Scholarships & Awards

Bainbridge Arts and Crafts has a proud history of supporting artists at all stages of their careers, beginning with kids. We award scholarships and cash prizes to student artists and showcase two student exhibitions each May. We provide grants to teachers to supplement their art supply and programming budgets. And each year, we recognize an exceptional artist under with age of 40 with the Amy Award for Emerging Artists. Learn more below!

The Amy Award for Emerging Artists

Amy Anderson was a gifted young woman involved in the visual and performing arts here on Bainbridge Island. In memory of Amy, her parents, David and Caren Anderson, funded an endowment designed to inspire and encourage talented young artists who have an association with the Island and who is under 40—to continue their work in their chosen fields including theater, dance, film, music, Painting, printmaking, jewelry, sculpture, mixed media, and photography.

Since 2001, the Amy Award has been managed by Arts & Humanities Bainbridge (AHB), and honorees are chosen in alternate years by Bainbridge Performing Arts (BPA) and Bainbridge Arts & Crafts (BAC). Each winner is honored in a ceremony in late May.

2025 Amy Award winner
Darby Guerechit

I am an artist based in Bremerton, Washington in the beautiful Puget Sound. I've been painting and making art since I was a little girl. It's been a constant in my life, and has always been the one thing I can do without interruption for hours on end.  

I'm inspired by organic patterns, shapes, and textures found in the natural world around me. My work is a direct reflection of things I observe every day. In looking at my recent works, you can tell I lived in Hawaii for several years and was drawn to tropical botanicals and reefscapes. Now that I’ve relocated to the Pacific Northwest, I’m drawn to misty forests and mountain peaks.  Combine my observations of the natural world with my love for experimenting with distortion and color palettes, and that's how my ideas take shape.  I work primarily with acrylic and gouache paints.

In addition to working as an artist, I also love my additional roles as an occupational therapist, mama, and wife. I love working on commissions, collaborations, and other interesting and challenging projects. Please feel free to contact me at darbyroseart@gmail.com or via my instagram @darbyroseart.

Student Scholarships

Each year Bainbridge Arts and Crafts awards scholarships to graduating high school seniors who plan to continue their study of art. Submissions are judged by volunteer professional artists who are represented by Bainbridge Arts and Crafts. Their decisions are made on the basis of mastery of medium, creativity, presentation, and a compelling written application.

  • Pauli Family Scholarship

    Winner $1000: Sophia Mammano, BHS

    Attending University of Washington in the fall.

    Longtime Bainbridge Islanders Jani and Bill Pauli are passionate supporters of education and the arts. Their own children attended school on the island, and they strongly believe in the power of art to enrich and improve young lives. In this spirit, they established the Pauli Family Scholarship in 2007. This $1,000 scholarship is given each year to a student who demonstrates excellence in one or more mediums.

  • Roselyn Gale Powell Scholarship

    Winner $1000: Lola Batcheller

    Attending California College of the Arts in the fall.

    In 1971, well-known artist and longtime gallery supporter Rosalyn Gale Powell established a college scholarship fund to give young artists a leg up in their art studies. She maintained the fund for many years by donating a portion of the proceeds from the sales of her work. Today, Bainbridge Arts and Crafts maintains Rosalyn’s legacy through the continuation of her scholarship, awarded each year in the amount of $1,000 to a student who demonstrates excellence in one artistic medium.

Celebrating our Student Artists

At Bainbridge Arts and Crafts, we make art accessible. We’re proud to be a major provider of free art education and outreach programs in Kitsap County, serving close to 10,000 youths, adults, and seniors each year, through more than 100 programs—inside and outside our gallery space.

  • Annual Spring Art Fair

    Here at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts we celebrate student art, and we believe that kids benefit from being able to display their work to the public in a professional gallery setting. Each May, you’ll find our gallery walls awash with student art. 

    Elementary and middle schools show at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts in alternating years, while high schools are featured each year. In addition to having the chance to show their work in a gallery environment, high school students are given special awards in a variety of categories, thanks to an anonymous donor.

    High School Art Fair Awards

    The annual Spring Art Fair offers a chance for High School students to showcase their talent. Bainbridge Arts and Crafts provides approximately $1,200 in awards each year in a variety of categories to encourage, motivate, and inspire continued interest and achievement in artistic endeavors.

  • Teacher Grant Program

    In that same spirit of encouraging student art, we help your local school teachers procure the extra supplies and programming they need.