Mooresville Arts is very pleased to announce the winner for its inaugural senior scholarship opportunity! Kaitlyn Kittle, of Charlotte, North Carolina is our 2026 recipient and will be awarded $5,000 to go towards her college tuition.
Four local high school seniors applied for this year’s scholarship opportunity. Students from Catawba, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, and Rowan counties were eligible to apply. After the initial application process, the students were then asked to create a self-portrait as the final decision maker for the scholarship award. The scholarship committee overwhelmingly chose Kaitlyn Kittle’s self-portrait as their top choice.
Kaitlyn is attending the Savannah College of Design (SCAD) in the fall and is pursuing painting as her concentration. Kaitlyn had this comment to share upon the news of her award:
To be given this award is such an honor. I worked 35 hours on this piece, adding small details that make me original. I wanted this piece to reflect who I was beyond my outer appearance, including my band posters and the Anemoia I associate with the 70-90s. I am excited to transfer to Savannah College of Art and Design this fall, and graduate with a bachelor’s in fine arts. Winning such prestigious awards is such an honor and pushes me forward to becoming a Professional Painter.
Mooresville Arts had a very successful fundraising campaign in 2025 in commemoration of its 70th anniversary of the organization’s inception. The funds used for this scholarship opportunity were earmarked from that campaign as part of the organization’s initiatives to give back to the community in 2026.
Jessica DeHart, Executive Director for Mooresville Arts, stated
Everyone at Mooresville Arts has wanted to pursue a scholarship program for many years. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we were able to pay it forward and contribute this very meaningful gift to Kaitlyn so that she may pursue a higher education in the fine arts. Our hope is to continue to raise funds to sustain the senior scholarship program so that we can continue supporting these young artists, who are the future of the arts in our community and society.
Mooresville Arts would like to congratulate Kaitlyn on winning this award, and we look forward to seeing what the future holds for this talented and creative budding artist.
