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VISUAL ART PROGRAM OVERVIEW
VISUAL ART PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The ARMES Visual Art Program provides talented and motivated students with an opportunity to explore a broad range of two- and three-dimensional art forms in a supportive, challenging environment. While students develop technical skills in drawing, painting, sculpture, and mixed media, the program also emphasizes critical thinking, creative problem solving, and the development of each student’s unique artistic voice.
Instruction is designed to balance individual growth with collaborative learning. Teachers work closely with students one-on-one, helping them refine their craft and pursue personal artistic goals. At the same time, group projects and shared studio experiences encourage teamwork, communication, and confidence in working with others.
Peer critiques are a key component of the program. Through structured discussions, students learn to analyze ideas and techniques, articulate their artistic intentions, and reflect on both strengths and areas for growth. This exchange of perspectives creates a community where students not only receive guidance from instructors but also learn from one another.
The ARMES Visual Art Program prepares students to be innovative thinkers and confident creators. Whether they continue in the arts or apply these skills in other fields, participants leave with a strong foundation in discipline, creativity, and collaboration.
WHAT STUDENTS WILL BE LEARNING IN THE ARMES VISUAL ART PROGRAM
VISUAL ART INSTRUCTORS
kephira davis - central site visual art instructor
kephira davis - central site visual art instructor
Kephira Davis always knew she wanted to be an artist. Growing up in Greenville, South Carolina, she spent her afternoons drawing Disney characters and hosting tea parties for her older sisters. Those early experiences, along with her childhood memories and family relationships, continue to shape her artistic practice.
Working across themes of ancestry, dreams, memory, and the spaces where they intersect, Davis explores how familial relationships evolve over time and how the memories they produce continue to exist within the mind. Her work examines the ways personal and collective histories influence identity, belonging, and our understanding of the past and present.
In 2023, Davis earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2D Studio Art from Lander University. In addition to teaching with the ARMES program, Kephira works as a teaching artist with Blank Canvas Mural Company while pursuing a Master of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
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Matt andrews - central & southern site visual art
Matt andrews - central & southern site visual art
Originally from Waxhaw, NC, Matt Andrews is an award-winning plein air artist and illustrator. After earning a bachelor's degree in visual communication at Winthrop University, Matt began working as an freelance artist on new pinball machines with companies in the Midwest and Texas. During that same time period, he has taught illustration, graphic design, drawing, and painting at Central Piedmont Community College. After moving to the Greenville area in 2021, Matt picked up traditional media again and began teaching workshops in gouache and competing with considerable success at plein air painting festivals. Matt's art is about stopping to appreciate the space and time you inhabit whether through urban sketching, plein air, or live event art. See more at https://mandraws.com/.
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Lara hammond - central site visual art instructor
Lara hammond - central site visual art instructor
Hi I’m Lara Hammond! I got a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art and a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from the University of South Carolina, Columbia (Go Gamecocks!) and then got my Masters of Arts in Teaching in Art Education from Withrop Univeristy. I am in my 10th year of teaching Art but my 8th year in Greenville County.
My husband Jacob and I have 2 cats named Sully and Randall and a dog named Zowski (named after the Monsters Inc characters) that occupy much of our time outside of school. I love to do art (duh), do outdoor activities and travel in my off time- I have been to 48/50 states! I am very excited to join the ARMES team this year!
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anna grace burch - southern site visual art instructor
anna grace burch - southern site visual art instructor
Anna Grace is a Greenville, SC-based artist who explores astronomy, engages in the community, and enjoys alternative art forms. She received her BA in Painting and Drawing and a Minor in Art History from Anderson University. As a 2020 Brandon Fellows Alumni, the experience had her grow conceptually and embrace new alternative mediums. She has explored human connection through her origami installations in her recent work. Her work has been exhibited in competitions such as Artist of the Upstate at Artisphere in Greenville, SC, and Artfields in Lake City, SC, and in galleries including the Greenville Center for Creative Arts, The City of Greer Center for the Arts, and the Mint Museum in Atlanta, GA. Many publishing platforms have recognized her work, including The Push, Polemical Zine, and Turn it Around!
She looks forward to teaching and helping young and inspiring creators achieve their artistic goals.
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Savannah ralph - northern site visual art instructor
Savannah ralph - northern site visual art instructor
Savannah Ralph is a painter and native to Greenville, SC. She is known for her expressive figurative works. Ralph creates in her own style—a mix of realism, surrealism, and illustration—and pushes the limits of traditional art using unexpected materials and surfaces. As a 2020-2021 Brandon Fellow Alum, Ralph has exhibited her artwork as well as instruct classes at the Greenville Center for Creative Arts. Her work has been featured in various publications such as Town Carolina, Carolina Muse, the Greenville Journal, and more. She works as a studio artist in addition to teaching and showcases her work regularly in local galleries. Ralph is passionate about teaching and looks forward to fostering the creativity of her students in the ARMES program.
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