2025-26 Profile*
Fine Arts Center
102 Pine Knoll Drive
Greenville, SC 29609
Telephone: (864) 355-2550
Fax: (864) 355-2579
Fine Arts Center Website
Grades: 9th - 12th Grade
School Location: Next to Wade Hampton High
Directions to Fine Arts Center
Principal: Vee Popat
Email: vpopat@greenville.k12.sc.us
Awards and Honors
- Arts Schools Network Exemplary School: 2023-2028
- Arts in Basic Curriculum Certified School
- Artist-in-Residence Partnership with the Peace Center, resulting in annual residencies for all FAC Performing Arts Areas
- Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts in South Carolina
- Kennedy Center/NSBA Arts in Education National Award (School District of Greenville County)
- Individual faculty awards from Fulbright Memorial Fund, Surdna Foundation
- Grants awarded from:
- Alliance for Young Artists and Writers
- National Endowment for the Humanities
- Alliance for Quality Education
- SC Arts Commission
- SC Department of Education
- Metropolitan Arts Council
- National Endowment for the Arts
- National Art Teachers Foundation
- American Dance Festival
- New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA)
- Edinburgh Festival
- State Department grants and tours
Student Achievement
- FAC Senior classes annually average over $12 million in total scholarship offers from colleges, universities, and conservatories
- Consistent recognition in the National YoungArts Competition, with both Winners and Winners with Distinction on an annual basis
- Superior performance annually in Scholastic Art and Writing awards; over 200 individual Regional awards in and multiple National Medals on an annual basis
- Two perfect scores on AP Visual Arts portfolios – one in 2022 and one in 2023 - an extremely rare accomplishment
- Consistent recognition in the annual Downbeat Magazine Student Jazz Awards, with Outstanding Soloist winners in 2024 and 2025
- Theatre and Music Students regularly featured in professional performances throughout the Greenville area
- Jazz Studies students accepted into the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra at the Monterey Jazz Festival - 2021 and 2022
- Average 90% success rate among students seeking Advanced Placement credit in Music Theory, Visual Arts
- “Crashtest”- an internationally recognized online magazine edited by Creative Writing students
- National Classical Singer Magazine scholarship recognition
- Superior performance annually in regional, state, national Solo and Chamber Music competitions.
- Architecture students consistently “challenge exam” out of their entire first year of Clemson University architecture studios (8 credit hours each)
- Students accepted into nationally renowned summer arts intensive programs
For a closer look...
For more in-depth information on this school including programs, course offerings, extracurricular activities, and more - visit www.fineartscenter.net
If you would like information about the School Report Card rating, visit the State Department of Education Website, screportcards.com.
For more information, call INFOLine at 864-355-3100, visit our website at www.greenville.k12.sc.us.
Facilities
Sheffield Wood Art Gallery • 4,400 Square foot Black Box Theatre with walkable tension grid that has flexible seating for 250 patrons • Sutherlin Recital Hall, seating 150, with Yamaha CX7 Grand Piano and harpsichord; state-of-the-art lighting and projection system; livestream broadcast capabilities • 2800 sq. ft. Dance classroom equipped with sprung floor, mirrors and barres • Music classrooms with individual practice modules • Visual arts studios well-equipped with printing presses, 3-D Printer, electric & gas kilns, hydraulic press, darkroom facilities, cameras, iMac computers with Adobe suite, screen printing facilities, handlooms, sewing machines, etc. • Digital Film studio equipped with iMacs • All music studios equipped with professional-level equipment for student use • Recording Arts program with a fully equipped studio • Architecture studio equipped with Sketchup, AUTOCAD, and Adobe Creative Suite
Faculty Profile
- Administrators: 2
- Teachers/Professional Staff: 26
- Support Staff: 12
Outstanding Features/Programs
- Courses in Architecture; Creative Writing; Dance (Ballet, Modern); Digital Filmmaking; Instrumental Music (Winds and Percussion); Jazz Studies (Improvisation and Performance); Recording Arts; Strings Chamber Music; Voice; Music Theory and History; Technical Theatre/Design; Theatre Performance (Voice, Diction, Movement, and Acting); Visual Arts (Design, Fiber Arts, Drawing, Photography, Clay, Metals)
- Advanced Placement Courses in Visual Arts, Music Theory and Art History
- Nation’s first Fiber Arts program in concert with a major university: North Carolina State University
- Nation’s first Art of Architecture program connected to a major university: Clemson University
- Memoranda of Agreement with SC Universities to offer college credit equivalency for FAC Courses - Clemson University, Coastal Carolina University, and Winthrop University
- Students from all area high schools, from private, charter, home schools & out-of-county
- All Faculty are practicing professionals in the arts
- Regularly scheduled exhibitions by professional artists in Sheffield Wood Gallery
- Educational Partnership with the Peace Center (masterclasses, visitations, and lectures)
- Visiting Artist program (workshops, masterclasses, performances, and lectures)
- Greenville County Youth Orchestras - the resident orchestras of the Fine Arts Center
- Educational Partnerships with Canopus Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, RS Berkeley Instruments
- Nationally recognized collection of Native American Pottery. Extensive collection of antique cameras. Teaching art collection valued at over $1,000,000 dollars