Suffolk is joining Virginia in celebrating women in the arts during the months of May and June.

Three local arts venues are sponsoring exhibits to correlate with the statewide exhibit “Minds Wide Open: Virginia Celebrates Women in the Arts.” The Suffolk Museum, Shooting Star Gallery and Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts all are sponsoring exhibits to commemorate women’s contributions to arts.

The Suffolk Museum and Suffolk Art League together present “Vibrant Spirits: The Art of Crones and Innocents.” The exhibit features 15 female artists — “crones” age 70 and over, and “innocents” age 18-30.

“It’s amazing how the different age groups deal with things like color and form,” said museum coordinator Nancy Kinzinger. “I think the contrast is interesting.”

The exhibit features works in categories such as pottery, glasswork, paints, mixed media and photography.

“[The artists] showed different levels of expertise in mastering their chosen media,” Kinzinger said. “As an artist gets older, they become technically proficient, but they lose some of the freshness, and I think you can really see that in this exhibit.”

Honoring women’s contributions to the arts is important, Kinzinger said.

“Obviously, women are a driving force in the arts.”

The Suffolk Museum exhibit is open through June 11. The museum is located at 118 Bosley Ave., and is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. For more information, call the Suffolk Museum at 514-7284 or the Suffolk Art League at 925-0448.

A separate exhibit at the Shooting Star Gallery, “Mirror, Mirror” examines the female image in portraiture. The Shooting Star Gallery is located at 118 N. Main St., and is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. “Mirror, Mirror” is on display through June 30. For more information, call 934-0855.

A third exhibit will be held at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts. “Kacey S. Carneal — A Woman and Her Art” opens June 11 and runs through mid-August. Carneal’s distinctive style also is displayed in several pieces in the Suffolk Museum show. The Suffolk Museum is located at 110 W. Finney Ave. For more information, call 923-0003.