Converse Announces 2026 Emerging Young Artists Winners
Converse University’s Department of Art, Design & Letters held its annual Emerging Young Artists Juried Exhibition. The Converse Emerging Young Artists Exhibition offers a unique opportunity for high school students to have their art exhibited in the prominent Milliken Art Gallery and win accolades. The opportunity also helps students prepare for potential studies in the arts while still in grades 9-12.
Converse’s Department of Art, Design & Letters recognizes the dynamic relationship between the visual arts and the literary arts, offering exemplary programs in Art Education, Art History, Art Therapy, Creative and Professional Writing, Interior Design, and Studio Art.
Accepted submissions were on exhibition in Milliken Art Gallery from Milliken Art Gallery from March 16 through March 21, 2026. with the reception and award ceremony held on the final day of the exhibition.
Faculty from Converse’s Department of Art, Design & Letters reviewed 324 submissions. They selected130 pieces from 62 teachers representing 26 high schools to be exhibited. Awards were given for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in each medium, and one best in show was awarded.
Congratulations to the 2026 award winners!
BEST IN SHOW
(Drawing) Juliette Schmitz, The Curse of Apollo. 11th grade – Spartanburg Day School. Teacher: Emmy Farrell.
FIRST PLACE
(Painting) Addyson Posey, My, Myself and Eye. 12th grade – Boiling Springs High School. Teacher: Amanda Keith.
(Drawing) Rihanna Brown, Self Portrait. 10th grade – Dorman High School. Teacher: Eric Bomar.
(Mixed Media) Mila Cummings, Beauty in the Struggle. 9th grade – Woodruff High School. Teacher: Amber Chappell.
(Printmaking) Kendall Fulton, The American Dream. 12th grade – South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. Teacher: David Gerhard.
(Ceramics) Evann Regan, Let Death be Kinder Than Man. 12th grade – South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. Teacher: Elaine Quave.
(Sculpture) Lucy McMahon, Possessive Bite. 11th grade – The Fine Arts Center. Teacher: Katy Cassell.
(Photography) Magdalene Cox, Cyclical Ritual. 10th grade – The Fine Arts Center. Teacher: Zane Logan.
(Digital Media/Graphic Design) Andrew Chrien Stalemate + Relapse. 12th grade – Fort Dorchester High School. Teacher: Kevin Morrissey.
SECOND PLACE
(Painting) Giselle Cortez, Unlocked. 11th grade – Fort Dorchester High School. Teacher: Amy Stewart.
(Drawing) Luca Gayosso, EDC. 12th grade – Boiling Springs High School. Teacher: Amanda Keith.
(Mixed Media) Kailey Graham, Polarity. 11th grade – The Fine Arts Center. Teacher: Katy Cassell.
(Printmaking) Eden Vander Ploeg, Choose Your Own News. 10th grade – Dorman High School. Teacher: Frances Vaughan.
(Ceramics) Logan Rabe, Dead Sea. 12th grade – Greenville Senior High School. Teacher: Morgan Mattson.
(Sculpture) Eden Vander Ploeg, Volante. 10th grade – Dorman High School. Teacher: Frances Vaughan.
(Photography) Luke Wagner, The Raven’s Wire. 10th grade – Riverside High School. Teacher: Kelsey Barton.
(Digital Media /Graphic Design) Shatia Summers, Dancing Outside the Mirror. 12th grade – Fort Dorchester High School. Teacher: Lila Mitchell.
THIRD PLACE
(Painting) Brandon Linarez, Southern Soul Food. 12th grade – Byrnes High School. Teacher: Raelyn Chambliss.
(Drawing) Brooklyn Wright, Experiment 12th grade – Chapman High School. Teacher: Ashley Burnett.
(Mixed Media) Breanna Preim, Bath Time Drama 12th grade – Summerville High School. Teacher: Marin Williams.
(Printmaking) Madison Gilbert, Coral. 12th grade – Fine Arts Center. Teacher: Donna Shank.
(Ceramics) Price Poe, Centipede Vignette. 10th grade – Fine Arts Center. Teacher: Kelly King.
(Sculpture) Mallory Dotson, Nature’s Helping Hand 12th grade – Greenville Senior High School. Teacher: Morgan Mattson.
(Photography) Dani Bomeline, Lili, Clown of the Parking Garage. 12th grade – South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. Teacher: Haley Floyd.
(Digital Media/Graphic Design) Eli Capossela, Ziggy Stardust. 10th grade – Summerville High School. Teacher: Katie Facklam.
Artwork featured above: Best in Show winner Juliette Schmitz, The Curse of Apollo. 11th grade – Spartanburg Day School. Teacher: Emmy Farrell.