Celebrating Creative Excellence: A Recap of the 66th Annual Members Show

The South Bay Art Association’s 66th Annual Members Show brought an incredible display of local talent, vision, and passion to the Bellport Community Center. From May 23rd through May 25th, 2026, visitors were treated to an extraordinary collection of works spanning a breathtaking variety of mediums—including fine oil paintings, dynamic photography, vibrant acrylics, and brilliant mixed-media student scholarship showcases.

We want to extend our deepest gratitude to every artist who submitted their work, our dedicated volunteers who made the gallery possible, and the wonderful community members who came out to support local arts over the holiday weekend.

Below, we are thrilled to officially announce and celebrate the award-winning artists and standout pieces from this year's exhibition!

The 2026 Gallery Winners

Best in Show

• Artist: Nicholas De Paolo

• Piece: Lady of the Lowlands * Medium: Oil

  

First Place

• Artist: Jean Sargent

• Piece: Breathe * Medium: Watercolor

  

Second Place

• Artist: Claudia Mirzaali

• Piece: Tea by the Sea * Medium: Acrylic, Glass Beads on Tea Bags

  

  
  

Third Place

• Artist: Sandra Riddle

• Piece: Where the Water Breaks Itself * Medium: Photography

  

People’s Choice Award

• Artist: Nora Franzese

• Piece: Matriarchy Circus Takeover * Medium: Acrylic

  

Nita Elder Student Scholarship & Sponsor Winners

Supporting the next generation of creative minds is at the core of our mission. This year's student submissions showed staggering maturity, technique, and conceptual depth.

• Geovanna Lopez – Nita Elder Student Scholarship Winner Bay Shore School District

• Wanying Yu – Nita Elder Student Scholarship Winner Patchogue-Medford School District

• Maria Gavrilov – Nita Elder Student Scholarship Winner & Sponsor Award Winner Three Village Central School District | Award Sponsor: Val Biscardi

• Wendy Tong – Sponsor Award Winner Three Village Central School District | Award Sponsor: LuAnn Thompson & Bellport Arts & Framing Studio

  

  

  

  

A Special Thank You to Our Sponsors

An extra special thank you goes out to Val Biscardi, LuAnn Thompson, and Bellport Arts & Framing Studio for their generous sponsorship of our young talent awards. Your continued investment in local students makes a lasting difference in their artistic journeys.

Missed the show or want to see more? Keep an eye on our upcoming gallery feeds and social channels where we will be sharing individual spotlights and behind-the-scenes looks at this year's stunning winning pieces.

Thank you all for making the 66th Annual Members Show an unforgettable success. See you at our next event!

View Photos from Rob Verbeck