2 Marblehead Students Earn Arts Association Scholarships

MARBLEHEAD, MA — Two Marblehead students will continue their art education in college with the help of the Liz Larrabee Scholarship through the Marblehead Arts Association.

The daughters of Liz Larrabee, Michele Martin and Nancy Martin, created the scholarship in honor of their artist mother. The annual $1,000 award toward college fees is presented to high school seniors from Marblehead who stand out in their artistic talent and commitment to the arts.

Anna Ranan and Lucy Bland are this year's recipients.

Ranan's passion for art was ignited by her grandmother in Marblehead. She loved her childhood visits spent enjoying art activities, such as home-made printmaking, and like her grandmother, she is deeply inspired by nature. Having worked at Marblehead Garden Center, she loves creating works of art featuring flowers and plants, observing and interpreting the intricate beauty of nature.

Her favorite mediums are acrylic and pencil drawing, and she's honored to be awarded the Liz Larrabee Scholarship tohelp and encourage her to keep exploring her art. Art is an important part of Anna's life, as she says, it "helps me relax and express myself when I can't find the words."

Bland's interest in art started at the Acorn Gallery on Front Street in Marblehead.

"I lived across the street ... and they offered me free enrollment in their summer camp while my mom looked for work," she said. "Since then, art has been a constant in my life, I don't even remember when I decided to study art, I just always knew I would."

She enjoys working with oil paints, charcoal and oil pastel, as well as watercolor, gouache, ink, acrylic and printmaking, and feels the scholarship towards art college will help provide new challenges in a new environment.

"Art is important to me because it is a way of expressing myself," she said. "I feel like I know myself better thanks to my art, and I am able to convey parts of myself to others that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to. I also believe that art is important to the world. I feel I have a duty to continue to produce and study art as an act of resistance."

This bursary is awarded annually, with information provided online and at the Marblehead High School Scholarship Night. In 2026, the scholarship will return to its usual format of one recipient per year.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)