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The Suffolk Art League, in cooperation with the Suffolk Fine Arts Commission, is preparing for another exhibit full of artwork done by Suffolk high school students.

The Exhibit of Excellence: Suffolk Student Art 2021 at the Suffolk Art Gallery will run Feb. 2-26. Before then, the Suffolk Art Gallery needs entries from Suffolk students in grades 10, 11 and 12. Students can go to a public or private school or be homeschooled to participate.

“Every year, we are impressed by the talent of Suffolk’s high school students and delighted to be able to showcase them and their work,” said Linda Bunch, executive director at the Suffolk Art League.

The artwork submitted must be original and not copied from another artist’s work. Accepted mediums include drawing, painting, collage, graphic design, original prints, photography, sculpture, pottery, jewelry, weaving or woodcarving.

Each submission must be ready to be displayed at the exhibition, with the paint dry and work finished. According to the Suffolk Art League, works to be hung must be framed or matted and backed with heavy cardboard and covered with acetate, with a wire for hanging attached to or through the back if not framed. Each artwork should have a label attached to the back, giving the student’s name, school, the title of the artwork and the medium used.

“With the public schools doing only virtual learning so far this year, it has been challenging for both the students and educators, but we know there will be some wonderful artwork submitted and included in the exhibition,” said Bunch.

James Warwick Jones will be this years’ juror. According to a press release from the Suffolk Art League, Jones is a Hampton native who graduated magna cum laude from Old Dominion University with a Bachelor of Science in secondary art education. He taught in the public schools and in curatorial and programming positions at the Peninsula Fine Art Center and the Charles H. Taylor Visual Art Center before retiring in 2018. He has more than 47 years of teaching experience and was a recipient of a 2006 Alli Award given by the Cultural Alliance of Greater Hampton Roads.

To enter the exhibition, students may bring artwork from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 21 to the Suffolk Art Gallery, 118 Bosley Ave. The student must also have a completed entry form signed by a teacher or parent.

Rules and entry forms are available at www.suffolkartleague.com. For more information, call 757-925-0448 or email suffolkartleague@verizon.net.