Creativity put on display at NSA Art Show and Sale

Published 8:44 pm Monday, January 30, 2023

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

It was a sunny Saturday morning as the 37th annual Nansemond-Suffolk Academy Art Show and Sale held its opening reception to the delight of the many who attended.

The academy’s first in-person art show since the pandemic, the Jan. 28 event opened with a vast collection of artworks on display and for sale throughout the school hallways created by Virginia-based artists and beyond.

Assistant Academy Director of Advancement Melissa Hlinovsky shared a bit of the enthusiasm she and Nansemond-Suffolk Academy staff had for the event.

Email newsletter signup

“We are just so excited,” said Hlinovsky. She said more than 170 sponsors attended Friday night’s opening reception.

“We’ve got over 160 artists in the show and many of them are here with us today at the opening reception,” she said. “We are showcasing not only flatart, including pastels, oils, acrylics, but also multimedia featuring glass, pottery, jewelry, woodturning. So, there’s something here for every customer that walks through our doors.”

The 2023 featured artist Shade Maret spent time visiting with those who turned out  and also took the time to discuss being a part of the previous night’s sponsors’ reception and the opening.

“Last night there was a lot of energy with all the sponsors at the party and that was really fun to be a part of that — in the school where they really do value the arts,” Maret said. “All of this goes back into the arts which is pretty phenomenal.”

She was pleased with Saturday too.

“And then this morning we’re off to a strong start,” she said. “It’s a beautiful day and we’ve already had a lot of traffic.”

Maret said it was exciting to see so many embrace the love for the arts, whether they were volunteers, employees or patrons attending the event.

“For all the kids who maybe aren’t going to be artists or do any kind of art as they go on, but will have the appreciation and it will go with them,” she said.

Hlinovsky said she hopes people’s love for art will further blossom after attending this event.

“We hope to showcase one of the best regional art shows in our area in Hampton Roads and we hope that our artists and our patrons and all of our supporters walk away with just wonder of the amazing artwork that is here and the fact that our school, Nansemond-Suffolk Academy can showcase an art show of this magnitude,” Hlinovsky said. “It’s definitely a labor of love, this art show.”

Pulling the event together required more than 100 volunteers, she said.

“We have our co-chairs Mary Kemple Henderson and Camille Harrell who have been outstanding. Our Office of Advancement and all of our volunteers have worked tirelessly to put on the show. Do know that our artists are always so thankful for the work that goes into this and we appreciate everything they do on their end to help make this show so successful.”

The 37th annual Nansemond-Suffolk Academy Art Show and Sale continues through Feb. 5. Gallery shopping is located at the Main Campus Lower School Lobby at 3373 Pruden Boulevard with online shopping being available at nsaartshow.com.

For more information, go to nsacademy.org/arts/art-show-and-sale.