ArtQuest is the largest professionally juried student art exhibition in the State of Maryland, founded by Michael Bell, nationally sponsored by Kathy Kahre ArtQuest at Southern Senior High was first created in 1997 by Mr. Michael Bell. Mr. Bell had a vision - and that vision was to create an annual student art exhibition as a way to foster community engagement in the arts and humanities while raising the bar and enrollment in the visual arts at Southern High. When the first show was launched it was a small one held on the evening of a 7th grade orientation night – in hopes to have some guaranteed family and community attendance. Approximately 50 guests attended – a far cry from the 1,000 in attendance last year at Southern High’s 13th annual professionally juried show that awarded students over $2,000 in over 60 different categories.

Since the show's inception a Faculty’s Choice, Administrator's Choice and a Community People’s Choice Award have been added, which provides opportunities for faculty, family and community involvement. The grand prize “Best of Show” award recipient gets their name engraved on a plaque within Southern High and each year hundreds of students, parents, alumni, gallery owners and college recruiters celebrate our achievements in the arts.

Southern has also become home base for the prestigious Anne Arundel County Gifted Visual Arts Enrichment Program since it’s inception in 2000. The program is taught by Mr. Bell (2004-2005 AACPS Teacher of the Year) and Mrs. Marlene Kramer – both are art teachers at Southern High – both received National Board Certification in 2010 (only 3% of all Nation's Teachers have received this honor).

10 of the 38 AACPS Gifted Visual Arts Program population is Southern High School students. Student artists at Southern High regularly win national and regional competitions, show their work in competitive venues, and gain admission to competitive graduate programs through scholarships earned to the most prestigious art schools in the country. Mr. Bell's students earned over 2 million in scholarship offers each of the past 3 years, had 5 National Scholastic Medalists last year awarded at Carnegie Hall in New York City, and just had his 6th "Back to Back" National NAEA Rising Star Award Winner, which is the most prestigious award given to just one selected student artist in the entire nation by the NAEA.

ArtQuest ® is our Official National Sponsor and is a registered trademark of ArtQuest, Inc. Copyright © ArtQuest, Inc (our National Sponsor via Kathy Kahre-Samuels, President of ArtQuest). All Rights Reserved.

All student artists have parental permission &/or have provided written authorization to have photos posted online. If you feel your photo has been posted in error contact the webmaster.

National Art Honor Society members are also inducted each year at ArtQuest. In 2002 Mr. Bell created the first ever National Art Honor Society Chapter No. 2029 at Southern High School. This was established for Southern High School students grades 10-12, for the purpose of inspiring and recognizing those students who have shown an outstanding ability in art. The NAHS also strives to aid members in working toward the attainment of their highest potential in art areas, and to bring art education to the attention of the school and community.