Arts, family fun, learning and more for January

Chris Worthy
·7 min read
Things to do across the Upstate and beyond!

ARTS

Auditions for “The Rainbow Fish” (play) are 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Jan. 9 or Jan. 10 at the Chapman Cultural Center. Auditionees should only audition one of the two nights and may arrive at any time during the two-hour block. Spartanburg Youth Theatre welcomes youth in grades 3 – 12 to audition. See the audition requirements and information online at spartanburgyouththeatre.com/auditions.

Wee Create Playgroup for ages 2 – 4 is 10 – 11 a.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays at Yellowbobbypins Art Camp at Hampton Station. The cost is $25 to drop in or $84 per month. For details and registration, visit yellowbobbypins.com.

Time Travel: Art Through the Ages for ages 5 – 7, 8 – 10, and 11 – 14 is offered at various times on Tuesdays or Wednesdays at Yellowbobbypins Art Camp at Hampton Station. The cost is $25 to drop in. For details and registration, visit yellowbobbypins.com.

The SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, a public, residential high school for artistically talented students, is now accepting applications for the 2024 – 2025 school year and summer programs. All South Carolina residents in grades 6 – 11 are eligible to apply online at SCGSAH.org. The Governor’s School’s tuition-free, residential high school currently serves students in grades 10 – 12 who receive pre-professional training in creative writing, dance, drama, music and visual arts. In the fall of 2024, the school’s new film department will open with its first class of aspiring filmmakers. The dance department will also offer a new full modern and contemporary dance track for students interested in careers in modern dance and choreography. During the summer, the school hosts around 350 students for overnight summer programs in creative writing, dance, drama, film, music and visual arts. All interested students apply online at scgsah.org and complete application and/or audition requirements depending on their chosen program. The priority application deadline for all programs is Jan. 10, 2024. Applications will be received until all openings are filled. Financial assistance is available for all programs through the Governor’s School Foundation.

Art Classes are offered at the Spartanburg Art Museum. For details and registration, visit spartanburgartmuseum.org.

Display Your Art – The Back Door Art Gallery in Fountain Inn has a kids’ art wall. Children ages 12 and younger can hang one piece of their art for free for one month. For specifications and contact information, visit backdoorartgallery.com.

Art Classes for ages 6 and older are offered at A Cut Above Maker Space in Spartanburg. For cost, registration and details, visit acutabovemakerspace.com.

Art classes are offered at GCCA – Greenville Center for Creative Arts. For details, visit artcentergreenville.org.

Voice, piano, and acting private lessons are offered from Kimilee Bryant Studio. For details, email kimileebryantstudio@gmail.com or call 864-280-9150.

South Carolina Children’s Theatre offers classes for grades pre-K – 12. For details visit, scchildrenstheatre.org.

Spartanburg Youth Theatre offers classes for grades K4 – 12. For full class listings and to enroll, visit spartanburgyouththeatre.com or call 864-585-8278.

Engage in music at the Lawson Academy of the Arts – Private lessons and group classes are offered for musicians of all ages and levels with instruction from Converse University professors and student-teachers. Learn to play piano or enroll in an ensemble. For details, call 864-596-9022.

Arts programs are at TR Makers. Programs include homeschool classes, Afterschool Makers Elementary (grades K5 – 5), Afterschool Art School (grades 2 – 6), and more. For cost and registration, visit trmakersco.org.

Music Adventure Classes are at 10 a.m. Mondays at Swamp Rabbit Café. Classes are geared for pre-K – K but all ages are welcome. The cost is $15 per class ($5 for each additional sibling) and includes a coffee and pastry. For details and registration, visit @musicadventure on Instagram or email musicadventureforkids@gmail.com.

FAMILY FUN, LEARNING, AND MORE

Spring 2024 Language Classes are offered by Upstate International. More than 25 different classes and 8 different languages are offered, including English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, and Finnish. The spring session is Jan. 22 – May 3. All classes are taught by instructors who are passionate speakers of the language. For details and registration, visit click here or visit UpstateInternational.org.

STRIDES Systematic Tutoring, a nonprofit program, offers individualized tutoring for ages 6 – 20. instruction is available. In-person tutoring is available in Cherrydale, Foutain Inn, Greer, Taylors, Berea and Easley or virtually with a smart phone, tablet or desk top computer. Scholarships are available. For details, call 864-246-9898 or stridestutor.org.

Painted Paci’s Playgroup for ages 6 months – 2 years is 9 – 10 a.m. Mondays or Fridays at Yellowbobbypins Art Camp at Hampton Station. The cost is $25 to drop in or $84 per month. For details and registration, visit yellowbobbypins.com.

Well Walkers is offered Tuesdays and Thursdays in January (except Jan. 25) at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. The arena concourse will be open from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. for anyone who wants to have a temperature-controlled space to exercise. Each loop around the concourse is a quarter mile. Well Walkers is a free event with no registration or prior notice required. Free parking for participants is provided in the VIP lot at the arena, located off Church Street. For details, visit bonsecoursarena.com.

Naturalist Talks: Deer are at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday in December at Antler Hill Village’s historic Horse Barn at Biltmore Estate. No reservation required. No minimum age required. Parent or guardian must accompany guests under age 18. To participate in this activity, guest must have a daytime ticket, a Biltmore Annual Pass, or a stay at one of the estate’s overnight properties. Visit biltmore.com/things-to-do/activities/outdoors/naturalist.

Italian Renaissance Alive is open at Biltmore Estate. The multi-sensory experience immerses guests in the beauty and brilliance of the greatest artistic period in history as it comes to life all around you. Large-scale projections with 360-degree views set to a powerful operatic score tell the story of artists and the time periods within which they lived. Italian Renaissance Alive features Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Raphael, Botticelli, Caravaggio and more. It continues through Jan. 7, 2024. For details and ticket information, visit biltmore.com/things-to-do/events/italian-renaissance-alive.

Little Learners Club, available from the Greenville County Library System, is designed especially for children under age 5 to encourage the development of kindergarten readiness skills using the Palmetto Basics. Details are at greenvillelibrary.org/kids/little-learners-club.

Free Books – Greenville First Steps has launched a pilot of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in Greenville County. Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is an early literacy program that mails free age-appropriate books each month to registered children from birth to age 5. Currently in Greenville County, children in 29690, 29611, and 29669can sign up for Imagination Library. Registration is available at ImaginationLibrary.com.

Story Time is at 10 a.m. Thursdays at Barnes and Noble at Greenridge. For details, visit stores.barnesandnoble.com/store/2221.

Family Story Time for ages birth – 5 is Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. at the Pendleton and Lander Memorial Libraries, Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. at the Powdersville Library, and Thursdays and Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. at the Anderson Main Library. Visit andersonlibrary.org.

Preschool and Toddler Story Times are offered at Spartanburg Library locations. For details, visit spartanburglibraries.org.

Preschool Story Time for ages 3 – 5 is at 9:15 and 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays at the Anderson Main Library. Visit andersonlibrary.org.

Toddler Storytime for ages 18 – 36 months is at 9:15 and 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays at the Anderson Main Library. Visit andersonlibrary.org.

Preschool Storytimes for ages 2 – 5 are offered at the Pickens County Library. Call 864-850-7077 or visit pickenscountylibrarysystem.com.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Arts, family fun, learning and more for January