Tiger Strikes Asteroid Greenville (TSA GVL) is pleased  to announce our next exhibition, In the Morning We Built the City, a solo exhibition by our 2026 Artist-in-Residence, Mike Howat. The exhibition will run September 4 - 26, 2026, with a reception on Friday September 4, from 6-9pm.

In the Morning We Built the City features new drawings, paintings, and installations by artist Mike Howat. Over the past few weeks in residence at our gallery, Howat has produced works that expand on vernacular architectural forms, ranging from large-scale water tower drawings to “paintings-as-sculpture” of roof dormers. Observational paintings are central to Howat’s practice where trompe l’oeil renderings of storefronts, houses, and other perspectives of a changing neighborhood are constructed against the viewer’s first read of each image.

Howat draws this imagery from the historic mill towns from his upbringing, ranging from the paper mills of New England to the textile crescent of South Carolina. He traces the labor history and neighborhood identity through these depictions of everyday structures. With the gallery being located within the former site of a textile mill, Howat brings perspectives from the community, incorporating interviews with skaters from Poe Mill DIY Skatepark, through text and imagery, which reflect the redevelopment of industry, character, and city.