Nantucket Book Festival Art Contest winner is Marianne Kelley, whose art was chosen from 39 entries with a vote by the Nantucket Book Festival Committee. This art will be featured on 2023 Festival posters, program cover, website, and social media.
Kelley lives on Nantucket year-round. She is a regular patron of local bookstores, the Nantucket Atheneum, and the Nantucket Book Festival. She has a graphic design business, is a photographer, and tutors island students. Marianne describes herself as a “book and wildlife enthusiast.” Her beautiful piece of art reflects the island, the Book Festival, and the Festival’s mission to inspire and connect through the transformative power of words and literature.
Book Festival Executive Director, Kaley Kokomoor writes “This art contest to choose our cover for 2023 was a beautiful opportunity to partner with our local artisans, with the Artists Association, and with local media outlets. Through this open calling, we have deepened our engagement with the Nantucket community and allowed ourselves to tap into the rich local talent on this island. I speak for all of us here at the Nantucket Book Foundation when I say that we were surprised and delighted by the whimsy and creativity these artists brought to our event. Thank you to every artist who took the time to submit a piece.”
Artists’ names were removed from all submissions to ensure an open and fair voting process. A select committee narrowed the submissions from 39 to 5 finalists before our full Festival Committee took a vote to determine our winner.
The other four finalists are, from left to right, Greg Hill, Paris Geraniotis Adkison, Katie Litchfield, and Elizabeth Greene.
The 11th Annual Nantucket Book Festival will be held from June 15 to 18, 2023. This year’s presenting authors include Jodi Picoult, Luke Russert, Emma Straub, Imani Perry, Hernan Diaz, and Tracy Kidder.
