Last Sunday evening at the Old Sculpin Gallery, as the Chappaquiddick ferry shuttled back and forth and fishermen dangled their lines off the boardwalk, art enthusiasts and passersby contemplated the artistic expertise of three recent high school graduates, Noelle Nelson and Courtney Mussell, winners of the Martha’s Vineyard Art Association 2012 Scholarship, and alternate Christine Janak.

“It’s an opportunity to be introduced into the gallery scene,” said Sharon McCann Daly, assistant manager of the Old Sculpin Gallery. “Part of our mission is to help out the community.”

The gallery helped the young artists frame, hang, title and price their work in preparation for the exhibit. “It was a new experience for me,” said Ms. Mussell. “It’s nice having the support of the community. It’s one of those things that makes Martha’s Vineyard unique.”

Ms. Mussell gestured to a brightly colored drawing of a Native American tribal chief, which she completed in her sophomore year of high school.

“The funny thing is that I hated this project the whole time,” Ms. Mussell recalled. It was her first work in the medium of colored pencil. “It was really hard to get through. But, in the end, I really like how it turned out.”

In the fall, Ms. Mussell will study interior design at Endicott College in Beverly, Mass.

Ms. Nelson is most proud of a work entitled Tree Triptych. It includes three pen and ink drawings of a tree, “representing three stages in my life,” Ms. Nelson said.

The first tree has a swing hanging from it, signifying childhood. The second represents a “very bad time in my life” in which Ms. Nelson’s siblings fell ill. The swing is depicted on the ground beside the tree, which has been cut down. “Here my childhood has been severed,” Ms. Nelson said. In the third frame a sapling represents her current state of rebirth. The triptych is part of Ms. Nelson’s senior project, which included a series of autobiographical pieces.

“It’s hard to talk about my art in a way that portrays my feelings when I created it,” Ms. Nelson said. But she added that it “felt pretty amazing” to have her work shown in public. “It’s not just me trying to put my art out there,” she said. “People are helping me make progress in my career. An art show is a stepping stone in my career. It’s great how supportive everyone is.”

In the fall, Ms. Nelson will attend Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston.

old sculpin gallery
The Old Sculpin Gallery presents each year the winners of the Martha’s Vineyard Art Association Scholarship. — Mark Alan Lovewell

Scholarship applicants submit a portfolio and fill out an application demonstrating their commitment to an art career. Winners must be in the top 40 per cent of their class, but artistic achievement is most important.

“We really choose based on artistic merit,” said Anne Grandin, chair of the scholarship committee. “And it’s always really hard to choose.”

This year, six students applied for the $1,200 scholarship. Both winners exhibited artistic talent and passion, according to Ms. Grandin. The scholarship money isn’t awarded until the second semester of the recipients’ freshman year in college, to ensure continuing dedication to the arts.

“Their work shows a real maturity,” said Kat Cope, the manager of the gallery.

The association honors an alternate artist to give a third student the opportunity to show their work. Christine Janak, the alternate this year, will attend Gettysburg College next year.

The Scholarship committee is considering adding a September exhibit so students can exhibit work at the beginning of their senior year in high school.

“We would like to have more students show their work,” Ms. Grandin said. “That way, we can help them to put a portfolio together.”