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National Fine Art Exhibit Puts Club Member Art on Display at Wadsworth Atheneum
Hartford Winners Will Advance to National Competition
At Hartford’s Wadsworth Atheneum guests can view works of art by Norman Rockwell, Andy Warhol and Claude Monet. And, for one special day, they could view creations by artists who just may become the next great art master.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford’s annual National Fine Arts Exhibit returned to the Wadsworth on February 12, 2025. Club members’ pieces in five categories – applied art, digital art, literary art, performing arts and visual arts – were on display in the museum’s Hartford Courant room. The exhibit was part of a national arts competition hosted by Boys & Girls Clubs of America. All submissions had to align with the 2025 theme, “Express Yourself: Imagination Unbound.” Community judges were tasked with selecting one winner from each age group (6-9, 10-12, 13-15 and 16-18) in each of the five categories.
The volunteer judges included Marlon Blackwood, Christine Gloster, Ashton Lally, and Molly Minerly. They began by viewing the 160 works of art and evaluating them for thematic accuracy, visual and/or audio quality, artistic merit, creativity, and originality and skill. After brief deliberations, they selected the winners for each category.
Following the judging, the gallery opened to Club members. As each of Hartford’s 8 Club locations filed through the space, members were eager to not only see who won, but to see their work on display in America’s oldest continuously operating public art museum. Families and community members were invited to view the creations, including honorable mentions created by the Club's youngest members (ages 2.8-5 years) in the Early Learning Center.
The evening concluded with an awards show in the museum’s theater. Chloe H. from the South End Club, performed her contest entry “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid while dressed as Ariel. Her fellow Club and cast member, Jaylani V. gave a spirited performance of “Positoovity,” also from The Little Mermaid, while dressed as Scuttle. Jaylani’s entry was crowned the winner of her age group in the Performing Arts Category. Following the performances, winners in each age group and category were called to the stage to accept their awards.
Hartford’s winners will now advance to the national competition.
