CARROLLTON, GA — Hailey Jackson, a junior at Carrollton High School, won “Best in Show” and a $500 scholarship for her oil painting “Free Fall” in the annual Kiwanis Club of Carrollton Art Showcase, co-sponsored by the Carrollton Center for the Arts.
Hailey, who has taken visual arts classes throughout her school career, will now compete in the state competition, the Georgia District Showcase. Winners will be announced April 23 at the Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville.
Hailey’s work has received recognition before, most recently for her pieces focused on the pandemic for the Hughston Foundation Art Gala in Columbus, placing second out of more than 300 entries.
CHS art teacher Jake Richardson has had Hailey in his class every year since she was a freshman. Richardson said Hailey is one of the most naturally talented students he has had in his 16 years of teaching. “I am so appreciative of her hard work and willingness to put her artwork out there,” he said. “Hailey’s future is bright in the visual arts and beyond.”
The annual Kiwanis juried exhibition is open to all high school students in Carroll County from public, private and homeschool settings. The local competition was held Feb. 13 at the Center for the Arts. CHS junior Ashlyn Jenkins received an honorable mention award at that event for her painting, “Corvus.”
