“Peace by Piece: Food Security in My Community”
Suffolk Sister Cities International
ON VIEW: FEBRUARY 28 – MARCH 25, 2023
OPENING RECEPTION: Tuesday, FEBRUARY 28, 6:30 – 8PM
FREE and OPEN to the Public
Suffolk Sister Cities International is pleased to announce that the 35th Annual Suffolk Sister Cities Young Authors and Artists Showcase will be on display in the main gallery of the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts on February 28 – March 22. An Awards Ceremony will be held at 6:30 – 8PM on Tuesday, February 28, 2023 and is free and open to the public.
Students from Suffolk Public Schools and Nansemond-Suffolk Academy have created 118 Art entries and 81 Authors entries. Artists compete in 5 categories: Drawing, Painting, Photography, Mixed Media and Digital Art. Authors compete in Essay and Poetry categories. This year there is a new category for Music with 3 entries. All entries interpret this year’s theme of “Peace by Piece: Food Security in My Community”. Works will be judged by experts in the related field. Winners in each category receive a $50 cash award.
Additionally, a ‘Best in Show’ for Art and for Authors is identified, with each receiving a $100 cash award. These winners are eligible to participate in the Sister Cities International Competition where they compete with entries from around the world and United States. There is a $1000 cash prize for winners of the international competition. Suffolk Sister Cities has had several International winners over the years, including last year’s Best in Show artist Rory Rockwood who earned a $1000 award for her Digital Art submission. Special thanks is owed to the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts, Suffolk Public Schools, Nansemond Suffolk Academy, and the many teachers, students, judges and volunteers who make this annual Showcase possible.
The Young Artists and Authors Competition is one of several youth programs sponsored by Suffolk Sister Cities International. In past years, the organization has sponsored student exchanges and attendance at the Sister Cities International Youth Leadership Summit. In 2022, students from Kings Fork High School’s International Baccalaureate Program created a Sister Cities Club. Members learn about world cultures and volunteer in the local community. They have created global friendships through various projects, including digital pen pal and environmental projects.
To learn more about Suffolk Sister Cities International and its programs please contact Commissioner Maryanne Persons at 757-539-7188 or visit www.suffolksistercitiesinternational.org.
Sister Cities . . . In The World
The Sister Cities movement was founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on September 11, 1956. His vision was to involve citizens of the world in a grass-roots effort to promote peace through mutual understanding and respect. This initial act of “sistering” led in 1967 to Sister Cities International (SCI), which now unites tens of thousands of citizen diplomats and volunteers in 570 member communities with over 2,300 partnerships in 150 countries on six continents.
Sister Cities . . . In Our City
In 1981, Mayor Andy Damiani and the Suffolk City Council signed our first sister city relationship with the County of Suffolk, England. Our second sister city affiliation, with Oderzo, Italy, began in 1995 because of Amedeo Obici, an immigrant from Oderzo who founded Planters Nut and Chocolate Company and Obici Hospital in Suffolk. Today, Suffolk Sister Cities International (SSCI) consists of Commissioners appointed by City Council, a Board of Directors, Friends of SSC, and Suffolk International Youth Association (SIYA), all of whom oversee the development and implementation of programs, cultural/social events, and exchanges.
