Student Artists Strut Their Stuff at the Parrish

The Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill will host its 2025 Student Exhibition, a cherished tradition for 72 years, from March 15 to April 27. Displaying the creativity of 1,000 young artists from nearly 50 Eastern Long Island schools, this show also features student projects created with visiting artist Andrea Cote.

“The ‘Student Exhibition’ unites the East End community as we come together to honor the creativity, imagination and innovation of these young artists and their passionate teachers,” said senior education program manager Casey Meyer. “Our goal is to provide young artists and their families with the time and space to showcase their work and celebrate the joy of creating. Every year, this exhibition sparks creativity and provides young students in our community a wonderful forum to exhibit their artistic talent.”

The exhibition kicks off with a Preview Day on Saturday, March 15, and invites artists, their families, teachers and the community to enjoy refreshments, live music and the chance to experience the exhibition firsthand. A gallery preview from 11 a.m. to noon is followed by a young artists preview from noon to 2 p.m. for students pre-K through eighth grade, followed by the high school artists preview from 2 to 4 p.m. Admission is free and light refreshments will be provided.

The Parrish’s Visiting Artist Initiative, “How Artists Work,” connects students and teachers with working artists, providing insights into their artistic practices and guiding students through their own creative explorations. The program has expanded to include participants in the Access Parrish program.

This year, the exhibition highlights work created by students in collaboration with visiting artist Andrea Cote from Hampton Bays. Drawing on her recent project for the museum’s 13th Parrish Road Show at Bridge Gardens in Fall 2024, “To Belong to the World,” Cote shared her process and inspiration for the site-specific works which incorporated garden plant life and explored her body’s connection to nature’s cycles. Students experimented with several techniques she uses to develop her imagery including cyanotype and printmaking, incorporating themes of the human body and interconnectedness with nature. The final installation of the show is curated by the ARTscope Teen Council.

The Parrish Art Museum is at 279 Montauk Highway in Water Mill. For more information, visit parrishart.org.