Forsyth County Students Selected for Georgia Capitol Art Exhibit in March

Students from Hightower Middle School, Settles Bridge Middle School, and Forsyth Central High School had their artwork selected for the Georgia Art Education Association's Capitol Art Exhibit, joining a field drawn from more than 136 public and private schools across Georgia. The exhibit ran March 9 through 11 at the Twin Towers building at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, closing with a reception on March 11 from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

The Capitol Art Exhibit is an annual event that showcases the creativity and talent of students in Georgia, coinciding with National Youth Art Month. Coordinated by Dana Munson and Heather Meyer under the Georgia Art Education Association, the show has grown over more than fifty years from its original home under the Capitol's gold dome into the larger Twin Towers building to accommodate an expanding pool of participants. Student work from pre-kindergarten through college age lines the exhibit walls each March.

The Forsyth County schools were not the only local names in the building. Two students from Tallulah Falls School, eighth-grader Sophia Franklin of Mount Airy and seventh-grader Scarlett Stapleton of Alto, also had their artwork selected for display. Both attended the March 11 reception with their families and met state senator Victor Anderson, who congratulated them and voiced his support for their artistic accomplishments. State School Superintendent Richard Woods also addressed the gathering, speaking to the importance of arts education and the value of publicly recognizing student creative work. Each student received a certificate honoring her artwork.

TFS middle school art teacher Paige Barlow pointed to the students' daily habits as the engine behind the recognition. "Sophia and Scarlett come into the art room each day ready to work, and their persistence shows in their art," Barlow said. She described the selection as a meaningful honor, adding that "artists have unique styles, but the goal is the same: a finished work they are proud of."

Woodward Academy eighth-grade Advanced Art students Naila Hall and Eliza Smith also had work selected by GAEA for inclusion in the exhibit, placing their pieces among a curated statewide collection. State legislators from Woodward's district were invited to the March 11 reception alongside students and families.

The GAEA requires membership to participate in the Capitol Art Exhibit, and submissions for this year's show were accepted between January 5 and February 5, 2026. The scale of the event reflects its standing: with students from more than 136 schools represented on the walls of the Twin Towers, the Capitol Art Exhibit remains one of the largest student art exhibitions held anywhere in Georgia each year.