Three Huntington High School student-artists have pieces on display in the Heckscher Museum of Art’s Long Island’s Best Young Artists exhibition this spring.
The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the Heckscher’s original plans for the exhibit, which has been forced to go virtual. The artwork and artist’s statements can be found on the website of the museum, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary.
Huntington’s Annika Galvin, Vivienne LaVertu and Abraham Rodriquez are among the top Long Island artists with work on display in the exhibit, which is now in its 24th year. The show runs through May 3.
Ms. LaVertu and Ms. Galvin both won honors for their work. Ms. LaVertu garnered the Huntington Fine Arts Institute Award of Excellence, which includes an opportunity to take a series of free art classes.
Ms. Galvin captured the Andrew Presberg Promising Young Artist Award, which includes a $250 cash stipend.
Fourteen Huntington High School artists submitted pieces for the exhibit, which is highly regarded in the Long Island art community. The student-artists have been working with teachers Kristin Singer, Kasmira Mohanty and Ayallah Jedda.
“This juried exhibition provides select students with the unparalleled opportunity to exhibit their artwork in the museum and connect with the broader Long Island community,” according to the Heckscher Museum. “The quality of artwork is exceptional and delivers a professional-level show in a broad range of media, styles and subjects. Each student has written an artist statement describing their inspiration and artistic process; an image of the ‘inspiration artwork’ is also provided to deepen visual connections.”
Participants in the Long Island’s Best initiative choose a work of art in the Heckscher Museum’s collection as the starting point for their own creative process. The teenagers then interpret the respective pieces through their own art. “The quality of the artwork is exceptional and delivers a professional-level show,” exhibit organizers said.
Each of the pieces in the exhibit is accompanied by an artist’s statement, which explains “the thought process and artistic journey from conception to completion,” according to organizers. “An image of the artwork on view in the museum that inspired the student work is also featured.”
A total of 388 student artwork entries from 58 Long Island schools were submitted for jurying. Curator Karli Wurzelbacher and guest juror Nancy Richne chose 100 pieces in various media for inclusion in the show.
In addition to the three Huntington High School students who are displaying pieces in the exhibit, 11 other student-artists participated in this year’s Long Island Best initiative. Julia Giles, Aniyah Toro, Anna Koulakova, Sasha Koulakova, Nicholas Rowley, Jessica Quintanilla, Christina Hornstein, Fiorella Benitez, Josefina Fasolino, Andrea Delcid Ayala and Ella Siepel submitted artwork.
The Heckscher Museum of Art was founded in 1920 by industrialist August Heckscher. The collection is devoted to 19th and 20th century European and American art. In addition, the Museum owns and maintains the Dove/Torr cottage, the home of famed American artist Arthur Dove and his artist-wife Helen Torr. Visit www.heckscher.org or call (631) 351-3250 for more information.