Annual Art League student exhibit announces winners 

Published 9:00 am Wednesday, February 5, 2025

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This year’s Best in Show winner of the Suffolk Art League’s annual Exhibit of Excellence student art show is Kiley Whitworth from Nansemond River High School. She won $200 for her bold and colorful acrylic self-portrait. 

Whitworth looked shocked when her name was called and said she did not expect to get the award. With tears in her eyes, she credited a lot of her artistic growth to her art teacher, Brian Kershasky.

She was at the show with her parents, and congratulated by other students who said they loved her piece and knew it would receive an award. 

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Mackenzie Moore placed first, Jayden Kebe placed second, and Isabella Burton placed third. Winners won $150, $100, and $75 respectively. Six honorable mention winners received $20 each and seven juror’s choice winners. The exhibit will be up through February. 

Suffolk Art League Executive Director Hillarey Breedlove said there were about 200 entries this year, and 88 were selected for the show. Submissions are open to students in grades 9-12 at Suffolk Public Schools, Nansemond Suffolk Academy, and homeschoolers. 

This year, students from Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, Lakeland, Nansemond River, and King’s Fork High Schools were featured in the exhibit.

Christina Rupsch was this year’s judge. She currently serves on the Suffolk Fine Arts Commission and is a 2D artist, focusing on mixed media, painting, and printmaking. 

As a judge, she said “the first initial feel” of the artwork is the first thing she considers before looking at specific design elements. She said she also considers presentation, craftsmanship, color usage, and the content. This year, she said she noticed a lot of interesting colors.

“I was very affected by the color usage this year,” Rupsch said. “You’re going to notice through this whole show there’s a lot of really cool color that’s been used.”

The exhibit consists mostly of flat artwork — drawings, paintings, and photographs — with some 3D sculptures, felt work, and mixed media canvases. 

Breedlove said she recognized a few of the pieces from previous workshops and camps the Art League has hosted. She said it “makes her happy” to see pieces that she personally witnessed students work on get selected for the show.

Breedlove said she’s “pretty impressed” with the quality of the work and mentioned a lot of them don’t look like class assignments, but rather pieces of art that were done with intention and care.