There’s something special about seeing the spark of creative talent as it is kindled in a young person. There’s an excitement that comes from knowing you’re seeing a young mind in the process of discovering the act of creation. The talent might not have the direction and refinement that it will gain with age and experience, but the raw emotions that stand at the foundation of most art are still pure when the artist is young.

The Suffolk Art League’s annual Exhibit of Excellence provides a great opportunity for you to see some of the results of the city’s raw, young artistic talent. Students from all of Suffolk’s public and private high schools submitted artwork for judging, and a juror from the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk had the daunting task of selecting 109 works of art for the show from among the 272 that were submitted. Then, from those 109 works, the juror picked 10 to win awards and honorable mentions.

It would have been a tough job, even if the city didn’t have so many talented young artists. But a visit to the exhibition, which will be open through March 1, makes it clear that the choices were not easy ones to make. There are, indeed, quite a few talented young artists in Suffolk, and they submitted some interesting and arresting pieces of art for display.

Suffolk is fortunate to have a space like the Suffolk Art Gallery for shows such as the Exhibit of Excellence. The gallery gives artists a chance to share their work that they might never have otherwise, and — especially in the case of these young artists — it helps the artists become confident in the work they produce.

Go have a look.