Blue Ridge Community College Student Art Showcase Returns This Spring

Featured photo: Students work on their art pieces ahead of the Student Art Showcase. Photo by Rich Keen.

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Blue Ridge Community College’s annual student art showcase is set to open Friday, May 8, with a reception from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. and an awards ceremony at 6:00 p.m. The show, which has been a staple of the college’s arts program since the late 2000s, has grown to nearly twenty exhibitions over the years. The show will take place in the College’s Henderson Building at 120 Alumni Way in Flat Rock.

This year’s 2026 showcase will feature student work spanning photography, drawing, 2D and 3D design, painting, and figure drawing, along with art appreciation projects. In a special addition, instructor Rachel Vera partnered with local high schools through the Arts Council of Henderson County to co-teach classes and lead workshops — and artwork from those sessions will be included in the show.

Instructor Aaron Bernard says that for students the show is far more than a display of finished work. It’s often the first time they’ve presented their art to the public.

“It’s a meaningful experience,” said Bernard. “They can list show participation or awards on college and program applications. Seeing their pieces hung professionally always inspires the students as well. It makes the work become all the more real.”  

The public is encouraged to attend and witness firsthand the depth of creative talent in Henderson County. 

“The work speaks for itself,” said Bernard. “We have as much talent here in Western North Carolina as anywhere else.”

Learn more about Blue Ridge Community College art programs at www.blueridge.edu/arts.