirate treasure before Mayor Humdinger finds it first!

Trans-Siberian Orchestra | The Ghosts of Christmas Eve
Nov 18 @ 4:00 pm
Bon Secours Wellness Arena

Rock out this holiday season with TSO as we bring back ‘The Ghosts of Christmas Eve: The Best of TSO and More’! We’re pulling out all the stops to make sure this winter tour is our best show in years.

Smoke and Mirrors
Nov 18 @ 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Johnson Collection

Join us November 18th, at 5pm for a musical celebration of jazz and the transformation of tradition. Phase Five is thrilled to present “Smoke and Mirrors,” a collaborative experience with jazz, art, and the bending of tradition at its forefront. Partnering with the Johnson Collection, we are excited to feature works from the musical icons such as George Gershwin, Etta James, and more, as well as some original works from our in-house composers! Doors open @4:30pm. Concert is FREE!