The 2023 winner’s for the Suffolk Sister Cities International Young Artists and Young Authors Showcase are:
Best In Show Artist Violet Johnston, for ‘Our Child is Hungry’, Nansemond Suffolk Academy
Best In Show Author Xavier Wallace, for essay ‘Food Security Within the Community‘, Kings Fork High School
| Artist’s Last Name | Artist’s First Name | Title of Work | School | |
| BEST IN SHOW-ARTIST | Johnston | Violet | Our Child Is Hungry | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| DIGITAL ART | ||||
| HM | Walls | Alli | Hungry for Fruit | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| HM | Culbert | Dylan | “Out of Stock” | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| HM | Oliver | Jackson | Protected vs Unprotected | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| #3 | Lepper | Camren | Money=Luxury | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| #2 | Gastreich | Kylie | Fresh Veggies from the Heavens | Nansemond River High School |
| #1 | Rabsatt | Sanaa | I See Nothing | Nansemond River High School |
| PHOTOGRAPHY | ||||
| HM | Blackwell | Katelyn | Helping Hands | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| HM | Edwards | Meredith | Simple Food Disappearance | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| HM | Joseph | Charlie | Fenced In | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| #3 | Bush | Ashley | “Diamonds Decomposing in the Dirt” | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| #2 | Davis-Lawrence | Cyann | Window of Food | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| #1 | Rose | Izzy | Wasting Away | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| PAINTING | ||||
| HM | Linhardt | Kennedy | Keep Your Jaws Off | Nansemond River High School |
| HM | Hines | Cadence | Rolling in wheat | Nansemond River High School |
| HM | Morgan | Caroline | The Happiest Meal | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| HM | Adams | Julia | The Nurturing Tree | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| HM | Fox | Lily | A Year of Unprecedented Hunger | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| #3 | Johnston | Summer | The Future | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| #2 | Wolland | Claudia | Convenience Culture | Nansemond River High School |
| #1 | Petry | Lily | Running on Empty | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| DRAWING | ||||
| HM | Bradshaw | Taylor | Virginia State With Popular Foods | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| HM | Blair | Madison | Food Countries | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| HM | Byars | Vance | Giving Food | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| HM | Sheppard | London | Starvation | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| HM | Meeks | Paige | Food All Around | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| #3 | Roberts | Mary | Corn you get me a bag of chips? | Nansemond River High School |
| #2 | Kuehl | Makenna | Food Kitchen | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| #1 | Mullins | Amanda | Rot | Nansemond River High School |
| MIXED MEDIA | ||||
| HM | Middleton | Cayla | The Feast | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| HM | Waddington | Mikayla | Harsh restriction | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| HM | Garner | Aiden | New American Gothic | Nansemond River High School |
| HM | Boone | Bryana | Not Thank You | Nansemond River High School |
| HM | Pendleton | Nicole | Division in Nutrition | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| HM | Walker-Jenkins | Brianna | Untitled | Kings Fork High School |
| HM | Booker | Krista | The Fruitless Tree | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| HM | Campbell | Haley | Operation Food Drop | Forest Glen Middle School |
| #3 | Burks | Mileena | Growing a Farm of McDonald’s | Nansemond River High School |
| #2 | Dowd | Paige | out of reach | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| #1 | House | Anne Ruffin | Surviving | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| BEST IN SHOW- AUTHORS | Wallace | Xavier | Food Security Within the Community | Kings Fork High School |
| ESSAYS | ||||
| HM | Wylie | Lara | How Food Quality Affects Students Academics” | Nansemond River High School |
| #3 | Taylor | Catelyn | A World More Receptive | Nansemond River High School |
| #2 | Shinaba | Shakirat | ‘Full on the Outside Hungry on the Inside’ | Nansemond River High School |
| #1 | Milliner | Morgan | Famine Awareness | Kings Fork High School |
| POETRY | ||||
| HM | Huston | Alayna | The Monster Outside | Nansemond River High School |
| HM | Spencer | Cassidy | Triple A” | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| #3 | Clarke | Christian | The Mcdonalds Round the Corner” | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| #1(Tie) | Carr | Madison | Our Reality | Nansemond River High School |
| #1(Tie) | Gregory | Arianna | The Blue Café | Nansemond Suffolk Academy |
| MUSIC | ||||
| #3 | Goden | Korey | “The Blizzard” | Kings Fork High School |
| #2 | Watson | Charles | Dark before Dawn” | Lakeland High School |
| #1 | Mason | Windley | And We Thank Him for our Food” | Nansemond River High School |
Suffolk Center Art Galleries generously sponsored by:
