Long Island’s Best: Young Artists at The Heckscher Museum 2026
March 29, 2026 - May 3, 2026
Maria Gavrilov
The Keys to the Whole
Acrylic on wood, spare keys, valves of instruments, wire, screws
Ward Melville High School, Grade 12
Art Teacher: James Swierupski
*First Place, Celebrate Achievement Best in Show*
Celebrating its 30th anniversary, Long Island’s Best has been a hallmark of the Museum’s educational programming for three decades, showcasing the outstanding work of over 2,000 high school students from across Long Island. What began as an annual exhibition of outstanding student work has become a lasting tradition⸺one that recognizes excellence while nurturing the next generation of creative thinkers. Long Island’s Best continues to be the only juried exhibition for Long Island high school students that provides the opportunity to exhibit in a museum.
Students are challenged to select artwork on view in the Museum as the inspiration for their own work, making creative connections with the generations who have come before them. The Heckscher encourages students to think outside the box as they work in a broad range of media, styles, and subjects. Students also write artist statements explaining their creative process. This year, 63 public and private schools submitted students’ artwork for jurying. 402 entries were received, and Consulting Curator Meredith A. Brown and guest juror Aaron Feltman selected 84 pieces for display.
This anniversary exhibition celebrates its remarkable legacy. Visitors are invited to view archival memories and watch video footage featuring reflections from past exhibiting students, teachers, guest jurors, and more. The exhibition also highlights numerous alumni who share where their journeys have led—from careers in the arts to paths shaped by creativity in countless other fields. Together, these stories reflect the lasting impact of arts education and the power of early encouragement.
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The Darrell Fund Endowment/Henriette Darrell
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The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation
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Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation
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Pritchard Charitable Trust
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Callaghan LLP
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Dr. Lee MacCormick Edwards Charitable Foundation
View all artwork, read artist statements, & more
View list of all 2026 Long Island’s Best exhibiting artists
NEW!
Visit the Museum’s digital guide on Bloomberg Connects to explore all artwork in the exhibit, read students’ statements, access exclusive audio and video content, and more. Best viewed using a mobile device.
Opening Events
FRIENDS & FAMILY PREVIEW DAY & AWARDS CEREMONY
Saturday, March 28, 2026
A wonderful time was had by all exhibiting artists, friends, family, and teachers who were invited to celebrate and view the exhibition before it opened to the public on Sunday, March 29. Students each received a certificate of exhibition. Award-winning artists, friends, family, and teachers also celebrated during a special awards ceremony in the Museum in the evening. Students were called up on stage to receive their awards.
Exhibition Program
30th Anniversary Video Series & Alumni Highlights
Visit the Museum’s digital guide on Bloomberg Connects to access exclusive Long Island’s Best 30th anniversary content! Best viewed using a mobile device.
Celebrating 30 Years Video Series
This video series features reflections from past exhibiting students, teachers, guest jurors, and more from 1997 through 2025. Produced and edited by Evangeline Knell.
Meet the Alumni
The Museum has reconnected with many Long Island’s Best alumni to see where their journeys have taken them. Read and listen along as featured alumni share their unique stories, reflecting on how Long Island’s Best has impacted them over the years, and giving advice to current high school art students.
Long Island Cares Food Drive
Long Island Cares Food Drive
March 29 – May 3, 2026
The Museum will be collecting non-perishable food donations March 29 – May 3 for Long Island Cares: The Harry Chapin Regional Food Bank. Pooja Shah’s artwork, Giving Back Is Rewarding, on view in Long Island’s Best: Young Artists at The Heckscher Museum 2026, is interactive and functions as a donation box. We encourage visitors to support this community effort!
Visitors Choice Award
Brandon Peralta, Brentwood High School, winner of the Visitors Choice Award.
Congratulations to Brandon Peralta from Brentwood High School for winning the 2026 Long Island’s Best Visitors Choice Award! More than 1,100 votes were cast this year by individuals visiting the Museum in person as well as online. Congratulations Brandon on this incredible achievement and thank you to everyone who voted!
Artwork on View in the Community
Select works of art from Long Island’s Best 2026 will be on view in the windows of Mitchells and at The Firefly Artists Gallery. Congratulations to all of the artists!
Artwork will be on view May 7 – 31, 2026 in the windows of Mitchells, located at 270 Main Street, Huntington, NY: Souratri Ahmed, Cameron Gilmor, Jiselle Hale, Halyn Kwon, Olivia Lebron, Payton Livingston, Connor Markus, Marceline Merzougui Chrobak, Lily Motherwell, Kirsten Murphy, Jillian Portuese, Reily So, Julian Tchinnis, Crisbel Verdugo Ortiz, Elaine Xia, Angelina Yan, Lily Locovare, Grace Zhang, Ginger Russo, Kara Chan
Artwork will be on view May 7 – 20, 2026 at Firefly Artists Gallery, located at 90 Main Street, Northport, NY: Sophia Carnesi, Hazel Carranza Montoya, Emily Chen, Meira Cohen, Aiden Cullen, Cadence Dondero, Bella Duke, Gretchen Fajardo, Maria Gavrilov, Anya Goleski, Jennifer Jaco, Annhad Kaur, Emma Liu, Amanda Morales, Janina Natarajan, Owen Neri, Dillon Ng, Veronica Pelis, Caleigh Pfaff, Sophia Phan, Hunter Razack, Mia Romero Zambrano, Wendy Tong, Chloé Nicole Urban, Tiffany Yam, Wanying Yu
Long Island's Best 30th Birthday Bash
On Saturday, April 18, 2026, Long Island’s Best alumni, artists, teachers, and community members all gathered in the Museum to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Long Island’s Best: Young Artists at The Heckscher Museum and honor Joy Weiner, Director of Education, The Heckscher Museum of Art!
We couldn’t imagine a better way to celebrate three decades of young artists and the impact of Long Island’s Best! The event was a resounding success, and we have exceeded our fundraising goal, thanks to all of the amazing support from the community.
