Gold Coast Arts Center Celebrates Student Artists at Annual Festival of the Arts Exhibit

LONG ISLAND, NY — May 2026 — On Tuesday May 12, the Gold Coast Arts Center hosted the Opening of its annual Festival of Arts Student Art Show to celebrate the work of over 100 student artists. The exhibit, which will be on view through the Summer, includes the work of student artists of all ages who come from throughout the region to attend Gold Coast Arts renowned School for the Arts program.

At the Opening, several students received special recognition from Town of North Hempstead Councilwoman Christine Liu, including two exceptional artists who are both graduating high school this Spring: Kaitlyn Wu, who attends Great Neck South High School and will be attending Tufts University has been with the Arts Center for six years; and Jessica Cao, who attends Great Neck North High School and will be attending University of Chicago has been with the Arts Center for 12 years.

Students in Gold Coast Arts’ art program take classes in drawing, painting, animation, cartooning, ceramics, fashion design, 3D art, crafts and woodworking, to name just a few. In Art, making field trips are often included in the curriculum. A recent creative excursion by one of Gold Coast Arts' Advanced Drawing & Painting classes was at the New York Botanical Gardens, where students spent a beautiful day doing plein-air painting.

Information about all of Gold Coast Arts classes, workshops and camps can be found at www.goldcoastarts.org.

About Gold Coast Arts

Gold Coast Arts is a 501(c)(3) multi-arts organization dedicated to promoting the arts through education, exhibition, performance, and outreach. For over 30 years, it has brought the arts to tens of thousands of people throughout the Long Island region. Among the Center’s offerings are its School for the Arts, which holds year-round classes in visual and performing arts for students of all ages and abilities; a free public art gallery; a concert and lecture series; film screenings and discussions; the annual Gold Coast International Film Festival; and initiatives that focus on senior citizens and underserved communities. These initiatives include artist residencies, after-school programs, school assemblies, teacher-training workshops, and parent-child workshops. The Gold Coast Arts Center’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature. The Gold Coast Arts Center is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts “Partners in Education” program and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.goldcoastarts.org.