Meet the 2026-27 Brandon Fellows at Greenville Center for Creative Arts

Greenville Center for Creative Arts has chosen its 2026-27 Brandon Fellows and they will move into the studios ahead of GCCA’s Night Shifts event on Sept. 4.

The 12-month fellowship seeks to develop four emerging artists between the ages of 18 and 25 who represent the diversity of Greenville’s visual arts scene.

Brandon Fellows receive:

• Free studio space at GCCA
• A $750 stipend for art supplies
• A $200 Spinx gift card for travel
• Complimentary classes and workshops at GCCA
• Mentorship
• Opportunities for networking, collaboration and participation in other local arts events
• Community engagement and teaching opportunities
• Participation in an August 2027 GCCA exhibit and artist tour

“The Brandon Fellowship is more to GCCA and our community than just an artist studio program” said Ben Tarcson, gallery director and Brandon Fellow program manager at GCCA. “We ask our Fellows to treat the Fellowship as a springboard into becoming visual arts leaders in our community. Havva, Kat, Hassan, and Shakira will have dedicated studios, free access to GCCA classes and workshops, and opportunities to exhibit their work. Just as important, they will have opportunities to teach through our Aspiring Artists workshop series at local community centers and Title I schools. I’m excited to see how each of these four emerging artists use this opportunity to grow their practice, connect with our community, and find their own place as active contributors to Greenville’s arts community.”

Since its inception in 2015, about three dozen artists have completed the fellowship.

This year’s Brandon Fellows are:

Hassan Abu-Judom

• Abu-Judom went to Mauldin High School and the Fine Arts Center. She also briefly attended Greenville Technical College.
• The Milwaukee, Wisconsin-born artist uses acrylic paint, watercolor, colored pencils, ink pen, acrylic and alcohol-based markers and gouache to create traditional paintings and detailed large-scale illustrations.
• To create her pieces, Abu-Judom said she “likes to imagine that the art I make is like pages from a diary. Themes and motifs like Middle Eastern/Palestinian culture, memories, my own queer experiences in the LGBTQ community and even vivid nightly dreamscapes.”
• As a Brandon Fellow, Abu-Judom said she is “most excited for is meeting other young artists to create alongside and to inspire others as the months pass us by. I am also looking forward to seeing what kind of person this residency will turn me into. All I can say is that this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will change my life for the better regardless.”

Havva Dökmeci

• Dökmeci received a bachelor in science in cybersecurity from the University of South Carolina Upstate.
• She got her artistic training from online resources, such as YouTube, as well as online classes by Erguvan Art & Academy.
• The Brooklyn, New York-born artist works in mediums such as origami, painting, sketching and floral photography. Dökmeci said her work “focuses on floral themes as well as the perfection found in mother nature.” She also uses geometric patterns and Tezhip, a traditional art form used to illuminate sacred scripts, in her pieces.
• As a Brandon Fellow, Dökmeci said she is looking forward to presenting and sharing her heritage, skills and knowledge to inform the community more about the Turkish culture. “It isn’t common to see this form of artistry especially in a diversifying region like Greenville, I think it’s exciting to see more people of background come into an art space and share their story. I’m super excited to meet more people as the fellowship goes on, I’ve always wanted to be a part of an art community, and I’m grateful to finally have found a space to share my work with like-minded individuals.”

Kaitlyn Martin

• Martin received a bachelor of fine arts in art education from the University of South Carolina.
• She took several introductory art courses while at USC. She also learned how to make paper at the Penland School of Craft because of an Ethel S. Brody scholarship she received in 2023.
• The Greenville-born paper artist works with pulp of various recycled and natural fibers. Martin said her pieces “explore themes of tension and connection through speculative inquiry. Informed by my background in education, I am inspired by curiosity, phenomena and uncertainty.”
• As a Brandon Fellow, Martin said she is looking forward to connecting and creating with the cohort, the Greenville community and beyond. “A unique aspect of this fellowship is access to workshops and classes, which has immeasurable value for my journey to creating more interdisciplinary work. I am planning to incorporate paper with other mediums, investigating material interaction while building my skills as an artist.”

Shakira Olivera-Bautista

• Olivera-Bautista is a graduate of Legacy Early College High School and received a bachelor of arts in art from Furman University.
• Initially, she developed her artistic skills independently by learning to sketch everyday objects, coloring and tracing from manga and recreating scenes from the media that captured her imagination, such as the anime shows “Attack on Titan,” “Jujutsu Kaisen,” “Bleach” and “One Piece,” as well as TV shows and movies, including “Supernatural,” “Twilight” and “Person of Interest.” She received formal training at Furman and has taken a Social Media for Artists course at GCCA.
• While the Greenville-based multidisciplinary artist primarily focuses on oil painting, she also incorporates mixed media, photography, drawing, illustration and sports film production in her pieces. Olivera-Bautista said her work is rooted “in the identity, heritage and emotional landscape of the Latinx community, exploring personal narratives, family history and the diaspora.” She also draws inspiration from her experiences, personal reflections, and the resilience and sacrifices of her parents and others who paved the way.
• As a Brandon Fellow, Olivera-Bautista said “I am looking forward to this opportunity to improve as an artist and grow into a leader. I want to step out of my comfort zone — since I tend to be very shy and quiet — and get more deeply involved in the art community. I am excited to share my process by showing works in progress live or teaching a class, and especially to engage with anyone who wants to explore in art and just need a bit more guidance.”