Gifts of Gold student art show at Dix Park Chapel March 10-12

Almost 200 Wake County students from over 90 WCPSS schools, ranging from kindergarteners to high school seniors, will show work at The Chapel on the campus of Dix Park during the Gifts of Gold exhibition March 10–12, city organizers said. The exhibition opens with public hours 1:30–6:00 p.m. on March 10 and March 11, and runs 1:30–8:30 p.m. on March 12, with a public reception scheduled Thursday evening, March 12, from 6:00–8:00 p.m.

Raleigh Arts and United Arts Wake County are leading the spring presentation in partnership with the Wake County Public School System and the WakeEd Partnership, with the City of Raleigh listing the event as a temporary art exhibition produced every spring. United Arts has described Gifts of Gold as a juried visual art exhibition that spotlights student creativity; the organization lists paintings, sculptures, and illustrations among the works typically selected for display.

The Chapel at Dix Park replaces last year’s venue; United Arts presented Gifts of Gold in 2025 at the North Carolina Museum of Art, where the exhibition ran March 19–April 13, 2025, and held a reception April 10 at 6:00 p.m. City of Raleigh materials note that the show is mounted on temporary panels in past iterations, an arrangement that organizers say facilitates rotating displays across community venues.

Gifts of Gold serves as the visual counterpart to the long-running Pieces of Gold performing-arts program. “Gifts of Gold is a visual part of Pieces of Gold, a performing arts event that features over 1,000 students performing in a packed auditorium of parents, teachers, and community leaders in the Memorial Auditorium at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts,” Raleigh Arts noted, adding that this year Pieces of Gold marked its 43rd anniversary while Gifts of Gold celebrates 33 years.

Practical details for media and teachers: the City of Raleigh lists Belva Parker, Arts Program Director, as the contact for the exhibition; Parker can be reached at belva.parker@raleighnc.gov or by phone at 919-996-4683 for confirmations of the exact number of artworks, the roster of participating schools, and accessibility or parking instructions at Dix Park. Organizers advise visitors to check exhibit hours before arrival, as the show is temporary and scheduled only for the three days in March.

By moving the juried student show to The Chapel at Dix Park for March 10–12, Raleigh Arts and United Arts aim to put nearly 200 young Wake County artists in a high-profile community setting, continuing a three-decade tradition of elevating student visual art alongside the county’s larger performing-arts celebrations.